Shit! This is technically going to count as November 6's post, because I haven't gone to bed yet so it's still Thursday to me. Plus, in every other time zone in the U.S., it IS still Thursday. So this isn't so bad.
The weather here has been BEAUTIFUL for the past few days, and I've been wearing skirts without tights everyday as a gesture of appreciation. Also because when the weather in Michigan gives you a gift, it is bound to take back something in return. Such as your warmth, joy, happiness. I'm afraid of what's going to happen when this warm spell is over.
I'm about to buy tickets to a concert featuring the lovely Daisy May and Seth Bernard. They are folk singer from northern Michigan and I encourage you to check them out.
Thursday, November 6, 2008
Wednesday, November 5, 2008
YES WE CAN!
B: What's that, Tyra?
T: Oh, it's just my crystal ball. It says you're going to win.
B: Well, that's pretty neat.
Read what other countries' leaders think of America's choice:
"I look forward to meeting with the president-elect so that we can continue to strengthen the special bond that exists between Canada and the United States."
Tuesday, November 4, 2008
Happy Voting Day!
I wrote this paper for a class today and I liked it. It sounds more essay-ish than bloggish, but I am too anxious about this election to alter it right now.
Popular media is rife with “hidden” values and power relationships—though in many cases the term “hidden” can be used only loosely. One could easily argue that in the past year, the presidential primaries and election have exposed extreme racism and sexism that continue to underlie media coverage. However, less remarked-upon values and power relationships also exist in both the news and entertainment media. One example of such that I have recently been noticing more and more is the value that the media places in wealth—especially those who have it and those who seem posed to gain it. In the United States, 1% of the country owns 38% of the country’s wealth—the odds of joining that 1% are very low for most people. However, political coverage, television shows, magazine articles, and other forms of media all convey the idea that the rich live the best lives, and they should be allowed to keep them, because someday you might be rich, too.
This year’s election has motivated extensive discussion about taxes, the economy, the rich and the poor; but perhaps most of all, the middle class. I find that the media consistently assumes that members of the middle class can have no more compelling goal than to become members of the upper class. Take, for example, an from Fortune magazine, which explores the plight of the HENRYs: “high earners, not rich yet” who are afraid they may never enter the upper class if the taxes on their $250,00-plus incomes are to increase. This article bemoans the fact that though “most HENRYs don't need to worry about making the next mortgage or credit card payment,” they also do not have golf-club memberships or $1,400 dresses. According to this article, HENRYs earn more than 98% of American households, yet the media encourages those 98% to think, If I work hard enough, it could be me earning $250,00 a year, and I don’t want to pay higher taxes when I earn that much. The media ihttp://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gifs trying to convince us that to be rich requires more than a quarter of a million dollars per year, even though most of us would be thrilled just to not worry about paying our mortgages. Overall, I found the reasons this article presented for opposing higher taxes for HENRYs to be fairly ridiculous.
Entertainment media also perpetuates the idea that everyone should try to be rich by implying that rich people live the best and most exciting lives. Programs like VH1’s The Fabulous Life Of… and MTV’s Cribs show off the cool and crazy things that wealthy people can buy, while shows such as Fear Factor imply that eating disgusting things is worth it for a lot of money. However, it is shows like Gossip Girl that do the best job of instilling a sense of “rich is better” in citizens, because it is marketed to impressionable teenagers who think that with money, they can be like their favorite characters. I will be the first to admit that I adore Gossip Girl, and I fully agree with New York Magazine when they call it “the greatest show of our time.” Unfortunately, when I think, Thank god I wasn’t rich enough to be cruising around bars at age fifteen, other girls are probably thinking, I wish I were rich enough to be pictured in the tabloids. From a young age, Americans are taught that their own value is directly proportional to the value of their assets.
The portrayal of wealth in the media often presents itself as the American Dream, but it is a distorted picture. People like the HENRYs have been made to believe that their hard work that comfortably supports their families is still not enough to qualify themselves as successful, and teenagers who have not even had the chance to begin a career are taught to aim for wealth rather than something that will fulfill their interests and adequately support them. In addition to enforcing unachievable values and levels of power on American citizens, the power structure of wealth in the media reinforces corresponding values of racism and sexism—the wealthiest people in America tend to be white males. By intertwining America’s inherent value of the American Dream with a hidden value of unnecessary wealth, the media instills yet another power structure that alienates most of the country’s citizens.
Popular media is rife with “hidden” values and power relationships—though in many cases the term “hidden” can be used only loosely. One could easily argue that in the past year, the presidential primaries and election have exposed extreme racism and sexism that continue to underlie media coverage. However, less remarked-upon values and power relationships also exist in both the news and entertainment media. One example of such that I have recently been noticing more and more is the value that the media places in wealth—especially those who have it and those who seem posed to gain it. In the United States, 1% of the country owns 38% of the country’s wealth—the odds of joining that 1% are very low for most people. However, political coverage, television shows, magazine articles, and other forms of media all convey the idea that the rich live the best lives, and they should be allowed to keep them, because someday you might be rich, too.
This year’s election has motivated extensive discussion about taxes, the economy, the rich and the poor; but perhaps most of all, the middle class. I find that the media consistently assumes that members of the middle class can have no more compelling goal than to become members of the upper class. Take, for example, an from Fortune magazine, which explores the plight of the HENRYs: “high earners, not rich yet” who are afraid they may never enter the upper class if the taxes on their $250,00-plus incomes are to increase. This article bemoans the fact that though “most HENRYs don't need to worry about making the next mortgage or credit card payment,” they also do not have golf-club memberships or $1,400 dresses. According to this article, HENRYs earn more than 98% of American households, yet the media encourages those 98% to think, If I work hard enough, it could be me earning $250,00 a year, and I don’t want to pay higher taxes when I earn that much. The media ihttp://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gifs trying to convince us that to be rich requires more than a quarter of a million dollars per year, even though most of us would be thrilled just to not worry about paying our mortgages. Overall, I found the reasons this article presented for opposing higher taxes for HENRYs to be fairly ridiculous.
