"Electronic Whip"

http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-1019-lopez-disney-20111018,0,1918886.column
"It should come as no surprise that at the happiest place on Earth, not all the employees are smiling." How unfortunate is it that Disneyland can satisfy their customers and not their workers? I've never been there, but it's sad to me that they have their workers compteting against eachother. There is no "I" in team. I don't know about you, but I was told that when you're working with someone, you are a team. C'mon didn't they learn anything from Monster's Inc?!

The writer, Steve Lopez, did an excellent job portraying, what percieves, another world at the park. He spoke to Isabel Barerra and Tom Bray, hotel workers. He explains her story and includes multiple quotes. Lopez also does a good job at throwing in extra facts and comparisons.

Arachibutyrophobia

I love peanut butter, I do, but I am afraid of it. I’m afraid that one day it’s going to stick to the roof of my mouth, expand, and suffocate me. I’m afraid that because of its stickiness, I won’t be able to get it down. I don’t want my last meal to be… peanut butter. I don’t have that much affection towards the food!

"Sound and Fury" Response

This week in class we watched "Sound and Fury," a movie directed by Josh Aronson in 2000. The film gave two perspectives on the cochlear implant controversy. I don't feel that I can take a complete stance on the issue at this time. I say that only because the movie, from my perspective, was more of a sissy argument rather than a factual debate.

 Heather, a six year old girl, is deaf. She is being raised by her two deaf parents. Her parents are very wishy washy throughout the whole film. The only thing that is clear is that they do not want Heather to be taken away from the deaf community. Heather’s mom decides that she is going to go seek medical advice to find out if she could get the implant as well. After she is told that the implant seems to have less effect on people who receive it when they are older, she becomes discouraged and refuses to let Heather have the operation.

Heather’s aunt and uncle, paternal side, gave birth to two twin boys- one of which was deaf. They go through with the operation as soon as possible because they want their son, Peter, to have the most opportunities possible. The operation was a success and Peter is able to hear.

Both sides of the family bash each other in a who’s right, who’s wrong argument throughout the entire movie. If I were to make my stance solely from this film, I would be all for the implant. Who wouldn’t want their child to be able to hear the melodies of the world? But as I said, I would need to do far more research to be able to properly argue my case.

Welcome to "Amurrica"

The song that best describes the American way of life in 2011 is, hands down, - "Facebook" by Eric Hutchinson. If I tried to explain anymore, it'd be a regurgitation of his song... listen for yourself.

 (:

"A Child Called It"

We’re all looking for answers. We’re all looking for the one thing that would change our circumstances and improve life as we know it. A Child Called It did it for me. Dave Pelzer’s words changed my life, because his circumstances changed his. We hear about abuse, never realizing what truly goes on in the victim’s mind. Dave’s series annotates his own horror story. It’s brutal and not politically correct… but it’s honest. His sensory details hit so hard that it is impossible to hold tears. He keeps the reader engaged, because they feel a kinship with him.  Many have never been abused, but everyone has been hurt. There is a need to keep reading to know that Dave is okay.

            As children we’ve all looked for the satisfaction of others. In society we thrive off of others’ opinions of us. We feel the need to be accepted by everyone, and if we’re not, we feel obligated to change ourselves to be a “better version.” What if we are forced to change? Not because of society, but because we are told day after day, “You are worthless.” A person’s name looses all meaning. It becomes translated into “the boy,” the “bastard child,” eventually degraded to “it.” Now imagine being seven years old and experiencing all of that.

            I think about my brother, a ten year old, in fourth grade. Dave was at the epicenter of the abuse at that age. I look at him, and it is astonishing that anyone would have the heart to do that to someone… especially a child. I understand that Dave’s mother was an alcoholic. But does that justify stabbing your son; attempting to drown him, and burning his arm on the stove? Never. I feel that when tragedy strikes today, society looks at the perpetrator and analyzes their brain to come to a medical diagnosis.

            Dave did what most victims can’t- he told the truth. A decade ago he released his story, and today he is still inspiring thousands of abuse victims to do the same. It is because of this that we see anti-abuse organizations. I march in a protest rally every year regarding the same issues, because his message inspired me to take action.

A Child Called “It” is documented as one of the most brutal abuse cases recorded in California’s history. His books are some of the most heart wrenching. His legacy is one of the most inspiring.