This was an editorial I wrote for a Writing Workshop class. It's the first editorial I've ever attempted to write, and unfortunately it came out sounding more like a scholarly research paper.
Special needs education is a rapidly growing field of study as every day more children are diagnosed as special needs. Some parents will simply seek a prescription from their doctors as a quick fix to their child's inattentiveness, but for the vast majority of Americans whose children have been diagnosed, special needs goes far beyond anything a pill can cure. These parents depend on the staff of their child's schools to make sure they are being educated in a manner that will allow them to reach their maximum potential. The Massachusetts Department of Education (MASSDE), however, has repeatedly violated the rights of special needs children to the appropriate educational accommodations they need in order to learn.
Under federal law, students with disabilities are entitled to “free appropriate public education . . . and related services designed to meet their unique needs.” This was established in 1975 under the Education of All Handicapped Children Act (EHA), which was reauthorized and renamed to the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) in 1990. The underlying principle of IDEA is often swept aside by Massachusetts's additional Effective Progress standard. Effective Progress grants special education only to students diagnosed with learning or developmental disorders which are a hindrance to the effective progress of their learning. While this seems like a reasonable addition to ensure the proper distribution of funds, it has been egregiously abused to deny struggling children the special education they need.
One major complaint with the special education system in Massachusetts is that, because of low funding, only those who are diagnosed as disabled are entitled to the benefits provided by the system. School staff evaluate a child's diagnosis and discuss the creation of an Individualized Education Plan (IEP), which is created based on the student's evaluation results and expectations of both the staff and parents. In many cases, the school's staff disagrees with the diagnoses provided by physicians, psychologists, and neurologists, insisting that children are either misdiagnosed or that their diagnosis does not prevent Effective Progress. It is extremely common for parents and teachers to disagree on the terms of an IEP as many schools do not offer programs that accommodate specific learning disabilities.
The lack of qualified special needs professionals in public schools often leads to the creation of IEPs based on what is available rather than what is best for the child. Parents who can afford to do so may hire educational consultants to work with their children in school, but this method is costly and difficult to coordinate with the school. Many frustrated parents feel that the special education system is minimally helpful to students with disabilities.
The overwhelming failure of the special education program in Massachusetts is a direct result of poor funding for public schools. In a 2008 study done by the New American Foundation based on data from both the U.S. Census Bureau and the U.S. Department of Education, Massachusetts ranked 24th in federal IDEA funding per disabled student, despite having the 2nd largest percentage of disabled students in the country. The full report shows that funds are allocated based more on student poverty than disability. Federal funding of IDEA has been a disgrace from its origins, never covering the 40 percent of excess costs promised under EHA. This leaves the state and local government to pay for the majority of special education costs, as they are required by federal law to provide for these students once they accept any amount of federal funding.
Many argue that since the creation of EHA and the start of federal special education funding there has been no noticeable improvement in the overall effectiveness of the education system. This is a common myth which does not hold up to examination, as the U.S. Census Bureau claims a more than 10 percent increase in high school graduation rates since 1970. If funds were properly allocated and put to use, this figure could be increased even more.
The general lack of funding for special education both in Massachusetts and across the country stems from the avarice of the average American taxpayer. There are many citizens who feel that it is unjust that they must give up a small portion of their money to pay for the education of another family's children. But is it not far more unjust to deny these children the educational standards provided to “normal” children? If denied the special education they need, today's children will develop in a world in which they cannot properly function, surrounded by a society which has cruelly cast them out for a small price. As congress stated when EHA was first passed, “With proper education services, many would be able to become productive citizens, contributing to society instead of being forced to remain burdens.” If our society values the prospect of minor luxuries over that of a proper education for our children, than we have truly abandoned the future for our own hedonism.
Monday, October 18, 2010
The Town Review
The Town, written by Peter Craig and Ben Affleck, directed by Ben Aflleck, and starring Ben Affleck, is exactly what one would expect from Ben Affleck. It is full of gunfights, car chases, fist fights, and of course romantic tension.
Affleck's character, Doug MacRay, has lived his whole life in the slums of Charlestown, MA, the supposed “bank robbery capital of America.” When robbing a bank with his best friends Jim Coughlin (Jeremy Renner), Albert “Gloansy” Magloan (Slaine), and Desmond Elden (Owen Burke), the silent alarm is pressed, and they are forced to take the bank manager Claire Kessey (Rebecca Hall) as a hostage to escape. Though they all wear masks during the robbery and destroy anything that could be used as evidence, the robbers decide to send Doug to check on Claire and make sure she did not see anything that could be used against them. After talking with her, Doug quickly falls in love with Claire, who never suspects he was one of the men who held her hostage.
Meanwhile, FBI Agent Adam Frawley (Jon Hamm) is determined to catch the four robbers at any cost. While busting drug dealers he suspects may be used to launder the bank robbery money, he discovers the identities of Doug and his friends, but does not have enough evidence to convict them. We learn that Doug was drafted into the NHL, but was kicked out for excessive fighting. Throughout the movie Doug is portrayed as the only Charlestown native with potential, which his friends and family destroy by constantly dragging him into crime. Jim is portrayed as Doug's worst influence, a friend who prefers to shoot first and ask questions later. Jim's family adopted Doug when he was six,after Doug's father (Chris Cooper) was imprisoned and his mother ran away.
This movie, while not overly terrible, has many failings, which prevented it from fully captivating me, the first of which is its overwhelming predictability. Affleck's character is meant to be such a nice bank robber that he gets to know the woman they took hostage while he is supposed to be making sure she has no evidence. Then after learning she knows nothing, he continues to see her, building a relationship which should never have existed in the first place. Despite the obvious problems in their relationship, Doug soon falls madly in love with Claire and decides he wants to change his life, by escaping the criminal world.
Even though the major aspects of the plot are predictable, there were details throughout the movie that I was left wondering about by the end. The four friends seem to have an inexhaustible arsenal of weapons (though they seem to favor assault rifles) and ammo, though where these all come from is never explained. Their robberies are carried out with the tactical precision of a swat team, though none mention having any sort of training. Before one robbery scene they are shown disinfecting everything they use, from guns and ammo to the gear they wear. Similarly they are shown dumping bleach at the crime scenes to destroy DNA, and destroying cameras and computer hard drives. This attention to detail befits master criminals, yet these are four Boston natives with criminal records who are easily identified.
For those who like action movies, I would recommend this as a rental rather than seeing it in theaters. If you do not like violence and vulgarity this movie is not for you because it is essentially two hours of shooting and swearing in heavy Boston accents.
Affleck's character, Doug MacRay, has lived his whole life in the slums of Charlestown, MA, the supposed “bank robbery capital of America.” When robbing a bank with his best friends Jim Coughlin (Jeremy Renner), Albert “Gloansy” Magloan (Slaine), and Desmond Elden (Owen Burke), the silent alarm is pressed, and they are forced to take the bank manager Claire Kessey (Rebecca Hall) as a hostage to escape. Though they all wear masks during the robbery and destroy anything that could be used as evidence, the robbers decide to send Doug to check on Claire and make sure she did not see anything that could be used against them. After talking with her, Doug quickly falls in love with Claire, who never suspects he was one of the men who held her hostage.
Meanwhile, FBI Agent Adam Frawley (Jon Hamm) is determined to catch the four robbers at any cost. While busting drug dealers he suspects may be used to launder the bank robbery money, he discovers the identities of Doug and his friends, but does not have enough evidence to convict them. We learn that Doug was drafted into the NHL, but was kicked out for excessive fighting. Throughout the movie Doug is portrayed as the only Charlestown native with potential, which his friends and family destroy by constantly dragging him into crime. Jim is portrayed as Doug's worst influence, a friend who prefers to shoot first and ask questions later. Jim's family adopted Doug when he was six,after Doug's father (Chris Cooper) was imprisoned and his mother ran away.
This movie, while not overly terrible, has many failings, which prevented it from fully captivating me, the first of which is its overwhelming predictability. Affleck's character is meant to be such a nice bank robber that he gets to know the woman they took hostage while he is supposed to be making sure she has no evidence. Then after learning she knows nothing, he continues to see her, building a relationship which should never have existed in the first place. Despite the obvious problems in their relationship, Doug soon falls madly in love with Claire and decides he wants to change his life, by escaping the criminal world.
Even though the major aspects of the plot are predictable, there were details throughout the movie that I was left wondering about by the end. The four friends seem to have an inexhaustible arsenal of weapons (though they seem to favor assault rifles) and ammo, though where these all come from is never explained. Their robberies are carried out with the tactical precision of a swat team, though none mention having any sort of training. Before one robbery scene they are shown disinfecting everything they use, from guns and ammo to the gear they wear. Similarly they are shown dumping bleach at the crime scenes to destroy DNA, and destroying cameras and computer hard drives. This attention to detail befits master criminals, yet these are four Boston natives with criminal records who are easily identified.
For those who like action movies, I would recommend this as a rental rather than seeing it in theaters. If you do not like violence and vulgarity this movie is not for you because it is essentially two hours of shooting and swearing in heavy Boston accents.
Thursday, October 14, 2010
Imprisonment of the Mind
He could feel his headache grow as he walked down the crowded city street to his cheap apartment. They always started like a cloud of smoke in the very back of his head. When he felt them coming on he would do every mental exercise Dr. Thornston taught him. When these failed, as they always did, he would change to the tactic he had grown up with: unleashing a stream of threats and curses that made every person turn his way as he walked past.
The Cloud of pain was reaching his temples, where he knew it would soon evolve into stabbing needles of pain. He kept walking: had to make it back to the apartment where he could lie down and sleep it off. They said there would probably be some minor headaches when he signed up, but for Christ's sake, this pain was unbearable. It was not the standard headache borne of stress and weariness. It felt as if his brain was growing while his head remained the same size.
He had already taken 4 patches of aspirin, twice the recommended dosage, but he stopped briefly on the dirty corner and pulled the box out of his jacket pocket. Rolling up the faded brown sleeve of his polyester jacket, he slapped two more patches onto his left arm. Thousands of tiny needles sank into his pale flesh, each delivering a miniscule dose of weak painkiller.
The Cloud, seeming threatened by the medicine, advanced its position. From his cerebellum it crept around the perimeter of his cerebral hemisphere, oozing into the very center of his mind.
The doctors had pointed at the charts and diagrams of the brain, explaining the procedure in a language that required at least ten years of higher education to understand. All this was meant to assure him that they knew what they were doing. In theory at least.
Of course, this procedure had never been performed on a human before.
The government had hired some of the world's best neurosurgeons to attempt what they called the greatest breakthrough in the study of the human mind. And of course West himself was being very well compensated for the use of his brain.
The goal was theoretically simple: connect the consciousness of one person into the sensory input of another. This would allow the person who's consciousness had been transferred to experience everything their host experienced, but not be able to control the body. The government was funding the program because they had high hopes that it could reduce the severely high prison population. If a convicted criminal could simply have their consciousness transferred out of their body, the government could drastically cut back on prison funding, as the criminal's physical bodies could be piled into a single room and fed intravenously. With this method there was no risk of riots, breakouts, or fights among the inmates, and therefore no need to hire guards to risk their lives taking care of society's worst.
