Wednesday, February 18, 2009
My "Living Funeral"
When writing a list of people I would invite to my “living funeral”, I thought about how morbid this actually was. People don’t like thinking about death or the after-life (if there is one), because they like to live behind a veil of their own fantasy. But when I was writing a list of people I would invite to my “living funeral”, I realized how real death actually is. Instead of ignoring it and acting as if it was not going to happen, and we as humans are immortal, I thought more about how Morrie embraced the news that he was going to die, and he talked to people about it. He didn’t act like it wasn’t going to happen, instead he just sort of forgot about it, while explaining what he was going though to everyone who would listen. The people I decided to include on my list were people important to me or close to me in some way. I decided that I wanted them on the list because I wanted them to share my last moments with me (God Forbid something to actually happen). I decided that I wanted people close to me because I want them to be the ones that help me ease the pain of what is happening. Instead of having complete strangers plucked off the street, I chose people I known for years. When I made a list of people who might invite me to their “living funeral”, I also included people I was close to, because I would like to think they would like to spend their last moments with me. Being with people close to you help you feel special, they help you feel like you are loved and cared for, and will be missed when your time comes. That’s why when people have funerals, families and friends typically come to the event, because they loved and cared for that person, and would miss them dearly.
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
Questions And Answers About Old People
1.Why does the immune system get older/weaker?
"Things That Can Go Wrong With the Immune System(taken from http://kidshealth.org/parent/general/body_basics/immune.html)
Disorders of the immune system can be broken down into four main categories:
1.immunodeficiency disorders (primary or acquired)
2.autoimmune disorders (in which the body's own immune system attacks its own tissue as foreign matter)
3.allergic disorders (in which the immune system overreacts in response to an antigen)
4.cancers of the immune system"
2. What percentages of old people have dementia?
"The prevalence of dementia increases with age and is estimated to be approximately 20percent at 80 years of age. The annual incidence of vascular dementia is 1.2/100 overall person years at risk, and is the same in all age groups. Alzheimer's disease accounts for 50 to 75 percent of cases of dementia. The annual incidence of senile dementia of the Alzheimer's type rises to 34.3/100 person years at risk in the 90 year age group; the incidence is higher in women than in men."
taken from http://www.qualitymeasures.ahrq.gov/summary/summary.aspx?ss=1&doc_id=8960
3. How long does the average person live?
when you click on this link, it shows the average genders life expectancy:
http://geography.about.com/library/weekly/aa042000b.htm
4. How many old people break their hips?
Each year, approximately 300,000 Americans over 64 break their hips -- three-quarters of them women. They are two to five times more likely to die within a year than seniors of the same age without a break. And with baby boomers by the millions heading for these fragile years, the number of fractures could double by 2040.
taken from http://www.boston.com/news/local/articles/2006/12/10/in_hip_fractures_elders_face_an_intimidating_mortal_challenge/
5. What are the leading causes of death for old people?
In the United States, about 70% of all deaths occur after age 65. In 1999, the greatest percentages of deaths in this age group were due to heart disease, stroke, and cancer. However, because many older people have more than one chronic illness, the true cause of death is often uncertain, especially for people over 85.
taken from http://www.merck.com/pubs/mmanual_ha/sec1/ch03/ch03e.html
6. What percentage of old people are poor?
Old people 65 and older who lived in poverty declined from 35% in 1959 to 10% in 2003
7. What percentage of old people are disabled?
more than seven million people ages 50 to 64, over 14% of these people know they have a disability and or health condition
taken from AARP
8. What percentage of old people die in nursing homes?
In 1989 there were 5.7% and in 2001 there were 16.2%
9. How many old people die from cancer?
71% of all cancer deaths are in people 65 and older
taken from the National Cancer institute
10. What percent of old people take pills?
30% of of all prescribed drugs are consumed by people 65 or older
40% of all over the counter drugs are consumed by people 65 or older.
taken from http://www.pueblo.gsa.gov/cic_text/health/meds4old/697_old.html
11. What percentage of old people live in nursing homes?
In 2004 1.5 million people lived in nursing homes
88% of nursing home residents are 65 an older, 45% are 85 and older. Yet only 2% of Americans age 65 to 84 and 14% of Americans age 85 or older live in nursing homes.
^taken from AARP^
12. What percentage of old people live by themselves?
63% of most women who live alone are 55 or older, and they tend to be widows, and 34%of men who live alone are 55 and older.
13. What percentage of old people are sexually active?
about 53% to 54% of old people are sexually active
taken from USA Today
14. What percentage of old people were in car accidents?
In 2006 old people who are 65 or older made up 14% of the traffic fatalities
13.5% of vehicle occupant fatalities
18.9% pedestrian fatalities
taken from NHTSA
15. What percentage of old people are healthy or non-diseased?
There were 19.17% in 1999 and 26% in 1982.
"Things That Can Go Wrong With the Immune System(taken from http://kidshealth.org/parent/general/body_basics/immune.html)
Disorders of the immune system can be broken down into four main categories:
1.immunodeficiency disorders (primary or acquired)
2.autoimmune disorders (in which the body's own immune system attacks its own tissue as foreign matter)
3.allergic disorders (in which the immune system overreacts in response to an antigen)
4.cancers of the immune system"
2. What percentages of old people have dementia?
"The prevalence of dementia increases with age and is estimated to be approximately 20percent at 80 years of age. The annual incidence of vascular dementia is 1.2/100 overall person years at risk, and is the same in all age groups. Alzheimer's disease accounts for 50 to 75 percent of cases of dementia. The annual incidence of senile dementia of the Alzheimer's type rises to 34.3/100 person years at risk in the 90 year age group; the incidence is higher in women than in men."
taken from http://www.qualitymeasures.ahrq.gov/summary/summary.aspx?ss=1&doc_id=8960
3. How long does the average person live?
when you click on this link, it shows the average genders life expectancy:
http://geography.about.com/library/weekly/aa042000b.htm
4. How many old people break their hips?
Each year, approximately 300,000 Americans over 64 break their hips -- three-quarters of them women. They are two to five times more likely to die within a year than seniors of the same age without a break. And with baby boomers by the millions heading for these fragile years, the number of fractures could double by 2040.
