Self Evaluation

               Throughout the semester I fell as if I improved a great deal in my writing. In high school you could get away with a mediocre essay, however when you in college there are higher expectations to meet therefore you have to step up your game a little which is what I did. When it came to writing essays I always took hours to write mine because it was hard for me to start an introduction and then put the rest together. Still I always put a lot of effort in my writings and honestly I thought that English class would be one of the courses I would be having more trouble in but apparently this is one of two other courses in which I’m doing pretty good in. My way of thinking also changed. I tend to come up with ideas faster than before and now since the introduction is still a little difficult for me I sometimes write the rest of an essay and do the intro last and then make some necessary changes. I think I deserve a grade in the B range because I did all most of the blogs and came to class everyday but one. I also received good grades on my projects. I could have improved in this class more by posting some of my blogs on time or writing them with the five hundred words that was being asked for.

Response to Food Inc, and Tough Guise Video

              I found that the videos Tough guise and Food inc. were very informative. In the Tough Guise video, males explained why they acted tough sometimes. They did to avoid being called insults that made them look weak and not manly. Some started acting tough because they lived in a dangerous neighborhood. Muscular bodies are also a sign of manliness. Those that didn’t have a big muscular body just talked tough to be able to gain some respect. In movies they showed that the heroes are usually muscular guys with a big gun and that throughout the years the size of the gun also changed. The video Food Inc. also showed the truth about what goes on in the food processing business. First of all the food is made in factories which is contrary to what the labels on packages claim about the product being made in a farm. The animals such as chickens have to grown pretty big to be able to sell them. These animals are mistreated as well as the workers who don’t get paid much. Two facts that really surprised me was that the majority of food products were made from rearrangements of corn. This makes it easier for companies to make more money. The other fact was that the number of inspections at factories dropped from 50,000 to about 9,164 per year. It’s not right how food companies care more about the money they make than the health of their customers.

Response To Media Addiction Article

              To me if parents prefer to take care of a virtual child than their own then there is something going on in the world. If they didn’t want the kid in the first place than the mother could have had an abortion or gave it up for adoption to a family that will actually feed and care for the baby. The article says that the Korean couple lost their will to live after losing their jobs and it got me thinking, why go waste your life on a game instead of doing something to get back on track? The couple couldn’t have been feeling that bad if they were able to raise a virtual child online. Clearly the internet is used today by many as an escape from their problems in the real world. The mother who was killed by her son for telling him that he played too many games is another example of how the internet is starting to take over the lives of people. The Korean man just killed her and went back to his gaming in an internet café as if nothing happened. The man who died from cardiac arrest for playing almost 50 hours non-stop was also in an internet café. He probably ate little to nothing as to not waste any game play time. There should be some kind of regulation on the amount of hours you could stay in a café or else many others take advantage of the free internet. This internet addiction should be taken seriously and should probably receive the same attention as a drug addiction. The fact that people today are getting addicted to certain media is a depressing thought. I have never understood how people could get so distracted and addicted by a video game. Mostly everything is run by computers and you could find anything on the internet so as technology advances more the rate of this addiction will eventually increase and should start being dealt with as of now. As with any addiction, being online 24-7 can not only cause health problems but also problems with the family and friends. According to the article many internet addicts are more likely to get depressed than non addicts. This correlation is proof that the amount of technology used today should be decrease and more self control should be by us.

Self Society Portraits

          Everyone has hopes and dreams and its important to never give up in what you plan to accomplish. I was born and raised in New York and I enjoy living here. I have my own vision of my future. Currently I want to major in as a Physician Assistance however I always also wanted to be in the music business. I plan to go to some music school to learn about music production and how to use some of the equipment needed. Anybody who knows how to work the equipment and has a good ear for music can become a producer so I don’t even mind if I become a small-time producer. It takes a lot of luck and talent to make it to the top so I just want it as a side job from a Physician Assistant, kind of like a hobby. If I get a big break and start working for a famous record company then lucky me, if not it’s okay at least I’ll be doing what I enjoy.