But, the operation had failed. The doctors claimed that while the transfer was unsuccessful, no permanent damage was done to West's brain.
The prisoner's consciousness was irrecoverable, however, since the surgeons had removed the section of the prisoner's brain which contained his consciousness and rudely shoved it into West's own head. Room was made to accommodate for this, there were apparently many parts of his brain that West never used and were therefore completely expendable.
It had been a week since the surgery and West felt no different, aside from the headaches. Though he had returned to the doctors after the first one had passed, they assured him that they were only temporary and would soon fade away. Much like with other transplants, it takes time for the host's body to fully accept the alien tissue. In this case they claimed, his body had accepted the transfer willingly, but his delicate mind was still struggling to deal with the shock of having the additional, unused processing power of an entire new consciousness. They said this all with sad expressions, as if telling a sick puppy that it would get better even though you know it can't understand you.
His body had closed the distance to his apartment while he had been thinking, and now he keyed into the building and walked down the long, poorly lit hallway towards his room, all the while holding the sides of his head in an attempt to keep it from exploding. As he staggered into his room he noticed the blinking red light on his phone, new messages. Ignoring it, he stumbled to the bathroom and opened the mirror, revealing a large collection of pills, patches, syrups, and sprays.
Most were legal over-the-counter medicines. Some were given out only on prescriptions which he did not have. A few lurking in the back were downright illegal. Things which the FDA had deemed unsafe after a short trial period, or which never even made it past experimental stages. It was a bottle of this sort that he reached for, knocking over several others with his trembling hands. This particular pill had promised to be the cure for insomnia, the perfect sleeping pill. It was too perfect, actually, as a short time on the market revealed. Taking it with any amount of alcohol quickly induced an almost coma-like sleep.
Freeing a pill from the bottle, and opening a flask of whiskey, he moved to his bedroom, prepared to sleep off the headache. He popped the pill in is mouth, took a swig of the whiskey and collapsed before he could so much as remove his jacket.
When he awoke, the headache had disappeared entirely. He felt incredibly groggy though, almost unwilling to wake up. Wondering how long he had slept, he turned to look at the LED clock on the nightstand next to his bed.
His body did not respond.
West panicked. He tried to open his eyes, but the world remained dark. He tried to yell but no sound came from his mouth.
The pills, he thought. That's what happens when you take black market medicine for the side effects. He was wondering how long his body could survive by itself in a coma when his thoughts were interrupted by an eruption of light.
As his vision adjusted, he recognized the blurry scene of his room. Yawning and stretching his arms, his body sat up and cleared its throat, mumbling sleep half-dream thoughts.
He watched all this with horror, as he realized someone else now had control of his body.
Eyes still only half open, he walked to the bathroom and emptied his bladder. On his way out, whoever was in control of his body noticed the open cabinet and the bottles of pills scattered about. He inspected every bottle, carefully reading the labels, sometimes smirking at the names or effects of the various drugs. Whenever he came across an interesting looking one he would place it in one of the jacket's many pockets, for later recreational use West could only assume. When the ones he decided not to take were all safely back on the shelves, he closed the cabinet door and jumped at West's reflection in the mirror.
Staring at the mirror, his body soon began to run his hands over his face to confirm the reflection. The pointy chin and sunken gray eyes that were West's most notable features. Sparse freckles on either side of his crooked nose were the only physical manifestations of his Irish ancestry. The hands brushed over the thin, black fuzz that was the remnants of his hair after the surgery. When they found the scar, his head tipped down to angle the area at the mirror. West could see the hideous purple horseshoe shape where his scalp had been peeled back then sewn back together.
“Transfer,” the man in control of his voice whispered, and the sound of West's voice snapped the man out of his thoughts. He straightened his posture and cleared his throat, experimenting with the range his new vocal chords allowed him.
After this warmup he returned to the bedroom and sat on the bed.
“What happened?” West's voice was awkward sounding, and a long, uncomfortable silence followed. That was directed at you. The voice West heard in his head was not at all like his own. It was a low raspy drone of a man just entering the decline of his life. Though he had no image of the man who now controlled his body, he felt the knowing smirk that would be on the man's face if he had the one that matched the voice.
Damned if I know, West thought , but the man seemed not to be able to hear this. You in there? Call was for two of us in here, I believe. Think... forward. Like, push the thought out.
Damned if I know, West thought, following the voice's directions for communitcation. There was no reply, but West could tell it was a calculated silence designed to make him give an explanation, so he told him all he knew.
The operation didn't work. It was a weak explanation, and he knew it as soon as he sent it, but it was all he had. The voice laughed, a cold slimy laugh that gave West the feeling of goosebumps crawling across his skin, though of course his skin did not respond.
Clearly. How come you didn't know how to talk to me? They teach you what to do bout all this?
They said they'd be right there with me if it was successful. But since it failed they didn't wanna tell me anything more than they had to.
So they're done with you know? Cast ya out into the world?
West tried to send an image of himself nodding his head and the man seemed to get it because that laugh came again, grating. Well I'll tell ya what kid, I don't normally do well with commitment but I think it's safe to say that Vin Maloney is gonna be staying here for a LONG time. West's world went black once more as Vin effectively ended the conversation.
West came to several hours later, and from the glimpses he caught out of Vin's half-lidded eyes, he could see the former prisoner had been busy. Used cans of Warp littered the apartment's living room where he now sat, half sleeping with the television blaring.
West had tried Warp once while he was in high school. The popular recreational drug was originally a market fluke which many took advantage of. Spray cans of a newly developed air freshener were found to emit an incredibly high-pitched frequency that would temporarily alter one's brain if held up to an ear. The air freshener was soon removed from the market, but the cans were studied and reproduced illegally for their bizarre side effect.
The Warp high was the strangest sensation he had ever felt, and not entirely pleasant which is why he had only tried it once. The can's frequency altered brainwaves, making the user feel like they were experiencing something other than what was around them. Many people believe they are seeing or hearing things from another dimension or parallel universe while on Warp.
Assuming he now had some time to think about his current predicament due to Vin's state of mind, West compiled the little information he had. The prisoner had seized his mind somehow, and could apparently knock West out at will. He was clearly better informed on what to expect in this scenario than West, likely having had some mental training in prison before discarding his body. But, if he could grab the controls from the back seat, West at least knew it was possible for him to do the same.
It shouldn't have been possible, though. That was the one worry West had had before signing up for the program, and the doctors had all assured him he would always be in control.
So what went wrong?
There were the headaches, he thought at first. The doctors thought his mind was still trying to reject the transplant, but they also thought Vin didn't make it in. Vin must have been lurking in the back of West's head the whole time, maybe even causing the headaches to weaken West so he could gain control.
Suddenly, West remembered the pill he had taken to relieve his headache. Somehow, he thought, that pill was the key to the whole problem. When he took the pill with alcohol, it must have knocked him out on enough levels to allow Vin to take over. Which meant that if he could get Vin to take one, he could regain control.
West didn't know if Vin had purposely caused the headache he had had earlier, but he was sure as hell going to try to repay the ex-prisoner for his hospitality.
Conjuring up every image of pain and suffering he could think of, West threw them one at a a time towards Vin like they had been communicating before. Fire, sharks, needles, voodoo dolls, knives, guns, stun-guns, poison darts, poison dart frogs, snakes, lasers, searing metal shrapnel raining down with hurricane force. Drowning, a solid kick to the nuts, killer bees, grizzly bears, boiling oil, acid, a plague of locusts devouring Vin's flesh one miniscule bite at a time. Vin did not stir enough from his Warp trip to respond to any of these, though West could have sworn he felt a faint stirring at the locusts.
He had to keep trying, but West's imagination was rapidly failing him. He moved into more obscure realms, digging deep within himself for concepts he found particularly horrifying. Murder, rape, slavery. Genocide, or worse yet, the annihilation of an entire group of people based on unobservable personal belief systems. Rampant famine and easily prevented diseases in impoverished areas while the elite few live a lavish lifestyle of wastefulness. The knowledge that all humans had evolved and would forever continue to evolve around a corrupt system based on greed and personal gain rather than the advancement of the species and the societies which it creates.
West found this last image particularly disturbing, and he could think of no worse thought to use against the trespasser of his mind. Receding to a dark corner of his own mind, he prepared to temporarily surrender to the intruder's way of life.
He was feeling the same hopelessness he had at being pushed through the public school system. Tireless, monotonous, information recited in a never ending litany he could never hope to remember. Different types of math and history, none of which he would ever use after the tests while none of the practical information he craved was ever mentioned. All part of a larger system designed to mold him into an unthinking servant of the majority's will.
Vin more than stirred at West's personal brooding, even though he was not thinking it in the forceful manner they used to communicate. Their shared eyes opened wide, and with a gasping intake of breath, Vin sucked West into the foreign depths of the Warp trip.
Warp gets its name from the rude mental transportation that brings users to their hallucinated destination. West shot pat stars, planets, galaxies at impossible speeds, turning his whole perceived universe into a never-ending blur. Colors and shapes all morphed into a single streak of energy as he continued to accelerate. Soon he was moving fast enough to exit the realm of physical energy and enter the higher order of conception and perception.
West finally found himself on alien territory populated by the chaos of the thoughts he had used against Vin. Bees, sharks, and grizzly bears fought for control of land and population, never realizing that their war was meaningless entertainment to the man who oversaw the whole thing.
The face that hung in the sky was god-like. Penetrating dark brown eyes shadowed by graying bushy eyebrows. A large, bulbous nose hung out over a mouth with an ever present smirk, safely cushioned in a landscape of brown facial hair. Short, dark hair with a streak of gray arcing back from the left temple. Vin's face was exactly how West had pictured it upon first hearing his voice.
The god-face vanished suddenly, and the man himself was soon standing in front of West, close enough to be threatening, but far enough away that he did not immediately provoke physical conflict. “The muse meets his creations and frowns upon them,” he said gesturing to the war raging around them, the smirk never faltering. “I was growing bored with my own creations in here, but you made things very interesting, I must say.”
West said nothing, but simply stared defiantly at his captor. Any doubt he had before regarding Vin's sanity was now removed. The man was surely mad to be enjoying such chaotic dystopia.
“Math class though?” The smirk briefly gave way to a slight frown, every bit as mocking. “Not quite as thrilling a toy as the rest of them.” He casually touched his left temple where the streak of gray seemed to appear. As he did this, West could see the creases in his face tighten, and with a start he realized there was a twinge of pain in that gesture.
“Not toys,” he said, grasping for anything that might upset the convict. “Much as I hated it, there was one thing I learned from history class all those years ago. Education and the trial and error process are the only things which will someday relieve us of the constant repetition of humanity's worst crimes. The cycle can be ended, if not for men like you who perpetuate the errors of the past.” West could see that despite his brave facade, Vin was certainly losing patience with him. The criminal lowered his head for a moment, and West could see the gray streak was wrapping around the base of Vin's skull to curve around to the other temple.
The Cloud, West realized. This was his chance to knock his captor off-balance. As a criminal with apparent psychotic tendencies, Vin delighted in the things West had considered torment, but the knowledge of greater issues pained him.
