Is Google Making Us Stoopid?

Citation: Car, Nicholas. "Is Google Making Us Stoopid."Dialogues: An Argument Rhetoric and Reader. Ed.Gary Goshgarian and Kathleen Krueger. Boston: Longman, 2011. 558-566. Print.

Summary: In this piece Car talks about the dangers of the internet. He speaks about how the internet has changed and influenced the way we educate ourselves and how we read. The power of the world wide web is in a constant increase with the way it manipulates us with it's advertisement and corrupted media. Google has only contributed to this. Making internet users become lazy and skim from click to click.

Quote: The idea that our minds should operate as high-speed data processing machines is not only build into the workings of the internet, it's the network's reigning business model as well (564).

Response: The internet has created a whole virtual world where everything is accessible at your finger tips. With everything just a click away, it is easy to just skim from page to page. Many students who have to take on a reading assignment in a class will automatically go onto the web and search for the easy way out. Having such websites as spark notes has allowed young students to become lazy in their studies. Students begin to spell words in correctly knowing google will correct them. Google has allowed us to access and search for anything you need with just a click of a button.

Web browsing has also exposed internet users to many advertisements making it easier and faster to buy products. Also, many advertisers making money with every time you click on their add. Along with the exposition to advertisements many young internet users are exposed to violence and sex. Many kids are glued to their computer wanting to play video games and parents have to pull them away for dinner.

The internet is definitely consuming many peoples lives. I wonder what would happen if for just one day the world didn't have internet. Maybe families would actually have family time or kids would go outside and play. Although the internet has many positives, the world depends on it far too much.

Television: The Plug-In Drug

Citation: Winn, Marie. "Television: The Plug-In Drug." Dialogues: An Arguement Rhetoric and Reader. Ed. Gary Goshgarian and Kathleen Krueger. Longman: Boston, 2011. Print.

Summary: In Marie Winn's piece "Television: The Plug-In Drug", Winn talks about television and its effect in the family life. She expresses how television has change the family atmosphere and child behaviors. The television dominates the household and continues to be a necessity in ever day life.

Quote: "The childrens evening is regimented with an almost military precision. They watch their favorite programs, and when there is 'nothing much on I really like', they watch whatever else is on- because watching is the important thing."

Response: Many children come home from school and glue themselves to the television. Flipping through the channels and watch whatever is on. The hours spent in front of the television in many house holds has increase tremendously over the years.

Many families have multiple television sets within the household allowing the father to be upstairs watching sports, the kids in the living room watching cartoons, and the mother in the kitchen watching the food network. The idea that a screen has completely taken over our life is crazy. Many families do not even have family games nights or go outside.

With television, viewers are exposed to tons of commercials brainwashing them to buy a product. "Because we're worth it" is L'Oréals way of saying you need this product to make you more beautiful. The news takes part in this luring tactic. "Is your baby at risk?! News at 11!" The television has a way of sucking us in to a point where we cannot spend one day without turning on our favorite program and sitting on the couch.

Although the T.V. has many negatives, it also has some positives. For example, when the show LOST was still on television, my family used to always sit down together and watch our favorite show on Wednesday nights. Since my whole family liked that show, we all in a way bonded over it and many other shows we have common interest in. With LOST, we always got so excited by the story line and we would have discussions and debates on what will happen next or what the hell an episode meant. After a long day of work, sitting by the television is a way for my parents to relax and forget about all the hectic things going on around them.

Television has definitely become a big part of everyone's life. One cannot walk into a house hold and not see a television in the living room. It has consumed the lives of children and adults and living with out it would seem impossible.

Facebook, The Mean Girls and Me

Citation: Brodesser-Akner, Taffy. "Facebook, The Mean Girl and Me." Dialogues: An Argument Rhetoric and Reader. Boston: Longman, 2011. Print.

Summary: In this essay, Taffy Brodeser-Akner tells her own story about how in middle the girls she thought were her friends, turned on her and were horrible to her. Now in her 30's she is finding herself "facebook stalking" these same girls.

Quote: "I cobble together the story of how life has been since we knew each other, deliberately, forcefully forgetting how it was we parted."

Response: This story definitely hit home for me. Taffy's story was so sad to hear but parts of it were very relatable. Although with me it wasn't as drastic and horrible as Taffy's was, but I definitely can relate to her story.

I found myself throughout elementary school through high school in an insperatable clique of friends. This clique was the more I guess "popular" crowd. Once sophomore year of high school came, I began to find myself drifting away from this group. The girls that I once knew everything about and were best friends with, I was on a "hey how have you been" basis.

As Taffy explains about looking through her old friends profile, I found myself from time to time doing the same. I mean, everyone Facebook stalks, it's a known fact. But why was I so curious to see what they were up to? Facebook can honestly be crude and horrid sometimes. I know I can just unfriend these people but I feel as if Facebook has made it so hard to do that. Its so easy to just check in and see how they're doing.

