And this time I do mean the holiday season!! Now usually, when I get into the holiday season, I push Thanksgiving out of my mind and move straight onto the Christmas movies... this year is no exception!
It all began about two weeks ago with Chris in Walmart. We wandered about the Christmas tree section... but my Christmas fever had not begun, mostly because of one Santa hat. It was heavy so I was intrigued and put it on my head. I pushed the button on the side and the hat began to sing and dance with such enthusiasm that I got whipped in the eye with a bell on the point of the hat. That ruined my Christmas joy...
But then, last night at my sister's, I had to hold myself back from watching Love Actually, one of my favorite Christmas movies. I decided I would not watch my first Christmas movie of the season alone, baby sitting a sleeping Jack, while my sister was out watching Harry Potter (which was excellent).
Tonight however, I could not escape Christmas. Elf, a movie I never appreciated until now, came onto USA and I could not resist the pull of Christmas joy. So I got right into it, taking a Facebook quiz which decided my soul's Christmas song is Jingle Bells. I can't wait to get home for Thanksgiving where I will have a plethora of movies to watch.
But onto Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Pt. 1. It was the best Harry Potter movie to date. I loved it, they stuck right to the books and ignored those plots holes they created for themselves in the last couple movies. I can't wait to see it again with Kevin!!
Sunday, November 21, 2010
Thursday, November 4, 2010
It's that time of year again...
No, I don't mean the holiday season (although we're almost getting there), I'm talking about the time of year when we talk about slavery in my history class. It happens every year, in every history class. There is something refreshing about American slavery though.
Americans will have you all believe that slavery ended with Abraham Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation, but I would like to argue otherwise. Is working for someone not slavery? I'd like to point out, that if you have a "boss" you are enslaved.
Sure, traditional African slaves did not get paid for their work, and had to live in terrible conditions and got whipped and things; but they had a place to live and were given food, which is much more than a lot of people have today. What more could you ask for? It's nice to say you are "free" and whatever, but freedom isn't all it's cracked up to be. People today work to make money to buy food and housing- so how is that any different? Especially when we look at the not so distant past in the United States of industrialization and the massive influx of European immigrants.
There were some immigrants who made it all work for them and were very successful, but the majority worked in factories being paid hardly anything and living in poverty. And they had a good chance of getting limps cut off in one of those sketchy machines they worked with. I, personally, would rather be whipped that have my hand taken off by a dirty, probably rather blunt, machine- especially since doctors were not very good back then. That's just me though.
I truly do sympathize with slaves. I will eventually become one of them. I will probably graduate college and go on to work for some white man who will punish me if I do something wrong. Sure he probably won't whip me, but he could fire me. Which is worse- being whipped, or losing your livelihood? I just wonder if being ginger puts me at risk for racial discrimination...
Americans will have you all believe that slavery ended with Abraham Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation, but I would like to argue otherwise. Is working for someone not slavery? I'd like to point out, that if you have a "boss" you are enslaved.
Sure, traditional African slaves did not get paid for their work, and had to live in terrible conditions and got whipped and things; but they had a place to live and were given food, which is much more than a lot of people have today. What more could you ask for? It's nice to say you are "free" and whatever, but freedom isn't all it's cracked up to be. People today work to make money to buy food and housing- so how is that any different? Especially when we look at the not so distant past in the United States of industrialization and the massive influx of European immigrants.
There were some immigrants who made it all work for them and were very successful, but the majority worked in factories being paid hardly anything and living in poverty. And they had a good chance of getting limps cut off in one of those sketchy machines they worked with. I, personally, would rather be whipped that have my hand taken off by a dirty, probably rather blunt, machine- especially since doctors were not very good back then. That's just me though.
I truly do sympathize with slaves. I will eventually become one of them. I will probably graduate college and go on to work for some white man who will punish me if I do something wrong. Sure he probably won't whip me, but he could fire me. Which is worse- being whipped, or losing your livelihood? I just wonder if being ginger puts me at risk for racial discrimination...
Wednesday, November 3, 2010
So interesting (yet bleak) thought today...
In my Contemporary Biology class we are assigned to read certain chapters out of Matt Ridley's book Genome:The Autobiography of a Species in 23 Chapters. The book is extremely interesting and informative, I suggest it to anyone who wants to know more about biology in a more relaxed way. Some of Ridley's chapters, however, are just a bummer. On Monday we were assigned to read the chapter entitled "Death."
In short, the chapter- no the entire book- is about death, everybody dies and our cells are constantly dying. I am becoming more of the mind that thinks- "why worry about it?" Why worry about what is going to kill us? It could be a car, it could be a disease, it could be anything. People worry and worry about how and when they are going to die, which is ridiculous. When people close to you die, it is devastating- I get that. It happens.
I'm not trying to be unsympathetic. Death is scary. The stress of worry about diseases and things is just too much to bear. I'm trying to say that people should just worry about what they are doing in the present time, not what will happen in the future. Don't nit pick you're health and say: What cancer does this food product cause? Nit pick your health and say: Will this make me feel good?
On that note, I will never be a scientist. It is far to much to think about. Especially on the cellular level. It ruins all the mystery.
In short, the chapter- no the entire book- is about death, everybody dies and our cells are constantly dying. I am becoming more of the mind that thinks- "why worry about it?" Why worry about what is going to kill us? It could be a car, it could be a disease, it could be anything. People worry and worry about how and when they are going to die, which is ridiculous. When people close to you die, it is devastating- I get that. It happens.
I'm not trying to be unsympathetic. Death is scary. The stress of worry about diseases and things is just too much to bear. I'm trying to say that people should just worry about what they are doing in the present time, not what will happen in the future. Don't nit pick you're health and say: What cancer does this food product cause? Nit pick your health and say: Will this make me feel good?
On that note, I will never be a scientist. It is far to much to think about. Especially on the cellular level. It ruins all the mystery.
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