taken from http://www.boston.com/news/local/articles/2006/12/10/in_hip_fractures_elders_face_an_intimidating_mortal_challenge/
5. What are the leading causes of death for old people?
In the United States, about 70% of all deaths occur after age 65. In 1999, the greatest percentages of deaths in this age group were due to heart disease, stroke, and cancer. However, because many older people have more than one chronic illness, the true cause of death is often uncertain, especially for people over 85.
taken from http://www.merck.com/pubs/mmanual_ha/sec1/ch03/ch03e.html
6. What percentage of old people are poor?
Old people 65 and older who lived in poverty declined from 35% in 1959 to 10% in 2003
7. What percentage of old people are disabled?
more than seven million people ages 50 to 64, over 14% of these people know they have a disability and or health condition
taken from AARP
8. What percentage of old people die in nursing homes?
In 1989 there were 5.7% and in 2001 there were 16.2%
9. How many old people die from cancer?
71% of all cancer deaths are in people 65 and older
taken from the National Cancer institute
10. What percent of old people take pills?
30% of of all prescribed drugs are consumed by people 65 or older
40% of all over the counter drugs are consumed by people 65 or older.
taken from http://www.pueblo.gsa.gov/cic_text/health/meds4old/697_old.html
11. What percentage of old people live in nursing homes?
In 2004 1.5 million people lived in nursing homes
88% of nursing home residents are 65 an older, 45% are 85 and older. Yet only 2% of Americans age 65 to 84 and 14% of Americans age 85 or older live in nursing homes.
^taken from AARP^
12. What percentage of old people live by themselves?
63% of most women who live alone are 55 or older, and they tend to be widows, and 34%of men who live alone are 55 and older.
13. What percentage of old people are sexually active?
about 53% to 54% of old people are sexually active
taken from USA Today
14. What percentage of old people were in car accidents?
In 2006 old people who are 65 or older made up 14% of the traffic fatalities
13.5% of vehicle occupant fatalities
18.9% pedestrian fatalities
taken from NHTSA
15. What percentage of old people are healthy or non-diseased?
There were 19.17% in 1999 and 26% in 1982.
Monday, February 9, 2009
Questions For Old People
1. Why does the immune system get older?
2. What percentages of old people have dementia?
3. How have medical advances affected the way old people live?
4. How does aging affect one’s mindset/perspective of the world?
5. Is it possible for an old person to be as fit as a young person is?
6. What is an old person’s fear medically?
7. What percentages of old people have a “do-not-resuscitate” from the doctors?
8. How much money is spent on treating old people?
9. How much money is spent on the last two weeks of life?
10. How long does the average person live?
11. What percentage of old people are on anti-depressants?
12. How many old people break their hips?
13. What are the leading causes of death for old people?
2. What percentages of old people have dementia?
3. How have medical advances affected the way old people live?
4. How does aging affect one’s mindset/perspective of the world?
5. Is it possible for an old person to be as fit as a young person is?
6. What is an old person’s fear medically?
7. What percentages of old people have a “do-not-resuscitate” from the doctors?
8. How much money is spent on treating old people?
9. How much money is spent on the last two weeks of life?
10. How long does the average person live?
11. What percentage of old people are on anti-depressants?
12. How many old people break their hips?
13. What are the leading causes of death for old people?
Wednesday, February 4, 2009
Old People
Personally, I think that old people are sometimes annoying, and they lecture people too much. Whenever my grandma calls me, she asks me about school and then lectures me about how I need to do a really good job and all that. My other grandma also talks to herself a lot, which annoys me when I'm sleeping over and I need to sleep. For example, I was coming back from the College trip upstate in November and I haven’t went to sleep until like 2 or 3 in the morning for the past two nights, so I was crashing at my grandmas when the trip was over instead of going all the way home. She kept me up to about 3 o clock in the morning just talking to herself and walking around the whole house. The next day, I fell asleep in all my classes. But I have to say, I love my grandmas also, even though they annoy me sometimes. But old people in general walk way to slow, and I hate slow walkers, so whenever they walk in front of me, it irritates me. They’re also very cranky people. For example me and Lieb were at the movies today, and Lieb barely touched this old lady and she started screaming at Lieb. It was so ridiculous I just wanted to hit the lady to shut her up (but that would be wrong). A good thing about my grandmas is they love to spoil me. They’re always buying me stuff, and always giving me money because they don’t think I have enough.
i interviewed my mother because i consider her old, she's 50 something i think.
here is how the interview went:
How old are you?
You should know.
(i dont just to let you guys know)
What is the most important/meainingful part of your life?“Family is the most meaningful part of my life because I love my kids, and without then I wouldn’t be able to live.”
Do you think you lead a good and meaningful life?
Yes, because i have my family, and friends, and they are very meaningful to me.
What would you do if you didn't have them in your life?
I don't know.
What makes a person's life meaningless?
Not having people who love and care for them.
Do you think teenagers live a good and meaningful life?
No, because they are always on their stupid technology, like your sidekick. you are always on it. Back in my day, i didn't have cell phones. In class, i would actually pay attention.
^i beg to differ^
Did you have a good and meaningful life when you were a teenager?
No because i had no life (haha..thats my answer for her =p)
No because i was shy, and i didnt fit in, and i was trying to find where i belonged.
^that was the actual answer^
heres the interview with my dad:
What do you is the definition of a good and meaingful life?
It's a life worth living. if your poor and horrible or rich and miserable, it's not a good and meaningful life. in order to live a good and meaningful life, you need to be happy.
Do you think you have a good and meaningful life?
Most of the time, yes.
Do you think teenagers live a good and meaningful life?
Yes because they are overpampered by their parents.
Did you think you lived a good and meaningful life when you were a teen?
When i was a teen, i didn't thinnk i did because i wasn't allowed to do anything, but now looking back, i think i did.
Do you think old people are wise?
Yes, they are wise with experience, but only some people are wise with wisdom.
Interview with my 72-year-old grandma
What is your definition of a good and meaningful life?
