Jared Loughner, the man behind the January 8th Arizona shooting spree, is starting to show signs of mental improvement and stability. The other day, a federal judge ordered that Loughner would go through four more months of psychiatric treatment to see if he can recover enough to go to trial. In January, he had murdered six people and injured thirteen, including Arizona Representative Gabrielle Giffords.
According to the website Jezebel, Loughner was diagnosed with schizophrenia in May and seen as psychologically unfit to stand trial. Before, he had believed that he had killed Giffords, and he was always smirking in his court appearances. However, now his attitude has changed, and he has begun to feel regret for his actions. According to his psychologist Christina Pietz, "He understands he's murdered people ... He feels guilty." Furthermore, she said that in court, "his demeanor is distinctly different ... His smirk is gone. He appears to be paying attention."
According to Time, his recent court appearance on Wednesday was remarkably different than when he appeared in court last May; during that time, he had seemed oblivious to everything and had to be dragged out of the trial. At his latest hearing, he sat there emotionless and seemed to show signs of mental progress. Whether or not he will continue improving is still uncertain, but according to Pietz, he should be ready for trial in eight months. Since this was such a big story last January, I think that it is important to continue following Loughner's state and the trial. It will be interesting to see how this case unfolds in the upcoming months.
Thursday, September 29, 2011
Wednesday, September 28, 2011
True Enough Reflection
I thought that the first 25 pages of the book True Enough by Farhad Manjoo were really fascinating and eye-opening. Since I am very interested in the media and journalism, Manjoo's points about how people distort news to fit their own beliefs really made me question my own interpretation of the news. Right from the beginning I was engaged in the book when he stated, "No longer are we merely holding opinions different from one another; we're also holding different facts" (2). At first, this idea sounded ridiculous to me, since facts are basically set in stone. However, I think that Manjoo proves that this statement is actually true.
In True Enough, he uses several different cases to show how people can manipulate the truth. I was especially appalled at the case involving the girl who died of a disease related to AIDs; it was sickening that the mother didn't get her daughter proper treatment just because she didn't believe that HIV caused AIDs. This example definitely shows how dangerous it can be when twisting the truth. Manjoo also discusses the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth and their plan to portray John Kerry as a dishonorable traitor during the Vietnam War. It amazed me that despite a total lack of evidence, many Americans still believed the veterans' campaign.
While reading this book, I was reminded of a concept that I learned in psychology class called confirmation bias. Confirmation bias basically says that humans tend to look for or pay attention only to information that confirms their own beliefs. In his book, Manjoo states, "Although information now flows more freely than it did in the past-- and this is certainly a salutary development-- today's news landscape will also, inevitably, help us to indulge our biases and preexisting beliefs" (17). I think that this quote shows how confirmation bias is playing a role in how we choose our news. Because there are so many media outlets today, we can easily pick what sources we want to follow, and usually these sources share the same views as us.
I am excited to continue reading True Enough to see what other real-life stories Manjoo will tell that exemplify how people can manipulate or create the truth. Like the author, I am curious as to "How can so many people who live in the same place see the world so differently?" (7).
In True Enough, he uses several different cases to show how people can manipulate the truth. I was especially appalled at the case involving the girl who died of a disease related to AIDs; it was sickening that the mother didn't get her daughter proper treatment just because she didn't believe that HIV caused AIDs. This example definitely shows how dangerous it can be when twisting the truth. Manjoo also discusses the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth and their plan to portray John Kerry as a dishonorable traitor during the Vietnam War. It amazed me that despite a total lack of evidence, many Americans still believed the veterans' campaign.
While reading this book, I was reminded of a concept that I learned in psychology class called confirmation bias. Confirmation bias basically says that humans tend to look for or pay attention only to information that confirms their own beliefs. In his book, Manjoo states, "Although information now flows more freely than it did in the past-- and this is certainly a salutary development-- today's news landscape will also, inevitably, help us to indulge our biases and preexisting beliefs" (17). I think that this quote shows how confirmation bias is playing a role in how we choose our news. Because there are so many media outlets today, we can easily pick what sources we want to follow, and usually these sources share the same views as us.