“Communication is the problem,” West quickly continued, drawing on a lecture from a particularly unexciting sociology class he had taken. “Instead of communicating your wants to others, you have taken it upon yourself to seize the things you want from those who lack the power to do anything about it.” The streak was definitely growing, creeping up around Vin's right ear like a vine. He raised his head to glare at West, and the animals in the background paused their fighting for a moment to study their creators before halfheartedly resuming the strife.
“Enough,” grunted Vin. “I get it. The world would be such a nice perfect place if not for people like myself.” He waved his hand and the whole scene grew fuzzy, dissipating into a bright light while the buzzing of the killer bees was magnified a thousand times over. All this happened in a moment, but not before West saw that the Cloud had completed its circuit around the perimeter of Vin's brain. The gray was rapidly becoming a shocking bright white which now climbed steadily to the crown of the man's head. West knew that soon enough it would begin the piercing dive into every level of his captor's consciousness.
The two men found themselves back in their body in West's apartment. Vin reached up with West's hand to massage his temples and knuckle his forehead. He finally got up off the couch to down the remainder of West's supply of cheap whiskey. Finding this equally ineffective in dealing with the headache, he stumbled to the bathroom and the mirror cabinet which held West's stash of drugs.
He tried every headache relief and pain killer he could find before finally reaching for the bottle that would put him to sleep. West's heart would have been pounding in anticipation if it were properly responding to him. But it wasn't, and therefore there were nothing to give away his plan.
Not knowing what to expect, and having consumed a great deal more alcohol before taking the pill than West had, Vin did not even make it out of the bathroom before being knocked unconscious.
It was terribly easy for West to probe his way into his own nervous system. First he could smell the alcohol on his own breath, then taste it in the back of his mouth. Vision was somewhat harder to obtain because his eye were closed and he could not yet open them. Finally he discerned that he had wormed his way into sight when he noted the reappearance of the floating spots that plagued the corners of his vision. He heard the water running in the sink, and finally could feel the cold tiles of the bathroom floor pressed against his face.
Upon regaining control of his nervous system, West was swept up in the thunderstorm of blackness which was the pill's terrifying power.
When he awoke after two days of unconsciousness, the first thing he did was walk back to the doctor's office where the surgery had been performed. He told the doctors his story, all the while they took notes and muttered “Of course!” at inappropriate times. Finally they performed another surgery on him, this one designed to undo the damage they had done.
As they gassed him for the surgery West could hear the mad ramblings of his tormenter's last thoughts.
Perpetuating cycle of error. Consequences of the past mean nothing to those who look only to the future. Communication does not truly exist without trust, and human greed dissolves trust. Societies are built on lies and greed, and everyday the corruption is introduced as necessary to the next generation. Our subservience to chaos and dystopia are the only factors which differentiate us from animals.
You're wrong. West thought back at him as the cold blackness of sleeping gas crept around the edges of his vision. Every day of human history moves the species further. Animals wait for the future and accept the changes it will bring. Humans reach into the future to alter the present and leave accounts of their lives so that future generations may learn from their mistakes. Every success and every failure in human history is one step closer to utopia.
As his hate for the monster who had taken over his body was replaced with pity, West embraced the world and the people who inhabited it. He embraced the doctors who had messed up the operation. He embraced the government who funded the program, another failed solution to a problem that humans would not give up on. Finally, for the last time, he embraced the gas's blackness, not knowing where it would take him, but knowing that somehow humanity would find a way to learn from his experiences.
The Cloud of pain was reaching his temples, where he knew it would soon evolve into stabbing needles of pain. He kept walking: had to make it back to the apartment where he could lie down and sleep it off. They said there would probably be some minor headaches when he signed up, but for Christ's sake, this pain was unbearable. It was not the standard headache borne of stress and weariness. It felt as if his brain was growing while his head remained the same size.
He had already taken 4 patches of aspirin, twice the recommended dosage, but he stopped briefly on the dirty corner and pulled the box out of his jacket pocket. Rolling up the faded brown sleeve of his polyester jacket, he slapped two more patches onto his left arm. Thousands of tiny needles sank into his pale flesh, each delivering a miniscule dose of weak painkiller.
The Cloud, seeming threatened by the medicine, advanced its position. From his cerebellum it crept around the perimeter of his cerebral hemisphere, oozing into the very center of his mind.
The doctors had pointed at the charts and diagrams of the brain, explaining the procedure in a language that required at least ten years of higher education to understand. All this was meant to assure him that they knew what they were doing. In theory at least.
Of course, this procedure had never been performed on a human before.
The government had hired some of the world's best neurosurgeons to attempt what they called the greatest breakthrough in the study of the human mind. And of course West himself was being very well compensated for the use of his brain.
The goal was theoretically simple: connect the consciousness of one person into the sensory input of another. This would allow the person who's consciousness had been transferred to experience everything their host experienced, but not be able to control the body. The government was funding the program because they had high hopes that it could reduce the severely high prison population. If a convicted criminal could simply have their consciousness transferred out of their body, the government could drastically cut back on prison funding, as the criminal's physical bodies could be piled into a single room and fed intravenously. With this method there was no risk of riots, breakouts, or fights among the inmates, and therefore no need to hire guards to risk their lives taking care of society's worst.
But, the operation had failed. The doctors claimed that while the transfer was unsuccessful, no permanent damage was done to West's brain.
The prisoner's consciousness was irrecoverable, however, since the surgeons had removed the section of the prisoner's brain which contained his consciousness and rudely shoved it into West's own head. Room was made to accommodate for this, there were apparently many parts of his brain that West never used and were therefore completely expendable.
It had been a week since the surgery and West felt no different, aside from the headaches. Though he had returned to the doctors after the first one had passed, they assured him that they were only temporary and would soon fade away. Much like with other transplants, it takes time for the host's body to fully accept the alien tissue. In this case they claimed, his body had accepted the transfer willingly, but his delicate mind was still struggling to deal with the shock of having the additional, unused processing power of an entire new consciousness. They said this all with sad expressions, as if telling a sick puppy that it would get better even though you know it can't understand you.
His body had closed the distance to his apartment while he had been thinking, and now he keyed into the building and walked down the long, poorly lit hallway towards his room, all the while holding the sides of his head in an attempt to keep it from exploding. As he staggered into his room he noticed the blinking red light on his phone, new messages. Ignoring it, he stumbled to the bathroom and opened the mirror, revealing a large collection of pills, patches, syrups, and sprays.
Most were legal over-the-counter medicines. Some were given out only on prescriptions which he did not have. A few lurking in the back were downright illegal. Things which the FDA had deemed unsafe after a short trial period, or which never even made it past experimental stages. It was a bottle of this sort that he reached for, knocking over several others with his trembling hands. This particular pill had promised to be the cure for insomnia, the perfect sleeping pill. It was too perfect, actually, as a short time on the market revealed. Taking it with any amount of alcohol quickly induced an almost coma-like sleep.
Freeing a pill from the bottle, and opening a flask of whiskey, he moved to his bedroom, prepared to sleep off the headache. He popped the pill in is mouth, took a swig of the whiskey and collapsed before he could so much as remove his jacket.
* * *
When he awoke, the headache had disappeared entirely. He felt incredibly groggy though, almost unwilling to wake up. Wondering how long he had slept, he turned to look at the LED clock on the nightstand next to his bed.
His body did not respond.
West panicked. He tried to open his eyes, but the world remained dark. He tried to yell but no sound came from his mouth.
The pills, he thought. That's what happens when you take black market medicine for the side effects. He was wondering how long his body could survive by itself in a coma when his thoughts were interrupted by an eruption of light.
As his vision adjusted, he recognized the blurry scene of his room. Yawning and stretching his arms, his body sat up and cleared its throat, mumbling sleep half-dream thoughts.
He watched all this with horror, as he realized someone else now had control of his body.
Eyes still only half open, he walked to the bathroom and emptied his bladder. On his way out, whoever was in control of his body noticed the open cabinet and the bottles of pills scattered about. He inspected every bottle, carefully reading the labels, sometimes smirking at the names or effects of the various drugs. Whenever he came across an interesting looking one he would place it in one of the jacket's many pockets, for later recreational use West could only assume. When the ones he decided not to take were all safely back on the shelves, he closed the cabinet door and jumped at West's reflection in the mirror.
Staring at the mirror, his body soon began to run his hands over his face to confirm the reflection. The pointy chin and sunken gray eyes that were West's most notable features. Sparse freckles on either side of his crooked nose were the only physical manifestations of his Irish ancestry. The hands brushed over the thin, black fuzz that was the remnants of his hair after the surgery. When they found the scar, his head tipped down to angle the area at the mirror. West could see the hideous purple horseshoe shape where his scalp had been peeled back then sewn back together.
“Transfer,” the man in control of his voice whispered, and the sound of West's voice snapped the man out of his thoughts. He straightened his posture and cleared his throat, experimenting with the range his new vocal chords allowed him.
After this warmup he returned to the bedroom and sat on the bed.
“What happened?” West's voice was awkward sounding, and a long, uncomfortable silence followed. That was directed at you. The voice West heard in his head was not at all like his own. It was a low raspy drone of a man just entering the decline of his life. Though he had no image of the man who now controlled his body, he felt the knowing smirk that would be on the man's face if he had the one that matched the voice.
Damned if I know, West thought , but the man seemed not to be able to hear this. You in there? Call was for two of us in here, I believe. Think... forward. Like, push the thought out.
Damned if I know, West thought, following the voice's directions for communitcation. There was no reply, but West could tell it was a calculated silence designed to make him give an explanation, so he told him all he knew.
The operation didn't work. It was a weak explanation, and he knew it as soon as he sent it, but it was all he had. The voice laughed, a cold slimy laugh that gave West the feeling of goosebumps crawling across his skin, though of course his skin did not respond.
Clearly. How come you didn't know how to talk to me? They teach you what to do bout all this?
They said they'd be right there with me if it was successful. But since it failed they didn't wanna tell me anything more than they had to.
So they're done with you know? Cast ya out into the world?
West tried to send an image of himself nodding his head and the man seemed to get it because that laugh came again, grating. Well I'll tell ya what kid, I don't normally do well with commitment but I think it's safe to say that Vin Maloney is gonna be staying here for a LONG time. West's world went black once more as Vin effectively ended the conversation.
* * *
West came to several hours later, and from the glimpses he caught out of Vin's half-lidded eyes, he could see the former prisoner had been busy. Used cans of Warp littered the apartment's living room where he now sat, half sleeping with the television blaring.
West had tried Warp once while he was in high school. The popular recreational drug was originally a market fluke which many took advantage of. Spray cans of a newly developed air freshener were found to emit an incredibly high-pitched frequency that would temporarily alter one's brain if held up to an ear. The air freshener was soon removed from the market, but the cans were studied and reproduced illegally for their bizarre side effect.
The Warp high was the strangest sensation he had ever felt, and not entirely pleasant which is why he had only tried it once. The can's frequency altered brainwaves, making the user feel like they were experiencing something other than what was around them. Many people believe they are seeing or hearing things from another dimension or parallel universe while on Warp.
