https://padlet.com/lwest192/kj6bqtk9ws7k "For my part I know nothing with any certainty, but the sight of the stars makes me dream." en-us 2017-09-04 17:07:58 UTC 2017-12-08 00:50:38 UTC hello@padlet.com https://padlet-assets.s3.amazonaws.com/icons/Balance.png lwest192 https://padlet.com/lwest192/kj6bqtk9ws7k/wish/184566570 "If people in the media cannot decide whether they are in the business of reporting news or manufacturing propaganda, it is all the more important that the public understand that difference, and choose their news sources accordingly."
~Thomas Sowell

Kierkegaard points out that the media of "present day" tends to make news out of nothing, and this holds true today, especially with the increasingly common editorials posted as factual news. Sowell agrees, emphasizing how the news cares more about the spread of ideas (whatever the means) rather than the content of the ideas.
With all the "fake news" going around, it's important to judge our sources based on their commitment to showing no bias in their language or representation, a responsibility that lies not only with the consumer, but with the publisher as well. 
Facebook is a large example of consumer unawareness as people frequently share news articles that have no context, causing mass confusion and misdirected anger.
Publisher bias can be found in many news channels, as some, notably Fox News, are notorious about telling only enough information to incite public unrest.

]]> 2017-09-04 18:27:34 UTC https://padlet.com/lwest192/kj6bqtk9ws7k/wish/184566570 lwest192 https://padlet.com/lwest192/kj6bqtk9ws7k/wish/187561234 After viewing Darwin's evolutionary claims, I couldn't help but view natural selection in the modern sense of education. So many kids are left behind by the educational system despite Bush's drive to have "No Child Left Behind." 
If a child doesn't understand a concept in the given time frame a teacher has to teach it, either the child gets supplemental instruction or falls behind the other students.
And with each student naturally learning in different ways, forcing students to conform to a state standard and to test standardly, those who don't meet those standards aren't "naturally selected" to succeed and are left behind in the educational system to get their GED or to go into the workforce, holding a lesser chance of receiving higher education and higher pay. ]]> 2017-09-14 13:50:16 UTC https://padlet.com/lwest192/kj6bqtk9ws7k/wish/187561234 lwest192 https://padlet.com/lwest192/kj6bqtk9ws7k/wish/189572224 When you say one thing and mean your mother -- I mean another...

In this article, this author discusses Freud's idea that your innermost thoughts are brought out with a slip of the tongue -- that misspeaking is not just an accident, but a reflection of our unconscious; for someone who stumbles over her words frequently, the thought is mildly concerning.
After reading the article, I wonder whether this theory has merit considering Rudolph Meringer's experiment (as discussed in article). In his experiment -- given the small sample size and lack of repetition -- he decided that misspeaking is a result of how our mouth forms the words, not the meanings behind them.
There are many different theories as to why we slip up though, with some psychologists pointing to word formation and brain processing, to the unintentional reveal of what we were truly thinking about.]]> 2017-09-21 00:31:56 UTC https://padlet.com/lwest192/kj6bqtk9ws7k/wish/189572224 lwest192 https://padlet.com/lwest192/kj6bqtk9ws7k/wish/192589690 There are a TON of political punk songs out there, but I felt like this one captured the realities of it, how Big Business tells you everything that they want you to think you need, but how none of it is truly satisfying. Billie Joe compares Black Friday to the "night of the living dead," commenting on how we're no better than zombies following the best sales, earning 10% off their coffins.
Dark imagery, sure, but it's a very different style than their usual music and denotes a more serious tone than those with the heavy guitar rifts and shouting. This is something that's affected him and he's trying to convey the depth that our lives revolve around this system.]]> 2017-09-29 18:58:49 UTC https://padlet.com/lwest192/kj6bqtk9ws7k/wish/192589690 lwest192 https://padlet.com/lwest192/kj6bqtk9ws7k/wish/194941657 For those who had to read Animal Farm in high school, you may remember how what started as an equal society amongst the animals, created when they rebelled against the oppressive farmers, came full circle as the pigs assumed the role of the oppressors -- a fitting animal choice with a connotation to match. George Orwell framed the ideal communistic society and then brought it down because nothing can take greed, power craving, or a desire for influence away from humanity, not even the idea of universal equality.]]> 2017-10-07 20:44:16 UTC https://padlet.com/lwest192/kj6bqtk9ws7k/wish/194941657 lwest192 https://padlet.com/lwest192/kj6bqtk9ws7k/wish/196653515 If you don't already know this about me, I LOVE space. The whole idea of there being this final frontier of unexplored unknown is absolutely fascinating. Scientists are constantly making claims about the universe and beyond, attempting to explain the vast mystery, only to recant their theory as soon as new information comes to light. 
This article is about Stephen Hawking's new theory about black holes (with questionable support) and how it differs from the old theories. I feel like postmodernism connects well with this because in postmodernism, truth is relative to what we know and subject to change as soon as a new discovery is made.]]> 2017-10-12 22:39:51 UTC https://padlet.com/lwest192/kj6bqtk9ws7k/wish/196653515 lwest192 https://padlet.com/lwest192/kj6bqtk9ws7k/wish/199313511 (preface, the lyrics don't line up exactly, which is annoying, but oh well)
This video is a satire of postmodernism and I thought it worked well in calling out the "not-caring" stereotype that many people have of postmodenism. People have this view because the idea behind postmodernism is that nothing can be defined or discovered, so what's the point, in a sense. Either way, it's an interesting video.]]> 2017-10-22 02:59:52 UTC https://padlet.com/lwest192/kj6bqtk9ws7k/wish/199313511 lwest192 https://padlet.com/lwest192/kj6bqtk9ws7k/wish/201381013 This was an interesting article I found that claims that our society falls into a postmodernist viewpoint, but continues to shame people for not aligning with their own views -- which goes against the whole "you have your truth, I have mine" philosophy associated with postmodernism. It's hypothesized that morals aren't completely subjective, but the criteria for social acceptability has changed.]]> 2017-10-28 03:46:20 UTC https://padlet.com/lwest192/kj6bqtk9ws7k/wish/201381013 lwest192 https://padlet.com/lwest192/kj6bqtk9ws7k/wish/202754898 Welcome to Night Vale is a podcast that's a strange mixture of funny, strange, and existential, and I would recommend it to anyone with a different sense of humor.