I am excited to continue reading True Enough to see what other real-life stories Manjoo will tell that exemplify how people can manipulate or create the truth. Like the author, I am curious as to "How can so many people who live in the same place see the world so differently?" (7).
Toddlers & Tiaras
While beauty pageants across the world have always caused controversy over the degradation of women, a new realm of beauty pageant has been brought to light with the TLC hit reality show, Toddlers and Tiaras. For almost three years running, the show details the lives of young girls and their parents as they prepare to compete in beauty pageants. In the latest issue of People magazine, the cover story features the show, and describes how it has sparked outrage over the shocking world of child beauty pageants.
The article in People illustrates the ridiculous extremes that the young children must go through in order to be ready to participate in a pageant. Such extremes include fake hair, fake teeth (called "flippers" in the pageant world), spray tans, padding, and waxing. Clinical social worker Mark Sichel told People that all of this tedious preparation "causes the children tremendous confusion, wondering why they are not okay without those things." This confusion can have a negative impact on these young girls' body images, especially as they grow older.
In a Fox News article, childhood behavioral health psychologist Dr. Mike Bishop agreed, "Toddler beauty pageants set a superficial expectation about what makes someone beautiful – that beauty is primarily about your pose, your smile, your hair, and the clothes you wear. Self-worth should not be tied to competitions." Supporters of the pageants argue that the competitions increase self-esteem and confidence. While this may be true, there are other more effective ways to help young children do so.
Controversy surrounding the show has escalated in recent episodes of the past month, which have featured toddlers dressed up in inappropriate adult costumes. The September 7th episode of Toddlers and Tiaras even ignited uproar from the Parents Television Council (PTC) when it showed 3 year old Paisley wearing Julia Roberts' prostitute costume from the movie Pretty Woman. PTC member Melissa Henson told Entertainment Weekly, "For years we’ve seen adult sexuality being inappropriately and aggressively foisted on innocent young children, but children today are being sexualized at younger and younger ages.”
Overall, I think that the concept of child beauty pageants is completely disturbing and unnecessary. Throughout the public sphere, critics of the show are expressing their outrage over the sexualization of these toddlers. I think that these pageants are robbing the children of their childhood through all this intense and costly preparation and competition. Even more damaging is the effect that these pageants will have on their body image.
People article:
http://www.people.com/people/article/0,,20527816,00.html
Fox article:
http://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/2010/06/03/tlcs-toddlers-tiaras-returns-critics-say-parents-exploitive/#ixzz1ZH2KzM5E
Entertainment Weekly:
http://insidetv.ew.com/2011/09/07/ptc-slams-toddlers-tiaras-for-pretty-woman-costume/
The article in People illustrates the ridiculous extremes that the young children must go through in order to be ready to participate in a pageant. Such extremes include fake hair, fake teeth (called "flippers" in the pageant world), spray tans, padding, and waxing. Clinical social worker Mark Sichel told People that all of this tedious preparation "causes the children tremendous confusion, wondering why they are not okay without those things." This confusion can have a negative impact on these young girls' body images, especially as they grow older.
In a Fox News article, childhood behavioral health psychologist Dr. Mike Bishop agreed, "Toddler beauty pageants set a superficial expectation about what makes someone beautiful – that beauty is primarily about your pose, your smile, your hair, and the clothes you wear. Self-worth should not be tied to competitions." Supporters of the pageants argue that the competitions increase self-esteem and confidence. While this may be true, there are other more effective ways to help young children do so.
Controversy surrounding the show has escalated in recent episodes of the past month, which have featured toddlers dressed up in inappropriate adult costumes. The September 7th episode of Toddlers and Tiaras even ignited uproar from the Parents Television Council (PTC) when it showed 3 year old Paisley wearing Julia Roberts' prostitute costume from the movie Pretty Woman. PTC member Melissa Henson told Entertainment Weekly, "For years we’ve seen adult sexuality being inappropriately and aggressively foisted on innocent young children, but children today are being sexualized at younger and younger ages.”
