Connection Blog #5

I really want to like capitalism. I really want to. It’s so hard though. I have a job, I contribute to society. I take great pride in that, and those are the aspects of capitalism I love. I noticed how Target had gay-friendly ads, and I liked that, so I shopped at Target. I love that I, as the consumer, have the power. I noticed that Chick-fil-a was very anti-gay, so I opted to not give them my money. Once again, capitalism allows me, the consumer, to use my power to influence corporations and companies. These are the strengths of capitalism, and I love that aspect. However, I go to a public school. I would not be here without unions. Those are not capitalistic. They are the opposite of that. I want a society where everyone starts on an equal field, and then can work harder to achieve more. That is my dream. Unfortunately, that is not the case. Because of my region, my parents, my race, my sexuality, my gender, anything really, I am not on an equal level. In a capitalist society, you need money to make money. Because I can afford a laptop, I can do better in school than someone who cannot. Because I can afford to go to college, I will earn more than someone who couldn’t. I don’t necessarily advocate giving all the money to the poor, rather I advocate giving them a fair and proper chance, for the successful should be where they are as a result of their own success, not riding on the coattails of their parents or surroundings. I want free education for everyone, because that is the best way to ensure that you get a fair chance at success. Furthermore, more education leads to a better society, as we’d have the best of the best, not just the best of the privileged.

Response Blog #5

This book used to be clever, but now it’s kind of dull. I loved the first time Alberto referenced the fact that they were in a book, as it was very clever, but it has diminishing returns. When subtly referenced, it was extremely witty, and it allowed for fanciful mind games. However, it insults my intelligence by making it obvious. When Alberto literally says “next chapter”, I don’t like that. I really like subtle hints or easter eggs, so I can read into the book more and more and ponder whether there’s actually something there. I like little subtle hints, not overt flashing neons signs blaring “irony”. I acknowledge that this book may be written for younger audiences, but I still don’t like its simplicity. I can handle more vague references, I am willing to work harder to understand the whole that the book is saying. I like that kind of book. I don’t want the author to literally hand it to me. In a similar vein, I don’t like the way that the fictional characters are portrayed and handled. There is so much potential here, yet I feel like this was a misplay on the author’s behalf. The author’s attempt comes off as a sort of force-feeding, as he is shoving Winnie the Pooh or Scrooge down my throat. I feel as though a fleeting allusion would be more effective, make the reader wonder what the author meant. I don’t know the proper way to do that would be, but I feel that there was so much wasted potential here. Finally, I’ll end on a positive note. I really like the fact that Hilde goes to the encyclopedia and references what she just read. That is fantastic character building and also supplies the reader with more information.

Connection Blog #4

As we began covering the Enlightenment means of thinking, our class began speaking of mathematics. It upset me that people thought math was only 2+2=4 and simple stuff like that. In reality, math is so much more. Since I am going to do math for the rest of my life, I’m going to go ahead on a rant and prove how math models our reality, and I will argue that higher understanding of math will improve morals and outlook on society. First of all, we will examine the ability to understand reality through math. We know that the earth, through gravity, has an inherent pull on on all objects, with an acceleration of 9.8 meters per second squared. Through calculus, we can integrate that and find that the velocity is equal to 9.8 times time, all that in meters per second. Integrating again, we can find that the position of the velocity is equal to 9.8 multiplied by the time squared, with other variables tossed in. This is obviously quite simplistic, but the general idea is there. We can model quite literally anything in the real world with math, so it does not seem like that much a leap to model things in the subjective world. Say, for example, emotions. There are ups and downs, so we could model them with a sin function, which is a trigonometric wave. This does make sense, as the time between highs and lows can be adjusted graphically. We could also use mathematical functions to determine one’s values, with variables such as role models and upbringing. In fact, we already have a similar function with determining one’s political ideology. We can determine ideology with variables like age, family, race, gender, class, education, and the like.

Response Blog #4

In every book I read, I always like to have a little thought experiment with the reality of the book. When I was younger, I always liked to read at least two books at a time and see how the characters would interact with each other. For example, I would read Artemis Fowl and Harry Potter at the same time, and see how they would interact. Despite imagining Harry Potter committing massive heists, and having Jack and Annie cast spells, I never imagined that those characters would be reading about each other. This is so eloquent, and I admire the way that the author managed this situation. This is the best way to tie together so many loose strands. The author is like a god to the characters, and that really fits together with the philosophy being discussed and the question of whether a deity exists. Throughout the book, there are so many impossible occurrences. Futuristic letters, talking dogs, messages inside a banana, and the sheer improbability of everything in the book, all of these are objectively impossible. Up until this point I thought that the book was just childish, and that I was not the target audience of the book, as Sophie is just thirteen or fourteen. I just turned seventeen. I wasn’t particularly interested in all the silly hijinks or that kind of humor, I just wanted the philosophy. Now, I really enjoy this story, and everything makes sense. Hilde’s father is extremely witty and intelligent, and is able to entertain Hilde with inside jokes and references. This story is just so meta!!