There is one (somewhat long) quote from Cecil -- a radio host -- that I pulled out of e5, and it says:
"And now, a continuation of our previous investigation into whether I am literally the only person in the world, speaking to myself in a fit of madness caused by my inability to admit the tragedy of my own existence. Leland, our newest intern, recently brought me a cup of coffee. He is no longer in my field of vision, but I do still have the cup of coffee, which is well made and is giving me the needed pick me up to continue considering this terrifying possibility. Is it possible that I only imagined Leland and forgot making myself this cup of coffee? But then, who would have grown this coffee? Where was this cup procured from? Oh. Leland’s back in the room. He’s waving at me. Hello Leland."

I found the quote funny when I first heard it, but upon deeper consideration it's alarming to consider the world around you and realize that you only ever see it from your perspective. Everything you've ever seen, thought or felt has your bias on it and it's entirely possible none of it's real.  I have faith that it is real, but there's no way to actually prove anything. Crazy.]]> 2017-11-02 01:26:14 UTC https://padlet.com/lwest192/kj6bqtk9ws7k/wish/202754898 lwest192 https://padlet.com/lwest192/kj6bqtk9ws7k/wish/205919800 I remember reading Walden back in 9th grade and in the discussions this week about fighting vs surrendering to Nature, I couldn't help but recall Henry David Thoreau's societal exclusion experiment where he built a cabin on Walden Pond (owned by his friend Ralph Waldo Emerson) and attempted to live as one with the local flora and fauna.
Even though he attempted to escape society, society never left him as his "war" with ants reminded him of human warfare, and he finds himself seeking company with his friends back in the city. After two years Thoreau returns to civilization, but not before serving a night in jail for refusing to pay his taxes (on the grounds that the government supported slavery).

"I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived." ~ Thoreau]]> 2017-11-11 20:29:29 UTC https://padlet.com/lwest192/kj6bqtk9ws7k/wish/205919800 lwest192 https://padlet.com/lwest192/kj6bqtk9ws7k/wish/208424769 Hicks says: "Tolerance is good and dominance is bad—but when postmodernists come to power, political correctness follows."

Political correctness is a word that gets thrown around a lot today, but while the thought behind it is good, it can have serious side effects as seen in this article which examines how far is too far with correctness.]]> 2017-11-19 02:17:33 UTC https://padlet.com/lwest192/kj6bqtk9ws7k/wish/208424769 lwest192 https://padlet.com/lwest192/kj6bqtk9ws7k/wish/210083943 This article defines and examines the genre of postmodern art and details how art has shifted societal expectations in it's aim to get a reaction from people. It mentions the rise of Feminist and minority artworks from this movement as a rejection of the idea that men are the only ones who can be "creative geniuses" and that minorities are inferior. The invention of post-modern art is in itself a rejection of modernist ideals, leaving the question of is it a style in itself or a transitionary stage?]]> 2017-11-25 23:09:02 UTC https://padlet.com/lwest192/kj6bqtk9ws7k/wish/210083943 lwest192 https://padlet.com/lwest192/kj6bqtk9ws7k/wish/212465878 Jenson talks about how we've reached the idea of the "last man" but our superman is nowhere yet to be found. We're waiting for reform, expectant for change, but it hasn't come as of yet, so we stay in a transitional state. This movie I found -- though I have not seen the film, the trailer offers a good idea of the plot -- highlights the struggle of waiting for change in an educational setting, condemning the educational system for failing the children passing through it. As a teaching candidate, this speaks to me because I crave to be a difference for students, but struggle in trying to understand how I can change the faulty system from within.]]> 2017-12-01 23:39:15 UTC https://padlet.com/lwest192/kj6bqtk9ws7k/wish/212465878