*Keeping yourself busy
*Getting involved
*Helping community/neighbors/friends
*Good health
In your opinion, do you live or have in the past lived a good and meaningful life?
Yes because I raised children
Do you think children and teenagers today live a good and meaningful life?
No because they are selfish, self centered, they want to outspend everybody, and they are more concerned with self image then anything else.
What makes somebody's meaningless?
When they think more of somebody else then themselves and they would go out of their way for somebody.
What do you think people around you think about living a good and meaningful life?
All think the same thing because they're older.
Interviews with my mother's friend:
What is your definition of a good and meaningful life?
When you’re happy and you have everyone important to you in your life.
In your opinion, do you live or have in the past lived a good and meaningful life?
In my opinion, I live a good and meaningful life because I have my family, my friends, and I have a job.
Do you think children and teenagers today live a good and meaningful life?
It depends on who the person is.
What makes somebody's meaningless?
When they can’t appreciate life to the fullest.
What do you think people around you think about living a good and meaningful life?
I'm not sure, but I think they probably have the same views as I do.
this is a interview with my mom's co-worker, his name is Philip Burton and he's 62-years-old.
1. What is your definition of a good and meaningful life?
Living life in a way that keeps your needs satisfied, you health intact and your happiness high; and, in so doing, living in such a way that you do no intentional harm to others.
2. In your opinion, do you live or have in the past lived a good and meaningful life?
It is a never-ending pursuit.
3. Do you think children and teenagers today live a good and meaningful life?
Young people are bombarded by technology and pier pressure at a greater flow than ever before, so I think it is probably harder to know one’s self. This diminishes the meaningful levels of life, but those who are relative grounded during this turbulent time of childhood and adolescence usually emerge with more meaning in their lives. I do believe that learning is based in language, and the shorthand usage of it and the decline in writing and speaking skills will greatly diminish meaning in the lives of young people as they age.
4. What makes somebody's life meaningless?
Those who have nothing to do, nothing to hope for or no one to love have meaningless lives, in my opinion.
5. What do you think people around you think about living a good and meaningful life?
I do not know what others think. I do know that my trust of others has become more guarded than ever before, and this is probably because I find shallow aspects to other people’s philosophies and judgments. The enemies of humankind are the ignorant, the hateful and the religious zealot; and all three of these kinds of people mistakenly believe their lives to be filled with meaning.
i interviewed my mother because i consider her old, she's 50 something i think.
here is how the interview went:
How old are you?
You should know.
(i dont just to let you guys know)
What is the most important/meainingful part of your life?“Family is the most meaningful part of my life because I love my kids, and without then I wouldn’t be able to live.”
Do you think you lead a good and meaningful life?
Yes, because i have my family, and friends, and they are very meaningful to me.
What would you do if you didn't have them in your life?
I don't know.
What makes a person's life meaningless?
Not having people who love and care for them.
Do you think teenagers live a good and meaningful life?
No, because they are always on their stupid technology, like your sidekick. you are always on it. Back in my day, i didn't have cell phones. In class, i would actually pay attention.
^i beg to differ^
Did you have a good and meaningful life when you were a teenager?
No because i had no life (haha..thats my answer for her =p)
No because i was shy, and i didnt fit in, and i was trying to find where i belonged.
^that was the actual answer^
heres the interview with my dad:
What do you is the definition of a good and meaingful life?
It's a life worth living. if your poor and horrible or rich and miserable, it's not a good and meaningful life. in order to live a good and meaningful life, you need to be happy.
Do you think you have a good and meaningful life?
Most of the time, yes.
Do you think teenagers live a good and meaningful life?
Yes because they are overpampered by their parents.
Did you think you lived a good and meaningful life when you were a teen?
When i was a teen, i didn't thinnk i did because i wasn't allowed to do anything, but now looking back, i think i did.
Do you think old people are wise?
Yes, they are wise with experience, but only some people are wise with wisdom.
Interview with my 72-year-old grandma
What is your definition of a good and meaningful life?
*Keeping yourself busy
*Getting involved
*Helping community/neighbors/friends
*Good health
In your opinion, do you live or have in the past lived a good and meaningful life?
Yes because I raised children
Do you think children and teenagers today live a good and meaningful life?
No because they are selfish, self centered, they want to outspend everybody, and they are more concerned with self image then anything else.
What makes somebody's meaningless?
When they think more of somebody else then themselves and they would go out of their way for somebody.
What do you think people around you think about living a good and meaningful life?
All think the same thing because they're older.
Interviews with my mother's friend:
What is your definition of a good and meaningful life?
When you’re happy and you have everyone important to you in your life.
In your opinion, do you live or have in the past lived a good and meaningful life?
In my opinion, I live a good and meaningful life because I have my family, my friends, and I have a job.
Do you think children and teenagers today live a good and meaningful life?
It depends on who the person is.
What makes somebody's meaningless?
When they can’t appreciate life to the fullest.
What do you think people around you think about living a good and meaningful life?
I'm not sure, but I think they probably have the same views as I do.
this is a interview with my mom's co-worker, his name is Philip Burton and he's 62-years-old.
1. What is your definition of a good and meaningful life?
Living life in a way that keeps your needs satisfied, you health intact and your happiness high; and, in so doing, living in such a way that you do no intentional harm to others.
2. In your opinion, do you live or have in the past lived a good and meaningful life?
It is a never-ending pursuit.
3. Do you think children and teenagers today live a good and meaningful life?
Young people are bombarded by technology and pier pressure at a greater flow than ever before, so I think it is probably harder to know one’s self. This diminishes the meaningful levels of life, but those who are relative grounded during this turbulent time of childhood and adolescence usually emerge with more meaning in their lives. I do believe that learning is based in language, and the shorthand usage of it and the decline in writing and speaking skills will greatly diminish meaning in the lives of young people as they age.
4. What makes somebody's life meaningless?
Those who have nothing to do, nothing to hope for or no one to love have meaningless lives, in my opinion.
5. What do you think people around you think about living a good and meaningful life?
I do not know what others think. I do know that my trust of others has become more guarded than ever before, and this is probably because I find shallow aspects to other people’s philosophies and judgments. The enemies of humankind are the ignorant, the hateful and the religious zealot; and all three of these kinds of people mistakenly believe their lives to be filled with meaning.
