Philosophy on Facebook # 24 - Fights
Unfortunately Tommy and I had a really good podcast about everybody having a different reality that is affected by our perceptions but the screen capture didn’t record the audio so we were there looking like idiots and I didn’t want to post that lol. I up’d the video quality and it still isn’t that great but for webcam I think it is going to be the best we can get it. It will just look really blurry on YouTube with the compression software they utilize but on Facebook it should be decent. I think we’re going to rerecord it tomorrow sometime so there’s still time to join and be a part of it if you want.
So there was an interesting event that took place at Hammond on Friday about the guy getting arrested and this spurred a very long conversation during Ms. Hogg's world history class courtesy of Julie Rose query about what was going on. This note is going to try and basically encompass our conversation during the class. This is all based off of memory so if it doesn’t do the topic justice, don’t get too mad lol.
I think a good way to start off this topic is to say that if you’re a human then you are going to have problems. These problems could be specifically directed towards other people but what is important is the way you deal with it. Your approach to solving these conflicts with others is all based upon your upbringing and your environment. Your environment is comprised of many factors that can include your economic status and the current situations you have to deal with. Your upbringing is the way you have learned from experience through growing up how to deal with problems. Everybody has different approaches to solving a problem and these different outlooks all have different outcomes. One way that has been very prominent at Hammond recently is through physical means and by that I mean fighting.
Eric Bricker brought up a very good point about how the media is a major factor in instilling certain values into their audience that can cause them to be inclined to solve conflicts through the use of brute force. He worded it much better than I can but what he was basically saying was that media has been playing a role in the aggressiveness in society today. Think about it, a lot of what’s on TV is about violence and action. It is telling the viewers that there are positive benefits associated with being violent and aggressive in order to try and achieve you goals or fixing conflicts. For instance, if you are a badass then you beat the crap out of villains in order to receive appreciation and notoriety among females. It also gives alibis for the use of force and provides justification for why you should do it. A popular reasoning behind utilizing physical force is the idea of honor and when someone disgraces or insults it you have to defend it and the way they do it is through fighting. People are being taught to follow these strategies as they grow up. Because youth are extremely sensitive to the stimulus that’s everywhere especially provided by the media and their parents, they are in turn using force to solve their problems as well.
Not only does the environment that the media sets up for their viewers to encourage violence, but parents or lack of parents also plays a factor in this temperament. While media tends to encourage this behavior, parents can tend not to discourage this behavior which is just as worse. In situations where violence derives, the households of those members committing illegal actions usually don’t have any parental figures to instill society’s “proper” values and behaviors. Amy Simpson said in class that a lot of parents possibly just don’t care about their children to take the time to try and put them down a path of good. The parents might not necessarily care about their children but due to monetary constraints, they could be preoccupied with jobs and other important things involved in getting by. This lack of parental guidance can definitely pose as a variable in the issue of the increasing levels of hostility not only in Hammond but in the world. On the flip side, not only can parents choose to not discourage the use of force but can also encourage it due to their role model status among their children. If the child sees their dad using force or dealing drugs then they idolize him because he is their parental figure and can believe that those actions are what they should follow and abide by in their futures. These hereditary values then create a vicious cycle which travels down the generations and teach the next generation to use violence as well in order to solve conflicts.
Another important value that I feel like people are having difficulty in deciding how to approach is with trying to achieve credit and respect. You have to work and earn a status in life and while sometimes it is provided to you based on heredity factors like being born into a rich family, only through action can you change it, especially if you want to improve it. Some people use force to try and improve their lifestyle and go through possibly illegal means in order to provide for their families and themselves. Their intention is valid but the road to hell is paved with good intentions and by selling drugs and using guns, it jeopardizes their whole existence and could put those who they love in danger. I feel like kids nowadays are being forced into these paths especially due to financial constraints that are increasing due to the current economic climate. I know personally that people in school always say that the next incoming freshman class is just getting worse and worse and that tomorrow’s generation is doomed to fail because of the values we are instilling in them. It is our responsibility to provide a good example. If all they see on TV is a gangster making it big through illegal means fulfilling a rag to riches storyline then those who can relate to the rags situation then see those illegal methods as a way to get out of their poor conditions. Paul Fedynsky also brought up a good point by saying that if you’re a freshman and all you see is older kids doing drugs and fighting in order to get what they want then you will be more inclined to pursue those same paths to achieving a goal. Their perspective could be that the world is a very unforgiving and unfriendly dog eat dog world and you need to be tough and be feared in order to be successful.
