Liberty and Justice for All?

           Do we have to say the Pledge each morning at the beginning of our school day? In class last week, we talked about this and how it is ones protected right to refuse to say the Pledge for any reason i.e. belief, religious, political. Yet, my advisory is required to stand, whether or not we would like to recite the Pledge. Do I have the right to refuse to stand? Yes. But will I get reprimanded if I do not stand? Yes. This also brings up the topic of the influence of authority. Mr. Bolos shared the story of his daughter refusing to say the pledge during school, then having a gym teacher come up to her and telling her the reasons he says the pledge. Immediately after hearing this my jaw dropped. I thought to myself, how could a teacher, an authority, share his opinions so aggressively at a time in ones life when their own opinions and thoughts are being constructed and formed? There is always someone above you who can easily have a big impact on your thoughts. For example, young children tend to promote their parents beliefs, such as their political views as to whether they claim to be democratic or republican.
          Authority is also the reason, as my advisor explained to us, that we have to stand for the pledge every morning. She discussed with us how her brother had traveled to a country in the Middle East, and when their "pledge" was recited wherever they were, everyone immediately stood up as a sign of respect, otherwise there may have been a serious punishment. But, again, why would we have to stand to say the pledge? I mean, we aren't half way around the world in a different country. We have many more protected rights here. One year after Obama had been in office, Will Phillips took the nation by surprise. This 10-year-old boy refused to say the pledge because he does not agree with the lines of the pledge, "With liberty and justice for all." Phillips says he "won't say the pledge until gays and lesbians have equal rights." After refusing to stand for four days he was sent to the principle. When watching the interview on CNN with Phillips he seems to have already formed his own opinions as just a 10-year-old. I could not believe the analysis he had put into every word of the pledge of allegiance because when I was his age, I just knew the pledge as part of my daily routine in the morning. Do most kids these days realize the words they are saying as being significant to them or, like me, do they just say the pledge as their daily routine in the morning? (check out an article about Phillips as well as an interview from CNN with him and his father). Is it right for adults to require children to recite the pledge when most, in fact, may not understand the fulling of meaning of it?
           Also, there was a poll taken referencing what others think about the article about Will Phillips refusing to say the pledge: Should students be allowed to abstain from reciting the Pledge of Allegiance? Out of 119, 019 votes, 49% said, "Absolutely not. That would be disrespectful of our nation." This had just outnumbered the 46% who said, "Yes, if it conflicts with the students beliefs." While only 5% said, "Only in private school. Public school students should recite the pledge." Does it matter whether one goes to a public school or private school? Though I have never been to private school, rules and regulations may be different or stricter depending where and what school, but we still have the right to free speech under the first amendment. No matter what kind of school, I believe that students should be able to "stand up" for what they believe in, and be respected for that. Students should not have to face any pressure around them because of what they believe.

Rickard's Virtual "Roadtrip"

            As I browsed through Columbia College's Museum of Contemporary Art on Wednesday, one particular body of work caught my eye: "A New American Picture" shot by Doug Rickard. His photographs picture scenes from the Street View of Google Maps that he wandered through on his computer. Rickard's story caught my attention because I sometimes find myself doing the same as he did, just wandering through, exploring the country in which you live right at the convenience of your own couch! After seeing so many possible pictures, the few that Rickard chose seem to have a certain, similar connotation to them. He wanted to find perfect pictures "containing an 'apocalyptic-like brokenness.'"But out of all things America has to offer, why show the lowest of the low? Living in the North Shore of Chicago, it is hard to think that these neglected communities exist in real life, not just movies; the evidence provided by Google Maps is just a click away to prove it. This feature gives us the opportunity to explore communities much more in depth than we ever could have, going to almost every street in America. It is so interesting to think that people can explore these under-developed areas of our nation, and still not have a clue of what they are really like. Can a picture really take oneself into the scene it captures?
            I also find it interesting to explore Google Maps because I am pictured on it having a lemonade stand with two of my friends at one of their houses. It was at the beginning of the Street View's introduction to Google in 2007. We found it strange that a white van was driving on the street with cameras attached to the roof, but they did buy some lemonade from us!

My two friends and I pictured on Google Maps five
years ago during our lemonade stand. 

Calculating Calories

          As I ate my daily bowl of cereal, I listened to the morning edition of NPR. Today's story just so happened to be on requiring to post calorie information for foods in fast-food restaurants, specifically McDonalds. When I eat, there is always a little voice in the back of my head wondering what am I really putting into my body? Do I really know what and how much I am eating?

The number of calories pictured next to the food it
represent. Bagel, 320? French fries, 500? It is
amazing how much could be in so little.

