Reflection

Just the thought about taking a writing class gives me nausea. I knew being in a UWP course during the summer would be challenging, but I never thought it was going to be so public. Having a professor read my pieces is frightening but having my classmates reading and comment on my writing is daunting. Before enrolling in UWP, I was not very confident about my work. However, as the days went by, I became more positive about my work. Based on the comments and grades I have received so far, it seems that my work has improved. Yet I still have concerns. Some of the feedback I received sounded negative. The comments I received made me feel like my writing was not good enough or not satisfying enough. My posts were followed by questions and more questions that dragged me into new ideas and topics. To be honest, I found the course difficult. I had a hard time being specific and developing evidence for my argument. Therefore, I had complications finishing my blogs. Overall, the feedback I received on my comments helped me to be open-minded and to consider other possible questions and opinions.

After experiencing this unusual method of teaching, I still have reservations towards blogging. I found myself having trouble setting my blogs the way I wanted them to be displayed on my profile. I usually had technical problems. During my Final, I had a hard time making my keywords bold. I spent a whole hour trying figure out the proper way of posting my work. However, because I was running out of time, I decided to leave it as it was. I sincerely hope that I never have deal with blogging in any future writing courses. If in the future I were to enroll in a course in which it was required for me to use a blogging system, perhaps that would be incentive enough to make me drop the course from my schedule. Discussion, however, was very enjoyable part of the class. I found the topics stimulating and thought provoking. I particularly enjoyed the sections on identity and technology. Most of the time, however, I found it difficult to join into the discussion because I feel self-conscious speaking in public.

One of the most interesting parts of this class was the group project. Going into it I felt like it was a great idea. As I got more involved into it, however, I began to see the consequences of participating in something like this. I sometimes felt unethical about what I had to do in order to find information about the website. While I was only there for experimental purposes, there are people that are on that website actually looking for love. I felt a bit uncomfortable with the idea that the messages that I was getting were from real people thinking that they had really found someone that they could connect with. Additionally, I sometimes felt discomforted by the topic of conversations that some of the men would think it was appropriate to bring up.

Having to attend the UWP 1 during the summer was a fascinating yet tough experience for me. As I mentioned on my first blog about listening to different opinions, I feel that this was a great opportunity to become more open minded about topics that I had not fully encountered in the past.

Unnatural

The Western word defines society in terms of norms and common practices; for instance most of the time the majority actually does rule. Within society, if an act is not common then it is considered unnatural. In context, the word may often switch meaning. The Oxford English Dictionary gives many definitions including the following: “1. Not in accordance or conformity with the physical nature of persons or animals; 2. Not in accordance or agreement with the usual course of nature; 3. At variance with natural feeling or moral standards; excessively cruel or wicked.” Its root word Natural, originates from the latin word naturalis or natura meaning Nature or the “conditions of birth, quality, character, natural order” (Dictionary.com Unabridged). As implied by the prefix un-, meaning not, the word unnatural is often defined as an act that goes against nature. In fact, in the OED, the word unnatural is synonymous with the word Abnormal and Monstrous.

“The said Johne is be the hand of God dum and defe and unnaturale.” The OED offers this quotation as an example of the use of the word in the 1500s, bringing in religion and God into its meaning. This use of the word existed little less than a century ago and today we see the existence of the word under different circumstances. Society today speaks of Unnatural Acts, and uses this to form a government and laws based on the most common act (and so deemed the most natural). Homosexuality, for example, is called unnatural by society and certain subcultures within it. The Vatican has defined the Christian doctrine as follows, “‘every genital act must be within the framework of marriage.’ Premarital sex, masturbation, and homosexuality are specifically condemned.” Further, the Christian doctrine speaks of homosexual sex as unnatural because it is sex that does not lead to procreation, in other words homosexual sex creates no offspring. As I stated above unnatural is defined as something that does not exist in nature. However, when used to define unnatural homosexual acts, it does not carry this meaning. For instance, there are many things that have been developed by society that would not, by definition, be considered natural. Yet, they are not condemned simply because they are a common practice, such as taking drugs to cure illnesses. The negative connotation that the word unnatural carries today in the western word comes from the use of this word to mean not common, abnormal, or strange.
In John Corvino’s Why Shouldn’t Tommy and Jim Have Sex? A Defense of Homosexuality, Corvino explains, “It often seems that when people call homosexuality ‘unnatural’ they really just mean that it’s disgusting” (White, 271). Similarly, we have seen other lifestyles deemed disgusting and unnatural by the popular opinion of a subculture. One example is the spread of Western Ideology with the use of globalization and missionary work taken to countries that are not as advanced in technology. The Sambia of New Guinea are an example of a way of life turned unnatural, disgusting and abnormal. The Sambia culture held the belief on initiating a boy into adulthood by the consumption of semen from an older man. As this became known in the western world it became something shameful, and slowly this way of life has come to an end.
Technology and globalization as well as culture shifts have given a new meaning to the word unnatural, changed it from its root to a negative term not meaning something not occurring from birth, or biology to a word stating deformity or burden by god, and finally to today’s meaning of something out the social norm.




