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Bridging the gap

Are the poor really made to pay for situations beyond what they control? In “How the Poor are made to pay for their Poverty” Ehrenreich explores the different ways major credit companies are getting a piece of the action of making the poor pay more and stay poor. Ehrenreich states “Lenders, including major credit companies as well as payday lenders, have taken over the traditional role of the street-corner loan shark” (Ehrenreich par.3). I believe that companies have started to privatize loans just so that they can charge what ever they want to charge for the people that can barely pay for their bills now. Most people’s problem is not the money that was borrowed, it is the interest that is tacked on to it. If companies would stop charging so much interest then people could actually afford to pay them on time without penalty.

But companies are not going to do that because the interest that they are charging is lining their pockets. In the end it creates a endless cycle that needs to be broken. If nobody is willing too stand up to the companies to tell them they are wrong then we are doomed to repeat the past

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The Complain Game

Can complaining actually be good for you? In “Complaining, for your health” Barbara Neal Varma explains why complaining is actually good for your overall health. “Complaining allows us to achieve desired outcomes such sympathy and attention” (qtd by varma par. 4). I believe that complaining has its good and bad that go along with it. It can be good because you are letting people know there is a problem that needs to be addressed. It can also be a problem as we see in kids that do not get what they want in a store. There is a line that needs to be drawn but it depends on the person. Some people complain just to get attention but does not really want anything other than just to be annoying. There are a few times when complaining needs to be looked into and not just dismissed. When a person complains of abuse it is often a cry for help and to over look it could be fatal.

In the end, I believe that there is a time and place for complaining. Sometimes its a good thing and is needed and others it is not. For the people that complain just to hear themselves talk, can you quiet down so that when a person complains about something truly needed to be heard it can be addressed properly.

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Worst Fear

Can vulnerability change the way a person live their life? In “What I think and Feel at 25″ F. Scott Fitzgerald explores the world of vulnerability and what it can do to a person. I believe that we as people are our own worse enemy sometimes. Fitzgerald states, “As a man grows older it stands to reason that his vulnerability increases” (Fitzgerald par. 42). We as people hate to be told that we are wrong about something. That is one part of our vulnerability that always takes a hit because we have self doubts. But when we try to tell others about theirs we expect them to listen. This will never work because we as people need to learn to listen first and speak second. When we can start to listen and take corrective criticism without taking offense then we can learn enough to help others.

Most people’s personal fear is that they will never measure up or amount to anything. If you as a person has a good career, a good family , food on your table, and cloths on your back then the last thing you should be worrying about is what another person’s insecurities are about you. Because if they hating on you that hard, you must be doing something right. Instead of fearing it, use it for motivation. The best thing a person can do to protect their vulnerability is to never have any.   

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A Changing Society

Has society fell to the point that it would be better if there was no kids? In “A Modest Proposal” Jonathan Swift explores the world without children and why financially it would be better to not have them at all. They’re are three aspects that  shows the harshness that is explored. Being prejudice is never okay. it shows how little a person really thinks of people in general. From religious differences to abuse on women, prejudice comes in many forms. Swift’s proposal to just eat the babies shows prejudice towards kids for costing so much.

Secondly, the world knows greed is everywhere in the world. Swift explains that because people are having alot of kids, they are going to require more room. As more space is needed to fit everybody they are able to raise prices equaling more money in their pockets. Also, because of more kids being brought in to the world, more diapers are going to be needed and therefore pushing gross domestic product up.

Swift also talks about having many different receipts for babies in the form of have many different varieties to choose from. If the world put as much effort in to taking care of the kids that are already here instead of looking for what a kid can be mixed with to make a “pretty baby” then the world wouldn’t suffer the way it is and actually profit instead of always being in debt. Makes you think if people are having kids to get paid, what would happen if the kids get taken and they are still poor?  

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The Real Lie

Do we lie with the intention of deceit or with the intention of compassion? In “The Ways We Lie” Stephanie Ericsson explores all the different ways there is to lie to a person. Some ways are meant to spare people’s feelings from further harm like white lies and some are meant to deceive them in the lowest of ways such as Facades. Although there are some ways that are meant to break even such as out and out lies,there is still one thing that all of them have in common, they are said in place of the truth. Ericsson said “At least I can trust a bald-faced lie” (Ericsson pag. 126). First, I think no lie is a good lie no matter how it is presented. Because of little white lies, the truth later on hurts that much worse. It is basically say a double edge sword that cuts 2 ways . It cuts because of the person lying to you when you trusted them to tell you the truth. Also it shows that the person doesn’t have enough respect for you to tell you the truth to your face.

The second lie is one that we all put up at some time during your life. Facades are made up to make other people believe that we are something we are not. The true face of people are not the ones we see daily. The true face is only reveled to certain people at certain times. Others see us as what we believe what we are. If a person says they’re a  successful banker and you see them ever day at the bank then what makes you think that they are there to rob the place?

The only lie that you can actually trust is a Out and out lie. Its because it is said right out that you have no excuse but to accept its a lie and move on. if there was a truthful lie, this would be it. The only thing that you can take away from this is that the person was honest enough to lie to you and you know it. It kinda Begs the question, are you deceitful enough to lie or are you truthful enough to?

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Hard to Impress

Do we as American men really rely on being with a woman to measure how we are viewed? In “Salaam, Love”, Haroon Moghul explores the world of a high school senior that is desperately trying to get one of the hottest girls in school to go to prom with him. There are two things that stand in his way, his parents, and his religion. Moghul says, “We did not like girls, never mind need them” (Moghul par. 2).  In today’s society young men are viewed in high school by one of two things, either your popular or your not. Often times, high school kids are looked at also by who they are dating. The hottest girl in school usually was dating the captain of the football team. They were usually known as the power couple. 