                More than once have I heard that the PA program is very competitive so currently I’m wondering just how hard the work could get. I’m a very determined person but at the same time I’m a little impatient. I do everything that I say I’m going to do and its hard for me to get something out of my mind if its unfinished so I know that I’ll always try my best to do all my work. I learn quickly in math and science courses however I’ve always had a little trouble writing especially about myself.  I’ve always had a passion for Latin music and medicine which is why I decided to do what I said. Money is hard to come by these days so its good to pick a career that you enjoy and at the same time has decent pay. My family isn’t the wealthiest in the world and financial problems are common so I consider it a miracle to have made it in such an expensive yet good university. My parents who have worked hard most of their life always tell me to work hard first and then enjoy the rest of your life and that’s what I plan to do.

                I believe that keeping you grades up is a bigger challenge than getting them up. You can’t get too overconfident once your grades are high which is something that happened to me often in high school so I’m trying to stop that.  I made a promise to myself that one day I’ll be successful and help them financially as my thanks for all the love and support that they have given all my life. If I complete this then I’ll be one of the few in my family that went to college and got a career.  This promise is the thing that motivates me when I get I stuck in some kind of problem and helps me move on. I try to find solutions to all my problems quickly because I don’t like being stressed and worried about things that aren’t  a big obstacle in one’s life so I I’m usually a calm, relaxed guy.

Narrative--What is the author really saying?

         On one hand the narrative describes a man packing up and about to leave home because the relationship between this couple is ending and now both parents are fighting over who gets to keep their baby. On the other hand the narrative is telling us how in the midst of all the angry emotions and the fighting somebody innocent can get hurt. In this case it was the baby who had to suffer.

Free Write: Take stock of your physical, emotional, intellectual state after going media free three days

           These past three days I wasn’t completely media free. I did use my laptop for assignments that required an excel graph and Power Point presentation. I also used my I-pod while I was working out on Sunday. That is something that would be hard to stop as I use the music to help me concentrate. Besides those things I didn’t use any other form of media. Stopping myself from watching television, playing video games and texting wasn’t that difficult a task. I enjoy doing those however I’m not addicted on those and I been busy with school work this semester that I barely even have time to do those. Throughout the weekend I did feel tired. Probably from the boredom of having nothing to do. My emotional state wasn’t really affecting but I did feel smarter as I now had a lot of free time to study for the classes I’ve been having trouble in. Anyways being completely media free is harder than I thought it would be seeing as this generation has been raised with various forms of technology.

Free Write: what does the propaganda have to do with production of food in the U.S.?

          Propaganda influences the foods that are marketed. Whether they are healthy for you or not people still eat them. Some forms of propaganda try to get people to stop eating at fast food restaurants in an effort to control the growing rate of obesity in the United States. Other forms of propaganda try to make you eat these foods despite the large amounts of fat in the food. Propaganda also affects the processing of foods. It has been used to make people aware of diseases that are found in some foods such E-Coli and how animals and workers get mistreated. This is the reason why foods such as meats are wrapped in plastic and put in cold areas to keep it from decomposing and getting bacteria.

Free Write: How does media/advt./propaganda create reality?

           Media, advertisements and propaganda are all methods used to get someone to either believe something or to buy something. Propaganda for example tries to get the public to understand and follow a certain point they are trying to make. Advertisements can try to get people to buy the product on the ad or they can also be used to advertise the bad side of a certain product. All of these ideas stay in one’s mind and it just starts being part of their everyday lives. This is how popular brands of clothes or phones come about. The more advertisements of a product the greater the chance of it being sold. An old example of propaganda was when World War II was occurring. The military needed more people so they made it look as if the army was the best thing ever and that fighting for your country was the best honor. The benefits of being in the army were also frequently spoken of. This still goes on today and not just with the military but with big business companies and other areas of the government.

Response to Teenage Suicide

                  Anything can be seen on the internet once it is posted. This was wrong how Tyler Clementi’s privacy was violated. He had a right to be with his gay partner and the placed camera in his room that filmed his intimate moment was illegal. This act by the two students could be taken as a hate crime. The students could’ve only done it to humiliate Tyler because of his sexual preference or to cause him pain however this is difficult to prove because they could just lie. This dilemma is the reason why the students might not even go to jail. It isn’t right how a student who never hurt anyone and who is very talented kills himself because two students decide to film a sex video of him and show it to the world. There have been other cases where the internet has been used to share private pictures and videos of other people especially celebrities. The World Wide Web can both be used for good and bad and unfortunately many illegal things are done online and sometimes nobody knows about until somebody says something. There should be bigger punishments and/or stricter laws for violating a person’s privacy. If an issue such as this isn’t taken seriously than obviously it will continue to happen