“unnatural.” OxfordEnglishDictionary.com. 2nd edition. 11 Sept. 2008.

"nature." Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1). Random House, Inc. 11 Sep. 2008.
http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/nature<

White, James E. Contemporary Moral Problems. Learning, Inc. Thompson learning.
2006. Belmont, Ca.

Taste the Rainbow

http://americansfortruth.com/uploads/2008/06/homosexual_rainbow_flag.jpg

The rainbow “Pride Flag” is something that I see everyday. It’s a symbol that I carry with me at all times and yet I’ve never stopped to think about the meaning behind it, its history, and what its represented in the past.   Today this is a symbol that brings hope to the members of the LGBT community.  It represents “safe environments” where people can be themselves without fear of experiencing negative comments or stares.  To the “straight world” the flag represents something different.  Over the years, not only the rainbow flag but also the rainbow colors in any form, have acquired a negative connotation for those who aren’t personally touched by it. Even the website where I found this picture spoke negatively about it. “We can’t let the homosexual activists steal the rainbow just like they stole the word “gay” and are trying to steal “equality” by applying it to counterfeit same-sex “marriage”(Americansfortruth.com).” 

Nowadays, the rainbow flag is automatically associated with being “gay.”  Additionally the rainbow itself was something that is seen as feminine or something that might appeal to women rather than men. The fact that this flag now represents gay men, who in the mind of straight men, have been effeminized and no longer seen as “real” men, creates a negative stereotype about the flag and those who support it.

In order to get rid of this negative connotation and stereotypes, we need to work on educating society on the true meaning of the flag. It is not simply a rainbow that represents queer people (by  “queer” I mean people who identify themselves as Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex, reclaiming "queer" as a positive connotation.); the flag has seen history in LGBT right marches since the 1970s. The multi-colored flag represents the diverse community (wikipedia.com). 

To me the flag represents my pride and my identity as a queer woman of color. It represents my personal struggle to stop homophobia. Last fall, during a pride week parade on the UC Davis campus, I held the flag. At that moment I felt empowered, and liberated. That moment having the support of others helps me neglect the fear of being myself.What society has to understand is that the queer community has not “stolen” the rainbow; instead, it has become a beautiful symbol of the hope that one day we will see the sunlight after the storm.   

Do you believe who I am?

Finding your soul mate can be a life work, but nowadays the use of technology has changed that. Finding your soul mate is as simple as signing up on AmericanSingles.com. However, can finding your ideal person be as easy as a few sentences typed on a profile? Alternatively, will virtual dating give you a reality check on “happy endings.” I want to draw your attention to the point that online dating is not artificial, is a simulation to real dating. By “real dating”, I mean meeting people in person, asking each other in person “I will like to get to know you better” then saying the following “will you like to go on a date with me”. Further, I will explain why online dating is phony in relationship to identity.

Simply by looking at the home page of the dating website “AmericanSingles.com” you can see who the audience is. There are, of course many websites meant for social interaction and meeting online, however this one is for those looking for a specific goal. “Welcome to AmericanSingles.com, the premier personals for Online dating. We have millions of members from all walks of life, backgrounds, professions and ages, who are looking for others to share their experiences with. New singles are joining all the time, and many singles are making connections every day.” This description is one of the first things you see when you explore the home page. Additionally, the pictures portrayed are those of singles in their mid twenties, presumably, its target audience. This website is clearly meant to attract those who have not had luck when it comes to dating and love. The website makes it a guarantee that you will find a date and almost makes it look easy to find a “Happy Ending.” The home page has a link titled “Help and Advice” The “success stories” displayed on this link are stories about love at first sight, love stories that “blossomed” quickly and ended in marriage. For example, Madonna and Pete realized they were destined to be together after five weeks of meeting “on September the 12th, in a small park in Pueblo, on a warm and sunny afternoon, Pete and Madonna were married wearing jeans and matching T-shirts.”