How Do People Live A Good And Meaningful Life? Draft 6
People have different opinions on living a good and meaningful life. Some people’s views on what a good and meaningful life revolves around the media’s viewpoints and some revolve around what they personally think. Some people are fine with judging if other’s people’s lives are meaningful, and some are not. This paper is a combination of what people think makes their lives meaningful, and what our culture tells us makes our lives meaningful. Instead of trusting their own hearts, people rely on corporate culture to tell them how to live a good and meaningful life.
I think that in order to live a good and meaningful life you need to enjoy life. To me, that is most important thing. If you don’t enjoy your life, then you can’t make it meaningful. I think that what makes your life meaningful is your family and friends. If you have a great family and great friends, then you will have a meaningful life. If you don’t have friends that would care for you, and help you out in any situation, then it is hard to live a good life. The people in your life make your life meaningful, because if you don’t have friends, you’re isolating yourself from the world, which makes your life less meaningless. You don’t have to be going out to parties with your friends or going crazy in order to have a meaningful life, all you need is people who you know will always be there for you. You need to have people who you have that special bond with, that trust that would never get destroyed. You also need to just have fun, and not care about the future too much. Don’t over think everything, instead let whatever happens, happen sometimes. In some cases, such as school, it is important to care about your future, because education also helps you live a good and meaningful life. If you don’t have a good education, it would be hard to get a job, which makes it hard to survive.
I think that in living a meaningful life, you need to know what living a meaningful life is. As soon as you know what living a meaningful life is about, you can live a meaningful life. However, I do not think that you need someone else to tell you how to live a meaningful life. Each person has a separate definition of the terms “living a meaningful life”, and I think that they should all live by their own definitions of it. If you think that you have a meaningful life, then you do. I don’t believe that other people should tell you if you are living a meaningful life or not, because it is not their life, and they don’t have the right to tell you how meaningful your life is. Like I said earlier, to me, living a meaningful life is enjoying life with the people you love, and having fun. There are times when you must be serious, such as when you’re in school or at your job, but there are also times when you should just have fun, such as when you are with your friends or family.
As part of the course, we went out into the streets of Manhattan and interviewed people on their opinions on living a good and meaningful life. Several people walked away from us when asked if they could answer some questions, but most stayed and talked to us. When asked what makes their lives meaningful, several people told us family and friends were the most meaningful parts of their lives, and without them, it would be hard to survive. One of the people I interviewed was my mother, and when asked what the most meaningful part of her life was, she said, “Family is the most meaningful part of my life because I love my kids, and without then I wouldn’t be able to live.” When I talked to the strangers on the street, an older male said “family is meaningful to him because he sees them every day and they are an important part of his life.”
When asked what makes a meaningless life, people named drama, catty people, and money, to name a few. One of the strangers, a female, said “catty people are meaningless, and so is nonsense drama that doesn’t mean anything.” A male stranger also agreed, saying “the most meaningless part is being caught up in unnecessary drama, and there is no point on focusing on it.” Another male said that you don't need money to live a meaningful life, stating “money messes up our system and we don’t need it to live a meaningful life.”
In today's society, there are a lot of opinions about living a meaningful life. People get their ideas about living meaningful life from corporate culture. Corporate culture is when a corporation is making money by selling you stuff that changes your lives (such as clothes, hair products, cars). It's also when someone is getting money for pouring information in your mind (such as magazines and books). Wherever we look, corporate culture is around us. Corporate culture comes up in our daily discussions with friends/family/teachers/etc. even if we do not realize it. One example of how corporate culture tell us how to live is when you look at a magazine, such as Vogue, People, and Glamour, you see ads for clothes and cars, and pictures of celebrities with their friends, family, special someone, or shopping. These magazines are telling us that in order to live a meaningful life; you must have nice clothes, money, love, friends and family. According to corporate culture, in order to live a meaningful life, you need to have materialistic things.
Corporate culture also tells us men will always dominate over women. There are very few movies or TV shows in the world where women are in power. In movies such as the James Bond movies, there is always a Bond girl, and she always falls for him. It doesn’t matter that she is a strong character; she always ends up with James Bond. In the movie, Not Another Teen Movie, the main character, Jake Wyler, gives a makeover to the nerdy girl, Janey Briggs, and then they end up together. In Not Another Teen Movie, Jake ends up as the hero of the story, by saving Janey from her nerdyness, and they end up together in the end. In most movies that corporate culture makes, the guy is always the dominate character, he’s always the hero. There aren’t a lot of movies where the female is the dominate character, and where she is a hero without the help of a male character.
Another thing that corporate culture tells us about living a meaningful life is that you should spend time with family and friends on holidays. On Thanksgiving, corporate culture tells us that everyone should be with their family and friends, and having a good time while stuffing their faces with turkey, apple pie, mash potato, etc. Corporate culture also tells us that we should think about what we are thankful for, and make sure everyone shares what they are thankful for. On Black Friday, the day after Thanksgiving, corporate culture tells us that we should wake up early in the morning to go shopping for Christmas specials. Stores open early, and have a lot of sales. Corporate culture tells us that we should “shop ‘til we drop”, and buy Christmas presents for people, since everything is reduced from its normal price. I went shopping on Black Friday this year, and found it crazy. There were people rushing all over the place to buy stuff before 1 PM (the ending time for major sales). The sales workers have been working since early into the morning, and people have been shopping since about 5 AM. I did not wake up early to go shopping, and yet I got some good deals on clothes. I find that shopping on Black Friday is hectic, yet worth it in the end.
For homework, we analyzed a music video. There were three choices, Lipgloss by Lil’ Mama, All you need is love by the Beatles, and Good Life by Kanye West. The music video I chose to analyze was All you need is love by the Beatles. In this video, the song is saying that in order to have a good life, all you need is love. You don’t need to have materialistic things, such as designer clothes or huge houses, or a lot of money, all you need in life is love. It can be love from your family, friends, or someone special in your life. The images in this video support the theme of the song because in the video, the Beatles are surrounded by people who are most likely their family members, friends, or special people in their lives. There are also people walking around the room that the Beatles are in wearing signs that say something about love in them, which also is the point of the video.