Most of the time the smallest things on Facebook, whether it be a new Facebook album of an event you didn't go to or people commenting on something you weren't invited to, can really upset people. But why? Why are we so obsessed with knowing what is going on in other peoples lives. Why do we feel the need to constantly update people on our every move? Facebook has definitely changed our way of communicating and friendships. Although there are many positives to Facebook, it definitely has it's fair share of negatives as well.

My Facebook, My self

Citation: Helfand, Jessica. "My Facebook, My Self." Moodle. 11 Mar. 2009. Web./

Summary: In this piece Jessica Helfand address the dangers of Facebook and how by posting pictures and other information on facebook, we are willingly allowing everyone to step into our private lives, creating an image of yourself for the world to see. She compares Facebook to scrap booking; the two very similar yet scrap booking is more of the self whereas Facebook is more for the world to view. She expresses how Facebook is corrupting teenagers and even if you dont have a Facebook, if you go to a party it will definitely be seen by everyone the next day.

Quote: "Even if you are super careful-ell, even if you don't have a Facebook account yourself -say you find yourself at some random party where there's someone brandishing a mobile phone. and that someone (or, for that matter, someone else) snaps your picture. soon thereafter, somebody with a Facebook account "tags" you and there you are-wammo-your questionable behavior rendered spectacularly public."

Response: When reading this article, this quote jumped out at me. Our generation is so tech-savey, that no matter what happens, in the next day or even second you will see it on your news feed on Facebook or on your timeline on twitter. Our generation is becoming more and more dependent on theses different social networking sites. With these social networks becoming so popular, many young children are even becoming involved. Just last week, by best friends brother went online and made himself a facebook, hes in 5th grade. Also, adults are getting involve as well. It has come to the point where both my parents have a facebook.

In Jessica's article she clearly addresses the dangers of openly putting your life on Facebook for the world to see. She expresses that it is corrupting many teenagers and many are eager to create this "Facebook identity". Although I myself have a facebook, I find it funny how many people are contantly thinking of a new or clever status update or hoping to take pictures at some event with someone so they can get tagged in a picture and have it show up on their profile. This need to have your Facebook page in a constant update is becoming many Facebook users top priority.

Along with the negatives, facebook also has many positive aspects as well. I find it honestly amazing that I can connect and stay in touch with so many people around the world. Without Facebook, I feel that staying friends with a lot of the people I know out of the country would be so difficult. Also, another positive is that whenever there is a important issue happening around the world, Facebook is the first place people go to comment on them. For example, with the Japan earthquake, many of my friends on facebook were updating their status' constantly. Many people were sharing articles with each other hoping to stay up to date on the latest news.

I find facebook as something one needs to learn how to use correctly. Facebook is certainly a website that can really become addicting. Feeling the constant need to check up on what your friends are up to and make sure you update everyone on your life as well. But when one finds their selves on Facebook clicking refresh repeatedly, there is a definite problem. Although Facebook can be both good and bad, Facebook users need to learn how to not abuse their Facebook experience.

Generation Debt

Citation: Kamenetz, Anya. "Generation Debt."Dialogues: An Arguement Rhetoric and Reader. Ed. Gary Goshgarian and Kathleen Krueger. Boston: Longman, 2011. Print.

Summary: Anya's piece the Generation Debt talks about the ongoing debt within American students especially for my generation. Tuition for school is becoming more and more expensive and students are having a hard time making money for their education let alone any other expenses.

Quote: "Young people are falling behind first of all because of money."

Response: College tuition has increase a very significant amount in the past years. Students are undergoing a endless struggle to manage a job to pay for school while maintaining a good GPA. Many students are resorting to community college just because they can't afford a 4 year university. Just to survive in this economy, many students are working multiple jobs to pay off loans or expenses. Also, college textbooks are extremely expensive and many students struggle to pay for all of them. When graduated, students are finding that the debt of their college tuition still haunting them years after.

Not only is tuition something we as students struggle with, but our everyday expenses pay tribute to our major debt. Many students lack the knowledge on how to save money. As a full time student we need to understand how to save. Students spend more than half of their money on food alone. Also, many students feel the need to go out on weekends and spend money on unnecessary things. We need to focus on only the necessities while in such a bad economic situation.

Our college tuition is in an endless uprising. I cannot even begin to fathom the amount of money our children will have to pay in the future just to receive an education.

Who Should Get Into College?

Citation: McWhorter, John H. "Who Should Go To College," They Say I Say with Readings. Ed. Russel Durst New York: W.W. Norton and Company, 2009. 437-453. Print.

Summary: In the article, "Who Should Get Into College?" John H. McWhorter explains how elite colleges have shown racial preferences in admissions in order to ensure a diverse campus. He shows his opinion as well as others on what they think about diversity and how it affects the system. McWhorter then uses UC Berkeley as an example for what the admissions polices should look like where the admission is based on grades, scores and living situation.

Quote: "The losers won't just be the folks with the brown pigmentation, now exiled from the good schools, but all those white students who now will never get to know the unique perspective of people of color."

Response: I believe that diversity is very important when it comes to college. By being diverse it allows students to become more aware of different cultures. It helps expose students into being more opened minded. However, accepting a student based solely on race is not fair. Yes, it should be taken into account but the admission should be based on how well rounded the student is academically and what they have done.