Also associated with fighting are the supposed social implications that come from the outcomes of fights. Ms Hogg said that you can basically rise to celebrity status through fighting and if you successfully beat the crap out of someone you can potentially be idolized for your skills and strength. Sometimes people who engage in this type of activity don’t fear the legal implications because they can view it as an ultimatum between life and death in very extreme cases. For them all they could see is that you have to be tough and do bad things in order to build a reputation and get out of their current situation and improve their quality of life or die trying. People who have this outlook can have very stubborn views and therefore it is hard to change their views because they aren’t afraid of the consequences and punishment in store for their actions. In today’s society the general consensus of values and morals is to not resort to violence or drugs and other illegal methods in order to live your life. The ironic part of this is that those who abide by these rules aren’t in situations where they would have to resort to selling drugs in order to live or get by.
Disclosure: I personally don’t have any experience or can in any way shape or form relate to these feelings so what I’m writing about could not apply or be the truth at all but it is the perception I’ve gained from watching movies and seeing fights and things like that occur but we are personally being affected by the actions of others.
-Allan Nicholas
Saturday, March 6, 2010
Tuesday, March 2, 2010
Philosophy on Facebook # 23 - Identities and Anonymity
Hey guys so I've updated the blog a lot like with feeds to my YouTube account and basically the only things I have left to do is to make an audio version of my videos and set up a podcast on iTunes. I could really use your guys help though in this. What I want to make happen is that whenever I post a new video on YouTube I want iTunes to add this as both a new video and audio podcast to my iTunes account but I have no idea how to make this happen. I have my videos as an RSS feed but whenever I try to submit it to iTunes it says that there aren't any podcasts on the feed. I don't know if it is because of YouTube's video format and since YouTube only streams requiring internet access maybe that's why iTunes is denying it. Hopefully I'll be able to figure it out.
So this one I wanted to talk about anonymity and the state of being anonymous. Yes it is a hard word to say like with anemone in Finding Nemo lol. I got the inspiration for this one when looking on Facebook and seeing all the formspring posts. If you haven't realized people can be complete douche bags when you give them the opportunity to give their opinions anonymously. While being anonymous the people hiding behind it or using it as cover are basically given a blank check to fully unload all of their opinions or beliefs without the threat of reaction from their audience. There aren't any risks involved with being anonymous because it strips the identity from the opinions and viewpoints. The bond between your and your views is severed restricting the possibilities of negative repercussions to you.
Your identity is the big picture of who you are. It can but isn't limited to encompassing your style, beliefs, appearance, and many other factors that, when combined, make up your collective being. Without a name to associate ones beliefs to, your identity is meaningless thus forming anonymity. When your anonymous, people may take your viewpoints as less serious because you aren't willing to bridge your identity with your views. Some people call those who hide behind anonymity cowards because they believe those anonymous are too afraid to take responsibility for their beliefs and thus not willing to deal with the consequences of them. On formspring people are given full capabilities of being an ass hole because they aren't being held personally responsible for what they say. If you are being antagonized by these people you may counter and say that they are cowards but just by giving them the opportunity to say things while anonymous gives them power. On the internet it is becoming more prominent the fact that people can be assholes on the internet and not suffer any repercussions for their actions. The terminology to classify these people is "trolls" and they are so widespread it is almost impossible not to find one. Just go to a YouTube video and look in the comments and there are people there considered trolls. Identities are essentially worthless on the internet because basically everywhere except Facebook they allow users to create new personas allowing them to be whoever they want. This can cause horrible outcomes as criminals can hide under these fake personas online and cause harm in the real world like with rapists and such.
Not all anonymity is bad however. As I said before it allows you to voice your true feelings and opinions without being prosecuted for them. There are plenty of examples in the news where someone gives insider information while being anonymous. This anonymity that they hide behind is used as cover to protect their real identities and possible family members while still revealing important information that could be vital that the public needs to know about. Playing the devil's advocate role, you still have to be cautious in what you believe from an anonymous source because they also have the freedom to say whatever they want regardless of its validity. This anonymity does provide a sense of security and maintains privacy in a world that is increasingly limiting these opportunities for privacy. Your identity is a very important in who you are and you must protect it because if anyone gets control or a hold over it your name can be completely ruined. One of the biggest crimes nowadays is identity theft and it is royally screwing some people's lives over so by being anonymous you help preserve you identity.