Also for homework, we had to watch another video and read somebody else’s analysis of that video. The video I chose to watch was Lipgloss by Lil’ Mama. I read Henry’s, Snyder’s, and Jace’s analysis of this video. For Henry’s analysis, I wrote “Henry,
I like your analysis of the video, because I wouldn't think that that is what the video is portraying. But after reading your analysis, I realize that what you are saying is correct. You don’t know anything about Lil' Mama, accept the fact that she has pretty lipgloss and that makes everyone like her.” For Andy’s analysis, I wrote “Andy, I think that your analysis of the video was correct and helped change my mind of the meaning of the video. At first, I didn’t know exactly what the meaning was behind the video, but after reading your analysis and evidence to back your analysis up, I realized that what you are saying is correct. Because Lil Mama has the lip gloss in her hand, she is cool and popular.” For Jace’s analysis, I wrote “Jace, I agree with your analysis of the video. Because she has lip gloss on, she is now cool. I like how you used the lyrics to back up your analysis, and how you noticed that there are only good looking people in the video. I didn't notice that at first, but after reading your analysis I realized that you were right.”
One thing that corporate culture doesn't tell us about living a meaningful life is that you need to be religious. Corporations don't put out ads focusing on religion and God, and no one ever focuses campaigns based on religion. One reason for this might be because since there are so many religions, to just focus on one would hurt a campaign or ad. For example, if Apple made an ad about how Jewish people use iPods, and every Jewish person should own one, then that ad would only target Jewish people, and other people of different religions might not want to be a iPod, because it is not targeting them. By targeting only one group of people, corporations are narrowing down their sales, and people won't buy their products as much.
Marginal messages are messages that are important to living a good and meaningful life, but they are also messages that corporate culture doesn’t really show in their media. Some marginal messages that corporate culture only tells us sometimes are stand up for what you believe in, even if it means going against the system. In Pump up the Volume, the main character, Hard Hardy, had his own underground radio show that went against the school system. On there he played inappropriate stuff that the teachers of the school he went to found out about. Hard Hardy’s radio show defied the system by telling teenagers stuff that they shouldn’t be hearing, telling a kid to kill himself (which the kid did), etc. In the movie Foxfire, five teenage girls stand up against a teacher who was sexually abusing one of them. Even though they were girls, they fought back, and made the teacher fear them and promise never to touch a teenage girl inappropriately ever again. In a lot of movies, corporate culture never tells you directly to stand up for what you believe in, rather hiding it behind other more dominant messages. Marginal messages are more about trusting oneself rather than trusting what corporate media is telling you to do.
Folk culture is another way people get their ideas on how to life a good and meaningful life, even though it is very rare to see this happen. People get ideas from Folk culture from generations before them. Folk culture is basically the passing of ideas from generation to generation. Folk culture tells us that in order to live a good and meaningful life, we need to have love, friendships, family, struggle, and balance, to name a few. Folk culture tells us that love is one of the most important things that we can have in our lives. It’s “what makes the world go round” to quote Bob Merrill. Folk culture also tells us that having good friends and family is what makes our lives meaningful, because they are what help us live our life the right way, in a safe protected environment. Folk culture also says that we need to be able to balance all the problems in our life, because in the end, it will all be worth it. With every struggle comes a happy ending.
Corporate culture has taken our holidays and twisted them into something that would benefit their financial pockets. For example, Christmas use to be a holiday about spending time with your family, friends, and loved ones, but now huge corporations such as hallmark has turned it into a day where people go crazy buying stuff for other people, and the image of a perfect Christmas with friends and family is lost on most Americans. On Christmas, people go out and buy presents for each other. Corporate culture sends out mixed messages about Christmas, first stating that Christmas is the day where you are suppose to relax and spend time with your loved ones, but they also tell people to go out and spend money on gifts for other people. Corporate culture tells us that Christmas is a time for giving people presents, whether it be expensive or inexpensive, everyone is expected to give their loved ones presents. Some contradictions about Christmas are: corporate media portrays Christmas as a stress free day; it is a day when you need to just relax. However, Christmas is also one of the most stressful days, because you need to buy presents for everyone, and you want to make sure you are getting everyone the perfect present. Whether you’re in school or at your job, during Christmas season, buying presents for people is always on your mind, which is a huge distraction when you are trying to get your work done. TV portrays Christmas as a day when you need to spend time with your family and friends, but sometimes that might be hard for people, because they might not like spending time with their family, or they don’t have people to spend the day with. If you don’t have a family or friends, then Christmas can become a lonely day for you, and when you see images of people on TV celebrating Christmas with your family and friends, it makes you feel lonely. In order to live a good and meaningful life, corporate media tells us that we need to buy people presents on Christmas, which means that you need to have a good job, and that you need to have loved ones to give presents to. If you have a good job, you will have enough money to dish out presents for all of your loved ones, but if you don’t have a well-paying job, then you can’t get presents for your loved ones. Corporate media likes to emphasize the point of having money, especially around Christmas. Corporate media tells us that if you don’t have enough money, it’s hard to live a good and meaningful life.
Martin Luther King Day is another holiday that corporate culture and America has turned into a profit-making holiday. Post offices start selling stamps with Martin Luther King’s face on it, along with the “I have a dream” slogan. To many Americans, Martin Luther King Day is a important holiday because it is the day when people remember everything Martin Luther King has done for America, which is go around and give motivational speeches. His most important speech was the speech he gave before he got shot, in 1963. It was his “I have a dream speech”. In this speech, he talked about how he had a dream that African American people and white people could come together as a whole, that there would be no segregation between the two races. However, corporate culture has turned Martin Luther King into somebody he is not. To quote Andy, America has made Martin Luther King into a “postage stamp saint”, which means he was like an angel sent down from above to help the world, and after he did, our government takes his picture and his slogans and sticks them on a stamp. Corporate culture took this holiday and turned it into a holiday that would benefit them, instead of remembering a man who has done well for our country.