Frida Kahlo Painting Description

                     In the painting of Frida Kahlo titled “roots”, she is lying on the dry, cracked ground of what appears to be a desert. She has a dress that’s a dark orange around the top of the torso area and fades into a fiery yellow as it goes lower to her legs and then white ruffles at the end. She has a tired expression on her face as if she hasn’t slept in a long time.  Her right arm is resting on a pillow as half of her dark black hair covers part of it and the other half covers his neck. That same arm is holding her body while the other is lying on her side as she stares at the viewer. A distorted rectangular shaped portion is missing from the middle of her torso and green vines are going through that area from both the back and the front. This painting probably reflects the sadness and loneliness she feels which is why she is in the desert. The roots going through her symbolizes that just as a tree grows roots so is she which could mean that she isn’t going anywhere in her life because she is stuck on some form of obstacle.

Mustard Tiger & Cheeseburger Locker

Mustard tiger and cheeseburger locker are both unusual terms. Both of these could have more than one meaning and therefore interpreted differently from person to person since there is no definite meaning. For me the first thing that comes to mind when I hear mustard tiger is a tiger with stripes the color of mustard. That could be what it means or it could be used to describe an aggressive and bitter person. The aggressive trait is from the tiger which is an animal that hunts and can be aggressive when necessary, while the bitter trait comes from the taste of mustard.

              When I first heard the words cheeseburger locker I thought of a cheeseburger from McDonalds and a school locker. I wasn’t sure how those two things could relate so I my thinking a step further. Cheeseburgers from fast food places normally contain a lot of fat so I thought of the parts of the body in which are common areas for fat to be stored such as the stomach and thighs. So this term could be used to describe an overweight person. While both of these names sound funny they still could be used as insults to make fun of others appearance and personality.

Special Gift

                    When I was around four or five my grandmother came to the United States from Peru and brought with her many gifts for the family. I received clothes from her and a lot of chocolates and other candies from Peru as I was the youngest of her grandchildren. My grandma brought my father the wooden toy car he used to play with when he was a kid. When my father was a kid he grew up in a poor neighborhood and that was one of his favorite toys if not his only toy. Anyway she gave it to my father and he ended up giving it to me. He told me that while I have all of these modern day toys, the wooden car entertained him and his other brothers a lot.

           The toy was about half the size of a standard sheet of printing paper and really old with some of the areas of the wooden car chipped off.  It was basically four round pieces of wood connected to a block of wood that was a little curved to make it more realistic. Markings surrounded the block portion of the car that obviously looked like it was made by young kid with ink. Car doors and stick figures were drawn on the sides and it was also colored. Each of the wheels also had its own design and the two wheels on the left didn’t roll too well and it even appeared loose. Upon asking my father if he drew the designs he replied by saying that it he drew the wheels but couldn’t remember if he or one of his sisters and brothers, he didn’t remember.

          At the time the car was worthless to me. It looked like a piece of junk compared to my colorful remote controlled car and yet I still played with it. I now realize that this gift was an act of kindness from my father who is sometimes a serious person. I never admitted what I thought about the toy when I was young because I thought it would make my father feel bad but now I still have it and value it like gold. From this gift I learned that it is possible to be happy with or without money and that in life you shouldn’t take anything for granted. Trying to enjoy everything you have is the way to live happily or else go nowhere in life and live with anger and greed. In fact I sometimes feel bad when I receive something that appears to have cost a lot of money especially when it’s from a relative.

            The person who gives you the gift is more important sometimes than what the gift itself actually is. It could be an item that seems worthless through the eyes of another however to the receiver it is a gift given to them by their favorite person. That gift could also be an item that reminds them of happy times that they shared with another person. It doesn’t necessarily have to be an expensive gift for it to mean something to you. It’s the thought that counts.

How Does Media And Propaganda Manipulate Culture?

