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1. What rules dictate the behavior of young men and women in relationships today?
Relationships don't necessarily have rules, but people have expectations set in their minds when they get into relationships.  Generally, girls expect someone they can rely on and someone who will treat them with respect.  Guys want to feel needed, plus they want the poon.

2. Name a situation in which the rules have clearly been violated. In other words, what are things "nice girls" just don't do? What are things "nice guys" just don't do?
"Nice girls" and "nice guys" NEVER cheat.  Conversations with other people that involve sexual connotations can still be considered infidelities.  People in committed relationships should never cheat.  I think that's the most basic rule in relationships.  No one wants to feel betrayed.

3. What are the possible consequences for breaking these rules?
If the significant other cheats, bad things WILL happen. Unless the person that was cheated on is a pussy bitch.  On top of being dumped, the cheater might find their belongings damaged, missing, torched, etc.  They might also have their car/house egged.  A popular choice for revenge is vandalism. :)

4. Where do these rules come from? Who "invented" them and who enforces them?
These rules or expectations for relationships mostly come from the media.  Every single movie or TV show made has some sort of relationship in it.  They show the good things as well as the bad, and the viewers make up their own minds about what to expect.  Everyone's parents parents also set the example for many relationships.  I know many parents today get divorced without thinking about the effects if causes on their childrens' perspectives about marriage and relationships.



No one can really define love and relationships, so why are there certain guidelines for them ?

should modern society be criticized for being materialistic?

Yes, I think that modern society should be criticized for being too materialistic. We rely so much on our phones and computers. We also have turned to money and materialistic objects to keep us happy. This isn't always the case for everyone, however, it is a generalization we can make about modern society. I fear that in a few years, we may lose our sense of human nature completely and become materialistic cyborgs.

Although technology has been an amazng contrbuton to society, people have made it too easy to do virtually anything on a computer or a phone.  Children are starting to do simple addition and subtraction on calculators.  Everywhere you look, people are on their cell phones, which are also becoming so ridiculous they are losing their primary purpose as phones.  Most phones now include full keyboards, mobile internet, touch screens, cameras, and even applications, where the only thing they REALLY need is the phone itself.

We are also so consumed by cars, clothes, and other material objects.  I will be the first to admit that I fall under this category.  There is just something fascinating about cars and clothes, which makes me feel like I need to have as much money as possible so I can buy the best of the best.  I guess this has something to do with competition and trying to impress my peers.  But it's also so much more than that.  The powerful grace that comes with a beautiful, luxurious car never fails to leave me dazzled.  The colors and textures of so many clothes is so beautiful to me.  So I guess you could call me materialistic.

On the other hand, humans cannot ever be perfect, so why do we strive to be "perfect"?  All our advancements in technology can be viewed as steps taken in order to achieve perfecton, but I fell like they are just created to make everyone's lives easier and to lessen the value of our lives.  We don't necessarily HAVE to be reprimanded for our interest in material things.  These days, everyone values their belongings much more because of the unfortunate economic situation.  Does that mean that everyone will also value their lives more?  This question wasn't formed in the aspect that lives are objects or belongings, but rather something of great value and importance to someone (because obviously, you're life should really be the most important thing to you).  We don't have to be criticized for THAT.  It can be a good and a bad thing, so I suppose I have contradicted myself in this.

So although we as a society really are too materialistic, for some (like myself), it is something much more profound than that.  While we are heading down a dangerous path, I live more in fear of our dependence on technology moreso than our dependence on other material objects.  Hopefully, in a few years, we will still be able to live parts of our lives without having to completely rely on technology.

human nature

It is an animal instinct to kill.  It is in our blood, because humans are, in fact, animals.  The only difference is that since humans are so much more complex and advanced than other animals, we can blame homicides on us being scheming and conniving.  We are intelligent enough to plan and carry out mass killings and genocides.  In a way, it is a beautiful combination of animalistic instincts and human intelligence.  I believe that we have forgotten how truly wild we are.  We would all like to believe that we are civilized, but think about it: what if all the animals in the world had the intelligence and competence of humans?  Our world would be nothing like we'd ever imagine.  People try to blame the actions of killers (who participate in genocides) on there mental stability or lack thereof.  But really, what is so "crazy" about a human being (who is also an animal) killing another?  It is in our nature to kill.  We may think that we are above killing one another, and we should be, but in reality we will never stop killing, whether we kill other species or each other. 

Another excuse people use to try and explain genocides is Social Darwinism and Charles Darwin's idea of "survival of the fittest".  Although Darwin himself never promoted any social ideas, some thinkers used his theories to support their own beliefs about society.  Applying the idea of "survival of the fittest" to war and economic competition is Social Darwinism.  During the Industrial Revolution, factory owners and people of the upper class were seen to be for "fit" than those they put out of business.  War brought progress by weeding out weak nations, and victory was seen as proof of superiority.  Social Darwinism encouraged racism, a pseudoscientific belief that one racial group is superior to another.  By the late 1800s, many people claimed the success of Western civilization was due to the supremacy of the white race.  These beliefs started a ripple effect across the world, as racism has flared throughout the years.