Black Friday is another day that corporate culture makes a profit off us Americans. On Black Friday, people wake up early and go shopping for huge sales. Black Friday is the day that people start their Christmas shopping, however, this can turn into a dangerous holiday, as we seen in the Wal-Mart Stampede. On black Friday, people lined up outside a Wal-Mart in Long Island since Thanksgiving in order to get huge deals on electronics, clothes, etc. On that day, the stampede of people killed a employee. I think that what happened in the Wal-Mart Stampede is ridiculous and entirely Wal-Mart’s fault. An employee died because they did not have enough security to hold back the mob of shoppers. Wal-Mart should know by now which security measures they need to take, considering the fact that Black Friday has been around for a long time. If this was a first time thing, I would understand, but it’s the most famous day for sales, and Wal-Mart should know this by now. The Wal-Mart in Long Island should definitely be sued by the victim’s family, considering their son/husband/family member died because of Wal-Mart. I agree with people saying that the mob is also to blame for the employee’s death, however I don’t think the police can arrest anyone, considering it was a bunch of people’s doing, and not just one or two. The whole mob ran over the employee, not just a couple of people. To blame some people and not the whole group would be ridiculous, and besides, how would you know who to blame? The people in the back of the line shoved the people in the middle, which in turn, shoved the people in the front, so everyone was getting shoved. The whole group of people should all feel guilty though, even if they aren’t going to get arrested for it. In the back of their minds, they should be realizing that they killed a guy in order to save money on a product sold by Wal-Mart. I also think that the security measures Wal-Mart took were not enough. They made the employees stand in a human chain to block the oncoming mob, which was stupid on their part considering the two thousand people could easily break the human chain. By making the employees form a human chain, they were putting their employees’ lives in danger. Several employees had to jump on top of vending machines to make sure they were not going to be hurt by the oncoming mob. That’s ridiculous, and Wal-Mart needs to take better precautions next time. Corporate culture has told Americans to go shopping on Black Friday, because that is when there are the best deals, and people listen to them, thus killing an employee in Long Island in the process.
I was recently on Google, trying to see if I could find my blog on there. I typed in “life doesn’t have to be meaningless”, and found an interesting result that I thought I would post for everyone to see. On this link, http://www.mylot.com/w/discussions/1754124.aspx, someone is talking about living a good and meaningful life, and I found a comment posted to this entry very interesting. It states that:
savypat (3440) ranked 726 out of 31,111 in life
4 months ago
How can a life be meaningless? If you have the energy of God in you there is a purpose to your life, You only need to love yourself and that love will attract other love, it may be the earth, the trees, animals or space. All of that is present because you live. Do not listen to others in this matter, look in your heart and listen to your purpose. Blessings
I thought this was interesting because this person is talking about how a life cannot be meaningless if God is in your life. To this person, religion plays a huge part in living a good and meaningful life. I thought back to how in our previous interviews people rarely mentioned religion and God in their interviews, rather talking about family, love, and friends. All though this person does mention love, they focus more on the aspect of God in someone’s life, which I found interesting because it is very different from what other people think.
I think that in order to live a good and meaningful life you need to enjoy life. To me, that is most important thing. If you don’t enjoy your life, then you can’t make it meaningful. I think that what makes your life meaningful is your family and friends. If you have a great family and great friends, then you will have a meaningful life. If you don’t have friends that would care for you, and help you out in any situation, then it is hard to live a good life. The people in your life make your life meaningful, because if you don’t have friends, you’re isolating yourself from the world, which makes your life less meaningless. You don’t have to be going out to parties with your friends or going crazy in order to have a meaningful life, all you need is people who you know will always be there for you. You need to have people who you have that special bond with, that trust that would never get destroyed. You also need to just have fun, and not care about the future too much. Don’t over think everything, instead let whatever happens, happen sometimes. In some cases, such as school, it is important to care about your future, because education also helps you live a good and meaningful life. If you don’t have a good education, it would be hard to get a job, which makes it hard to survive.
I think that in living a meaningful life, you need to know what living a meaningful life is. As soon as you know what living a meaningful life is about, you can live a meaningful life. However, I do not think that you need someone else to tell you how to live a meaningful life. Each person has a separate definition of the terms “living a meaningful life”, and I think that they should all live by their own definitions of it. If you think that you have a meaningful life, then you do. I don’t believe that other people should tell you if you are living a meaningful life or not, because it is not their life, and they don’t have the right to tell you how meaningful your life is. Like I said earlier, to me, living a meaningful life is enjoying life with the people you love, and having fun. There are times when you must be serious, such as when you’re in school or at your job, but there are also times when you should just have fun, such as when you are with your friends or family.
As part of the course, we went out into the streets of Manhattan and interviewed people on their opinions on living a good and meaningful life. Several people walked away from us when asked if they could answer some questions, but most stayed and talked to us. When asked what makes their lives meaningful, several people told us family and friends were the most meaningful parts of their lives, and without them, it would be hard to survive. One of the people I interviewed was my mother, and when asked what the most meaningful part of her life was, she said, “Family is the most meaningful part of my life because I love my kids, and without then I wouldn’t be able to live.” When I talked to the strangers on the street, an older male said “family is meaningful to him because he sees them every day and they are an important part of his life.”
When asked what makes a meaningless life, people named drama, catty people, and money, to name a few. One of the strangers, a female, said “catty people are meaningless, and so is nonsense drama that doesn’t mean anything.” A male stranger also agreed, saying “the most meaningless part is being caught up in unnecessary drama, and there is no point on focusing on it.” Another male said that you don't need money to live a meaningful life, stating “money messes up our system and we don’t need it to live a meaningful life.”
In today's society, there are a lot of opinions about living a meaningful life. People get their ideas about living meaningful life from corporate culture. Corporate culture is when a corporation is making money by selling you stuff that changes your lives (such as clothes, hair products, cars). It's also when someone is getting money for pouring information in your mind (such as magazines and books). Wherever we look, corporate culture is around us. Corporate culture comes up in our daily discussions with friends/family/teachers/etc. even if we do not realize it. One example of how corporate culture tell us how to live is when you look at a magazine, such as Vogue, People, and Glamour, you see ads for clothes and cars, and pictures of celebrities with their friends, family, special someone, or shopping. These magazines are telling us that in order to live a meaningful life; you must have nice clothes, money, love, friends and family. According to corporate culture, in order to live a meaningful life, you need to have materialistic things.