12:00 Class
          
Persuasion is a powerful technique to get a person to do what you want. Media and Propaganda go hand in hand in persuading people to get them to believe something. Culture is the idea and beliefs of a society but some of these ideas and beliefs come from both media and propaganda. The clothes we wear to the way we do things, it’s all manipulated by the media.
           Commercials are used to advertise foods, clothing and other products for people. The media makes it all seem so tasty if it is food or so useful if it is some other type of product. Fast foods are advertised as being delicious however the audience is not told that most fast food places aren’t healthy for you. Propaganda makes style a big deal in society. The public is forced to think that certain brands of clothing and accessories would make you look and feel better of yourselves when it isn’t true. There are many people who are perfectly content buying any clothing and not the expensive brands. Celebrities on television also affect the decisions of people by making them want to look like a celebrity. The public tries to look their best by copying a celebrity’s hairstyle or their wardrobe which is sometimes a bad thing because they are trying to be someone they are not.
            Both violence in television and some genres of music talk about drugs, alcohol, and weapons which make young kids, who watch and listen to this, think that its okay to be violent and to us drugs or that they’ll be accepted and ‘cool’ if they did these things. Apart from media and propaganda influencing the entertainment department it also affects political issues such as when the time comes to vote for a new president.
            In the video the Science of Manipulation, an ad for the re-election of the President at the time, Ronald Reagan, was shown. It spoke about how America was a stronger, prouder and better under the presidency of Ronald Reagan. The video also gave examples on how people’s lives were better and that they now looked at the future with hope and confidence. It ended asking the audience why would we go back to the way things were before. This video is a good example of propaganda that says things the public wants to here. If the people watching wanted to continue living great they would vote for Ronald Reagan. So you see, media and propaganda both are used to influence our lives. This has been going on for a long time and probably won’t stop anytime soon.

How Does Media Shape Society?

12:00 Class

Any news topic that comes about doesn’t necessarily have to be true. Why? Because the media can sometimes exaggerate or not give all the facts about a piece of news. Most of the public believe everything that the media says because they are the reporters and supposedly they go research and find the real facts about an issue. Society accepts all the things the media tells them because there is no evidence that what they say isn’t true so whatever is in the news becomes a reality to us. We live by that reality which could be made up or real yet we take a chance and believe it. Reporters and journalists choose what will be shown to the public and sometimes hide really important information. People live believing something is the truth when it isn’t and when they do finally get the truth they don’t want to accept it. An example of this would be about what happens in some political issues around the world. The things we hear could be false because the media is trying to make people believe something that they believed. Journalists change their facts to get their point across to the public. Everyone has their own opinion and the media tries to manipulate it. Media is used to spread myths and other ideas that society lives by. Myths such as the world will end in the year 2012 or ideas like global warming is get worse and that it is a real problem that needs a solution. Maybe global warming is made up and if it is real maybe it is over exaggerated to get people to consume less electricity and to pollute less. Different television networks from different countries would broadcast news in their own way. If it was a political issue, each country might change some facts to make the other country look like the bad guy. Media is sometimes used to cover up for events that weren’t supposed to happen. Mistakes made by the government can be lied about to forever hide the truth so society doesn’t get angry at them and then rebel or oppose them. This probably happened already and we might never find out. People who hold positions in the government such as the mayors, governors or senators or even candidates can either be made to look as if he or she was a bad person or a good person depending on what journalists want you to think. If they like a particular candidate they might show more support for them and since they control what the public hears, this can change one’s opinion. Therefore it is necessary to be careful when dealing with what the media presents to us whether it is in the internet, radio or television and to be open minded in some issues. Even though media has its cons it still can be helpful because it can be used for other good things such as spreading awareness for health concerns such as the fact that cigarettes, alcohol and drugs have short and long term effects on the human body.

