What's holding us back?

I've found it really hard to write these blog posts, because my ideas are always either too short or too unexplainable to write out in a concise post; however, I was searching the interwebs for ideas to write about, when I discovered this page by a guy named Marc. On it, he lists a lot of evocative questions. I'd like to share them here and reflect on them.

What is the difference between being alive and truly living?

In 5 years from now, will you remember what you did yesterday? What about the day before that? Or the day before that?

If you knew that everyone you know was going to die tomorrow, who would you visit today?

When was the last time you noticed the sound of your own breathing?

What one thing have you not done that you really want to do? What’s holding you back?

If we learn from our mistakes, why are we always so afraid to make a mistake?

What would you do differently if you knew nobody would judge you?

When is it time to stop calculating risk and rewards, and just go ahead and do what you know is right?
...
 
We are so young, and we have so much time let in our lives. Why do we hold ourselves back from experiencing the richness of life that we have access to now?

There are countless clubs, sports teams, hobbies to take up. We're surrounded by truly amazing people, but we stick to our own pre-set groups. In this area, we can travel to DC and visit museums, watch concerts. We have an education system that we take for granted. Instead of trying to soak up as much as we can in our classes, our main goal is to get trough them and get As.

Why do we stop ourselves from trying new things? Are we so afraid of being judged by our peers? You becha.

Granted, as teens, we're limited in money and transportation. We can't go out and experience everything. But we spend our time at home on facebook.

Why?

There is honestly so much out in the world for us to enjoy. Listen to music! Spend some time in nature! Talk to someone you don't normally do!

We always say that we don't have enough time in the day, but that's not always true. It's 7:00 right now. I don't have any homework. I could get a full night's sleep. I could do something.

Why don't you? Value what you have in your life, and be open to new thins. After all, our teen years are supposed to be the best of our lives.

Rolexes andthe Rape Culture

I read a very interesting post on tumblr yesterday, and it really moved me:

Gentlemen. This is what rape culture is like:
Imagine you have a Rolex watch. Nice fancy Rolex, you bought it because you like the way it looks and you wanted to treat yourself. And then you get beaten and mugged and your Rolex is stolen. So you go to the police. Only, instead of investigating the crime, the police want to know why you were wearing a Rolex instead of a regular watch. Have you ever given a Rolex to anyone else? Is it possible you wanted to be mugged? Why didn’t you wear long sleeves to cover up the Rolex if you didn’t want to be mugged?
And then after that, everywhere you go, there are constant jokes about stealing your Rolex. People you don’t even know whistle at your Rolex and make jokes about cutting your hand off to get it.
The media doesn’t help either; it portrays people who wear Rolexes as flamboyant assholes who secretly just want someone to come along and take that Rolex off their hands, when all you wanted was to wear a nice watch without getting harassed for it. When you complain that you are starting to feel unsafe, people laugh you off and say that you are too uptight. Never mind you got violently attacked for the crime of wearing a friggin time piece.

Imagining all that? It sucks, doesn’t it.

Now imagine you could never take the Rolex off.

This is what the rape culture is like.

This really spoke to me, and I thought that this metaphor was effective; however, I did find it depressing that we need a material metaphor. Female bodies and autonomy need to be compared to material possessions in order to be emphasized as a thing deserving of value and respect to the "privileged" male population.

According to FORCE, a nonprofit website based on upsetting rape culture, rape culture is a society in which people are surrounded by language, images, laws and phenomena that perpetuate ad validate rape. I've witnessed jokes, references on TV, in music, and in advertising that all make violence against women out to be a joke or something normal and acceptable.

