Fighting for whats real.

I believe I am the type of person that could live in a shack in the middle of the woods. I'm not saying I really want to or that it would be fun or exciting; however I think that it would be interesting to find out who you really are as a person and what it feels like as thoreau said, "to back life into a corner." I am the type of person that hates most of the technology that consumes our generation's lives. I don't play video games, don't watch much t.v. that often, and I have the most basic phone you can buy. So I wouldn't want to take a trip to the woods and be secluded from the world for a year to get away from technology, because it doesn't consume my life. I would want to take that trip to get away from the technology and materialistic items that affect my and everyone else's life in general. What would it be like without my ipod, phone, car, t.v? Most of these items people take for granted, even I take them for granted. To truly find the raw meaning of existence and find out whats real inside you is having nothing by your side. To be excluded from everything you once knew and to be placed by yourself in a remote area. The more I think about it, maybe there is a part in me or in all of us that we don't even really know. Maybe there is this real person or real meaning to life that we haven't even met, because we never had the opportunity to. So my question I guess is, if you were placed in a shack in a remote area with nothing but yourself, would you find the lost person you really are, the "real" you?

Dumbest Generation?

I believe there are many people today that believe we our generation is lazy, uneventful, and ignorant. Along with these characteristics most certainly comes the fact that other generations note us as DUMB or STUPID. I feel that they feel this way because most of our society is brought up around technology, and that younger kids only care about their social lives and the next facebook feed. Even though some of this may be true, I feel like it is a major generalization. There are many young people out their today that work their butts off, and barely have time in their day to get all of their school work done because of extra-curricular activities or jobs. Therefore, when it comes to being lazy and ignorant, some kids are, but many work extremely hard day in and day out to make themselves better. When it comes to be the dumbest generation, as Bauerlein suggests, it makes me really pissed. I don't think its right to blame the kids in our generation on our technology and the way we were brought up. I feel as though today kids are learning to build the future and not complete the past. Many classes today, (and I speak from a college student prespective), lack the history of what our country has accomplished in the past. Many kids don't know the answers to who was our 22nd president, or who was our ally in world war two, because some of us were never really taught any of these things in earlier years. We are taught today how to be productive with computers and other new technology and how to advance the future. I think because we choose to learn differently than past generations, we are considered "stupid or dumb," because we can't answer questions of the past. Let me ask you this Bauerlein, how many people over the age of 40 today can sit down at a computer and know the majority of the controls? They must be really dumb!

Real life or Virtual life, which shall I choose?

Our world today relies on technology pretty much for everything including driving, working, economy, power, eating, and yeah pretty much to survive. Now many people live their lives through technology through video games and the MMORPG, (Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing Games). Due to technology's advanced domains, people from young to old are taking advantage of it in ways that to some are unimaginable. In the documentary, "Second Skin" that we watched in class, we see how some people use technology, or the virtual world to control their lives. It was mind numbing for me to witness people killing themselves and engaging in relationships/marriage through a game! If we take a closer look though, the question is, is this a game or a virtual reality? I think for the 50 million people that engage in games such as World of Warcraft believe that they can live the life they have always wanted to through a video game. Maybe they grew up not having too many friends, or a bad family background enabling them to feel powerless or non-existant. Through one of these online games they can create that person they have always wanted to be. In Second Skin, one of the guys says that these people are able to release that person from within, or release their angel through their online character. With all of this said I personally believe that virtual worlds and reality cannot really compare. At some point, these people that are obviously addicted need to come to the realization that these games are not reality. They are going to have to tend to their job, family, or even the health of themselves at some point. The real world isn't a game, its REAL, so maybe these addicted virtual enthusiast's need a wake up call, and come back to something more meaningful!

"Feeding our insecurities"

As I started to read the book, "Culture Jam", I thought that it wouldn't spark my interests at all. As I read on, I noticed that I was really getting into it, and even taking the way I live my life and applying it to Lasn's feelings. One quote that really sparked my interest while I was reading was on pg. 75, under the, "Your Corporate Connection," section. The quote reads, "And they have done it subtly, feeding our insecurities a little at a time." This specific quote was referring to how advertisements, media, and so on affect us on how we look. I made a connection with the paragraph about, Randy the gym rat. It goes on to explain how he lifts day in and day out and inspects his body regulary to achieve the perfect physique. He uses steroids to help aid his progress in creating the "perfect body," and its affects are obviously detrimental to his health. As I am currently training for a bodybuilding competition in the spring, I noticed that besides steroids I do the same things. Basically, in the big picture I have let muscle magazines, internet sites (http://www.bodybuilding.com/), and so on somewhat take over me. In fact, I'm not afraid to admit that I have spent hundreds of dollars on supplements to help create a perfect physique as well. Just like Randy and many other young adults out there, I have let the industry somewhat corrupt my mind. Although, I love lifting and will continue to work hard and try to compete, I came to the realization that this book states real ideas. The main point that I am trying to make is how many women and men on a daily basis let the media, and t.v. control our lives subconsciously. Women are developing eating disorders, men are taking steroids, and people are breaking their backs to look like, "that person on the magazine cover." When will we learn to define ourselves and be confident enough to say, "I like the way I am."

Introduction

Hey,
I'm Blake Bomberger and I am a sophmore here at Shippensburg University, majoring in Criminal Justice. Some of my interests include lifting/working out, football. hanging out with friends and family, and having a good time. I hope one day to work for the DEA, or some type of drug enforcement team. What interested me in this class was that I don't mind reading, and I am a very social person, so engaging in class discussion won't be an issue. The last book I read was "Zeitoun." Some of the different types of popular culture I am interested in are hip-hop, rock, and country music. I am also very interested in watching sports channels, mostly ESPN, or versus; however, overall I am not too much into t.v. or video games. One of my favorite classes in High School was a literature class, so I do enjoy reading books and talking about them in class discussions. Literature in my opinion is work that is written or spoken to help express someones feelings on a certain issue or topic.