Corporate culture also tells us men will always dominate over women. There are very few movies or TV shows in the world where women are in power. In movies such as the James Bond movies, there is always a Bond girl, and she always falls for him. It doesn’t matter that she is a strong character; she always ends up with James Bond. In the movie, Not Another Teen Movie, the main character, Jake Wyler, gives a makeover to the nerdy girl, Janey Briggs, and then they end up together. In Not Another Teen Movie, Jake ends up as the hero of the story, by saving Janey from her nerdyness, and they end up together in the end. In most movies that corporate culture makes, the guy is always the dominate character, he’s always the hero. There aren’t a lot of movies where the female is the dominate character, and where she is a hero without the help of a male character.
Another thing that corporate culture tells us about living a meaningful life is that you should spend time with family and friends on holidays. On Thanksgiving, corporate culture tells us that everyone should be with their family and friends, and having a good time while stuffing their faces with turkey, apple pie, mash potato, etc. Corporate culture also tells us that we should think about what we are thankful for, and make sure everyone shares what they are thankful for. On Black Friday, the day after Thanksgiving, corporate culture tells us that we should wake up early in the morning to go shopping for Christmas specials. Stores open early, and have a lot of sales. Corporate culture tells us that we should “shop ‘til we drop”, and buy Christmas presents for people, since everything is reduced from its normal price. I went shopping on Black Friday this year, and found it crazy. There were people rushing all over the place to buy stuff before 1 PM (the ending time for major sales). The sales workers have been working since early into the morning, and people have been shopping since about 5 AM. I did not wake up early to go shopping, and yet I got some good deals on clothes. I find that shopping on Black Friday is hectic, yet worth it in the end.
For homework, we analyzed a music video. There were three choices, Lipgloss by Lil’ Mama, All you need is love by the Beatles, and Good Life by Kanye West. The music video I chose to analyze was All you need is love by the Beatles. In this video, the song is saying that in order to have a good life, all you need is love. You don’t need to have materialistic things, such as designer clothes or huge houses, or a lot of money, all you need in life is love. It can be love from your family, friends, or someone special in your life. The images in this video support the theme of the song because in the video, the Beatles are surrounded by people who are most likely their family members, friends, or special people in their lives. There are also people walking around the room that the Beatles are in wearing signs that say something about love in them, which also is the point of the video.
Also for homework, we had to watch another video and read somebody else’s analysis of that video. The video I chose to watch was Lipgloss by Lil’ Mama. I read Henry’s, Snyder’s, and Jace’s analysis of this video. For Henry’s analysis, I wrote “Henry,
I like your analysis of the video, because I wouldn't think that that is what the video is portraying. But after reading your analysis, I realize that what you are saying is correct. You don’t know anything about Lil' Mama, accept the fact that she has pretty lipgloss and that makes everyone like her.” For Andy’s analysis, I wrote “Andy, I think that your analysis of the video was correct and helped change my mind of the meaning of the video. At first, I didn’t know exactly what the meaning was behind the video, but after reading your analysis and evidence to back your analysis up, I realized that what you are saying is correct. Because Lil Mama has the lip gloss in her hand, she is cool and popular.” For Jace’s analysis, I wrote “Jace, I agree with your analysis of the video. Because she has lip gloss on, she is now cool. I like how you used the lyrics to back up your analysis, and how you noticed that there are only good looking people in the video. I didn't notice that at first, but after reading your analysis I realized that you were right.”
One thing that corporate culture doesn't tell us about living a meaningful life is that you need to be religious. Corporations don't put out ads focusing on religion and God, and no one ever focuses campaigns based on religion. One reason for this might be because since there are so many religions, to just focus on one would hurt a campaign or ad. For example, if Apple made an ad about how Jewish people use iPods, and every Jewish person should own one, then that ad would only target Jewish people, and other people of different religions might not want to be a iPod, because it is not targeting them. By targeting only one group of people, corporations are narrowing down their sales, and people won't buy their products as much.
Marginal messages are messages that are important to living a good and meaningful life, but they are also messages that corporate culture doesn’t really show in their media. Some marginal messages that corporate culture only tells us sometimes are stand up for what you believe in, even if it means going against the system. In Pump up the Volume, the main character, Hard Hardy, had his own underground radio show that went against the school system. On there he played inappropriate stuff that the teachers of the school he went to found out about. Hard Hardy’s radio show defied the system by telling teenagers stuff that they shouldn’t be hearing, telling a kid to kill himself (which the kid did), etc. In the movie Foxfire, five teenage girls stand up against a teacher who was sexually abusing one of them. Even though they were girls, they fought back, and made the teacher fear them and promise never to touch a teenage girl inappropriately ever again. In a lot of movies, corporate culture never tells you directly to stand up for what you believe in, rather hiding it behind other more dominant messages. Marginal messages are more about trusting oneself rather than trusting what corporate media is telling you to do.
Folk culture is another way people get their ideas on how to life a good and meaningful life, even though it is very rare to see this happen. People get ideas from Folk culture from generations before them. Folk culture is basically the passing of ideas from generation to generation. Folk culture tells us that in order to live a good and meaningful life, we need to have love, friendships, family, struggle, and balance, to name a few. Folk culture tells us that love is one of the most important things that we can have in our lives. It’s “what makes the world go round” to quote Bob Merrill. Folk culture also tells us that having good friends and family is what makes our lives meaningful, because they are what help us live our life the right way, in a safe protected environment. Folk culture also says that we need to be able to balance all the problems in our life, because in the end, it will all be worth it. With every struggle comes a happy ending.
