Reality is not Photogenic

With a single press of a button, a collection of pixels is formulated to create an image at a single moment in time and space. There is only so much this little snapshot can capture. Although it may give us a small glimpse into the situation in which it was taken, it can never truly encapsulate the reality of what is outside of the frame; it "must always hide more than it discloses."
One may argue that without the aid of photos from news reports, a large portion of the world we would be left uneducated on what is happening abroad. However, it is very likely that the media would intentionally try to take photos or video coverage in order to create a bias towards their objective of how they would to portray it. Through this, they can gain support for a cause or avoid backlash that comes with an unpopular opinion. A good example of this would be the world's perception on the state Africa's in. With numerous commercials and photos of starving children in Africa, the entire world is led to believe that Africa is nothing more than a 3rd world continent in which everyone lives below the poverty level. While this may be true in some areas, they fail to reveal that Africa is in fact the largest industrializing and urbanizing place in the world.
This same misleading characteristic can be seen in beauty magazines. The largely sought after magazines with goddess like super models on the cover have plagued the minds of women. With the help of photoshop, these coorporations are able to sell products endorsed by these models. However, it is straight up wrong to lure women into a pit of self-esteem like this. Unattainable features are given to these models which in turn leaves women depressed in their inability to replicate such features. These examples show that even though a picture seems like solid evidence for a claim since they're tangible, they often leave out what's most important.

Renewable Energy

Isn't it somewhat crazy to think that in such an advanced world and society, that we would still be running things on a nonrenewable resource such as fossil fuels? While it may be the most ready and cheap form of energy in the short run, the long term effects are catastrophic. Although the use of clean renewable sources such as wind, solar, and hydroelectric are slowly on the increase, the use of natural has and coal were about 66% of the United States source of electricity in 2015. You would think that a large country such as the United States could draw from its $600 billion annual defense budget and put it into something useful such as scientific research such as this. Think of all of the technological advances that could be made. Yet there is one critical problem to the employment of such tactics. The creation of facilities to do this would cost a tremendous amount of money - money that the government or private companies are not willing to spend for such a meager outcome. The fundamental principles of capitalism and materialism are blocking the dam to the future. I believe that with sufficient government backing, the world could be a much greener place in which we won't have to "tell our grandchildren about."

Screw the Humans, Save the Peng(uins)

Hello, my cousin Justin Peng has asked me to write a first person account of global warming. As a penguin, it is very saddening to see my home shrinking and visibly changing around me. With a spike in the increase of global temperature in the past few decades, the rim of the Antarctic ice sheets have been receding. It's no wonder that the global sea levels have been rising two millimeters every year. Because of this, my family and neighbors have been starting to come low on food as krill are unable to feed on the algae underneath the surface of the ice - and the effects are clear. Adele Penguins and Emperor Penguins like myself have been on a steady decline. As I wait for months to hatch an egg without food, it's very disappointing when in the end I get nothing more than a few scraps. While we may seem like "virtual uninhabitants," please don't leave "stretch marks" on my home. However, what frustrates me more is the apparent lack of belief in the phenomenon. Even with the irrefutable amount of scientific support and evidence, politicians still refuse to believe in it and go as far as to repeal efforts trying to help the cause. While it may be true that the increase in temperature may be due to a natural warming called Milankovitch cycles, it can't be a coincidence that the warming would coincide with the Industrial Revolution and consequential advancements in technology and the need for carbon emissions. The fact of the matter is, no matter what you believe in, the Earth is warming at an accelerated rate due to human activity. From deforestation to carbon emissions from burning fossil fuels, greenhouse gasses are filling the atmosphere and killing what lies underneath - like you and me. It would be much appreciated if with all of these newfound scientific advancements, you could figure out a self-sufficient source of natural energy such as wind and solar. It's outrageous if you think about it. How can a race so intellectually gifted allow themselves fall into this inevitable trap of self-extermination. Why not take some money out of that $597 billion dollar military budget and put some into the the benefit of the world? Although it would be interesting to see my home turned into an additional 60 meters of sea level, I think I liked it better the way it was before.

The Fine Line

Is racial profiling bad? The inherent answer is clearly "no." This social injustice has been fought for in cliche essays written to please the status quo and receive a good grades across the world. But have you ever really thought about the reasons and applications for racial profiling? If a certain group is statistically known to more known to perform a certain behavior, it just makes sense to suspect it more than others. It's simply counter intuitive to turn the shoulder and act as if that trend doesn't exist. If there was one group who were known to commit 99% of all crimes while the other was only responsible for the other 1%, it would be inefficient to treat everyone as if they were equal; it would be better if things were done through "the language of fear." Think about how much more efficient the world would be if all people had a similar mindset to this. However, the reason something like this can't happen is due to morals. The balance between ethics and goals is an everlasting struggle that is the reason the world is the way it is today. There is immense debate on where to draw a line between these two opposing forces in such a way that the world doesn't fall into neither a dystopia or a vegetable. If morals were a thing of the past, the world would theoretically be much more advanced than it is right now. On the other side of the spectrum, if the world was super conscious of the fact that everyone's feelings and status must be equal, the world would never able to fulfill its potential. However, the world without morals would face its obstacles such as the sacrifice of morals not truly being a more advanced society. Think of the European's oppression over the rest of the world. The cultural and economic advancements during this period were unprecedented but at what cost? The enslavement and extermination of countless civilizations is no justification for the things that were accomplished. Such times are not looked back upon in history as times of happiness or greatness but rather as a period of cruel existence. Now don't go jumping down my throat claiming that I'm a heartless human being that knows nothing about how to treat people. I am simply making an observation. While we were in class on talking about the different cartoons on the paper, I started to wonder why people are so against such profiling when trying to prevent crimes. Through this, I went down the thought process in which this essay has taken - eventually concluding that morals was the reason that it can never be employed. I never considered the side consequences of such inequality such as social backlash and the desensitizing of such behavior. I believe that we live in a world in which we have found the optimal mix of these forces. (P.S if you ever want to start a dystopian society hmu)