There are many other clues that reveal the intended audience, such as the “Dating Advice for Women” and the “Dating Advice for Men” links on the home page. Each link is followed with a quick summary of what the individual seeking to date can gain from the website, such as learning how to flirt and finally getting someone to “call back.” “Women Not Returning Your Phone Calls? You’re not alone… In fact, this ugly problem is almost GUARANTEED to happen to any guy who doesn’t know the secret revealed in David DeAngelo’s new article, “How Guys Screw Up First Dates.”

The phrase “real relationships” is seen repeatedly across descriptions of the website, emphasizing the fact that these relationships can in fact move from online to real life. However, what if the online dating website, the profiles, the happily ever after stories are made believe by people pretending to be who they are not. A person who subscribes to online dating is able to create a profile that is different from their own real identity, just as I did so myself. It was simple, brown hair, blue eyes, nice smile, and slim/athletic body; yes the perfect subject for my project. Simple I say. Well yes, it is, I explored the internet and found myself on hotornot.com, a site where random people post their photos and they are rated. Mine had a 9.8 so it seems reasonable to use it. The picture seem appealing, she looks attractive enough to grab a men’s attention. However, there is something deceiving about this picture compare to the profile description. My point of view towards my characters picture, she looks a party young adult. The men who have contact me prove me right. Since my characters photo seems contradictory to my profile, men are disrespectful and start asking me questions such as “are you one of those girls who gets drunk and starts throwing up on people’s property?” or “have many people have you had sex with, I bet you lost count?” Deceiving you may ask? Well it is deceptive because I tell them I do not appreciate those types of questions when I should consider that my character’s picture looks resembles to a playboy model but it is just a girl right next door. This leads to my point of identity affecting “real relationships.”

People that subscribe to that website are looking for a real relationship that they have not been able to find in real life. Moreover, that is somewhat ironic because online it is impossible to know the person you are really talking to. Therefore, there is a certain amount of "fantasy" involved in these relationships. I mean take my project example, I am using a picture that I found online and a fake profile to get peoples attention, even though I am doing it for the class project, I am sure that there are people that do it just for the sake of seeming more appealing. In a "real relationship”, people usually value trust and honesty, but when you are online all of that becomes optional, you don’t have to be the person you really are to make a connection with someone because you have the internet as a disguise.


Also one of the things I find ironic are the things called “flirts” and intimate messages that I can send up to hundred people. I find it ironic because can "flirt" with so many people and somehow connect with one of them. There is even a line somewhere that says expand your network, so that you have more chances of finding your soul mate. The reason I find this ironic is that people who go on these sites with the actual goal of finding their soul mate probably have the ideology that their soul mate is someone that you are meant to be. Therefore, no matter how many people you date if your soul mate is not there you will not make a connection with anyone else. So out of the hundred profiles how many of them are true or false, no one will really know. I know mine is phony, am I going to tell the men I am talking to. NO! I will not, this may affect my benefits for the sake of my project. I will not want my profile deleted by the website for having a false identity. Therefore, I will go on and pretending to be someone tha I am not and see what the outcome will be.

Entertainment Technology Enrichment

What do I mean by “technology has improved over generations?” In addition, "what kind of technology do I mean?" Well, in my previous blog I discussed how technology has help human being communicate more rapidly, and have accessible sources to communicate without speaking to each other face to face. Technology can be broken down into many branches but I will only break it into two branches: Wikipedia.com defines it as “the relationship that society has with its tools and crafts, and to what extent society can control its environment.” The tools and machine human utilize to make life easier such as using machines to cook or stay warm instead of trying to create fire with rocks and sticks. Other examples can be using vehicles to travel faster and easier, also the use of e-mails, fax, letters have improve instead of having a messenger carrier travel to certain destination, and the developments of weapons versus stick and rock fighting (although this is not a good way to settle down indifferences). The second branch can be defined as technology dealing with “utilizing manufactured or created components to enhance or make possible any sort of entertainment experience (Wikipedia).” For example, the interaction of sounds, scenes, light, visual effects, etc that can make a video game, movie or even the Opening ceremony of Beijing Olympics incredibly entertaining.

