The American Dream

The "American dream" is something that has defined American life since the early 1930's. This idea that America is a land of prosperity and all citizens have the opportunity to achieve richer and happier lives has, in a way, given many Americans a sense of false hope. The image of normalcy behind this dream sends the message that anyone can achieve it.

But what happens if a majority of Americans feel they can no longer achieve the "American dream"? According to a video I watched recently, many average middle class Americans feel as though the current economy has made this seem like an unrealistic goal. One woman described how she used to volunteer at soup kitchens but now visits them herself so she can stretch her $11.00/hour salary to feed her kids. This is consistent with the recent surge in individuals who need food assistance-- 48%-- and increasingly middle class Americans.

This video demonstrates in many ways how the middle class America is "struggling for survival." With the state of the economy right now, it seems to me as though the dream has shifted from trying to move up to trying not to move down. It is apparent to me that the "American dream" is a dream of money since it is dependent upon moving up the economic ladder. So if the majority of America can no longer move up, is the dream still relevant? Will it change to reflect changes in America? Should it?

Full Body Scanners at O'Hare

I watched a Yahoo! video this afternoon that talked about the recent installment of full body scanners in the United terminal at O'Hare airport. The purpose of these scanners- in use as of yesterday- is to look for "anomalies on the body," detecting both metallic and non-metallic items. These scanners have been under scrutiny for some time now, but I have yet to come in contact with them. Now that they are at O'Hare and will effect me directly next time I travel, this video made me think about the morals behind this growing installment. Do these scanners violate passenger privacy?

When I look at the bigger picture, it's hard for me to see anything wrong with these scanners. They are there to protect us, and when reflecting on past events like 9/11 security seems necessary. So how can I argue that that's a bad thing? But at the same time, someone sitting behind a plexiglass wall is analyzing an image of my body to make sure I'm not carrying and weapons and to a degree, this seems like an invasion of privacy. So do I give up a small amount of privacy for the sake of protection? Do the benefits outweigh the negatives?

I think the most important thing to remember when thinking about these scanners is that traveling by airplane is a choice. Although I don't see a significant problem with them, those that do can choose an alternative mode of transportation.

The Oscars

We've talked a lot in class lately about creativity and how it impacts our lives, and today, we spent some time talking about the Academy Awards, specifically the basis on which winning films are chosen. In an attempt to tie these two ideas together, I am going to relay a question I found on the New York Times website today, one that I think relates perfectly to what we were talking about in class and also made me think about the film industry itself in a new light. Do you think that "the Oscars promote artistry and experimentation in filmmaking or do they undermine innovation by rewarding tried-and-true approaches?"

Personally, I think that any individual in the entertainment industry has to have passion to make a good film. This being said, this passion could be driven by the need of being recognized-- more specifically the need to win an award. In any industry there is a pressure to be the best, as well as to be recognized as being the best. It's a goal, and it shouldn't be the only reason to be a part of an industry, but part of me thinks it becomes the reason that some are. I would like to believe that people partake in movies for no reason besides their love for acting, directing, screenwriting, etc. But I think that for some people, this love, whatever it may be, is lost among the necessity of being noticed in an industry where many people are lost and remain invisible throughout their entire careers. I do think that the Oscars have changed the film industry, and the yearning to become a part of the Academy has unfortunately made some people forget why they chose to become part of the industry in the first place. This being said, I think the idea of the Oscars undermines filmmaking because it defines what a "good movie" is. It rates movies against each other in an attempt to define a clear winner that is better than the rest, and the goal shifts from creating a movie you're proud of to creating one that will be recognized by the Academy as a "good movie."

Preparing for Life

Life seems to be all about preparation for what comes next, but never about embracing the moment we're in-- especially when it comes to school. I remember halfway through fifth grade, we moved our school supplies from our desks to our lockers, because that's where we kept things in sixth grade. I later learned, however, that we only did this because in seventh and eighth grade, we didn't have our own desks and had to keep our things in our lockers. But this, too, was really only preparation for what was yet to come in high school, where we similarly stored our things in our lockers. So basically we started preparing for high school in fifth grade.

This idea of early preparation was taken to a whole new level at Linwood Middle School, a school in Brunswick, New Jersey where all students begin tracking their academic path (on an electronic planner) in sixth grade. According to an article in the New York Times, the goal of this is to "better prepare students for college, and motivate even low achievers to work harder by showing them that what they want matters, too."

Although I agree that it is important to motivate low achievers and show students that what they want matters, I have a problem with the idea that sixth graders are mapping out their futures. Why should they have to already deal with the pressures of college? One individual interviewed in this article, Mercedes Arias, has a perspective about this that I couldn't disagree with more. She says, "If you don't know yourself and think you want to be a biologist, you may realize in your sophomore year in college that you don't like science... You should have really figured that out sooner." I personally see college as an opportunity to experiment, and I think it's almost better if people don't know what they want to major in in college right when they get there. This way they can try out more than one thing. If a student has to pigeon-hole themselves and decide what they enjoy and dislike (academically) in sixth grade, then high school and college become stepping stones for a job, where they should be stepping stones for life. This is unfortunate because it means that students wouldn't have the ability to experiment different areas of study in college, and instead would only be able to move through their lives in one direction-- one decided in sixth grade.

When I read this article, it really struck a nerve with me. What do you think about this idea? Do you think it would be beneficial or be detrimental to our society? Why do you think we spend so much time preparing for the future instead of appreciating what we already have?