Overall, I think that the concept of child beauty pageants is completely disturbing and unnecessary. Throughout the public sphere, critics of the show are expressing their outrage over the sexualization of these toddlers. I think that these pageants are robbing the children of their childhood through all this intense and costly preparation and competition. Even more damaging is the effect that these pageants will have on their body image.
People article:
http://www.people.com/people/article/0,,20527816,00.html
Fox article:
http://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/2010/06/03/tlcs-toddlers-tiaras-returns-critics-say-parents-exploitive/#ixzz1ZH2KzM5E
Entertainment Weekly:
http://insidetv.ew.com/2011/09/07/ptc-slams-toddlers-tiaras-for-pretty-woman-costume/
Tuesday, September 20, 2011
Psychology in 1984
While reading George Orwell’s novel, 1984, I was intrigued by the psychological manipulation techniques that the Party successfully utilizes to establish complete and utter control over its citizens. After having taken Advanced Placement Psychology last year, I found myself analyzing the Party’s different strategies in dominating important psychological aspects of the human mind, such as language, memory, learning, intelligence, and behavior.
The Party uses a variety of tactics to control the minds of its citizens. I think the most important is the telescreen; the telescreen constantly streams propaganda designed to influence their thoughts, and the citizens have no choice but to listen to it. Besides that, the telescreen monitors all behavior, and this forces everyone to act in a way that appeases the Party. Concerning manipulation of language, the Party uses Newspeak, a language that erases all creativity and limits expression of speech. As future generations learn Newspeak during the critical period of language development, they will not know any other language, thus being incapable of any thoughts that oppose the Party.
I especially found the repression of memories and intelligence fascinating. Winston represses so many memories about his mother and sister that ultimately surface to consciousness. This reminded me of Freud’s psychoanalytical approach in that Winston had repressed these memories to his subconscious in order to alleviate the suffering he felt towards the disappearance of his family and the shame he felt for having stolen the chocolate from his sister. The other citizens have repressed memories of their childhood too, for fear of possibly committing thoughtcrime. Besides restraining their memories, the citizens also need to restrain their intelligence. Winston says, “It needed also a sort of athleticism of mind, an ability at one moment to make the most delicate use of logic and at the next to be unconscious of the crudest logical errors. Stupidity was as necessary as intelligence, and as difficult to attain” (289). I found it interesting that they needed to acquire a level of stupidity, so that they don’t question the Party.
Finally, the conditioning of the citizens captivated me. The Party mainly uses physical punishment to condition its people. As shown in the conditioning of Winston at the end of the novel, he cannot withstand any physical pain from the dial. He thinks, “Of pain you could wish only one thing: that it should stop” (246). Therefore, pain is a very effective tool in conditioning the people to obey them. With such strict and horrible conditioning methods like this, it is easy to see why the people always obey the Party and have no desire to rebel.
Overall, I think that one of the main purposes of 1984 is to show how powerful psychological manipulation can be. It proves that everyone is susceptible to being influenced psychologically, and even the strongest people, who try to defy it, such as Winston, will surrender in the end. Psychological manipulation is essential for absolute power—what the Party is striving to achieve. I think that at the end of the novel, it is clear they have achieved their goal after Winston has been broken down.
The Party uses a variety of tactics to control the minds of its citizens. I think the most important is the telescreen; the telescreen constantly streams propaganda designed to influence their thoughts, and the citizens have no choice but to listen to it. Besides that, the telescreen monitors all behavior, and this forces everyone to act in a way that appeases the Party. Concerning manipulation of language, the Party uses Newspeak, a language that erases all creativity and limits expression of speech. As future generations learn Newspeak during the critical period of language development, they will not know any other language, thus being incapable of any thoughts that oppose the Party.
I especially found the repression of memories and intelligence fascinating. Winston represses so many memories about his mother and sister that ultimately surface to consciousness. This reminded me of Freud’s psychoanalytical approach in that Winston had repressed these memories to his subconscious in order to alleviate the suffering he felt towards the disappearance of his family and the shame he felt for having stolen the chocolate from his sister. The other citizens have repressed memories of their childhood too, for fear of possibly committing thoughtcrime. Besides restraining their memories, the citizens also need to restrain their intelligence. Winston says, “It needed also a sort of athleticism of mind, an ability at one moment to make the most delicate use of logic and at the next to be unconscious of the crudest logical errors. Stupidity was as necessary as intelligence, and as difficult to attain” (289). I found it interesting that they needed to acquire a level of stupidity, so that they don’t question the Party.