Assuming he now had some time to think about his current predicament due to Vin's state of mind, West compiled the little information he had. The prisoner had seized his mind somehow, and could apparently knock West out at will. He was clearly better informed on what to expect in this scenario than West, likely having had some mental training in prison before discarding his body. But, if he could grab the controls from the back seat, West at least knew it was possible for him to do the same.
It shouldn't have been possible, though. That was the one worry West had had before signing up for the program, and the doctors had all assured him he would always be in control.
So what went wrong?
There were the headaches, he thought at first. The doctors thought his mind was still trying to reject the transplant, but they also thought Vin didn't make it in. Vin must have been lurking in the back of West's head the whole time, maybe even causing the headaches to weaken West so he could gain control.
Suddenly, West remembered the pill he had taken to relieve his headache. Somehow, he thought, that pill was the key to the whole problem. When he took the pill with alcohol, it must have knocked him out on enough levels to allow Vin to take over. Which meant that if he could get Vin to take one, he could regain control.
West didn't know if Vin had purposely caused the headache he had had earlier, but he was sure as hell going to try to repay the ex-prisoner for his hospitality.
Conjuring up every image of pain and suffering he could think of, West threw them one at a a time towards Vin like they had been communicating before. Fire, sharks, needles, voodoo dolls, knives, guns, stun-guns, poison darts, poison dart frogs, snakes, lasers, searing metal shrapnel raining down with hurricane force. Drowning, a solid kick to the nuts, killer bees, grizzly bears, boiling oil, acid, a plague of locusts devouring Vin's flesh one miniscule bite at a time. Vin did not stir enough from his Warp trip to respond to any of these, though West could have sworn he felt a faint stirring at the locusts.
He had to keep trying, but West's imagination was rapidly failing him. He moved into more obscure realms, digging deep within himself for concepts he found particularly horrifying. Murder, rape, slavery. Genocide, or worse yet, the annihilation of an entire group of people based on unobservable personal belief systems. Rampant famine and easily prevented diseases in impoverished areas while the elite few live a lavish lifestyle of wastefulness. The knowledge that all humans had evolved and would forever continue to evolve around a corrupt system based on greed and personal gain rather than the advancement of the species and the societies which it creates.
West found this last image particularly disturbing, and he could think of no worse thought to use against the trespasser of his mind. Receding to a dark corner of his own mind, he prepared to temporarily surrender to the intruder's way of life.
He was feeling the same hopelessness he had at being pushed through the public school system. Tireless, monotonous, information recited in a never ending litany he could never hope to remember. Different types of math and history, none of which he would ever use after the tests while none of the practical information he craved was ever mentioned. All part of a larger system designed to mold him into an unthinking servant of the majority's will.
Vin more than stirred at West's personal brooding, even though he was not thinking it in the forceful manner they used to communicate. Their shared eyes opened wide, and with a gasping intake of breath, Vin sucked West into the foreign depths of the Warp trip.
Warp gets its name from the rude mental transportation that brings users to their hallucinated destination. West shot pat stars, planets, galaxies at impossible speeds, turning his whole perceived universe into a never-ending blur. Colors and shapes all morphed into a single streak of energy as he continued to accelerate. Soon he was moving fast enough to exit the realm of physical energy and enter the higher order of conception and perception.
West finally found himself on alien territory populated by the chaos of the thoughts he had used against Vin. Bees, sharks, and grizzly bears fought for control of land and population, never realizing that their war was meaningless entertainment to the man who oversaw the whole thing.
The face that hung in the sky was god-like. Penetrating dark brown eyes shadowed by graying bushy eyebrows. A large, bulbous nose hung out over a mouth with an ever present smirk, safely cushioned in a landscape of brown facial hair. Short, dark hair with a streak of gray arcing back from the left temple. Vin's face was exactly how West had pictured it upon first hearing his voice.
The god-face vanished suddenly, and the man himself was soon standing in front of West, close enough to be threatening, but far enough away that he did not immediately provoke physical conflict. “The muse meets his creations and frowns upon them,” he said gesturing to the war raging around them, the smirk never faltering. “I was growing bored with my own creations in here, but you made things very interesting, I must say.”
West said nothing, but simply stared defiantly at his captor. Any doubt he had before regarding Vin's sanity was now removed. The man was surely mad to be enjoying such chaotic dystopia.
“Math class though?” The smirk briefly gave way to a slight frown, every bit as mocking. “Not quite as thrilling a toy as the rest of them.” He casually touched his left temple where the streak of gray seemed to appear. As he did this, West could see the creases in his face tighten, and with a start he realized there was a twinge of pain in that gesture.
“Not toys,” he said, grasping for anything that might upset the convict. “Much as I hated it, there was one thing I learned from history class all those years ago. Education and the trial and error process are the only things which will someday relieve us of the constant repetition of humanity's worst crimes. The cycle can be ended, if not for men like you who perpetuate the errors of the past.” West could see that despite his brave facade, Vin was certainly losing patience with him. The criminal lowered his head for a moment, and West could see the gray streak was wrapping around the base of Vin's skull to curve around to the other temple.
The Cloud, West realized. This was his chance to knock his captor off-balance. As a criminal with apparent psychotic tendencies, Vin delighted in the things West had considered torment, but the knowledge of greater issues pained him.
“Communication is the problem,” West quickly continued, drawing on a lecture from a particularly unexciting sociology class he had taken. “Instead of communicating your wants to others, you have taken it upon yourself to seize the things you want from those who lack the power to do anything about it.” The streak was definitely growing, creeping up around Vin's right ear like a vine. He raised his head to glare at West, and the animals in the background paused their fighting for a moment to study their creators before halfheartedly resuming the strife.
“Enough,” grunted Vin. “I get it. The world would be such a nice perfect place if not for people like myself.” He waved his hand and the whole scene grew fuzzy, dissipating into a bright light while the buzzing of the killer bees was magnified a thousand times over. All this happened in a moment, but not before West saw that the Cloud had completed its circuit around the perimeter of Vin's brain. The gray was rapidly becoming a shocking bright white which now climbed steadily to the crown of the man's head. West knew that soon enough it would begin the piercing dive into every level of his captor's consciousness.
The two men found themselves back in their body in West's apartment. Vin reached up with West's hand to massage his temples and knuckle his forehead. He finally got up off the couch to down the remainder of West's supply of cheap whiskey. Finding this equally ineffective in dealing with the headache, he stumbled to the bathroom and the mirror cabinet which held West's stash of drugs.
He tried every headache relief and pain killer he could find before finally reaching for the bottle that would put him to sleep. West's heart would have been pounding in anticipation if it were properly responding to him. But it wasn't, and therefore there were nothing to give away his plan.
Not knowing what to expect, and having consumed a great deal more alcohol before taking the pill than West had, Vin did not even make it out of the bathroom before being knocked unconscious.
It was terribly easy for West to probe his way into his own nervous system. First he could smell the alcohol on his own breath, then taste it in the back of his mouth. Vision was somewhat harder to obtain because his eye were closed and he could not yet open them. Finally he discerned that he had wormed his way into sight when he noted the reappearance of the floating spots that plagued the corners of his vision. He heard the water running in the sink, and finally could feel the cold tiles of the bathroom floor pressed against his face.
Upon regaining control of his nervous system, West was swept up in the thunderstorm of blackness which was the pill's terrifying power.
* * *
When he awoke after two days of unconsciousness, the first thing he did was walk back to the doctor's office where the surgery had been performed. He told the doctors his story, all the while they took notes and muttered “Of course!” at inappropriate times. Finally they performed another surgery on him, this one designed to undo the damage they had done.
As they gassed him for the surgery West could hear the mad ramblings of his tormenter's last thoughts.
Perpetuating cycle of error. Consequences of the past mean nothing to those who look only to the future. Communication does not truly exist without trust, and human greed dissolves trust. Societies are built on lies and greed, and everyday the corruption is introduced as necessary to the next generation. Our subservience to chaos and dystopia are the only factors which differentiate us from animals.
You're wrong. West thought back at him as the cold blackness of sleeping gas crept around the edges of his vision. Every day of human history moves the species further. Animals wait for the future and accept the changes it will bring. Humans reach into the future to alter the present and leave accounts of their lives so that future generations may learn from their mistakes. Every success and every failure in human history is one step closer to utopia.
As his hate for the monster who had taken over his body was replaced with pity, West embraced the world and the people who inhabited it. He embraced the doctors who had messed up the operation. He embraced the government who funded the program, another failed solution to a problem that humans would not give up on. Finally, for the last time, he embraced the gas's blackness, not knowing where it would take him, but knowing that somehow humanity would find a way to learn from his experiences.
Fringe: J.J. Abrams No Longer Lost
Renowned writer and executive producer, J.J. Abrams left many fans disappointed when he decided to end “Lost” earlier this year, but he continues to write and produce the best, if not the most popular, show on TV.
Although Abrams's “Fringe” follows FBI agent Olivia Dunham, (Anna Torv) it goes far beyond the typical “NCIS,” “CSI,” “Law and Order” crime drama genre. Agent Duham works for the FBI's Fringe Division, a department which tracks and solves bizarre “Twilight Zone” style cases. Throughout the first two seasons “Fringe” dealt mainly with Olivia's cases and the personal lives of her assistants, the insane Dr. Walter Bishop (John Noble) and his genius son, Peter (Joshua Jackson). Much like with “Lost,” Abrams has masterfully woven together the events of the beginning seasons to reveal a much larger picture.
The third season finds Agent Dunham and her world (presumably our world) at war with a parallel universe which contains an alternate version of every character, though their technology is far more advanced. This war is the direct result of Dr. Bishop's acts during his illustrious career as a top government scientist. Dr. Bishop, who was the original discoverer of the alternate universe, faithfully introduced much of their technology to the military (cellphones, advanced computers, etc.) after observing them through a device which he created. Walter's son was dying of disease, however, and he worked endlessly trying to develop a cure. Observing the efforts of his other universe doppelganger, Walter finally devised a cure, but by this time his son had already died. Not wanting his counterpart on the other side to experience the same loss, Walter sets out to cure the alternate version of his son. Upon seeing what appears to be their son, alive and well, Walter and his wife are unable to return him to his real parents.
25 years later, the Walter from the other side has become a massive political force, while Olivia's Walter has deteriorated into a state of semi-functional madness from his own guilt and science experiments. The other side's Walter, deemed WalterNet by Peter because of his vast influence, has launched several attacks on Olivia's universe to claim revenge for the theft of his son. WalterNet, though still a recently introduced character, has proven himself to be ruthless and methodical in his revenge. In the most recently aired episode he gives a quote which sums up his unstoppable attitude. When asked by a scientist if he misses his old career in the laboratory, the doctor turned politician replies “I'm still a scientist, Brandon; I just have a much larger laboratory.”
“Fringe's” characters are all expertly developed, each having a unique background which makes their choices and personalities entirely believable. While Anna Torv and Joshua Jackson play their parts notably well, John Noble's role as Walter Bishop is Emmy deserving. Though Noble's character is a scientist driven mad by his own grief, using himself as a test subject for many of his experiments has given him an almost child-like view of the world, making him the show's prime source of comedy. Since he is a good-natured genius, his childish humor is often far beyond the other characters, and relieves tension in what is otherwise an action/drama. In the second episode of this season, Walter is removing brains from corpses for study when he notices a red stain on his tie. To the horror of his colleagues, he licks it, only to discover it is just raspberry jam from breakfast.