This quote really stood out to me when I reading McWhorter's piece. It made me really think about how I view diversity and its importance. Many people are ignorant about many cultures. They based their opinions on stereotypes rather than actually first hand getting to know a person in that race. Understanding other persons way of life and perspective is really important in making yourself more educated about the world we live in.

Cal State Northridge is a good example of a school that has a lot of diversity. Coming from a high school that was completely White and Asian, it has been a very different but great experience so far.

The Growing College Gap

Citation: Draut, Tamara. The College Growing Gap. They Say, I Say with Readings. Ed. Russell Durst. New York: W.W. Norton and Company, 2009. 378-391. Print.

Summary: In this work, Draut explains how the gaps in enrollment by class and race are once again as wide as they were thirty years ago. She expresses how many college students struggle with the high expenses of tuition, the many budget cuts, and the lack of financial aid for those who really need it.

Quote: "They are competing for slots at the nation's most elite schools, fearing that getting into anything less than a name-brand school will result in a life of mediocrity, or complete failure."

Response: I chose this quote because I experienced this first hand. I came from a high school that was ranked one of the top schools in California and was known to be a wealthy school. Most of the students that graduated from my high school ended up going to universities such as Harvard, Yale, NYU or USC. The demand to go to an "elite school" was something that many of the students stressed about. Matching up to this high demand was very stressful.

I personally don't believe that it is a done deal that if you go to a prestigious college you will end up successful. What many fail to understand is that Harvard is just a name. I do not believe that the fact that I am going to a Cal State will extremely hinder my success. The important thing to remember is that in this experience, it is how you, as a student, use the resources your college has to offer. It is how you, not the university, work to achieve your goals. A person could go to a top school and not fully reach his or her potential because he/she did not invest in his/her college experience completely.

I believe that no matter what, to be successful in life, you need a college education regardless. The way you go about your education is a whole other story. In the future, I hope to be a part of the music industry in some form. Whether it is producing, managing, or actually performing, the name of what college I graduated from should not effect my success in life. You create your own success. Work hard, get the job done, and hope for the best.

The Decline and Fall of Declinism

Citation: Dowd, Alan W., "The Decline and Fall of Declinism." They Say, I Say with Readings. Ed. Russell Durst. New York: W.W. Norton and Company, 2009. 404-409. Print.

Summary: This piece by Alan W. Dowd explains how America is not actually in a "steep decline" as many may think but it's economy and the country itself is "in great shape." America's economy actually represents 20 percent of global output. When compared to Europe, Europe falls short of U.S. GPD. When Baker compares the U.S. to China's booming economy, he observes that the U.S. is adding "twice as much in absolute terms to global output" as china. He shows how although America has gone through many problems, unlike other countries, America was able to make it through strong.

Quote: "Some people don't want to admit it, but America is in great shape" (404).

Response: I picked this quote because it was the first sentence of the passage and it really stood out to me. After reading the whole piece, I still was not convinced that America is completely in "great shape."

Many people don't want to admit it because they themselves are going through the tough time of this recession. They are experiencing first hand the difficulty in living in a nation where it is impossible to find a job nowadays. On the other side, people who own shops and businesses are seeing their numbers go down and in result this whole process creates a ripple effect.

Dowd's piece only shows the positives of our nation. Stating a lot of numbers about how much money we have been able to use to help the nation go through situations such as 911 and Katrina. But this is besides the point, our nation needs to start investing in the right way. Most of our tax dollars are going to the jail system rather than going to the effort to help fund Education. America has not yet reached it's full potential for it to be in great shape.

In comparison to other countries, yes, we as Americans are a lot better off. For instance, with what is going on in Egypt right now proves this. After Sadat, the former president of Egypt, was assassinated, Mubarak became president and to this day, has remained in office ever since.

Recently, people have gathered from all backgrounds, Christian, Muslim, Educated, Non-educated, the well off and the poor, to come together and protest against Mubarak and to make sure he steps down. The Egyptian people are seeking to have a Democratic government. One where they, as a people, can choose who rules over them. During their protest, Mubarak shut down all internet and cellphone access. This becoming the first time in history where a whole nation has been cut off.

I have family living in Cairo right near downtown where the major protest has been taking place. Not being able to contact my family on the fastest and easiest way possible, the internet, has been unbearable knowing whats going on. The Egyptian people should have the freedom to be able to talk to the outside world during this process, and be able to form what ever groups needed to continue to fight for their rights, let alone choose their leader.

When watching many videos about this amazing time in history, a man spoke out saying,

"We will not be silenced. Whether you're a Christian, whether you're a Muslim, whether you're an Atheist, you will demand your goddamn rights, and we will have our rights, one way or the other! We will never be silenced!" - Egyptian Protester. Janauary 27th 2011.

This got me to thinking how grateful I am to live in a country who enforces the right to each citizen. Our voice as citizens speak loud and because of our freedom, we have the ability to choose how our nation is run. We definitely should be proud to be American regardless. Needless to say, we are not in greatest shape as Dowd puts in his piece. We are one of the top nations but we still have a lot more room to grow.