Rebuttal to Bany's post

Okay so I just finished reading Bany's opening statement about if child celebrities should be role models for people their age. She believed that they should NOT be role models, but there was a bit of confusion in some parts. I think it was a typo or something because in some parts she typed "they should be role models...", that sort of confused me on which side she was defending. Here is a brief quote from the end of the statement:

"...my main point is all celebrities should be models to kids their age. That could help teenagers strive to go in the right direction and be better people. Celebrities are looked up to and they put themselves into a position where they have to take responsibility of what they do."

I think she should fix this because it totally contradicts everything she said in the beginning. Another thing Bany could revise is her fourth paragraph about why kids and teens look up to their stars. It doesn't really support her claims and it adds clutter. The evidence and sources she provides are good. Both of her links are related to her topic and are basically examples of celebrities who have made mistakes at some point in their career. However, there was another point she was trying to get across but I just couldn't understand what she meant by it. Here's the quote:

"Most of their lives are planned out the whole way, by what they have to wear to what they have to say." 

This just needs a little clarifying to make it clearer to the reader. Here is a quote from an article written by some athlete or celebrity (idk what he or she does):

"It's fortunate and it's unfortunate, because a parent can tell a child to do something and it might fall on deaf ears. But I (or another athlete or entertainer) can say the same thing and it registers. I don't know why it's like that. But because of that, I take being a role model very seriously and responsibly."

five more words....five words

the color purple

            Celie has been through a lot in her life. She was raped and beaten by her own father and she still managed to hang on, with the help of god, of course. I think she has such a profound belief in god because of the struggles she's had to face. Celie wants to believe that even though this life has been hell, the afterlife will be the life she had always hoped her. But if her life is so crappy and she considers god her best friend, why doesn't she just kill herself? Nobody should have to go through what she's been through. Or maybe she believes that god will make it up to her later in her life. Maybe despite of the dreadful events she's lived through, she does not want to give up because she knows that eventually she'll find a brand new hope - the one she's never known. All of this is revealed in the attitude she sustains. For example, in the end of one of her letters to god she wrote,

"I keep hoping he [her dad] fine somebody to marry. I see him looking at my little sister. She scared. But i say I'll take care of you. With God help." (Celie p.3)

            This shows just how strong Celie really is. Even though her father raped her more than once, she is still willing to put herself out there to protect her sister. She doesn't want her to experience the horrors she lived. This can be another reason why Celie refuses to die, to be there for the ones she loves.
           This quote also shows how much trust Celie holds upon god. She believes that god is always going to be by her side no matter what happens. She has god on her side, and with his help she will overcome anything that stands in front of her way. But one thing I don't get is that if god is always by her side, then why is her life so dangerous? And what if her life doesn't get any better? What would happen if her god failed her? I guess that doesn't really worry her. All she knows is that she will smile in the end, and if not in this life, maybe the next one.

Opening Statement: Years in School

 In my opinion, the number of years required in school should not be changed. One of my reasons is that if the years required in school were shorter, the student won’t really learn much. It’s important for students to learn a variety of subject because if the career they are trying to exceed at fails them, at least they still have the right education to easily approach a different one. It’s not only a matter of making money, but most importantly about intelligence. Intelligence can lead to great discoveries, inventions, and ideas. The more intelligent a person is, the more that person has to offer to the world. And if the amount of schooling required is decreased the student will not learn as much and will not have as much to offer.

However, if the years required in school increase, no one would benefit from it. By making school longer the students would be overwhelmed with the information being thrown at them and some of them won’t be able to keep up with it. It would be very difficult for them to manage the same stressful routines for a longer period of time. By making school longer, the schools themselves won’t gain anything from it either. Schools would have to spend more of their money on the students. Columnist Patrick McIlheran wrote an article about how much money schools are spending every year. Here's a quote from his article
  

"Public schools spend $10,377 per pupil. That's a little above the national average of $9,435."This means that public schools are spending a little more than they should. If school was longer, schools will have to spend a lot more than $10,377 depending on how much the required years in school are extended. This can lead to more economic issues than we already have.

So basically, if they made school shorter the students would learn slower or not as much. This slows down our progress as humans and makes us dumber. And if they made school longer, the students would be overwhelmed with the years they will have to spend on getting their education and it will be a greater struggle for them. Schools would also have to spend more money. The school system is fine the way it is, it doesn’t need any adjustments. This is why changing the number of years required in school should not be changed.

Veganism

I have been a vegan for almost six months and it’s been great. Making the transition to a plant based diet has made me realize that humans don’t need to eat meat, eggs, or dairy to survive. Like any other vegan, I am doing this for the animals. I love animals and have always been sympathetic towards them; as a result I think it’s cruel and selfish of humans to have to consume them just because it’s profitable and “they taste good”. 