The Media Made Me Do It

12:00 Class

The Media Made Me Do It

 Media doesn’t really affect the things I buy as a consumer. Ads and commercials are seen in the internet, magazines, newspapers, and in television. I don’t really pay attention to commercials. I still like to know what products come out and their function but I rarely buy them just because of a commercial. The first thing I wonder when I see ads is if it is actually worth it buying their products. Sometimes products come out that do something and claim that it will make your life easier but in my opinion those are huge waste of money. Sometimes products come out that do something and claim that it will make your life easier but in my opinion those are huge waste of money. For example I recently saw a commercial for a product that makes cracking eggs easier. If you are good at cracking eggs open already or if you don’t mind getting a small fragment in your cooking then this product is a waste of money. Commercials such as these talk about all negative things that could happen and then they present the solution which is the product being advertised. The media sometimes uses elements that relate to the consumer to get them to but their item. Products such as Proactiv use celebrities to show that the acne cleaning product works. The consumer relates to them and are tempted to buy it. I myself wanted to buy when I was in high school however I was told by friends that used Proactiv that it didn’t work for them so I didn’t buy it. In commercials for Alcoholic beverages or cigarettes you usually see a group of people having a good time with beautiful women and the consumer sees this and wants the same thing so they buy it. Some products do catch my eye yet I still don’t buy them either because I know it is expensive or I’m comfortable with what I have. The only type of media I pay a lot of attention is the news. This sometimes does affect my opinion on things specifically on political issues. Apart from that I like to be informed of what is going on in the world.

Descriptive Essay Draft 2

12:00 Class

Nothing lasts forever and your life is constantly going changes. These changes can sometimes be so small that you don’t even think about it. Things such as changing your hairstyle. Your life can go from good to bad or from bad to good or anywhere in between. My point is things either change or end sometime whether you want it to or not. That’s just how life is. Some people are more fortunate than others and I believe it’s possible to overcome any obstacle in one’s life. I remember my entire family went through a change before but fortunately it wasn’t a bad one, it was just one I considered big before. If anything it helped us in a few ways.

                 Back in the end of the 1990’s and in the beginning of the 2000’s a lot of my relatives used to gather at my uncle’s apartment or very few times at my cousin’s house in Pennsylvania to celebrate Christmas. My uncle had an artificial Christmas tree every year. He would decorate it with colorful ornaments and he’d also hang different Christmas cards on it and then he’d placed it in the far left corner of his living room near the windows. There were also some other small decorations around his apartment like pictures of Santa Clauses.

                 When the guests came in they would put the presents they brought under the tree. The presents were in all sorts of wrapping paper from plain colored sheets to shiny colorful ones with snowmen or other Christmas related images. We would go to his home on Christmas Eve and then wait until it was midnight to open the presents and then my family would stay up all night celebrating. When I went entered his home I got a feeling as if all my problems were gone. Of course this is how I feel now but before, as a kid, all I thought about was what I’d get that year.

                  During those years many presents were given. Many expensive things were being given to each other. For the kids, things such as game systems or other toys that recently came out in stores were given. The adults didn’t get as much gifts as the kids but they still received stuff like clothing and beautiful dishware and fancy cups that shined brightly in the light. I guess it was all the money they had that made them buy so many things because in their old countries they never had much.

                    Me and the other young children opened their gifts first. We had big smiles on our faces as we ripped the wrappings apart under the window that showed the big snowflakes falling from the dark orange sky. When we were done we gave out the other gifts to the adults but some of them preferred to open their gifts in their own homes. My uncle played Christmas songs on his home stereo, which was a gift from my father, when the clock read 12:00am. The Christmas songs were only on in the moment when the gifts were being opened. After that the music changed to Latin sounds such as Salsa and Merengue that my relatives would dance to.

                  As the years went by the Christmases weren’t the same. Christmas became mainly only for the kids because the adults didn’t get any gifts. Every year there was less presents which were still great but less money was spent. Money was becoming a problem. Some financial problems were starting and some of my relatives including my father lost their jobs. My family never completed college so they didn’t have a secure career only common jobs. We still go to my uncle’s home but only the little kids get gifts. However nobody complained since we all understood the importance of money and what was more important was to be reunited as a family to celebrate the end of the year festivities.

                  Fortunately my relatives who lost their jobs got new ones and some even went to college. We learned to save money after being forced to however it was helpful in the long run. Even though the money issue got better, presents are still only given to the little kids. It sort of stayed like a tradition.