Finally, the conditioning of the citizens captivated me. The Party mainly uses physical punishment to condition its people. As shown in the conditioning of Winston at the end of the novel, he cannot withstand any physical pain from the dial. He thinks, “Of pain you could wish only one thing: that it should stop” (246). Therefore, pain is a very effective tool in conditioning the people to obey them. With such strict and horrible conditioning methods like this, it is easy to see why the people always obey the Party and have no desire to rebel.
Overall, I think that one of the main purposes of 1984 is to show how powerful psychological manipulation can be. It proves that everyone is susceptible to being influenced psychologically, and even the strongest people, who try to defy it, such as Winston, will surrender in the end. Psychological manipulation is essential for absolute power—what the Party is striving to achieve. I think that at the end of the novel, it is clear they have achieved their goal after Winston has been broken down.
Wednesday, September 14, 2011
Children's Book Encourages Dieting
I have been following the topic of body image in pop culture. In today’s world, many pre-teen and teenage girls constantly are pressured to be thin. Media outlets, such as the Internet, magazines, and television, bombard these girls with the idea that one has to be skinny to be perfect. While this problem has been prevalent in mostly teenagers, it will have reached even younger children with the release of a new children’s book called Maggie Goes On A Diet by Paul M. Kramer. The book, scheduled for an October 16 release, tells the story of a young girl’s struggle with being overweight. According to the website, Jezebel, the description of the book reads:
“This book is about a 14 year old girl who goes on a diet and is transformed from being extremely overweight and insecure to a normal sized girl who becomes the school soccer star. Through time, exercise and hard work, Maggie becomes more and more confident and develops a positive self image.”
Although Maggie is a teenager, the book is geared towards children between the ages of four to twelve. After seeing the cover of the book, showing an overweight girl looking into a mirror and holding up a pink dress that clearly will not fit her, I was somewhat disturbed. Even though the cartoonish illustration looks like it is meant for juvenile readers, what message will this image send to children who pick up this book at the bookstore, especially if that child is overweight?
I know that childhood obesity is a very serious topic that affects thousands of children everywhere. However, there are other ways to correct this issue besides encouraging them to follow a meticulous diet. Also, dieting is a rigorous process that requires a lot of commitment; young children should not be committing themselves to an eating regimen. Instead, they should be devoting their time to normal childhood activities. For example, by becoming involved in sports, they can use their energy to dedicate themselves to that sport while getting proper exercise as well. I think that parents also can help in motivating children to lead healthier lifestyles. By eating healthier and staying active themselves, their children will look to them as role models.
According to Jezebel, after receiving tons of criticism, Kramer defended his book in an interview on Good Morning America, "My intentions were just to write a story to entice and to have children feel better about themselves, discover a new way of eating, learn to do exercise, try to emulate Maggie and learn from Maggie's experience." Even though these reasons are good-natured, it does not make up for the fact that the book’s title is suggesting dieting in young children.
The realm of pop culture is already filled with publicity pressuring teenagers to be thinner. It is unnecessary to urge even younger children to lose weight as well. Therefore, children’s books, such as Maggie Goes On A Diet, will do more harm than good. While it may strive to teach children to have a more positive self body image, it does so in all the wrong ways.
“This book is about a 14 year old girl who goes on a diet and is transformed from being extremely overweight and insecure to a normal sized girl who becomes the school soccer star. Through time, exercise and hard work, Maggie becomes more and more confident and develops a positive self image.”
Although Maggie is a teenager, the book is geared towards children between the ages of four to twelve. After seeing the cover of the book, showing an overweight girl looking into a mirror and holding up a pink dress that clearly will not fit her, I was somewhat disturbed. Even though the cartoonish illustration looks like it is meant for juvenile readers, what message will this image send to children who pick up this book at the bookstore, especially if that child is overweight?