                A lot of people ask me what I eat. I eat pretty much what everyone else eats, of course, without the meat, eggs, or dairy. As a substitute for any type of meat, I usually use tofu. Most people don’t know what that is or what it tastes like - and others think it’s weird to eat it, which makes absolutely no sense. Tofu is basically a cheese like food made of curdled soybean milk. It can be baked, broiled, deep fried, shallow fried, marinated, stewed, scrambled, added to soups and casseroles, stuffed into tacos, made into dips...the list is endless. I personally like how it tastes and encourage anyone to try it. For dairy I drink soy milk, rice milk, or almond milk. I make sure that foods like bread and dough don’t have any milk in them by looking at the labels. I eat non-dairy cheese, ice cream, desserts, sour creams, and cookies. There are also such things like “fake meats”, but I usually never buy them because they’re gross. I don’t have much experience in the kitchen, but I always try to cook my own foods. I usually just fry tofu and add random vegetables and spices to it, just to experiment. Oh and I forgot I also eat a lot of fruits, vegetables, and mixed nuts.

                One thing I really hate about people is that as soon as they find out I’m vegan they say things like “you’re such a pussy!”, “why are you being so hard on yourself?”, “I feel sorry for you”, “you’re going to die!”, or simply “you suck!”. I never thought people could be so closed minded until I heard things like this coming from people I thought I knew. I mean, if you don’t know why I’m doing it then why would it be appropriate for you to make comments like this? I don’t mind if people make comments, but they should at least have some meaning, not just insults. I hate it even more when people tease me about it, even if they’re only joking. Sometimes people would eat they’re burgers in front of my face and say, “omg this meat tastes so good! If only I had a glass of milk!” I am always super sensitive about these “jokes” and it makes me hate the person who is saying them. I just want to be understood! My parents and doctor don’t get it either. They always tell how important it is to eat meat and drink milk, but I’m not buying it. They don’t realize that I’ve proved to them that a person can be perfectly fine without it. Not only am I healthier as a vegan, I’m also happier. That’s what people just have to understand. 

               

response to Billy's thoughts on global warming

I read one of Billy Lau’s blog posts and he talked about a topic that really fascinates me but at the same time makes me hate humans, lol. It was about global warming and how people argue about how it started and if it’s even real. This is a quote from Billy’s post which caught my attention:

                “In the past, there were some Ice ages and other times the Earth has gotten hot ,so people think it is normal. However, many scientist opposed this because they say that the Earth has gotten hotter than ever and the Co2 in the atmosphere has increased dramatically. Scientist have found ways to solve this problem and one of them is to use fuel efficient cars. Most pollution in the air are caused by trucks and cars because we use them everyday. The burning of fossil fuels or coals in big companies and industries also affect the Earth. It is hard to stop these companies because they are making Big Bucks. The Earth is dying because we don’t solve our own problems of letting gases in the air. As a nation together we can stop global warming by a huge percentage and save the next generations of our kids.”

            Global warming is basically an increase in the average temperature of the earth's atmosphere (especially a sustained increase that causes climatic changes). I do believe global warming is real and I do believe it’s caused by humans’ lack of responsibility to keeping this planet healthy. An average person like me cares about getting through the day too much and forgets about issues like this. But ever since I’ve been aware of the nasty ingredients in this society’s food I was consuming, these kinds of subjects have been one of my biggest concerns. If citizens all over the globe cared more about humanity than nationality, we would be capable of solving not only global warming, but war, poverty, violence, and all the other unnecessary conflicts we have in our world.

                Achieving this kind of goal is difficult, especially when we have egotistical governments who’s main concern is money. So obviously humans have a lot to adjust, but it IS possible.

Elite Colleges Offer a Better Future?

I don’t really think that going to an elite college is necessary for having a good life. Most of it depends on the student’s plans for the future. If a student already knows what subject he or she wants to major on, and the career they want to have, then it is best for that student to apply in a college that offers the things he or she needs. This is what I understood from James Shulman. Here’s a quote from his article:

“It depends on what the institution is trying to do. One could argue that choosing those most likely to apply themselves and take advantage of the exceptional educational resources would be the best investments. Then whether they go into finance or social work, their raw talent has been trained to its maximum potential. But if you’re a school that is trying to beat Yale in swimming, then selecting someone on the basis of her potential in the 100-meter butterfly is a rational investment for the college; the trade-off is that although recruited athletes will go on to have great opportunities, they are likely to perform academically below what their preparation would predict.”

Here he is comparing two types of schools, both that are going for different things. This paragraph convinced me to believe that it doesn’t have to be a well known college because it might not work for you. It’s better to know what you want and then look for schools that can give it to you. But sadly in my opinion his article was one of the least convincing. Unlike this paragraph, the rest of the article talked about sports in colleges. I lost my interest and stopped reading after he lost me.

A professor named Anthony P. Carnevale also wrote an article about college called “Access to Money and Power”. At first I didn’t think it mattered which college you attend as long as you can afford it and it is convenient for you. But after reading Carnevale’s data I am thinking about it more carefully. Carbevale believes that going to and elite college can grant the student with a better life. Here is a quote I found in his article:

“…even among equally qualified students, those who go to the most elite colleges have a much better chance of attending graduate and professional school.”

Even though I do not support his thoughts, I have to admit that they were very persuasive. I didn’t read all of the articles, I probably read like 4 out of 7. And out of the four I read, this one is the one that convinced me to believe that what the person was saying was true.