Every once in a while you would get the nerdy kid that works up the nerve to ask a cute girl to the prom just to be shot down because they did not want anyone to start spreading rumors. While that happens a lot the nerd feels that to fit in with the “cool” kids he needs to be dating one of the popular girls. When its all said and done the kids that were the cool ones back in high school are working some dead end job while the nerdy ones that nobody ever wanted to talk to are CEO’s and has great careers.

I believe that it starts with the parents. If they push their kid to be a all around person and not just see people for what they look like are what they can bring to the table high school kids wouldn't be pressured to have to go impress a girl and they would be just fine in their own skin and love them selves.  At the end of the day no matter who you end up with your still gonna need yourself first and last to be truly happy.

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Blended

Are we really that different than the native American's that was drove off their land and forced onto reservation? In the movie “Smoke Signals” Native American was explored from the view of being on a reservation. Many traits were exhibited like how they receive their daily reports, their priority of money, and their discipline towards their kids.

In the scene that they received the daily report, the guy was on top of his truck with a umbrella or his chair and he reported what he saw from traffic to how the neighborhood was interacting to what they were doing. Another scene showed how they valued and used money. When they were at the reservation store victor was cashing a check to try to see if he had enough money to go to his dad. When he found out he was short his friend offered to give him the money. he told victor what he needed the money they live off the government. Also, the scene with victor and his dad in the truck showed how they were disciplined if they got out of line.

In my southern culture, we also have a weather man that gives us reports on the weather and how traffic is. He is in a helicopter that hovers over the city and gives updates on how things are going. We differ in the value of money because they are funded by the government and I have to have a job and pay taxes to the government. Money doesn't rule their culture, but it is how my culture survives. Now in my culture we get spanking for getting out of line too but we don't openly hit our kids. It is against the law to abuse your kids here but on the reservation they go by there on rules. So are we really that different or is it just that we couldn't control native Americans the way the government controls us ? 

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Generation Problem

Does Americans really have one of the worst work ethics in the world? In “Rules Of The Game” by Amy Tan the story explores the differences and similarities between Asian culture and america culture. Tan quoted “Chinese people do many things, Chinese people do business,do medicine, do painting. Not lazy like american people. We do torture. Best torture” (Tan par.10). Its a hard pill to swallow, but Tan is right. Our work ethic has slowly decreased with each generation. Not that long ago it was a right of passage to go out an get your first job. These days kids act like its a punishment to have to go work for what you want.

        The generation that is coming up in today’s society has grown up with technology. While there is nothing wrong with this, certain work ethics cannot be taught through a computer or smart phone. I am part of maybe the last generation that knew how to balance their time between technology and real world experience. I can go from messing with the latest tech to outside and working in the fields. Today’s generation has been called generation Y. It doesn’t just stand for the letter, it stands for them always asking why I got to do this and why I got to do that. In the Asian culture, to ask your mom and day why do you have to anything is often seen as great disrespect and will not be tolerated. I know we ship in and out a lot of goods to china, but can we get a boat load of respect shipped our way ? Because if not the current generation is gonna start a trend that will lead to way more problems down the line. 

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The Man Card

Can guys show empathy toward anything and still keep their man card? In “Bros Before Hos”: The Guy Code Michael Kimmel describes the standards for keeping the almighty “man card”. Among the first things that will get your man card pulled is if a man cry's. The conception is to never show emotion even when you want to. I am here to tell you as a guy that is only half true. While its not a good thing to cry about everything, there are sometimes that the show of emotion is warranted. If a guy loses his mom or dad expect him to cry and cry a lot. That is because that is one thing that is in his inner circle. if its that close to him then let him vent, you might be saving his life. 

 Studies show that males are at a higher risk to commit suicide because of emotion instability. While on the other hand women are at a lower risk for the same thing because they have a network to confide in. Men have a network also but it is not going to get the same empathy. Most men don’t know how to deal with their own issues let alone give advice to another. That is where the disconnect comes in at be cause to hide their own uncertainly they give the advice of “lets go get wasted or “ You better show her who’s boss” which is always a bad idea.

I use to be one of those guys that believed in “Nice Guys Finish Last “ (Kimmel pag.609) because I always saw the girl I wanted to talk to go with somebody else that everybody knew was a dog but he still got the girl. It wasn’t till I started being my self that I started to get women's attention. So I’m here to tell you the ones that still believe in that man card are the ones that will be single for a long time.

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Should men learn how to cook when they are young or just let the woman continue to do it? In Dave Barry’s “Lost in the Kitchen” Barry states that “most men make themselves as useful around in the kitchen as ill-trained Labrador retrievers.” I believe that is not always the case. I think that men are lost in the kitchen because they do not believe that they can do it, they feel so entitled that they shouldn’t have to, and they was never taught to.

I think that because men are ways being put down that if you cook your a sissy, they do not believe they can do it. I agree that women have a natural sense of learning how to cook but I do not agree that men are useless when it comes to the kitchen. I believe that they are useless because they choose to be.

Also, I believe that men in general feel entitled to the point that if they are working all day that they shouldn’t have to cook. I agree with the point that if you worked all day then it would be nice to home to a cooked meal but they way society is today women work just as long if not longer days then men. We need to get off our high horse and at least offer to help out in the kitchen instead of just waiting on food.