Excellent acting and writing make every scene memorable, but “Fringe's” success comes from its unique blend of genres. Every episode contains elements of comedy, drama, action, horror, mystery, and science fiction, which leaves the viewer guessing outcomes at every commercial break. Conflicts are resolved by the end of every episode, but the process of resolution always reveals something about the characters or larger chain of events that builds just enough suspense to make the viewer want more information. Of all the shows on the air right now, “Fringe” is truly the most original. It tests the very limits of human ingenuity by weaving technology and the paranormal together. The show's underlying premise is that nothing is impossible or unexplainable, and Abrams is the perfect writer to test the limits of our believability.
Although Abrams's “Fringe” follows FBI agent Olivia Dunham, (Anna Torv) it goes far beyond the typical “NCIS,” “CSI,” “Law and Order” crime drama genre. Agent Duham works for the FBI's Fringe Division, a department which tracks and solves bizarre “Twilight Zone” style cases. Throughout the first two seasons “Fringe” dealt mainly with Olivia's cases and the personal lives of her assistants, the insane Dr. Walter Bishop (John Noble) and his genius son, Peter (Joshua Jackson). Much like with “Lost,” Abrams has masterfully woven together the events of the beginning seasons to reveal a much larger picture.
The third season finds Agent Dunham and her world (presumably our world) at war with a parallel universe which contains an alternate version of every character, though their technology is far more advanced. This war is the direct result of Dr. Bishop's acts during his illustrious career as a top government scientist. Dr. Bishop, who was the original discoverer of the alternate universe, faithfully introduced much of their technology to the military (cellphones, advanced computers, etc.) after observing them through a device which he created. Walter's son was dying of disease, however, and he worked endlessly trying to develop a cure. Observing the efforts of his other universe doppelganger, Walter finally devised a cure, but by this time his son had already died. Not wanting his counterpart on the other side to experience the same loss, Walter sets out to cure the alternate version of his son. Upon seeing what appears to be their son, alive and well, Walter and his wife are unable to return him to his real parents.
25 years later, the Walter from the other side has become a massive political force, while Olivia's Walter has deteriorated into a state of semi-functional madness from his own guilt and science experiments. The other side's Walter, deemed WalterNet by Peter because of his vast influence, has launched several attacks on Olivia's universe to claim revenge for the theft of his son. WalterNet, though still a recently introduced character, has proven himself to be ruthless and methodical in his revenge. In the most recently aired episode he gives a quote which sums up his unstoppable attitude. When asked by a scientist if he misses his old career in the laboratory, the doctor turned politician replies “I'm still a scientist, Brandon; I just have a much larger laboratory.”
“Fringe's” characters are all expertly developed, each having a unique background which makes their choices and personalities entirely believable. While Anna Torv and Joshua Jackson play their parts notably well, John Noble's role as Walter Bishop is Emmy deserving. Though Noble's character is a scientist driven mad by his own grief, using himself as a test subject for many of his experiments has given him an almost child-like view of the world, making him the show's prime source of comedy. Since he is a good-natured genius, his childish humor is often far beyond the other characters, and relieves tension in what is otherwise an action/drama. In the second episode of this season, Walter is removing brains from corpses for study when he notices a red stain on his tie. To the horror of his colleagues, he licks it, only to discover it is just raspberry jam from breakfast.
Excellent acting and writing make every scene memorable, but “Fringe's” success comes from its unique blend of genres. Every episode contains elements of comedy, drama, action, horror, mystery, and science fiction, which leaves the viewer guessing outcomes at every commercial break. Conflicts are resolved by the end of every episode, but the process of resolution always reveals something about the characters or larger chain of events that builds just enough suspense to make the viewer want more information. Of all the shows on the air right now, “Fringe” is truly the most original. It tests the very limits of human ingenuity by weaving technology and the paranormal together. The show's underlying premise is that nothing is impossible or unexplainable, and Abrams is the perfect writer to test the limits of our believability.
Thursday, October 7, 2010
Friday, September 24, 2010
Human Spirit
The Call was upon him now. Feeling the spirit which first drove man to stand upright and roar in defiance at the heavens, he regained his feet and tightened the helmet on his head. Only seconds ago he wept for his life. Now the sheer emotional exhaustion drained from him, and was replaced by the golden light of valor and purpose. For a moment he gazed at the Sun in the sky, drinking in its beauty and wondering at the complexities of the universe. But the moment soon ended. Sighting the Sun with the length of the sword he now gripped firmly in his hand, he let forth a cry and charged into the frothing tide of oncoming enemies.
Tuesday, September 14, 2010
Mock Letter to the Editor
This is a mock letter to the editor which I wrote for an exercise in critical thinking and writing. It is supposed to be in response to a an article printed in the university newspaper which advocates preventing Muslims from entering the country because they are all intent on destroying America.
I am deeply disappointed by your decision to publish the article which advocates denying Muslim immigrants from entering the United States. The article, which is highly offensive even to non-Muslims, relies on false logic and assumptions, primarily the assumption that all Muslims bear ill intent to the United States, to promote discriminatory action. While the First Amendment grants the freedom of speech and restricts the ability of the government to control the press and other forms of media, the Supreme Court has ruled that “fighting words,” those intended to injure or provoke violence or discrimination, are not covered by this amendment.
I can only assume that you decided to publish this article because you believe that all people have a right to express their views in a public forum. While this is true, you, as an editor, must make decisions regarding what does and does not get published based on both the accuracy of the material, its relevance to your readers, and whether or not it promotes healthy discourse. In this case, you have decided to print information which is both inaccurate and offensive, showing extremely poor judgment. Whether or not your readers agree with this article is irrelevant here, because you are supposed to promote academic honesty and healthy discourse above the number of copies distributed.
This article cannot promote a healthy discourse because it was clearly written with the intent of causing harm. The lack of logic and heavy reliance on assumption shows that the author of this article did not think critically about his/her argument, but instead wrote entirely from his/her own heavily biased point of view. Anyone who actually took the time to research both sides of this argument would see that the writer's claims are invalid. After all, the very same amendment which grants citizens the freedom of speech also grants freedom of religion, making it unconstitutional to discriminate against any particular faith.
For you to print this article despite its many logical fallacies makes me think that you either prescribe to the writer's point of view and are using your position as editor to promote not discourse but your own biased opinions, or that you do not exercise your authority as editor at all and simply print anything that comes across your desk. You have seriously harmed the reputation of both this newspaper and the university which it represents, and as such will likely lose many of your readers, myself included, unless a retraction is printed.
Sincerely
-Chris Griglack
To the Editor,
I am deeply disappointed by your decision to publish the article which advocates denying Muslim immigrants from entering the United States. The article, which is highly offensive even to non-Muslims, relies on false logic and assumptions, primarily the assumption that all Muslims bear ill intent to the United States, to promote discriminatory action. While the First Amendment grants the freedom of speech and restricts the ability of the government to control the press and other forms of media, the Supreme Court has ruled that “fighting words,” those intended to injure or provoke violence or discrimination, are not covered by this amendment.
I can only assume that you decided to publish this article because you believe that all people have a right to express their views in a public forum. While this is true, you, as an editor, must make decisions regarding what does and does not get published based on both the accuracy of the material, its relevance to your readers, and whether or not it promotes healthy discourse. In this case, you have decided to print information which is both inaccurate and offensive, showing extremely poor judgment. Whether or not your readers agree with this article is irrelevant here, because you are supposed to promote academic honesty and healthy discourse above the number of copies distributed.
This article cannot promote a healthy discourse because it was clearly written with the intent of causing harm. The lack of logic and heavy reliance on assumption shows that the author of this article did not think critically about his/her argument, but instead wrote entirely from his/her own heavily biased point of view. Anyone who actually took the time to research both sides of this argument would see that the writer's claims are invalid. After all, the very same amendment which grants citizens the freedom of speech also grants freedom of religion, making it unconstitutional to discriminate against any particular faith.
For you to print this article despite its many logical fallacies makes me think that you either prescribe to the writer's point of view and are using your position as editor to promote not discourse but your own biased opinions, or that you do not exercise your authority as editor at all and simply print anything that comes across your desk. You have seriously harmed the reputation of both this newspaper and the university which it represents, and as such will likely lose many of your readers, myself included, unless a retraction is printed.
Sincerely
-Chris Griglack
Tuesday, June 1, 2010
Counter Culture Comedy: Drugs
This was my final paper for my literature and psychology class, and was actually the best part of the class, which dealt very little with either topic in its title.
Most drug comedies portray the deviant drug user as the hero of the movie. These unlikely heroes often achieve their goals accidentally or without realizing it. The villains are almost always police or other law enforcement officials, or drug dealing criminals. When drug comedies first became popular, all the characters involved were very basic and stereotypical. Now that the use of drugs has become more socially accepted, these characters are better developed to be more representative of the whole drug culture rather than a few chosen stereotypes.
Perhaps the first, and certainly the most famous, drug comedies were the Cheech and Chong movies. These movies followed the two characters in their quest to smoke marijuana, avoid the police, pick up women, and play music, the goals of the majority of the drug culture in the late 70s and early 80s. Much of the comedy of the Cheech and Chong movies comes from the many stupid things they do while they are high. Even though they act foolish and are often completely unaware of their surroundings, Cheech and Chong end up being the heroes of their movies usually accidentally. Often times they do not understand or notice the events which allow them to become the heroes, but take it as good luck or coincidence.
One of the keys to the popularity of the Cheech and Chong characters is their representation of members of society who would be considered deviant and the heroes. Cheech, a Mexican, and Chong, a hippie, represented a large amount of American society who felt that they were unappreciated or undervalued simply because of their lifestyles. Many people who were not involved in the drug culture of the 70s can also relate to Cheech and Chong, as they are just two guys who are trying to live their lives who become heroes without trying to seek glory or fame. Similar types of drug-using characters have appeared throughout the comedy world with slight alterations, but the classic Cheech and Chong models still exist.
One notable alteration of the Cheech and Chong drug-using heroes are the characters in Dave Chappelle's Half Baked. In this movie three typical stoners quit their jobs to sell weed in order to raise money to bail their friend out of jail. This movie is a much more relaxed comedy and abandons most of the extreme stereotypes of marijuana smokers to show the many ways in which the drug is used. This is one of the first movies which depicts drug users as a large variety of people who are functional within society, rather than a minority group of outcasts.
The character of “The Dude,” in The Big Lebowski completely alters the stereotypical deviant hero of the drug user. The Dude character is one of the few characters in the movie who is rational and trying to live a normal life. In his attempts to live comfortably, which involves drinking a good many white Russians and smoking joints, he finds that all the sober people keep involving him in their crazy plans, ruining his life and doing massive damage to his car. As he says to Maude “Fortunately, I'm adhering to a pretty strict drug regiment to keep my mind limber.” (Big Big Lebowski) This takes the typical screw-up drug user and makes him the hero not because his screw-ups happen to go the right way, but because he maintains his reason in situations in which everyone else seems to go crazy.