I'd like to share an excerpt from the FORCE website:

"Media imagery perpetuates rape by excusing it, validating myths about rape, and/or sexualizing rape. The Stanger Rape myth, for example, is frequently reinforced through Lifetime movies like She Fought Alone, or most episodes of Law and Order: Special Victim’s Unit. This kind of media perpetuates rape, because it continues the shame and silence that surrounds the majority of survivors who were raped by friends or family; and it allows perpetrators to avoid dealing with their problems, since they do not match the profile of rapists “As Seen On TV.”
Our very laws and lawmakers also contribute to perpetuating the Stranger Rape myth, such as in the controversial “No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion Act” that Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ) introduced in early 2011. Smith wanted to define rape, for the purposes of their anti-abortion bill, as “forcible rape,” therefore excluding non-consensual sex and statutory rape. The problem here is the continued emphasis on the actions of victims- in this case, dissecting whether they resisted enough- rather than putting energy into preventing rape by changing the behaviors of perpetrators."

I could honestly go on and on about this but I have to get some sleep. I will say that it I disgusting that in this day and age, our country is so inefficient on preventing and treating our rape culture. Women continue to get raped, and so little is done to actually prevent it. The emphasis is put on the victim and what she's wearing or something else arbitrary. I hope that our policymakers will work harder than ever to change the way these violent acts are treated and our media will work harder on changing the ways these violent acts are portrayed in the media.

I can only hope that in the future, nobody will ever have to walk home by a road where cars honk at them, to be verbally harassed in public areas, or to ever experience sexual violence.

Silver Spring Video

This week, I worked with Kirin on our most recent independent film project. This time, we were instructed to film and edit a 90-second video about what it is like living in our community.  Kirin and I filmed in Downtown Silver Spring, getting shots of places to shop, people walking, and many people describing what they think Silver Spring is like.

 The process was slightly arduous, because Kirin and I had previously filmed another video of the sun rising, but Mr. Mayo wanted us to film a second one. We were only able to film on Saturday evening, and then edit on Sunday. It was really enjoyable but cold filming. I found that approaching people to be interviewed is slightly daunting, and getting them to agree was difficult. Many people didn't want to be on camera, and we actually found a lot of people who were only visiting Silver Spring and didn't feel they could describe it.

All in all, I'n proud of my video and grateful for Kirin's work and I hope you enjoy it!

Food Inc.

Food Inc., made in 2008 by Robert Kenner in an expose into corporate America's meat industry. We follow Eric Schlosser, the author of Fast Food Nation into factories and chicken farms, through grocery stores into offices, uncovering a dirty truth about how meat is manufactured: animals are treated cruelly and health and safety is not a priority. We meet several growers, such as Vince Edwards and Carole Morison, as well as industry insiders such as Troy Roush and Richard Lobb. Kenner explores the subjects of vegetarianism, corporate America, animal rights and cruelty, food production, etc. One aspect of the film that I enjoyed was the great dilemma in the minds of the growers and raisers of animals. They have to make a choice that's balanced between their consciences and the almighty dollar.
Another aspect of the film that I enjoyed was the lifestyle of poverty-stricken families that have to choose less healthy, cheaper fast-food options for their children because of the dollar menu and the money that they make. If it's not possible to afford healthy options, who wouldn't refuse to feed their own children, even if it's constant fast-food?
Another aspect of the film that I enjoyed was the perspective of Maria Andrea Gonzalez, who lost her son to food poisoning from beef from fast-food. Her campaign is inspiring, because of the personal pain involved with losing a child.
I would recommend this documentary for anyone who is either ignorant of where their food comes from or is torn between food options. Although it may be gruesome, it is an ugly truth we have to face in terms of what we eat. This documentary opened my eyes to what really happens to meat used today.

Food Inc., 94 mins., PG.

In Response

I was saddened and sickened by the events that transpired on Friday, December 14, 2012 in Newtown, Connecticut. Words are not easy to use, and I'm not sure how to clearly reflect my deep sorrow. When I found out on Friday, I was moved to tears reading articles and watching coverage online.

Out of this tragedy, there have been tales of heroism and selflessness, such as Victoria Soto, 27, who hid her children in closets, then told Adam Lanza, the gunman, that they were in the gym. He then shot and killed her, but none of her students were harmed. The school principal, Dawn Hochsprung, reportedly lunged at Lanza in an attempt to overtake him, and was killed in the process. It was other adults' and teachers' fast action that kept other students safe and alive.