In my previous blog I meant the second kind of technology I had explain earlier and I am going to continue using this definition for my explanation of technology entertainment in live

performances such as musical broadways versus films. In addition, how class and culture are affected by entertainment technology. Looking at the technology of past decades, we have seen the entertainment technology change particularly in the film industry. Film technology has gone from silent films created from individual still frames to the animated computer graphics we see today. In early history, people saw live performances that were sketchy and settings that were not so dynamic. For example, the performance of The Phantom of the Opera has develop from silent black and white to color live sound effects, from live performance to movie media. Phantom of the Opera has been the “Winner of seven 1988 Tony® Awards including Best Musical, Andrew Lloyd Webber's masterwork is more than the longest-running musical in Broadway history.(http://www.thephantomoftheopera.com/new_york/)” As time exceed there is technology improvement in Phantom of the Opera Broadway/film.
As we see the progress of technology, we also see the changes in culture. Entertainment is a big part of our social system and the way social classes separate themselves. As we witness increase in technology we also see a decrease in the division of entertainment. What was remote for lower class is now accessible and what was reserved for higher class early in history has vanished. One of the main examples is the movie industry and the recently popularized Broadway musical made into major motion pictures. What was once reserved for the higher class in the form of luxurious theater productions is suddenly, because of the technology of the movie industry, widely available for everyone who can afford a night at the movies.
Nowadays people can relate to each other, basically the ideologies we hold as a society, entertainment is a big part of culture and movies are becoming universal. Even in the third world countries, India's movie industry produces the most movies in the world and they are third world. What I mean is that technology is changing our culture in the way we value entertainment and in the way we relate to other social classes because of it and even economically.

Communication through Technology

I thought MySpace was about social networking and designing profiles. I would have never thought it was a source of advertising. Although I have encounter ads and other pop up windows describing its selling products. After the discussion we had on Monday, I am becoming aware that there is a cluster of advertising ads. Yes I must agree that the profiles MySpace members demonstrate would be somewhat advertising themselves. Getting to show people their personality, interest or other autobiography descriptions so people will be interested to know more. Nevertheless posting profiles is a way to meeting, and interacting with old and new friends therefore, I see it more as a communication source. Since technology has improved over generations, communication among people has become easier and accessible. Having advance technology such the blackberry phone, Facebook, Internet helps people to communicate when having a hectic schedule. For example, myself as a college student I hardly see my friends because I have class, training, and job to be responsible, as much I want to socialize, I find it hard. Knowing that I can use my phone to text, or use the Internet to send messages, I find it easier to stay in touch with friends, family, etc. Sometimes I see my friends and want to say hi but I know once I stop and say hi, the “hi” turns to a lunch and one hour conversation. Then I have to worry of the things I was planning to do and did not accomplish them. Therefore, I think messaging online is a good source to talk to people, knowing that I can message whenever I want and receive a message back whenever they can send me one.
With ads online, I see it as a source for companies to sell their product with online communication. Since most people seem to be using the Internet often, (those who have access to it) have the opportunity to see what good quality product to buy or not. Although a variety of company have targeted consumers/audience, it seems unfair to for other people who are interested in the product but cannot get hold of the product because they do not fit the criteria companies are searching.

Initial Blog

I have surf the Ethernet plenty of times; have read blogs posted from people but never have I posted one myself. I enjoy reading the diversity of thoughts and information people share. I also enjoy reading the comments posted on certain blogs. It is interesting to notice diverse opinions from different people. I think is a great opportunity to learn from people’s blogs. I think that blogs can be a source for speaking up and expressing one’s thoughts and opinions. Although I am not too comfortable with posting my own blog, I believe it will be a motivating experience to do so. I am somewhat nervous because I am not too comfortable in writing. I dislike writing because I do not feel I am too prepared to write well. I have trouble concerning to grammar, sentence structure or just getting my point across. I am afraid people will write harsh, discouraging comments but I am willing to read them. I think it will help me improve in my writing. There are a couple of reservations towards blogging, Ethernet, lets say technology overall because sometimes I have bad connection and I am afraid to loose my data. Other than all the positive and negative sides of blogging, I think it will be a great way to understand writing.