As the use of drugs, especially marijuana, becomes more and more popular among American citizens, so does comedy which revolves around this drug usage. One of the benefits of this is the portrayal of drug users in many ways, as opposed to the following the stereotypes which group all drug users together. This can be seen in Half Baked and The Big Lebowski, but can also be seen in many other comedic forums, including the internet. In 2009, COED Magazine published a humorous article entitled “The 24 Types of Pot Smokers,” which groups marijuana smokers based on various personality traits, giving a brief description of the advantages and disadvantages of each type. The list includes such types as number 10 The True Stoner:
“This easy-going, goofy bastard always starts his days off with a wake-and-bake courtesy of his bedside bowl, followed by as much additional weed smoking as possible. He’ll always have just enough weed on him to keep him going through the day. That is, unless he just re-upped his stash, in which case he’ll smoke most of his bag the first night.” (COED Magazine)
This article and similar comedy regarding the wide variety of marijuana smokers in the United States shows the drastic rise of popularity in drug culture and comedy since the 70s. When the Cheech and Chong movies came out there were very few stereotypes about drug users, most of which revolved around the idea that they were lazy and stupid. Now that marijuana is used by a large percentage of Americans it covers a wider demographic of people, and the availability of material for use in drug comedy has grown.
One of the most original depictions of drug users comes from Grandma's Boy, in which the main character smokes marijuana with the video game testers he works with. This group, which is generally stereotyped as “nerds,” rarely makes appearances in drug comedies due to the conflicting characteristics between them and stereotypical drug users. This unique twist on the drug using hero shows once again the rapidly increasing demographics of drug users in America. This movie alters both the stereotypes of “nerds” and “stoners” to create interesting and well-balanced characters.
The opposite of Grandma's Boy's well-balanced characters can be seen in Kevin Smith's classic drug comedy, Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back. This comedy follows Jay, the most stereotypical “stoner,” and his “'hetero-life-mate, Silent Bob,'” (Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back) a character who is silent save for a few brilliant lines in which he exposes his intelligence. Like many of Kevin Smith's other movies, this one is filled with non-stop humor from various genres including slapstick, childish jokes, dirty jokes, puns, celebrity jokes, and of course comedic drug references. In one scene Jay and Silent Bob arrive in Hollywood after hitch-hiking from New Jersey and discuss their jobs as marijuana dealers with local crack dealers. At one point Jay mentions that the drug dealers in New Jersey may soon have to go on strike if they do not start receiving medical benefits as part of the job. This scene is important because it shows drug dealers in the same light as other workers who are just trying to provide for themselves or their families.
One of the most recent popular drug movies produced in America, Pineapple Express takes a different approach than normal to drug comedy. This film, while seemingly an outrageous adventure of two unlucky marijuana smokers, can be interpreted as a satire of the entire question of the prohibition of marijuana. The movie opens with a scene in black and white in which the government is testing the effects of marijuana on the military. When the testee responds negatively to a question about his superior officer, the plant is deemed illegal. The rest of the movie is a ridiculous chain misfortune events in which the main characters must attempt to avoid criminals who get their money from selling large quantities of marijuana. As the main character, Dale Denton, says in one of the opening lines of the actual movie: “All this current system is doing is putting money in the hands of criminals, and it's making ordinary people like you and me deal with these criminals.” (Pineapple Express) When examined closely, the movie asks the audience why this process is considered sensible.
The satirical drug comedies are fewer and usually less popular than the typical drug comedy. One excellent recent satire was found in the animated TV show Sit Down Shut Up, in which high school teachers hire a pharmaceutical company to teach kids the dangers of drugs. This show compares pharmaceutical representatives to drug dealers in rival gangs because of the way they compete with one another for territory. It also show how these large companies use their massive resources to try to keep their consumers “brand loyal,” or buying solely from one distributor, so they can maximize their profits. The episode is meant to show the irony of keeping harmless drugs like marijuana illegal while we all use and depend on pharmaceutical drugs. Part of the satire thrown around in this episode questions the broadcast television rules made by the FCC that say that if drug use is discussed on television, negative consequences must be shown. This is a very direct way of comically questioning authority as a means of gaining psychological power over them.
The underlying principle of almost every comedic drug using character is his harmlessness. This allows the audience to sympathize with the main characters even though they are technically criminals, and automatically makes them wonder what is so wrong with recreational drug use. This particular brand of comedy gains its strength directly from defiance to authority, and authority figures represented in drug humor are often depicted as clueless or lazy. Drug related comedy allows tension to be released in a non-violent manner between those in power and the sub-cultures which disagree with them.
Anther important psychological element of drug comedies is the music played. Music is traditionally used in movies as a way of adding to the mood of the scene for the audience. In drug comedies music is always significant to the drug using characters and can be used to express a wide variety of their emotions, or simply to express the high regard for music which most drug users have. The Big Lebowski contains two scenes in which music and bizarre set designs are used to show The Dude's confusion and conflicting emotions. In Pineapple Express, music is used to add an uplifting feeling to scene in which the main characters temporarily forget their dilemma and have a good time smoking marijuana in the woods. In many movies such as Grandma's Boy, How High, and Half Baked, rap music is used during party scenes to convey the idea that everyone is enjoying themselves. The Cheech and Chong movies often included loud rock music during party scenes because rap was not yet as popular with the drug community.
The many elements which compose a drug related comedy are unique to this genre and each has its own psychological function. The overall psychological goal of a drug comedy is to make the audience sympathize with and better understand the drug community as a mostly harmless collection of individuals who are just trying to live their lives differently from mainstream society. Therefore comedians involved in the genre of drug comedy represent hope for all those involved in the drug community that one day they will not be persecuted for the ways they live their lives, but will instead be respected as productive members of society.
Works Cited
Grandma's Boy. Dir. Nicholaus Goossen. Perfs. Linda Cardellini, Allen Covert. Willshire 1, 2006.
Half Baked. Dir. Tamra Davis. Perfs. Dave Chappelle, Guillermo Díaz. Robert Simmons Productions, 1998.
How High. Dir. Jesse Dylan. Perfs. Method Man, Redman. Jersey Films, 2001.
Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back. Dir Kevin Smith. Perfs. Jason Mewes, Kevin Smith. Dimension Films, 2001.
“Math Lab.” Sit Down Shut Up. Cre. Mitchell Hurwitz. Perfs. Will Arnett, Jason Bateman, Kristin Chenoweth. Adelaide Productions, 2009.
Pineapple Express. Dir. David Gordon Green. Perfs. Seth Rogan, James Franco. Columbia Pictures, 2008.
COED Magazine. “The 24 Types of Pot Smokers.” Found at: http://coedmagazine.com/2009/05/18/the-24-types-of-pot-smokers/
The Big Lebowski. Dir. Joel Coen. Perfs. Jeff Bridges, John Goodman. Polygram Filmed Entertainment, 1998.
Hero of the Dull
My final British Literature essay which compares John Dryden's and Alexander Pope's use of mock epic and satire in "Mac Flecknoe" and "Dunciad."
The mock epic genre uses the literary devices of epics to praise characters who are unworthy of such devices, making them appear ridiculous by contrast. Both “Mac Flecknoe” and “Dunciad” describe the efforts of their characters to continue spreading their values of dullness and meaninglessness throughout the world. The efforts of these characters in achieving these ludicrous goals are described solemnly using very grandiose comparisons and language that is satirical because it is so out of place in such characters.
“Mac Flecknoe” tells the story of the Irish poet Flecknoe, who realizes his death is near and decrees Shadwell to be his successor as the King of Dullness. Rhymed couplets and triplets are used to describe, at length, why Shadwell is perfectly fit for the this position. In typical epics when a ruler dies he seeks a successor who bears the same qualities and will carry on his rule in the same way. Dryden mimics this in Flecknoe's appointing of Shadwell, “[Shadwell] alone my perfect image bears.” (line 15) Unlike typical epics, however, the traits that Flecknoe admires in Shadwell are anti-heroic traits including dullness, stupidity, witlessness, thoughtlessness, and corpulence. In doing this, Dryden makes Flecknoe's every praise of Shadwell ridicule.
Dryden mercilessly mocks Shadwell's use of language as tautology, saying that his works are essentially lengthy displays of vocabulary and word-play with no meaning at all behind them. Flecknoe takes note of this in the lines “The rest to some faint meaning make pretense, / But [Shadwell] never deviates into sense.” (lines 19-20) He then goes on to list various other out-of-style writers, himself included, as “types,” or prefigurings of Shadwell, “Thou last great prophet of tautology,” (line 30) in the same way that Moses was considered a prefiguring of Christ. Dryden makes Shadwell's inheritance to the throne of dullness seem like a long awaited plan that is finally coming to fruition, much like God's divine plan to send his son to redeem mankind.
Shadwell's coronation scene is described as drawing crowds of bad writers and poets from within a mile and a half of The Nursery that is to be his throne, rather than attracting kings and heroes from vast distances as is typical of true epics. The ceremony of his coronation requires him to swear an oath to his “father,” Flecknoe, “That he till death true dullness would maintain,” (line 115) unlike traditional kingly oaths of protecting one's subjects and upholding justice. Upon the completion of the coronation Flecknoe give a long speech in epic style, praising the new reign of dullness that Shadwell will bring to the world. This is concluded with a lengthy description of Shadwell's qualities which Flecknoe bears but Ben Johnson does not, arriving at the conclusion that Johnson's work, unlike Shadwell's, had minor merit and wit. This adds additional personal insult to Shadwell, who was the self-proclaimed successor of Johnson.
Pope, while disgusted with many of the same characteristics in his contemporaries as Dryden, makes his satirical point in a far less personal manner. “Dunciad,”much like “Mac Flecknoe,” uses mock epic to describe characters who act in the interest of dullness to destroy meaning and bring about an age of Chaos and darkness. The characters involved in this satire are many, but all strive to appease the Goddess of Dullness through repetition and lack of original thought.
Dullness, according to Pope, is born of Chaos and Night and is rightly depicted as having her head concealed by a cloud. In the fourth book, Pope describes the many enemies that she has defeated including Science, Wit, Logic, and Rhetoric. At the same time her allies, Sophistry, Billingsgate, false Morality, and Causistry assist her in carrying out the execution of these enemies so that none may challenge her reign. Unlike the endings of typical epics in which order is restored after evil is vanquished, “Dunciad” ends with the triumph of Dullness, ushering in the reign of Chaos.