Descriptive Essay

Things change. That’s just how life is. You life can go from good to bad or from bad to good or somewhere in between. Some people are more fortunate than others financially and I believe the government plays a big part in how much a person earns in their jobs. I remember back at the end of the 20th century and the beginning of 21^st century that a lot of my family members used to gather at my uncle’s apartment or very few times at my cousin’s house in Pennsylvania to celebrate Christmas. My uncle had an artificial Christmas tree every year. He would decorate it with colorful ornaments and he’d also hang different Christmas cards on it and then he placed it in the corner of his living room near the windows. There were also some other small decorations around his apartment like pictures of Santa Clauses. When the guests came in they would put the presents they brought under the tree. The presents were in all sorts of wrapping paper from plain colored sheets to shiny colorful ones with snowmen or other Christmas related images. We would go to his home on Christmas Eve and then wait until it was midnight to open the presents and then my family would stay up all night partying. When you went in you got a warm feeling as if all your problems were gone. Of course this is how I feel now but before, as a kid, I just thought about what I’d get that year. At that time many presents were given. Expensive things were being given to each other. For the kids, things such as game systems or other toys that recently came out were given. The adults didn’t get as much gifts as the kids but they still received stuff like beautiful dishware to clothing. Me and the other young children opened their gifts first. We had big smiles on our faces as we ripped the wrappings apart under the window that showed the big snowflakes falling from the dark orange sky. When we were done we gave out the other gifts to the adults. Christmas songs were being played from the stereo when the gifts were being opened and after it was done the songs changed to Latin music such as Bachata and Salsa that my relatives would dance to. As the years went by the Christmases weren’t the same. Christmas became only for the kids because the adults didn’t get anything. Every year there was less presents which were still great but less money was spent. Money was becoming a problem. The recession problems were starting and some of my relatives including my father lost their jobs. My family never completed college so they didn’t have a secure career only common jobs. We still go to my uncle’s home but only the little kids get gifts. However nobody complained since we all understood the importance of money and what was more important was to be reunited as a family to celebrate the end of the year festivities. Fortunately my relatives who lost their jobs got new ones and some even went back to college. Even though the money issue got better, presents are still only given to the little kids. It sort of stayed like a tradition.

Free Write - Figurative Language

A time when I felt really disappointed was when I failed my driving test. I took a ten driving lesson course. I learned pretty quick and felt really confident before all the ten lessons were done but I continued to take them as to not waste my money and to improve my driving skills even more. On the road test day, I was excited like a little kid gets excited when he goes trick or treating for the first time. I had to wait a long time because other people in line were waiting their turn. As I was waiting, for some reason all that confidence I had went down the drain. I started to get nervous. My heart was pounding hard trying to get out of my chest. My right leg got numb and I got worried because it would be difficult to drive with a numb leg. However all that was for a while. I regained my confidence when it was my turn to do the road test. I think I got overconfident because I failed in the first thirty seconds. The first thing I had to do was drive straight and make a left turn into a four lane street. I started off at a kind of high speed and did a nice left turn but it was in the second lane and not in the first like it was supposed to be.  Immediately I was told I failed. The instructor’s tone was so plain but at the same time had an angry tone and it irritated me so much. All the anger I had awakened and started a silent rampage. It hurt being told I failed and that I needed more practice. I felt like hitting him but I knew that would get me in serious trouble. He told me that I had to turn back to the starting point. I did as he said but I did it recklessly, I was mad and I didn’t care how my other turns were or my stops or anything else seeing as I failed already. I was actually lucky that he didn’t prohibit me from ever getting a license. I really have no idea why I got so angry at a situation like this because it wasn’t a big deal. A couple months later I took the road test again and I got my license.