Corporate culture has taken our holidays and twisted them into something that would benefit their financial pockets. For example, Christmas use to be a holiday about spending time with your family, friends, and loved ones, but now huge corporations such as hallmark has turned it into a day where people go crazy buying stuff for other people, and the image of a perfect Christmas with friends and family is lost on most Americans. On Christmas, people go out and buy presents for each other. Corporate culture sends out mixed messages about Christmas, first stating that Christmas is the day where you are suppose to relax and spend time with your loved ones, but they also tell people to go out and spend money on gifts for other people. Corporate culture tells us that Christmas is a time for giving people presents, whether it be expensive or inexpensive, everyone is expected to give their loved ones presents. Some contradictions about Christmas are: corporate media portrays Christmas as a stress free day; it is a day when you need to just relax. However, Christmas is also one of the most stressful days, because you need to buy presents for everyone, and you want to make sure you are getting everyone the perfect present. Whether you’re in school or at your job, during Christmas season, buying presents for people is always on your mind, which is a huge distraction when you are trying to get your work done. TV portrays Christmas as a day when you need to spend time with your family and friends, but sometimes that might be hard for people, because they might not like spending time with their family, or they don’t have people to spend the day with. If you don’t have a family or friends, then Christmas can become a lonely day for you, and when you see images of people on TV celebrating Christmas with your family and friends, it makes you feel lonely. In order to live a good and meaningful life, corporate media tells us that we need to buy people presents on Christmas, which means that you need to have a good job, and that you need to have loved ones to give presents to. If you have a good job, you will have enough money to dish out presents for all of your loved ones, but if you don’t have a well-paying job, then you can’t get presents for your loved ones. Corporate media likes to emphasize the point of having money, especially around Christmas. Corporate media tells us that if you don’t have enough money, it’s hard to live a good and meaningful life.
Martin Luther King Day is another holiday that corporate culture and America has turned into a profit-making holiday. Post offices start selling stamps with Martin Luther King’s face on it, along with the “I have a dream” slogan. To many Americans, Martin Luther King Day is a important holiday because it is the day when people remember everything Martin Luther King has done for America, which is go around and give motivational speeches. His most important speech was the speech he gave before he got shot, in 1963. It was his “I have a dream speech”. In this speech, he talked about how he had a dream that African American people and white people could come together as a whole, that there would be no segregation between the two races. However, corporate culture has turned Martin Luther King into somebody he is not. To quote Andy, America has made Martin Luther King into a “postage stamp saint”, which means he was like an angel sent down from above to help the world, and after he did, our government takes his picture and his slogans and sticks them on a stamp. Corporate culture took this holiday and turned it into a holiday that would benefit them, instead of remembering a man who has done well for our country.
Black Friday is another day that corporate culture makes a profit off us Americans. On Black Friday, people wake up early and go shopping for huge sales. Black Friday is the day that people start their Christmas shopping, however, this can turn into a dangerous holiday, as we seen in the Wal-Mart Stampede. On black Friday, people lined up outside a Wal-Mart in Long Island since Thanksgiving in order to get huge deals on electronics, clothes, etc. On that day, the stampede of people killed a employee. I think that what happened in the Wal-Mart Stampede is ridiculous and entirely Wal-Mart’s fault. An employee died because they did not have enough security to hold back the mob of shoppers. Wal-Mart should know by now which security measures they need to take, considering the fact that Black Friday has been around for a long time. If this was a first time thing, I would understand, but it’s the most famous day for sales, and Wal-Mart should know this by now. The Wal-Mart in Long Island should definitely be sued by the victim’s family, considering their son/husband/family member died because of Wal-Mart. I agree with people saying that the mob is also to blame for the employee’s death, however I don’t think the police can arrest anyone, considering it was a bunch of people’s doing, and not just one or two. The whole mob ran over the employee, not just a couple of people. To blame some people and not the whole group would be ridiculous, and besides, how would you know who to blame? The people in the back of the line shoved the people in the middle, which in turn, shoved the people in the front, so everyone was getting shoved. The whole group of people should all feel guilty though, even if they aren’t going to get arrested for it. In the back of their minds, they should be realizing that they killed a guy in order to save money on a product sold by Wal-Mart. I also think that the security measures Wal-Mart took were not enough. They made the employees stand in a human chain to block the oncoming mob, which was stupid on their part considering the two thousand people could easily break the human chain. By making the employees form a human chain, they were putting their employees’ lives in danger. Several employees had to jump on top of vending machines to make sure they were not going to be hurt by the oncoming mob. That’s ridiculous, and Wal-Mart needs to take better precautions next time. Corporate culture has told Americans to go shopping on Black Friday, because that is when there are the best deals, and people listen to them, thus killing an employee in Long Island in the process.
I was recently on Google, trying to see if I could find my blog on there. I typed in “life doesn’t have to be meaningless”, and found an interesting result that I thought I would post for everyone to see. On this link, http://www.mylot.com/w/discussions/1754124.aspx, someone is talking about living a good and meaningful life, and I found a comment posted to this entry very interesting. It states that:
savypat (3440) ranked 726 out of 31,111 in life
4 months ago
How can a life be meaningless? If you have the energy of God in you there is a purpose to your life, You only need to love yourself and that love will attract other love, it may be the earth, the trees, animals or space. All of that is present because you live. Do not listen to others in this matter, look in your heart and listen to your purpose. Blessings
I thought this was interesting because this person is talking about how a life cannot be meaningless if God is in your life. To this person, religion plays a huge part in living a good and meaningful life. I thought back to how in our previous interviews people rarely mentioned religion and God in their interviews, rather talking about family, love, and friends. All though this person does mention love, they focus more on the aspect of God in someone’s life, which I found interesting because it is very different from what other people think.
Tuesday, February 3, 2009
Five Questions For Old People About A Good And Meaningful Life
1. What is your definition of a good and meaningful life?
2. In your opinion, do you live or have in the past lived a good and meaningful life?
3. Do you think children and teenagers today live a good and meaningful life?
4. What makes somebody's meaningless?
5. What do you think people around you think about living a good and meaningful life?
2. In your opinion, do you live or have in the past lived a good and meaningful life?
3. Do you think children and teenagers today live a good and meaningful life?
4. What makes somebody's meaningless?
5. What do you think people around you think about living a good and meaningful life?
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