Entertainment media also perpetuates the idea that everyone should try to be rich by implying that rich people live the best and most exciting lives. Programs like VH1’s The Fabulous Life Of… and MTV’s Cribs show off the cool and crazy things that wealthy people can buy, while shows such as Fear Factor imply that eating disgusting things is worth it for a lot of money. However, it is shows like Gossip Girl that do the best job of instilling a sense of “rich is better” in citizens, because it is marketed to impressionable teenagers who think that with money, they can be like their favorite characters. I will be the first to admit that I adore Gossip Girl, and I fully agree with New York Magazine when they call it “the greatest show of our time.” Unfortunately, when I think, Thank god I wasn’t rich enough to be cruising around bars at age fifteen, other girls are probably thinking, I wish I were rich enough to be pictured in the tabloids. From a young age, Americans are taught that their own value is directly proportional to the value of their assets.
The portrayal of wealth in the media often presents itself as the American Dream, but it is a distorted picture. People like the HENRYs have been made to believe that their hard work that comfortably supports their families is still not enough to qualify themselves as successful, and teenagers who have not even had the chance to begin a career are taught to aim for wealth rather than something that will fulfill their interests and adequately support them. In addition to enforcing unachievable values and levels of power on American citizens, the power structure of wealth in the media reinforces corresponding values of racism and sexism—the wealthiest people in America tend to be white males. By intertwining America’s inherent value of the American Dream with a hidden value of unnecessary wealth, the media instills yet another power structure that alienates most of the country’s citizens.
Monday, November 3, 2008
In other news, my "v" key is sticking
"If Obama's elected, I don't know what's gonna happen. His whole career has been left wing. Is he an ideologue? Is he gonna bring a far-left sensibility into the White House? My instinct says no, because he's cautious. When I interviewed him, I saw a very cautious guy. I didn't see some crazy bomb thrower. I can read people pretty well.
"So, I think he took the avenue to power that he had to take. I think he'll govern to the center like Clinton did. I think Clinton is his role model for governance. I think JFK is his role model for the campaign. And Obama has waged a brilliant campaign."
BILL O'REILLY said this. I know, right? I was surprised, too.
However, since every interview I see with him goes something like this, I don't see my opinion of him changing in the near future.
"So, I think he took the avenue to power that he had to take. I think he'll govern to the center like Clinton did. I think Clinton is his role model for governance. I think JFK is his role model for the campaign. And Obama has waged a brilliant campaign."
BILL O'REILLY said this. I know, right? I was surprised, too.
However, since every interview I see with him goes something like this, I don't see my opinion of him changing in the near future.
Sunday, November 2, 2008
Day 2: The Commitment Continues
As I mentioned yesterday, I’m going to be posting each day this month. This is clearly going to be quite the endeavor for me; however, my perception of this monumental task is skewed because I am also going to try to complete NaNoWriMo. Compared to writing 50,000 words that form a coherent plot, writing a couple of disjointed paragraphs each day should be simple!
Of course, what this all really comes down to is having another distraction from schoolwork that I can consider “productive.” In October that distraction was the gym, but I would like a break from eighteen hours a week at the gym…twelve or so should serve me just fine for November. The idea, though, of these productive distractions is that I can engage in them for copious amounts of time instead of doing my homework, and not feel guilty. For example, right now: I have a 1,500-2,000 word paper to write by tomorrow, it’s almost 9:00, and I have yet to begin. But THIS is NECESSARY. Cheers to writing initiatives!
All right, I believe this has been a successful second-day blog post. I leave you with a heartwarming story and low expectations for the quality of this essay.
Of course, what this all really comes down to is having another distraction from schoolwork that I can consider “productive.” In October that distraction was the gym, but I would like a break from eighteen hours a week at the gym…twelve or so should serve me just fine for November. The idea, though, of these productive distractions is that I can engage in them for copious amounts of time instead of doing my homework, and not feel guilty. For example, right now: I have a 1,500-2,000 word paper to write by tomorrow, it’s almost 9:00, and I have yet to begin. But THIS is NECESSARY. Cheers to writing initiatives!
All right, I believe this has been a successful second-day blog post. I leave you with a heartwarming story and low expectations for the quality of this essay.
Saturday, November 1, 2008
SO. I'm doing Nanoplomoblogo...! Hang on, it's...Nablopomo. But I don't have time to say anymore right now! Happy Day-After-Halloween!
Tuesday, August 5, 2008
what i wish i could sound like when i talk about running.
"Whenever I run a marathon my mind goes through the exact same process. Up to nineteen miles I'm sure I can run a good time, but past twenty-two miles I run out of fuel and start to get upset at everything. And at the end I feel like a car that's run out of gas. But after I finish and some time has passed, I forget all the pain and misery and am already planning how I can run an even better time in the next race."
--Haruki Murakami
Haruki Murakami is one of my favorite authors, and it just so happens that his new book about running was released the day after I was told to refrain from the same activity until January. Now I fear that my hiatus from running will result not only in the loss of my endurance and sanity, but also my future chances at novel-writing. This book and I are entangled in an intense love-hate relationship right now.
--Haruki Murakami
Haruki Murakami is one of my favorite authors, and it just so happens that his new book about running was released the day after I was told to refrain from the same activity until January. Now I fear that my hiatus from running will result not only in the loss of my endurance and sanity, but also my future chances at novel-writing. This book and I are entangled in an intense love-hate relationship right now.
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