Show Don't Tell

Ever since we finished middle school and started high school me and my friends from middle school got separated. We went to the same high school and still saw each other however we weren’t in the same class and had a new group of friends. In our junior year we decided to catch up so we went to see the comedy movie “Role Models”. I went with Ricardo, Natalie, Brian and Carla whom I‘ve known since the sixth grade. We didn’t but any food in the theatre because we decided to go at a restaurant so we stayed hungry. You could hear Brian’s stomach constantly making noises and he couldn’t wait to go to the restaurant. He refused to eat the popcorn because he was on a diet but ate an apple we bought at a grocery store we passed. The restaurant was located in Roosevelt Avenue and was called “El Dorado.” The food served there was a mixture of Spanish and Chinese food. I have been going to that restaurant with my family for as long I can remember so I was very familiar with the place and the waiters. The restaurant is narrow in the entrance where there are tanks of lobsters and fish and as you go in, it gets wider into a square shaped room. The ceiling of the place was the color of the sky: a bright blue with white clouds. The decoration so n the walls gave it an Asian feel to the place. We sat down and ordered our food. It was a relieve to smell the food. On the table there was steak, chicken, fries and salad. We all started eating except Ricardo and me. He went to the bathroom in the back and I just waited because I didn‘t want to have to get up to let Ricardo in his seat after I got comfortable and started eating. While he was gone Brian who was a playful and immature person decided to put hot sauce in his steak. He called the waiter and ordered what was called the ‘the special hot sauce’. He wanted to put it on Ricardo’s steak but it would be noticeable so he mixed the salad dressing with the hot sauce and it looked like some foreign salad dressing. I was wondering what if he was allergic to the sauce but Carla he knew him better said that he has eaten it before and that he just doesn’t like spicy foods. Ricardo came back and started taking some salad and put on the hot sauce/salad dressing on his salad which was on a separate small dish. Brian couldn’t hold in his laughter to cover up for it he lied saying that he remembered something funny. The girls were smiling, waiting to see what would happen and I went to get a container of cold water. Fortunately, I didn’t miss Ricardo eating his salad and then immediately stop after the first bite. You could see the sweat drops sliding down his cheeks from his forehead. We all laughed including him. He started to turn pink and starting drinking the water quickly. The problem with the joke was that he mixed his food with the sauce and couldn’t eat it. Lucky for him I was eating the same thing and since I didn’t eat anything yet we switched plates. I, unlike Ricardo, enjoy spicy foods. That joke was cruel and even dangerous but it was still funny. Ever since that day every time I see hot sauce or go back to that restaurant I remember that day when Ricardo got his mouth burned by the hot sauce.

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Gender Expectations

 Gender norms go back a long way. Before men were seen as the ones who had to work and women had to stay home taking care of the children. Today the things that are expected of them are different than they were years back. They can get the same jobs as men and they also have the same rights as men. It was thought that men were superior to women however there are still people who think that women should obey everything a man says. You see in the news domestic disputes where a boyfriend or husband beat their girlfriend or wife. I personally witnessed a couple in my high school arguing and the guy ended up slapping his girlfriend and got taken away by a security guard. In a non violent way this happens with little kids.

           When I was younger and went to elementary school, there was always the occasional gender argument between the boys and the girls. Most boys used to think that all males were stronger, faster, smarter and basically just better at everything. I’ve seen some girls do it also however it wasn’t as often like the boys. For some reason I used to think that boys were smarter than girls. I was in either Kindergarten or the first grade when kids said things like that. It wasn’t said in an aggressive way but rather they argued playfully. For example when it was recess and a group of boys were playing the game “tag” and girls wanted to join in, the boys would say things like “girls can’t play because boys are faster. This would continue into little arguments and then races to see who is faster and they’d end up playing together without realizing it.

           I guess young kids get these thoughts from television or they learn it from someone or its part of nature and its just a phase in life. I noticed that today these things don’t happen anymore. My little brother for example when he started school he had friends of both genders. Of course there are always exceptions. My little cousin in second grade thinks that girls are weaker than boys. For example when he is playing a video game where you could choose from female or male characters he always picks the males. I ask him why and he tells me in a childish voice that its because girls are weaker than boys. He is starting to let that idea go and I’m glad because it was really annoying when it came to playing with others.

What Is It About 20-Somethings Article Summary

This article by Robin Marantz Henig is basically about how young people are taking longer to go into adult life. In the 1960's and 1970's people would've been done with school, moved out with a stable job and would've got married and had children in their twenties. This is all according to what sociologists call the traditional milestones. Today all the milestones are completed when  a person is in their thirties or forties or the milestones are completed in different orders for example many people nowadays have kids before they get married.

Jeffrey Jensen Arnett is a psychology professor that is in this article who explains what could be the reason that is happening with the recent generation of young people. He explains that today more education is required to have a good job in this society. Today young people are more insecure about their future and both men and women have more opportunities meaning there are more choices to make. Another reason could be that some parents don't want their children to grow up or to not grow up so fast so they help to with their problems and decisions and when its the child's turn to decide alone they can't. In the midst of all this Professor Arnett says that there are still some young people who are forced to grow up fast because they don't think out their actions and make the first decision in that comes in their mind.

Therefore this situation might no be that bad. Young people now have more time to think about their future instead of rushing into it. I personally think that its good that this is happening because I know people who wouldv'e benefited from thinking before acting so in the future there might be some good coming out of all this as Professor Arnett says.