It is clear that gun control laws are needed especially in light of this tragedy. In his Friday show, Piers Morgan said:
"There are nearly 12,000 murders a year from guns in this country. When are you guys going to focus on that, and stop telling me the answer is more guns? It is not the answer! How many more kids have to die, before you guys say, 'we want less guns, not more?'"

The 1934 National Firearms Act taxes the manufacturing and sale of guns, requires that distributors of guns register then with the Attorney General, and relays sales information.
The 1968 Gun Control Act requires that gun manufacturers and salespeople be federally licensed, and prohibits the interstate sale of guns.
The 1993 Brady Handgun Prevention Act requires background checks for those purchasing firearms who were not already licensed to carry them, and puts two age restrictions on purchasing guns: to buy "long guns", you must be 18; to buy "short guns", you must be 21.
The current laws don't go far enough in terms of gun control.  It's clear we need a change.


I've been trying to imbed two videos, but my computer is glitching, so I'll link them here:

http://abcnews.go.com/WNT/video/tribute-newtowns-fallen-heroes-17993817

http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/video/obama-connecticut-school-shooting-hearts-broken-17977068

 

Here Comes the Sun King

I've been in love with The Beatles since I was a little girl, and I'd like to talk for a minute about one of my favorite musical pieces by them. I've had trouble picking my favorite Beatles album. I've gone through my Sgt. Peppers and Revolver phase, and am now stuck between the White Album and Abbey Road. Abbey Road (1969) I really enjoy because of the medley of songs at the end of the album. This was their last recorded album, and there was less pressure because they all knew that they were broken up. They were able to relax and put together some really interesting music. The 16-minute medley, sometimes called the Golden Slumbers Medley, is composed of 8-9 songs: "You Never Give Me Your Money" (McCartney) is one of my favorite songs because of the great and haunting piano track. "Sun King" (Lennon) is one of those chill-out songs that also encompasses Beatles humor in adding hints of other songs into songs, such as in "Glass Onion" on the White Album. "Mean Mr. Mustard" (Lennon)is a god song to sing along to, with it's crazy story, like Maxwell's Silver Hammer or Rocky Raccoon. "Polythene Pam" (Lennon) was originally going to be names Shirley, but was changed to Pam to fit with Mr. Mustard's sister Pam. I adore the british accents in this song with the long "ah" in "Paaahm". "She Came in Through the Bathroom Window" (McCartney) was actually written about a crazed fan who climbed into Paul's house through the bathroom window. "Golden Slumbers", "Carry That Weight" and "The End" (McCartney) are the end of the Medley, not including Her Majesty. Golden Slumbers was based off a 17th century poem and is a truly beautiful song, and the three ending songs show off distinctive band patterns: McCartney playing guitar in a staccato style, Harrison playing guitar in a melodic style, and Lennon playing guitar in a stinging style with much distortion, as well as including Ringo's only drum solo. I can't really go into more4 detail on how much I love these songs because then I'll start fangirling and won't be able to cope. *sigh* Sleep pretty darling, do not cry. And I will sing a lullaby...

Tumblr (That Thing That Ruins Your Life)

In case none of you have heard of it, tumblr.com is another of those social media websites such as facebook or twitter (but tumblr is better). Tumblr is basically a blog that's more picture and gif oriented than text. You follow other peoples' blogs and reblog their posts. I only started tumblr last summer, and it's pretty much taken over my life. I'll admit that I spend about an hour every day on tumblr. I guess what I like about the constant sharing and reblogging is that you can experience and collaborate anonymously. You can share a photo and have no idea who originally posted it, or how many people have reblogged it until you saw it on your dashboard. I love looking through vintage and photography tumblrs, as well as the ones about food, and blogs that express feelings. Some other favorite blogs are here, here, and here. It's really frustrating sometimes because of the layout, but I find that it's worth it when you create a blog you're proud of. Just in case you were wondering, my main tumblr is here and my tights tumblr is here.