Of course, no specific person is to blame for putting these thoughts into our heads, but we are truly a violent society. Violence can pretty much be seen anywhere and everywhere in the media, almost as much as sex.  Movies, books, magazines, video games, TV shows, they all show violence in some way, shape, or form. Even music can depict violence.  We hear about horrible crimes that happen everyday. As a society, I feel that we have become almost numb to violence, if not oblivious.  This is, of course, a generalization, but we hear about the war going on in Iraq and Afghanistan, yet it doesn't really directly affect us.  The only reason we'd care is if there was someone we knew fighting for us overseas.  The closest we can get to feeling some pain about death and violence is if it happens to someone close to us.  I'm not saying that people should be hypersensitive and go hysterical when something bad happens to someone, but we should just be a little more understanding of death. Maybe then it wouldn't be so easy for people to kill one another, especially in large quantities.

In a perfect world, people would not feel the need to kill one another, but that would also be an impossible thing.  I believe in the theory that people are naturally evil.  We will always feel the need to do something that goes completely against our self-proclaimed "nature".  Our world is corrupt, but that is what makes it beautiful.  Death is a beautiful thing, but killing is not.  Genocides and murders are horrifying, but I bet that death is somewhat blissful.  I feel strange even thinking this way, and I probably sound strange, but that is just my opinion.  On the other hand, without all these people killing each other, think about how much more populous the world would be.  We are already overpopulated as we speak.  Ths is probably another strange or horrible thought, but I'm just trying to be frank.  In summary, I think that the only reason people should feel the need to kill someone is because it is an animal instinct.  It is also a human instinct to put an end to that impulse before letting it get out of hand.  When horrible things like this happen, it doesn't really surprise me in the aspect of our human nature, because our actual human nature calls for us to kill.

Quickwrite: Writing Groups

honestly, i don't think i would write any better in a group than i would by myself. i feel like i see enough in my everyday life to blog about, and i don't think i would need an help from my classmates. PLUS i don't know any of them from outside of my little corner, so i wouldn't feel comfortable letting them critique my blogs. i know you told us to "get over it" and i know i CAN get over it, but i'm just saying, i don't really get along with people. haha.

one of the questions is "What are some things you'd like to get out of writing more collaboratively with peers?"and an example is getting through writer's block. while i WOULD like to get through my writer's block, i'm not quite sure how writing groups would be beneficial to that. i would also like to organize my writing more, and i think in that way, writing groups could help me.

Another question asks "Is it more important to you to work with friends, or with people who are writing the same types of things you are? (Of course, it's possible to have this both ways...) Explain why." i definitely would want to work with my friends if i were to work in a group. they have the same general interests as me (obviously) so if i were ever to have a problem deciding on what to write about, the could help. also, as previously stated, i would feel much more comfortable having my friends reading my blogs rather than complete strangers. i don't reall care to be in a group with people to are writing about the same things as me. i actually wouldn't want to be with them because i don't like to share my ideas about certain topics. maybe i'm just a bitch :)

statement of purpose

well, last quarter i didn't really make a statement of purpose since i came into this class later on. so i guess i'm supposed to do one now?

i looked at my first blog and it's basically about the sports i do. but it starts with me not knowing what i will write about in my blog. personal stuff vs. things like music, movies, and sports. i guess i have put a little bit of both in my blog.

for this quarter, i think i will continue in the direction that my writing has been going; blogging about whatever i feel like, whether it seems completely spontaneous and random or not. :)

slavery?!

Of the 6 billion people in the world, 27 million of them are documented as slaves. Every country in the world has made slavery illegal, but why does is persist in this day and age? I believe it is simply because anti-slavery laws are not enforced enough and slavery is often not the highest priority of a government. Between sex slaves, indentured servants, child soldiers and laborers, and more, not enough action is being taken to abolish slavery in the modern day. In China, thousands of child slaves have been freed. In Sudan, over 200,000 people have been abducted and subjected to slavery during the second civil war. Hundreds in the Ivory Coast have been forced to work on the cocoa plantations. Though slavery was thought to be abolished, with 45% of the world's population enslaved, it is said that there are more slaves living in the world today than ever before.

There are many reasons as to why slavery is still evident in the modern world, more so than ever. One of the reasons is population growth. With more people, there will always be a high demand for employment. Therefore, more people will be forced into working for little or no compensation. Another cause for modern slavery is poverty. Poverty is perhaps the biggest contributing factor to why slavery persists. Poverty causes people to borrow money from one another. More often than not, the borrowers cannot afford to pay the lenders back in a short amount of time. The lenders can then charge high interest rate or trap the borrowers in debt bondage. Poverty can also prevent people from moving to areas with better work opportunities. If someone is in poverty, it is almost impossible for them to challenge an illegal or unethical work situation. It would simply be too risky.

Tatum Unit

(2.) The impact of racism begins early. Even in our preschool years, we are exposed to misinformation[3] about people different from ourselves. Many of us grew up in neighborhoods where we had limited opportunities to interact with people different from our own families. When I ask my students, “How many of you grew up in neighborhoods where most of the people were from the same racial group as your own?” almost every hand goes up. There is still a great deal of social segregation in our communities. Consequently, most of the early information we receive about “others”—people racially, religiously, or economically different from ourselves—does not come as the result of firsthand experience. The secondhand information we do receive has often been distorted, shaped by cultural stereotypes, and left incomplete.

If we are misinformed about people of different races, could we also be misinformed about our own races? What are some examples of this? Do the people who misinform us do it purposely? I don't see much segragation in communities like Alameda. But I DO see in more in our neighboring communities of Oakland and San Leandro. Why is it that we do not learn about others through firsthand experiences? I think it is because when we meet someone of another race, race isn't really an 'icebreaker'. It isn't really a conversation topic like books, music, or movies. I don't see it as necessarily being a bad thing, but it's just not something that comes up.