In the section of “Dulcinea” entitled “The Carnation and the Butterfly,” Pope mocks even the science of his time, saying that it has no real meaning or connection to humanity but simply studies and collects that which is aesthetically pleasing. This scene depicts two amateur scientists who seek the judgment of Dullness to settle their feud, much like the biblical story of King Solomon. A gardener petitions Dullness to punish a butterfly collector for ruining his perfectly grown carnation. The butterfly collector's defense is that he paid no attention to the carnation when he destroyed it to capture the butterfly, “I meddle, Goddess! only in my sphere.” (line 432) Pope scorns this type of behavior as selfish and irresponsible, though Dullness, of course, praises both the “scientists,” for both have wasted their time in admiring the physical trivialities of the world rather than trying to discern any higher purpose. She further condemns those who would wonder about metaphysical or heavenly concepts, wishing man was made with better eyesight allowing him to study physical objects in better detail and therefore “See Nature in some partial narrow shape, / And let the Author of the whole escape.” (lines 455-456)
In the final section of “Dulcinea,” Dullness sends forth everyone who had come to witness her rising to power so that they may continue entertaining themselves rather than performing the duties of their positions. As she is about to decree more, she yawns and all of creation starts to fall asleep from overbearing dullness. As everything falls asleep, so too do the sciences disappear until only Night and Chaos are left with Dullness. Before the sciences vanish entirely however, they are greatly corrupted by Dullness, to the point where the most spiritual experiences are defined in terms of mathematics, and morality dies from this lack of higher purpose. With this final loss there is nothing left that can be said to be a part of humanity and Chaos is restored, extinguishing the light that was God's original creation so that all lies in “Universal Darkness.” (line 656)
Both Dryden and Pope are highly critical of their targets in their satires and both use the techniques of mock epic to ridicule their characters, who are clearly unbefitting of the high praise and lofty comparisons of the epic style. While they both disagreed with the same qualities in their contemporaries, and their satires are highly personal attacks on many of their colleagues, Dryden's is by far more personal. “Mac Flecknoe” expresses outright contempt for Dryden's former colleague, Thomas Shadwell while “Dunciad” expresses Pope's general disagreement with the society, education, politics, and religion of his time. Their criticism of their own society is abundantly clear in both cases, and their points are made while maintaining the wit which they mock their colleagues for not having.
Censorship: The Adversary of Integrity
Censorship has been an element of almost every society that has existed since the idea of free thought was first conceptualized. The language used by a community is a major factor in that community's social structure, and therefore the censorship of any form of media affects the ways in which the society develops. For as long as censorship has been involved in the development of cultures and communities, it has been a controversial issue.
In ancient times, censorship was used by those in power to control their societies by only allowing the general public access to certain information. Some of the most notable examples of this include the Catholic Church's repression of the astronomical discoveries of Copernicus and Galileo, which defied the Bible's representation of the the Universe. Not all censorship was intended to maliciously repress knowledge, however. In The Republic, Socrates encourages heavy censorship of art, music, and poetry in his theoretical Ideal State. The reason he gives for this is that these depictions of reality are inaccurate, and therefore inherently flawed. When an audience is subjected to these, they interpret them differently than they would the real objects they depict, and this can lead to a false view of reality (Plato, Book X). In this way, Socrates makes the greatest philosophical argument for censorship.
The problem with Socrates's view of censorship is that he bases it upon a society which has been very precisely structured to be a perfectly just aristocracy, and such a society has never existed. Rather, in democracies, like ancient Athens or modern America, each individual has the right to interpret reality in whatever way they choose, and is usually entitled to act in self-interest rather than the goals of the community (Plato, Book VIII). This is why one of the founding principles of the United States is that every citizen has the rights of freedom of speech, press, and peaceful assembly. Similar basic freedoms can be found in many of nations that proudly claim to uphold the values of individual rights and intellectual freedom. These simple rights have, and will forever continue to generate meaningful discourse and rational thought, which ultimately leads to the adaptation of social structures to better fulfill the needs of the population. Without them, societies resist natural change by replacing the value of individuality with that of conformity.
When those who have power in a society hold certain values, they fear a social change that could lead to the loss of their influence and the development of contrary ideals. In the communist country of China, all forms of media are heavily regulated and censored in order to “make sure content promotes and remains consistent with party doctrine,” (Zissis). According to the Chinese constitution, all citizens are granted the freedoms of speech and press, however they “must defend 'the security, honor, and interests of the motherland,'” (Zissis). These media controls are designed to uphold the values of those in power within China, giving them the power to quell any dissent that may be offered to their regime.
Similarly, though far less drastically, in America, different special-interest groups seek to impose media controls over the population to promote their own doctrines. Many extreme liberals and conservatives believe that some form of censorship is necessary in order to avoid offending people, but few can agree on what should be censored. While this censorship is certainly well-intentioned, it is not in the interest of the individuals in a society, but of certain groups with a particular set of values.
Religious groups tend to be very zealous regarding which values should be taught because theirs remain constant while the wants and needs of every society constantly change. Like the repression of the scientific discoveries of Galileo, certain Christian groups in America believe that evolution should not be taught in public schools despite the fact that there is no evidence which disproves this theory. Some “progressive” Christian groups feel that Intelligent Design, a theory who’s only support comes from a 2,000 year old work of fiction, should be taught alongside evolution in schools in the interest of “equality.” To add further insult to this repression of scientific knowledge, some Christian groups would like to control the availability of works of fiction which contain themes contrary to those found in their own fictional literature. Some of these themes include what Christians believe to be the Pagan influence of witchcraft, magic, and talking animals.
In America, the opposing side of this argument is equally vehement about the censorship of literature, though for different reasons. Rather than trying to protect our youth from “Pagan influence and immorality,” they are attempting to keep them from exposure to what they consider to be racist, sexist, or otherwise intolerant language and behavior. The irony of this, of course, lies in the fact that in censoring this material, they are sending the message that intolerance of certain material is acceptable so long as the material in question disagrees with the common beliefs held by society. This method very closely resembles the forced unity that is the goal of Communist China’s media controls. Some of the material that these groups consider offensive includes classic works of literature such as Mark Twain’s Huckleberry Finn and Maya Angelou’s I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings for racism, and Laura Ingals Wilder’s Little House on the Prairie for sexism. Anyone who is familiar with any of these works can immediately recognize the irony of censoring them for containing these themes. Both Twain and Angelou use the themes of racism to disprove the commonly accepted stereotypes of race that were held at the time, while the Little House series is designed to abolish sexist thought. Easily the worst among the examples of literature censorship is that of Ray Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451, which portrays censorship as the catalyst which leads to a dystopian society in which free thought no longer exists.
Many other classic literary works are under attack or already banned from schools for containing material that is considered racist or sexist, even though these themes are historically accurate representations of commonly held beliefs. Among these are Harper's To Kill A Mockingbird, J.D. Salinger's Catcher in the Rye, and even The Diary of Anne Frank. Some parents do not want these books being used in schools because they feel that exposure to these themes will teach their children bad habits such as intolerance for other ethnicites or religions. When these books are properly taught, the students should understand the injustice of prejudice, and the values of acceptance and rational thought.
Racism and sexism are not the only topics that many parents consider too controversial for their children to read. Edward B. Jenkinson's list of the 25 most common reasons for the banning of books includes many themes that do not relate to prejudice, but rather to free thought and non-conformity. The list includes:
“Children questioning authority of parents and other authority figures,... Works that do not champion the work ethic, Books that do not promote patriotism, Negative statements about parents, authority, US traditions, … Books promoting self-awareness, self-understanding, Books promoting critical thinking,” (Winkler 49).
Parents are growing increasingly more concerned about the ability of their children to make their own competent decisions, and so tell them not to question the authority figures. Questioning authority is a theme that appears in one form or another in the majority of literary works. The removal of these works from schools would leave children with very little ability to reason on their own, and would be significantly detrimental to their overall education.
In addition to questioning authority, racism, and sexism, some parents seek to ban books from middle and high schools for examples of situations that teenagers may face and should be knowledgeable about. The biggest “threats” these books contain are scenes dealing with sexual issues. This may include anything from safe-sex and homosexuality, to more complex issues such as teen-pregnancy and abortion. One such book that is highly unpopular among parents is Robert Cormier's The Chocolate War, which ranked number four on the American Library Association's ten most frequently challenged books of 2005 due to its sexual content and use of profanity. While parents tend to disprove of this kind of literature in schools, it is exactly the type of writing in which today's adolescents are interested. By banning books like these which actually capture the attention of adolescents, parents are slowly destroying the literature experience for future generations. Since this age group tends to find many classic works of literature boring, “There is more to be gained by gently luring them to these [Cormier's] books rather than trying to cram a lifetime's experience with reading into six years because 'it may be the only opportunity they have,'” (Redmond 92).
Writer Judy Blume also receives heavy criticism from parents for her books which are targeted mainly at middle school aged children. Her works often include real-world problems that children may be undergoing such as divorce or domestic abuse. These themes make her books highly popular among children because they “give the impression of being derived not from the recreation of closely observed individuals but from the fleshing out of general life processes derived from the statistics of contemporary psychology,” (Garber 56-57). In other words, her books are so popular among children because they are, as one avid 11-year-old reader describes them: “'about life the way it really is,'” (Garber 56). Most of her adolescent books contain endings in which the main characters, who had previously undergone stressful challenges, return to the course of their daily lives. Despite their optimism and uplifting morals, the books of Judy Blume, most noticeably Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret, are still being taken off school library shelves across America.
The Harry Potter series, another set of books that is incredibly popular among youth in America, is also objected to by many groups which feel that it is having a negative impact on children. The same Christian groups which protest the teaching of evolution as “only a theory,” would like to see the Harry Potter series removed from libraries because they feel it has a Pagan influence on children and promotes an interest in the occult. Author Judy Blume comments on this phenomenon in a New York Times editorial: “In my books, it's reality that's seen as corrupting. With Harry Potter, the perceived danger is fantasy.” (Blume 456) This comment illustrates the utter failure of trying to appease the population by censoring unfavorable material: everything is unfavorable to someone. Other than this the only thing any of these “controversial” books have in common is that their authors spent a great deal of time and effort in producing them so that the readers could be entertained and briefly perceive the world from a new perspective.
The overall goal of any form of censorship is to control media, and by extension control those influenced by the media by focusing their perception upon the goals of those in control. The majority of groups that seek to impose their own views on others through some form of censorship believe that this control is necessary because people are generally incapable of coexisting peacefully without it. Each time a form of media is censored, the ability of future generations to shape their own societies based on their needs is hindered. Whether the goal is to fight racism, sexism, wavering obedience to authority, smut, or religious doctrines, censorship in any form is immoral, and enemy of all intellectual freedom.
Works Cited
Blume, Judy. “Is Harry Potter Evil?” Exploring Language 11th Edition. Ed. Gary Goshgarion, Longman Press, 2007. 456-457. Print.
Garber, Stephen M. “Judy Blume: New Classicism for Kids.” The English Journal, Vol. 73, No. 4 (April 1984). Pages 56-59. Found at: http://www.jstor.org/stable/816587?seq=2&Search=yes&term=blume&term=judy&list=hide&searchUri=/action/doBasicSearch%3FQuery%3Djudy%2Bblume%26gw%3Djtx%26prq%3Djudy%2Bblumr%26Search%3DSearch%26hp%3D25%26wc%3Don&item=1&ttl=599&returnArticleService=showArticle&resultsServiceName=doBasicResultsFromArticle
Plato. The Republic. Ed. Andrea Tschemplik, Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc, 2005. 420 pages. Print.