Whatever a person does, their name is attached with their actions and if someone else has your identity then their actions are attached with your name. It is representative of you without actually being controlled by you. You can voluntarily have other people represent your name and because of this fact it is at the upmost importance that you trust those who hold your identity in their hands. As good example is with the president and how he holds the identity of the United States in his hands and whatever he does, the U.S.'s name is attached to his actions so he always has to be politically correct in fear of slandering and defaming the U.S.'s name. Representatives can be a good way in gaining positive publicity through the actions of others like if you are sponsoring an athlete and they accomplish great feats your brand in turn rises to great heights as well. Tiger Woods' identity was put in a compromising situation causing his sponsors to look bad as well because it can be misconstrued that they are promoting such behavior. That is why companies like Gatorade pulled their support for Tiger Woods once it became apparent he was involved in some looked down upon behaviors. If Tiger Woods name was never attached to these conspiracies his life would be looking a lot better right now. Being framed for things is similar to the implications identity theft can impose on a person. If you are held responsible for something you didn’t do then it is to the same effect that you actually committed those actions regardless if you did or not. It is imperative that you keep your identity clean and if going anonymous will keep it from being stained then it may be a necessary course of action. However if you are being required to go anonymous because of your actions then you may want to step back and reconsider if it is really worth committing them.
-Allan Nicholas
So this one I wanted to talk about anonymity and the state of being anonymous. Yes it is a hard word to say like with anemone in Finding Nemo lol. I got the inspiration for this one when looking on Facebook and seeing all the formspring posts. If you haven't realized people can be complete douche bags when you give them the opportunity to give their opinions anonymously. While being anonymous the people hiding behind it or using it as cover are basically given a blank check to fully unload all of their opinions or beliefs without the threat of reaction from their audience. There aren't any risks involved with being anonymous because it strips the identity from the opinions and viewpoints. The bond between your and your views is severed restricting the possibilities of negative repercussions to you.
Your identity is the big picture of who you are. It can but isn't limited to encompassing your style, beliefs, appearance, and many other factors that, when combined, make up your collective being. Without a name to associate ones beliefs to, your identity is meaningless thus forming anonymity. When your anonymous, people may take your viewpoints as less serious because you aren't willing to bridge your identity with your views. Some people call those who hide behind anonymity cowards because they believe those anonymous are too afraid to take responsibility for their beliefs and thus not willing to deal with the consequences of them. On formspring people are given full capabilities of being an ass hole because they aren't being held personally responsible for what they say. If you are being antagonized by these people you may counter and say that they are cowards but just by giving them the opportunity to say things while anonymous gives them power. On the internet it is becoming more prominent the fact that people can be assholes on the internet and not suffer any repercussions for their actions. The terminology to classify these people is "trolls" and they are so widespread it is almost impossible not to find one. Just go to a YouTube video and look in the comments and there are people there considered trolls. Identities are essentially worthless on the internet because basically everywhere except Facebook they allow users to create new personas allowing them to be whoever they want. This can cause horrible outcomes as criminals can hide under these fake personas online and cause harm in the real world like with rapists and such.
Not all anonymity is bad however. As I said before it allows you to voice your true feelings and opinions without being prosecuted for them. There are plenty of examples in the news where someone gives insider information while being anonymous. This anonymity that they hide behind is used as cover to protect their real identities and possible family members while still revealing important information that could be vital that the public needs to know about. Playing the devil's advocate role, you still have to be cautious in what you believe from an anonymous source because they also have the freedom to say whatever they want regardless of its validity. This anonymity does provide a sense of security and maintains privacy in a world that is increasingly limiting these opportunities for privacy. Your identity is a very important in who you are and you must protect it because if anyone gets control or a hold over it your name can be completely ruined. One of the biggest crimes nowadays is identity theft and it is royally screwing some people's lives over so by being anonymous you help preserve you identity.
Whatever a person does, their name is attached with their actions and if someone else has your identity then their actions are attached with your name. It is representative of you without actually being controlled by you. You can voluntarily have other people represent your name and because of this fact it is at the upmost importance that you trust those who hold your identity in their hands. As good example is with the president and how he holds the identity of the United States in his hands and whatever he does, the U.S.'s name is attached to his actions so he always has to be politically correct in fear of slandering and defaming the U.S.'s name. Representatives can be a good way in gaining positive publicity through the actions of others like if you are sponsoring an athlete and they accomplish great feats your brand in turn rises to great heights as well. Tiger Woods' identity was put in a compromising situation causing his sponsors to look bad as well because it can be misconstrued that they are promoting such behavior. That is why companies like Gatorade pulled their support for Tiger Woods once it became apparent he was involved in some looked down upon behaviors. If Tiger Woods name was never attached to these conspiracies his life would be looking a lot better right now. Being framed for things is similar to the implications identity theft can impose on a person. If you are held responsible for something you didn’t do then it is to the same effect that you actually committed those actions regardless if you did or not. It is imperative that you keep your identity clean and if going anonymous will keep it from being stained then it may be a necessary course of action. However if you are being required to go anonymous because of your actions then you may want to step back and reconsider if it is really worth committing them.
-Allan Nicholas
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