Cyber Gendered Space

Playing online video games since I was 5, I've noticed an undeniable demographic trend; it seems as if 99% of all gamers are male. And in those rare moments when one is spotted, I can't help but cringe as the rest of the lobby goes crazy and obsesses over the fact that there's someone of the opposite gender sending digital information to a server across the country. This serves as a testament to the scale of the problem where it can get to the point where this is a phenomenon. While guys can openly and enthusiastically discuss video game jargon with each other, God forbid that a girl even mention the title lest they are ridiculed and teased by their peers.
There are no regulations or bias put into games that would segregate a certain category of people from playing. In fact, games are usually made "androgynous to the core" or else it would be financially disadvantageous to limit the market to a certain group. Because of this, I have to come to the conclusion that there's no reason for this no other than societal pressures being put upon us. A constant loop of fear between females causes for them to not want to associate themselves with this field. Even if two people did play video games, it would most likely never come up due to the fear of the unknown and the judgement that would be received if the hobby wasn't reciprocated. As a result, this societal norm will most likely stay in place comparatively to all other societal injustices. Fortunately, this firewall has started to break down in recent years and has become less weird. Hopefully, eventually we can tear down this Berlin Wall.

Funny Business

In a world where people are scrutinized for the smallest of judgements, those who are able to safely and effectively deliver real impending problems are key to society. Fortunately, comedians are able to satirically criticize society in such a way that other people aren't able to become upset over. With an invisible shield around their words, people can't take them too seriously lest they are accused of having no sense of humor. However, underneath the surface, their message rings clear for the audience of the injustice or cause being supported. By assuming a persona, one can avoid ridicule as if it's not their own words. For example, in A Modest Proposal, Swift proposes that children be "offered in sale" and be "render[ed]...plump and fat for a good table." If this was believe to be a sane person speaking, they would be immediately sent to therapy and possibly an insane asylum. This can be seen as it parallels the strive for political correctness in politicians since anything that is slightly incorrectly said or perceived as offensive, immediate and severe backlash follows that could potentially be career ending.Luckily, being acknowledged as satire and comedy, it can be received by the audience in a much more civil and analytical way. As for comedians, late night talk show hosts such as the clip of Steven Colbert we saw in class and Saturday Night Live are great examples of how these untouchable comedians can give information with a twist to convey a message. Skits such as pointing out the flaws in the Republican Presidential Debate have been able to both put a smile on the viewers faces and spin a gear in their brains. With millions of viewers, their influence is wide spread which can have an impact on a scene. Since humor always comes at the expense of something or someone else, it is usually a very fragile field in which many people can get offended if gone too far. Jokes alleviate this pressure since the affected side can be more understanding and accepting; but in the end, the damage is done. Comedians are critical in the role of pointing out flaws and injustices ranging from inconveniences to gender equality.

Overdose

There's a new epidemic, and it might not come from where you think. When thinking of epidemics, images of disease and suffering pop into mind as poor and innocent souls are ravaged with devastating symptoms. However, in this age of profound medical advancements, the biggest enemy is ourselves.
In "Body Ritual Among the Nacirema," Miner states that "man's only hope is to avert these characteristics through the use of powerful influences" in this "highly developed market economy." While this piece's main purpose is to satirize the beauty standards and strive to alter the natural body, it also criticizes the ability and willingness for Americans to consume medication at free will simply due to the ability to afford it. Its almost become a "ritual" where even the most minor of symptoms will lead to copious amounts of doctor visits and subsequent medications. It's almost as if "were it not for the rituals...they believe that their teeth would fall out;" and while this may simply seem as a harmless life choice made to the disadvantage of those consumers, it affects us all.
In the counter intuitive game of cat and mouse, the relationship between the mutation of diseases and the need for scientists to develop a cure is a deadly match that results in the downfall to those who didn't cause the problem. As more and more medication is taken, there is a general resistance developed by the pathogens which basically allows them to resist the medicine - also known as drug resistance. The frustrating part of this is that the ones who are responsible for this phenomenon are those who unnecessarily abuse drugs and the ones who are left to suffer the consequences are those doing the right thing. Because it takes a vast quantity of money and time to produce a new drug, we are left with the obsolete drug to take care of the newly resistant pathogen. Therefore, people who are newly and more severely infected with the pathogen are left without options to ease the pain. Meanwhile the source of this problem can blissfully and guiltlessly recline on a couch of empty medicine containers. One of the most ignored problems today, there needs to be a call to action to stop this epidemic.