           When going to McDonalds most people know that it is highly unlikely that they will get a low cal meal. But, by publicly posting calories, people will be able to know how much they are eating compared to how much they should eat each day. After all, the reporter Allison Aubrey commented, "a large strawberry McCafe shake with whipped cream has 850 calories." And according to the popular iPhone app, Fitnesspal, that is a little more than half of the number of calories an average teenage girl should consume per day with no exercise. Aubrey interviewed New York City locals about the thoughts they had on posting calories at local McDonald chains. Marvin Ruffin veered towards the reasoning of, "If I'm at McDonalds, I'm not worrying about calories." What would the point of going to McDonalds be if you were going to get a salad? And anyway, somehow the calories are always able to add up with creamy dressing, cheese, greasy bacon etc.
            Calorie counting also appeared later on Nightline with Dr, Brian Elbel, who has come to the conclusion that having the calories posted next to the food does not change peoples' orders. He even went to the extent of talking to a person beforehand, then taking their receipts on their way out to count up the amount of calories they are about to eat.
            This story of counting calories reminded me of a previous experience I had at a Mexican restaurant, Qdoba Mexican Grill. Everything on the menu had a calorie counter, which deterred me from my usual options of a burrito or enchiladas. The only slightly appetizing and "lower" calorie option(but still not-so-much) was a special dish that was cooked to be low calorie. It sucked. Though it did not appeal to my taste buds, it appealed to me mentally.  I knew that I had not stuffed myself with crap.
           Body image constantly comes up in our American society. I wonder if there is a direct correlation between the advent of corsets and body image obsession. Yet, it is just now becoming known that you can count your daily calories on your smart phone. Fad diets have become the it. I personally do not count the calories I consume each day and sometimes figure that I can just burn it off by exercising. Seeking one's ideal image has proven not always to be the most healthy choice. We see examples of this often whether it be on tv or when your best friend doesn't eat any carbs because she thinks that all carbs are bad for you. In fact, on tonight's episode of Glee, a dance instructor constantly critiqued not only the students' dances, but also their figures and "muffin tops." As we start to see the calories being posted next to menu items at fast food restaurants, will it become a disadvantage to the eateries? Or like Ruffin said before-- we go to McDonalds for a reason, and it is not to order a salad. Monday will mark the starting point of posting calories next to foods at McDonalds restaurants nationwide, and we will soon find out the impact of posting calories has on one of the world's biggest franchises.

Trouble Escaping Materialism

Christopher McCandless pictured on the left while in Alaskan 

territory and Christopher Vaughn’s mug shot on the right. 

Coincidental resemblance?

          While reading the book Into the Wild, it was hard to believe that it was actually based off of the true story of Christopher McCandless—a young man who ventured away in order to escape his structured, material world and live on and in nothing but the natural world. It was hard enough to imagine that McCandless made the choices he did, let alone to think that other people in my lifetime, would make similar choices. Could I ever believe that this would happen to anybody else? No. Yet, I found out that an ongoing trial of Christopher Vaughn has been taking place to determine if he “may” have shot his family in order to “live life in the wilderness without obligations.” (For the most recent update on the Vaughn Trial click here.)
           Christopher Vaughn set out on a typical path that many Americans take i.e. go to high school, college, graduate school, start a career and settle down with a family. Like McCandless, he later decided that the traditional path was not for him. McCandless, however, did not, in any way, want someone to accompany him 'into the wild', because he felt it might burden his quest to escape society and discover his true self. Vaughn did bond with another man online “over their mutual desire to leave civilization behind.”
           Once someone leaves society, both physically and mentally, can they ever find their way back? From McCandless’ experience, each time he returned to society and a somewhat traditional lifestyle, he “(felt) extremely uncomfortable in society (now) and must return to road immediately'" (37). McCandless never gave himself the chance to live the “material life” that Vaughn lived with a wife and three children. It took having a spouse and kids for Vaughn to realize that “he shouldn’t do something because everyone else does.”
           Christopher Vaughn comments on materialism. In addition, I believe, he himself represents the very skewed level of importance that material goods have in our culture today. The Sun-Times emphasizes this by sub-titling a full-page article about the Vaughn trial with a quote by Vaughn all in upper case,“THE BIGGEST THING I’LL MISS IS MY JEEP.” Materialism has surfaced much more in America in the recent past than ever before. Madonna's song Material Girl from 1985 brings the idea of the importance of materialism over human relationships to the forefront. It appears that Vaughn does not even care about the deaths of his whole family. Many people in today’s society, like Vaughn, base their happiness on the material things they have; not the things that really should make them happy such as family, friends, memories etc. The media has contributed to our need for material items. Advertisements frequently broadcast the need for the next better item, which leads us to want and buy. Will society ever have a limit to how far people go with their material items? Will Vaughn ever think twice about the loss of his family rather than his Jeep?

Do We Know Mitt Romney: Personally & Politically?

As a sixteen-year-old, politics still does not interest me much, nor am I very aware of the opinions and sides of both of the presidential campaigns. I was in Grant Park for Obama’s election in 2008, but now as his four year term comes to a close, the outcome is uncertain. Every morning I eat breakfast while NPR plays through the speakers in the kitchen. Last week, before the beginning of the Republican National Convention started, the topic of Mitt Romney’s Mormon faith came up. Is the fact that Mitt Romney was brought up Mormon change the opinions of voters, though they may agree with him on his other beliefs? As American citizens, it is our right to practice our choice of religion. Yet, when is all comes down to competition and leadership, we have truly learned and witnessed that the challengers will pinpoint anything that they believe to be a fault against their opponent.

As governor of Massachusetts, Mitt Romney enacted the state
mandated health care system in 2006.

Even if voters do not have a questionable opinion towards Mitt Romney’s Mormon faith, what do they think of his “flip-flop” beliefs? As the cover article in the magazine The Economist states, Romney is “willing to do or say just about anything to get elected.” In any election, a candidate can never please all the voters; this is simply why there is an election in the first place to please the majority. For example in a fairly liberal state, Massachusetts, he enacted a state mandated health care system. Now as a presidential candidate, he is against a federal government healthcare plan— Obamacare. Is this because he wanted the Republican nomination so badly or is this true policy stance? We do not know because of the two extreme ends of the position he has held, which continues to question his warmth as an American or his actual plan if he were to be elected into office. Romney’s flip-flopping over a period of time has confused many; therefore, he remains a mystery. The Republican National Convention was Romney’s chance to voice his true beliefs and set America straight on what they would really be voting for if they voted for Mitt Romney. He presented himself as a warmer more human candidate, but he has still left his true plans for presidency much too vague.
As the Democratic National Convention starts this coming week, many new news and opinions will be revealed by both parties. Please feel free to leave comments and start conversation!