"Big Brother"

After the activity in class where we would agree or disagree with the statements about 1984, I started thinking about if "Big Brother" exists today. I would say yes, big brother does exist in some sense. Definitely not to the extent in the novel, but our government does play that role. Our government plays the role of big brother by taking away some of our privacy. In class, we discussed if that was good or bad and there were some arguments from both sides. I think it is okay to take away some of our privacy, in order to keep us safe. I wouldn't say I agree with the government spying on us, but then again, if you have nothing to hide, it shouldn't matter. I like that there are security cameras in public places in case something were to happen. If a store is robbed, we can easily track that person down by watching the surveillance tapes. However, we still have a lot of our privacy. It's not like the government is going to go around and install telescreens in our homes. The information that we give up is usually our choice. For example, facebook. We all choose how much to share with our "friends" on facebook. And if you don't want people to know where you are or what you're doing, it's simple. Don't write it!

Violet's Feed

 Creative Blog option #2

It's been a couple days since my feed stopped working. I actually enjoy not having the feed, except for the fact that Titus and his friends completely rely on it, so I can't join their conversations. I think the feed was a mistake. I would like to go back in time to before the feed even existed, I bet the world was a much better place then. You know, back in time when everyone could think for themselves and use actual language. The feed ruined a lot of things in this society, well that's what my dad has told me. He says people used to want to learn about things and that SchoolTM wasn't owned by the corporations. It's really weird thinking about how far our world has come in such a short amount of time. I'm scared for what's to come in the future, but I probably won't be around for any of that. The doctors tell me I don't have much time since my feed isn't working. My dad blames Titus for taking me to that club on the moon, but it's not his fault. He was just trying to make me have fun, for once. But that's all for today, I have another appointment with the feed technician. Wish me luck!
--Violet

Thoreau Challenge

In class, we were given and extra credit opportunity to take the "Thoreau Challenge," which consists of not using any technology for seven days. I did not accept the challenge, considering my blackberry is pretty much attached to my hand. Thoreau secluding himself in a cabin in Massachusetts for a year because he couldn't deal with all the technology of the nineteenth century. It kind of makes me wonder what Thoreau would think of people in this day and age, with all of our technology and devices within reach 24/7. The quote "We do not ride on the railroad; it rides upon us" really got my attention. It reminds me of the quote in the novel "Feed," when Violet says "We do not have the feed, we are the feed." The railroad and the feed, in this case, being technology. We don't own technology, it owns us.

On an unrelated note, while reading Feed it made me think of this movie I watched one time called Idiocracy. The movie is about how generation after generation just keeps getting less intelligent. Here is the trailer:

 

Dumbest Generation

While I was reading the article about Bauerleins text "The Dumbest Generation," I thought about what my opinion is. I found some of the of his statistics unbelievable, "Two thirds of high-school seniors in 2006 couldn't explain an old photo of a sign over a theater door reading COLORED ENTRANCE." High school seniors have definitely learned about segregation by then which is why I think that statement is so surprising and pathetic. I think Bauerlein's book might have some merit regarding my generation. Also, in his interview, he raises some good points as well:

Mark_Bauerlein: Today, only 43 percent of 18-24-year-olds every reads a novel, short story, poem, or play on her own. That's down from 60 percent in 1982.

Mark_Bauerlein: In 1984, only 9 percent of high school seniors NEVER read for fun. By 2004, that number had more than doubled (19 percent).

Mark_Bauerlein: If voluntary reading is a sign of intellectual curiosity, your generation is a lapse. As an avid reader, your an exception to the general rule.

I think it's sad that these numbers are decreasing over time. With all the information we have at our hands, these numbers should be going up! We may be a technology crazed generation, but that doesn't mean we have to stop reading and learning.

 "Bauerlein acknowledges that 'kids these days are just as smart and motivated as ever.' If they're also 'the dumbest' because they have 'more diversions' and because 'screen activity trumps old-fashioned reading materials'—well, choices can change, with maturity, with different reward structures, with changes in the world their elders make. Writing off any generation before it's 30 is what's dumb." I agree completely with this quote from the article because hopefully things do change as we mature and we stop playing videogames and letting technology do everything for us.