When are you supposed to be Independent?

Independence. It is the word that every senior hears. You'll be independent when you go to college. But are you really independent? Few seniors at Stevenson will pay for college and most will return home for breaks. So when do you truly become an adult? My cousin is twenty-one years old, she is a senior in college, and recently I asked her if she felt like an adult. She laughed, replying "No, not at all. I am home for about five months out of the year give or take. I think I'll finally feel like an independent adult when I can call another place besides my parent's home or college home." She went on to say that when she is married, she'll feel independent from her parents. I think she is correct. Until we can completely move out of our parent's homes, we are still dependent upon them for many adult things like taxes and bills. Once we move away from our parent's homes, we have new responsibilities. These new responsibilities like financially taking care of ourselves and others makes us independent. However, what truly makes you an adult is being able to balance your new responsible role with your old one as a son or daughter because your parents will always want to take care of you.

The Masks Men Wear

I have always known that guys in general are more violent than girls, but seeing the statistics was mind baffling. The movie we watched made it seem like guys are these horribly violent monsters in order to prove they're not gay. I never thought that guys were so mean to one another. The Kimmel article states that homophobia is the fear of being called gay, which seemed to ring true in the case of the school shooters. The one girl that Kimmel mentioned involved in a shooting was the one who chickened out. I think it would have beeen more interesting to delve into the girl's reasons for wanting to participate in the first place. Generally, society sees men as strong and girls as weak, which is why mainstream media has always shown men as violent people. In One Tree Hill, a guy was a school shooter and in many other shows guys are always the one's getting in fights. Why not girls? In real life, girls tend to use words and hold grudges, guys fight and move on. The other day at school, I witnessed a fight between two girls. About 100 hundred people were are watching shocked that girls would actually hit one another. I think most girls view actually attacking another girl as trashy, whereas guys hit eachother to gain respect.

Beauty is Not only Skin Deep

The sad thing about watching the Dove ads is that I was not surprised, not even shocked. I know that models in magazines are always adjusted, but I had no idea how much work went into altering their appearances. I wish that the media released the message that beauty is what counts on the ouside. However, I understand that people will always care about appearances, but why so excessively? The way that our world is causes people to die. People die every day from anorexia, bulimia, exercise bulimia - there are so many different types now that I can't even keep track. A new one is called wannarexia, where people are afflicted by the extreme desire to be anorexics. What is wrong with our world where people pray for the chemical imbalance to become anorexic. I can't only blame the media, and neither can anyone. I watch my fair share of TV, most of which portrays super skinny and good looking people, but I do not allow myself to become disillusioned by actors. One just needs a healthy dose of real life. The largest agent of socialization is family because family can really dictate how you view yourself.

Bowling for Columbine

Moore's satire defidently brought up mixed emotions for me. First and foremost, I thought it was interesting. I also did not really like the movie. The agents of socialization that helped contribute to gun use is family and society. The Columbine shooters were depressive people who clearly did not have a strong family and friend base. They also listened to Marilyn Manson music, which is a music and pop culture contributor. I don't believe that Marilyn Manson told them to shoot up their school; rather I believe that the shooters were most likely born mentally disturbed and their surrounding nurture brought the likelihood to do bad things to the surface.

Tuesday's with Morrie

As many of you know, I was not at school so I did not see Tuesday's with Morrie. Coincidentally, I spent the week surrounded by death and sadness. My papa (grandpa) died almost a week ago. It was a huge shock and my family is very sad. What helped me a lot is knowing that he didn't feel any pain and had no idea that he would die. How did Morrie live so long knowing he would die from ALS? It is very morbid to know when you will die, so I am very thankful that my papa didn't know. As a culture, America has an interesting relationship with death. Death is a pivotal plot point in numerous television shows like LOST, Bones, and the CSI's, and in movies like Vantage Point, Disturbia, and SAW.... Yet, while used as an entertainment point, Americans fear death. No one in their right mind wants to die, and no one really knows what happens when you die. As a culture, we fear the unknown and that is what death is. No one can tell you what dying or the afterlife is like - that is where religion and faith comes in. I do believe, however, that dying is the beginning of a new adventure for the soul. After seeing my papa's body at the hospital, I firmly believe that body and soul are completely separate entities because the differences between a living person and a dead person are drastic. I don't know what my family's life will be like without my Papa, and we love him will miss him every single day.

U of I Politcal Rules

My brother Alex goes to the University of Illinois. After hearing about the new rules in place for teachers, TA's, and graduate students I called him up. I was shocked that they could not wear or share their political beliefs. Of course, as per usual, my brother barely knewwhat I was talking about. However, my cousin Daniel did. Daniel is super involved in Obama's camp. He goes canvassing and has even joined several student run organizations concerning the election. Daniel said that he and a bunch of other people have been petitioning for the rule to be dismissed, but nothing has happened yet. Apparently, it is really important at the U of I that teachers do not affect their student's views. I can understand this, but I don't believe it is fair. However, unlike here at Stevenson, everyone in college can vote. It is not as big of a deal here because only a handful of students can and will actually vote on November 4th. I wonder if Stevenson were a college, if the rule would be different.

Culture Norms

I had the most difficulty adjusting to the restaurant norms in England, France, and Italy. In America, waiters and waitresses come whenever to take your order. They are even border-line annoying in their insistency. However, in European countries waiters wait and wait and wait to take your order. They will not approach your table unless the menu is closed and placed on the table. Once my family and I waited to place our orders for forty minutes before realizing that our menus were wide open. As soon as we closed them, the waiter came running. This norm took at least four days in Italy to comprehend, and I soon realized that I liked it better. In America, waiters pester you to no end until you finally order. I've once been asked four times in fifteen minutes to place my order --- No, I'm not ready yet!