Meh Top 10 yo
1. I had no clue that toxic sludge existed. I know that sounds so bad but it does prove the point that we need to get the message out!!! A lot of people think we have a sewage system and don’t think about where it all goes. We need to get the message out!
2. I had no clue that almost all of my news is PR. It’s a terrible thing to think that when I want to know what is going on around me and I turn on my local news I’m just another victim of American society being fed things I should never believe. I am going to break myself from this loop, if I want to know what is going on around me I’m going to go out and find it and I don’t need to the big man on the tube to tell me lies.
3. it’s not illegal for the people on the news to lie!!! This is crazy. At first it makes me really sad to think about it; we have all these stupid laws but we can’t make a simple law saying it’s illegal to lie to people who trust you. You trust your doctor not to lie to you and you trust your news anchor to lie to you - and apparently one of those people is lying to you every day.
4. The television and the internet are killing our brains and our vocabulary skills. I wish I was half as smart as my grandparents - they had such a wonderful vocabulary and they know so many random skills and facts that I couldn’t even imagine because the internet has sucked in my brain and chewed it away to slosh. We spend so much time looking at screens and not enough time looking at trees.
5. I learned that my children are in for hell when they get here. I had no clue how involved advertising companies are at getting the children of America to buy products. Products are always everywhere as it is and I don’t want to see my kids to be consumed by them at such a young age. It seems ridiculous to me that there are people out there trying to capture my children’s attention. It makes me think that having children will be harder to do in the upcoming generations; maybe I’ll just live off the grid.
6. I had no idea that corporations were people legally. This seems so asinine to me. How on earth can this be? It keeps bringing back the question of how bad can it get before it gets better? I suppose that I have learned a lot in this class that has outraged me and therefore have begun to think of the world differently. I feel like this class made me realize that I barely know anything about the country that I live in. Facts like this make me think about the fact that I need to do a lot more investigating to find out how the media and the world in general works around me. I need to get more informed so that I can inform others!
7. There is a grave potential that we could all end up like the people in the feed if we don’t do something. I think this class made me think about where the world is going more seriously than I ever have before. I never thought about the fact that we are getting so caught up in technology that we might all just end up turning into computers. I feel like these thoughts are very serious and again need more investigating so that I can spread the word.
8. I never realized how many people are out there culture jamming! It’s a wonderful thing that brings a little bit of hope to this ever growing problem. I had actually never heard of culture jamming before this class so I not only want to participate but I want my friends to hear about this too so that we can create a whole American culture of culture jammers!
9. I didn’t realize that the pharmaceutical companies were out to get you! I had no idea that there were company reps out there telling people to go out and cough on people to boost sales. As someone who wants to work in health care, this is appalling! I want to work to make the world a healthier and safer place and I don’t want to think that the drugs I need to give to people are sponsored by people who just want to make the world sicker in order to make more money.
10. I can’t believe that the US is the only place where you don’t really honestly see the casualties of war. We are supposed to be a country built on educated people but we don’t even know the hatred that we are causing across the globe! I wish that we could see it all so that maybe we would have a chance at stopping the madness of war. It’s ridiculous that hate just breads more hate and that we are not only behind it all but are keeping it from the rest of Americans who just might want to know about it.
Three questions I’m still thinking about
1. How to I fight the American way without getting really depressed about not seeing any progress and coming across people who just believe everything they are told and don’t care what I have to say?
2. Would I be cheating all the people in this country who don’t know what is going on by moving to another country and just running away from this mess?
3. And on a lighter note…why hasn’t someone blown up Monsanto yet?
Loved your post. Your last question gave me a good giggle (great question though!) I too get overwhlemed and want to move (to France, bien sur), but then I know that my role is to sta to share my media knowledge to educate others and motivate them to change and act on behalf of themselves, others and the earth. Your top ten list is excellent - so many 'aha' moments, with lots to grapple with. I hear your concerns but also your optimism. There's just a lot of work to be done! Keep talking to your family & friends, keep asking critical questions, keep advocating for all that you believe in. As for your kids when you have them, welcome to my world - geesh! But, there again, here is our chance to raise healthy, aware kids that will influence others in a positive way. Easy? NOPE! Essential? YES! Our kids will be the hope and inspiration this workd needs. PS: You (and Sarah and your other nursing friends) MUST see "Big Bucks, Big Pharma". Try interlibrary loan or borrow it from me. http://www.mediaed.org/cgi-bin/commerce.cgi?preadd=action&key=224
ReplyDeleteBest of luck Torie - I enjoyed having you in class! :)