I know that childhood obesity is a very serious topic that affects thousands of children everywhere. However, there are other ways to correct this issue besides encouraging them to follow a meticulous diet. Also, dieting is a rigorous process that requires a lot of commitment; young children should not be committing themselves to an eating regimen. Instead, they should be devoting their time to normal childhood activities. For example, by becoming involved in sports, they can use their energy to dedicate themselves to that sport while getting proper exercise as well. I think that parents also can help in motivating children to lead healthier lifestyles. By eating healthier and staying active themselves, their children will look to them as role models.
According to Jezebel, after receiving tons of criticism, Kramer defended his book in an interview on Good Morning America, "My intentions were just to write a story to entice and to have children feel better about themselves, discover a new way of eating, learn to do exercise, try to emulate Maggie and learn from Maggie's experience." Even though these reasons are good-natured, it does not make up for the fact that the book’s title is suggesting dieting in young children.
The realm of pop culture is already filled with publicity pressuring teenagers to be thinner. It is unnecessary to urge even younger children to lose weight as well. Therefore, children’s books, such as Maggie Goes On A Diet, will do more harm than good. While it may strive to teach children to have a more positive self body image, it does so in all the wrong ways.
Wednesday, September 7, 2011
Pop Culture & Body Image
Pop culture covers such a broad spectrum of different topics and issues. However, one particular area of pop culture that I find to be very interesting and important is health and body image. Entertainment articles and magazines are always either praising or criticizing a celebrity's body and health. Some issues that revolve around this topic are eating disorders and plastic surgery. Body image portrayed in the media also has an effect on the general public's perception of their own health. Some people, particularly adolescent women, may feel pressure to look like a celebrity, and this problem can have serious consequences. However, body image in pop culture also may inspire people to get fit and eat healthier. Therefore, there are pros and cons to the manners in which the media address body image. The sources I plan to use to investigate issues about body image and health in pop culture include The Huffington Post and the website of People magazine.
Monday, September 5, 2011
"After Class, Skimpy Equality" Response
Overall, the issues in the article "After Class, Skimpy Equality" did not surprise me. The situations mentioned can be applied to virtually any college throughout the country. However, this does not make the inequality of college women okay. I think that it's hypocritical for women to act respectable in class, and then completely change their demeanor at parties. Part of the problem is that women feel they need to live up to the social expectations. It's difficult to not try and meet these expectations because of the pressure to belong. Having just arrived at college a few days, I know I can relate. Since it can be hard to meet people, it's easier to give in and follow the crowd. But, this can be damaging to women's sense of self-worth. I find it interesting that even though women have fought long and hard for their rights throughout history, they still resort to behavior that suggests inferiority. In the article Belkin states, "In social settings and in relationships, men set the pace, made the rules and acted as they had in the days when women were still 'less than.'" I think that young women need to overcome this obstacle of inequality. They need to find a healthy balance between their academic and social lives that does not compromise their morals.
Mountains Beyond Mountains
Paul Farmer brought both physical and spiritual relief to the central plateau in Haiti. Since Haiti had been suffering for so long, it is difficult to say which type resulted in greater success and happiness for its less-fortunate inhabitants. However, I would have to say that Farmer's contributions to increasing and improving the available medical resources helped the Haitians the most. The attention that they received from Farmer and his staff for their physical illnesses and needs was the top priority for Farmer. Partners In Health (PIH) "believed in sending resources from the United States to Cange, down 'the steep gradient of inequality,' so as to provide services to the desperately poor--directly, now" (101). This approach, called "pragmatic solidarity," emphasized helping the Haitians' physical needs. Although Farmer did provide them with a newfound hope, this hope amplified when the Haitians started to trust Farmer and see results from their treatments. The physical and spiritual relief that Farmer provided was not only limited to Haiti; he also helped others in Russia, Peru, and other poor countries. I believe that in these cases too, the physical treatments helped the most. For example, after successfully treating Christian, a child with MDR tuberculosis, Christian's parents found hope after their son was healthy again. Christian's mother approached Farmer and said, "I want to say many thanks," and Farmer replied, "For me, it is a privilege" (158).
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