Redmond, Judith K. “Young Adult Literature: Is There Life After Judy Blume?” The English Journal, Vol. 71, No. 3 (March, 1982). Pages 92-94. Found at: http://www.jstor.org/stable/817046?seq=1&Search=yes&term=blume&term=judy&list=hide&searchUri=/action/doBasicSearch%3FQuery%3Djudy%2Bblume%26gw%3Djtx%26prq%3Djudy%2Bblumr%26Search%3DSearch%26hp%3D25%26wc%3Don&item=2&ttl=599&returnArticleService=showArticle&resultsServiceName=doBasicResultsFromArticle
Winkler, Lisa K. “Celebrate Democracy! Teach About Censorship.” The English Journal, Vol. 94, No. 5 (May, 2005). Pages 48-51. Found at: http://www.jstor.org/stable/30047353? &Search=yes&term="Lisa+K.+Winkler"&list=hide&searchUri=/action/doBasicSearch %3FSearch%3DSearch%26Query%3Dau:%2522Lisa%2520K.%2520Winkler %2522&item=1&ttl=1&returnArticleService=showArticle
Zissis, Carin. “Media Censorship in China.” Council on Foreign Relations. Found at: http://www.cfr.org/publication/11515/#p2
In ancient times, censorship was used by those in power to control their societies by only allowing the general public access to certain information. Some of the most notable examples of this include the Catholic Church's repression of the astronomical discoveries of Copernicus and Galileo, which defied the Bible's representation of the the Universe. Not all censorship was intended to maliciously repress knowledge, however. In The Republic, Socrates encourages heavy censorship of art, music, and poetry in his theoretical Ideal State. The reason he gives for this is that these depictions of reality are inaccurate, and therefore inherently flawed. When an audience is subjected to these, they interpret them differently than they would the real objects they depict, and this can lead to a false view of reality (Plato, Book X). In this way, Socrates makes the greatest philosophical argument for censorship.
The problem with Socrates's view of censorship is that he bases it upon a society which has been very precisely structured to be a perfectly just aristocracy, and such a society has never existed. Rather, in democracies, like ancient Athens or modern America, each individual has the right to interpret reality in whatever way they choose, and is usually entitled to act in self-interest rather than the goals of the community (Plato, Book VIII). This is why one of the founding principles of the United States is that every citizen has the rights of freedom of speech, press, and peaceful assembly. Similar basic freedoms can be found in many of nations that proudly claim to uphold the values of individual rights and intellectual freedom. These simple rights have, and will forever continue to generate meaningful discourse and rational thought, which ultimately leads to the adaptation of social structures to better fulfill the needs of the population. Without them, societies resist natural change by replacing the value of individuality with that of conformity.
When those who have power in a society hold certain values, they fear a social change that could lead to the loss of their influence and the development of contrary ideals. In the communist country of China, all forms of media are heavily regulated and censored in order to “make sure content promotes and remains consistent with party doctrine,” (Zissis). According to the Chinese constitution, all citizens are granted the freedoms of speech and press, however they “must defend 'the security, honor, and interests of the motherland,'” (Zissis). These media controls are designed to uphold the values of those in power within China, giving them the power to quell any dissent that may be offered to their regime.
Similarly, though far less drastically, in America, different special-interest groups seek to impose media controls over the population to promote their own doctrines. Many extreme liberals and conservatives believe that some form of censorship is necessary in order to avoid offending people, but few can agree on what should be censored. While this censorship is certainly well-intentioned, it is not in the interest of the individuals in a society, but of certain groups with a particular set of values.
Religious groups tend to be very zealous regarding which values should be taught because theirs remain constant while the wants and needs of every society constantly change. Like the repression of the scientific discoveries of Galileo, certain Christian groups in America believe that evolution should not be taught in public schools despite the fact that there is no evidence which disproves this theory. Some “progressive” Christian groups feel that Intelligent Design, a theory who’s only support comes from a 2,000 year old work of fiction, should be taught alongside evolution in schools in the interest of “equality.” To add further insult to this repression of scientific knowledge, some Christian groups would like to control the availability of works of fiction which contain themes contrary to those found in their own fictional literature. Some of these themes include what Christians believe to be the Pagan influence of witchcraft, magic, and talking animals.
In America, the opposing side of this argument is equally vehement about the censorship of literature, though for different reasons. Rather than trying to protect our youth from “Pagan influence and immorality,” they are attempting to keep them from exposure to what they consider to be racist, sexist, or otherwise intolerant language and behavior. The irony of this, of course, lies in the fact that in censoring this material, they are sending the message that intolerance of certain material is acceptable so long as the material in question disagrees with the common beliefs held by society. This method very closely resembles the forced unity that is the goal of Communist China’s media controls. Some of the material that these groups consider offensive includes classic works of literature such as Mark Twain’s Huckleberry Finn and Maya Angelou’s I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings for racism, and Laura Ingals Wilder’s Little House on the Prairie for sexism. Anyone who is familiar with any of these works can immediately recognize the irony of censoring them for containing these themes. Both Twain and Angelou use the themes of racism to disprove the commonly accepted stereotypes of race that were held at the time, while the Little House series is designed to abolish sexist thought. Easily the worst among the examples of literature censorship is that of Ray Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451, which portrays censorship as the catalyst which leads to a dystopian society in which free thought no longer exists.
Many other classic literary works are under attack or already banned from schools for containing material that is considered racist or sexist, even though these themes are historically accurate representations of commonly held beliefs. Among these are Harper's To Kill A Mockingbird, J.D. Salinger's Catcher in the Rye, and even The Diary of Anne Frank. Some parents do not want these books being used in schools because they feel that exposure to these themes will teach their children bad habits such as intolerance for other ethnicites or religions. When these books are properly taught, the students should understand the injustice of prejudice, and the values of acceptance and rational thought.
Racism and sexism are not the only topics that many parents consider too controversial for their children to read. Edward B. Jenkinson's list of the 25 most common reasons for the banning of books includes many themes that do not relate to prejudice, but rather to free thought and non-conformity. The list includes:
“Children questioning authority of parents and other authority figures,... Works that do not champion the work ethic, Books that do not promote patriotism, Negative statements about parents, authority, US traditions, … Books promoting self-awareness, self-understanding, Books promoting critical thinking,” (Winkler 49).
Parents are growing increasingly more concerned about the ability of their children to make their own competent decisions, and so tell them not to question the authority figures. Questioning authority is a theme that appears in one form or another in the majority of literary works. The removal of these works from schools would leave children with very little ability to reason on their own, and would be significantly detrimental to their overall education.
In addition to questioning authority, racism, and sexism, some parents seek to ban books from middle and high schools for examples of situations that teenagers may face and should be knowledgeable about. The biggest “threats” these books contain are scenes dealing with sexual issues. This may include anything from safe-sex and homosexuality, to more complex issues such as teen-pregnancy and abortion. One such book that is highly unpopular among parents is Robert Cormier's The Chocolate War, which ranked number four on the American Library Association's ten most frequently challenged books of 2005 due to its sexual content and use of profanity. While parents tend to disprove of this kind of literature in schools, it is exactly the type of writing in which today's adolescents are interested. By banning books like these which actually capture the attention of adolescents, parents are slowly destroying the literature experience for future generations. Since this age group tends to find many classic works of literature boring, “There is more to be gained by gently luring them to these [Cormier's] books rather than trying to cram a lifetime's experience with reading into six years because 'it may be the only opportunity they have,'” (Redmond 92).
Writer Judy Blume also receives heavy criticism from parents for her books which are targeted mainly at middle school aged children. Her works often include real-world problems that children may be undergoing such as divorce or domestic abuse. These themes make her books highly popular among children because they “give the impression of being derived not from the recreation of closely observed individuals but from the fleshing out of general life processes derived from the statistics of contemporary psychology,” (Garber 56-57). In other words, her books are so popular among children because they are, as one avid 11-year-old reader describes them: “'about life the way it really is,'” (Garber 56). Most of her adolescent books contain endings in which the main characters, who had previously undergone stressful challenges, return to the course of their daily lives. Despite their optimism and uplifting morals, the books of Judy Blume, most noticeably Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret, are still being taken off school library shelves across America.
The Harry Potter series, another set of books that is incredibly popular among youth in America, is also objected to by many groups which feel that it is having a negative impact on children. The same Christian groups which protest the teaching of evolution as “only a theory,” would like to see the Harry Potter series removed from libraries because they feel it has a Pagan influence on children and promotes an interest in the occult. Author Judy Blume comments on this phenomenon in a New York Times editorial: “In my books, it's reality that's seen as corrupting. With Harry Potter, the perceived danger is fantasy.” (Blume 456) This comment illustrates the utter failure of trying to appease the population by censoring unfavorable material: everything is unfavorable to someone. Other than this the only thing any of these “controversial” books have in common is that their authors spent a great deal of time and effort in producing them so that the readers could be entertained and briefly perceive the world from a new perspective.
The overall goal of any form of censorship is to control media, and by extension control those influenced by the media by focusing their perception upon the goals of those in control. The majority of groups that seek to impose their own views on others through some form of censorship believe that this control is necessary because people are generally incapable of coexisting peacefully without it. Each time a form of media is censored, the ability of future generations to shape their own societies based on their needs is hindered. Whether the goal is to fight racism, sexism, wavering obedience to authority, smut, or religious doctrines, censorship in any form is immoral, and enemy of all intellectual freedom.
Works Cited
Blume, Judy. “Is Harry Potter Evil?” Exploring Language 11th Edition. Ed. Gary Goshgarion, Longman Press, 2007. 456-457. Print.
Garber, Stephen M. “Judy Blume: New Classicism for Kids.” The English Journal, Vol. 73, No. 4 (April 1984). Pages 56-59. Found at: http://www.jstor.org/stable/816587?seq=2&Search=yes&term=blume&term=judy&list=hide&searchUri=/action/doBasicSearch%3FQuery%3Djudy%2Bblume%26gw%3Djtx%26prq%3Djudy%2Bblumr%26Search%3DSearch%26hp%3D25%26wc%3Don&item=1&ttl=599&returnArticleService=showArticle&resultsServiceName=doBasicResultsFromArticle
Plato. The Republic. Ed. Andrea Tschemplik, Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc, 2005. 420 pages. Print.
Redmond, Judith K. “Young Adult Literature: Is There Life After Judy Blume?” The English Journal, Vol. 71, No. 3 (March, 1982). Pages 92-94. Found at: http://www.jstor.org/stable/817046?seq=1&Search=yes&term=blume&term=judy&list=hide&searchUri=/action/doBasicSearch%3FQuery%3Djudy%2Bblume%26gw%3Djtx%26prq%3Djudy%2Bblumr%26Search%3DSearch%26hp%3D25%26wc%3Don&item=2&ttl=599&returnArticleService=showArticle&resultsServiceName=doBasicResultsFromArticle
Winkler, Lisa K. “Celebrate Democracy! Teach About Censorship.” The English Journal, Vol. 94, No. 5 (May, 2005). Pages 48-51. Found at: http://www.jstor.org/stable/30047353? &Search=yes&term="Lisa+K.+Winkler"&list=hide&searchUri=/action/doBasicSearch %3FSearch%3DSearch%26Query%3Dau:%2522Lisa%2520K.%2520Winkler %2522&item=1&ttl=1&returnArticleService=showArticle
Zissis, Carin. “Media Censorship in China.” Council on Foreign Relations. Found at: http://www.cfr.org/publication/11515/#p2
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