Homework 11 (song)

Audience of One by Rise Against

I can still remember
The words and what they meant
As we etched them with our fingers
In years of wet cement
The days blurred into each other
Though everything seemed clear
We cruised along at half speed
But then we shifted gears

We ran like vampires from a thousand burning sons
But even then we should have stayed
But we ran away
Now all my friends gone
Maybe we’ve outgrown all the things that we once loved
Runaway
But what are we running from ?
A show of hands from those in this audience of one
Where have they gone ?

Identities assume us
As nine and five add up
Synchronizing watches
To the seconds that we lost
I looked up and saw you
I know that you saw me
We froze but for a moment
In empathy

I brought down the sky for you but all you did was shrug
You gave my emptiness away

But you ranaway
Now all my friends gone
Maybe we’ve outgrown all the things that we once loved
Runaway
But what are we running from ?
A show of hands from those in this audience of one
Where have they gone ?

We’re all ok, until the day we’re not
The surface shines, while the inside rots
We raced the sunset and we almost won
We slammed the brakes, but the wheels went on

We ran away
Now all my friends gone
Maybe we’ve outgrown all the things that we once loved
Runaway
But what are we running from ?
A show of hands from those in this audience of one
Where have they gone ?

   I chose this song (which is also my favorite song from by favorite band) because I believe it represents me in terms of my future and what’s going on right now. Things are changing in my life and I understand that it was bound to happen but I just didn’t know what to expect.

            The first part of the song makes me think of my past and all the times that I’ve shared with my friends. They’re great memories and I’ll always carry them with me but I’m getting older and they’re moving away from me and I’m moving away from them. Times have changed them. Times have changed me. The way I’m changing now is the fact that I have a girlfriend and she means a lot to me. She’s technically my “Audience of One” right now. It’s not a bad thing, it’s a great thing. But I’m getting older and I have certainly changed.

            “As nine and five add up.” That makes me think of my future in terms of how I’m going to be working. That’s a typical day and when I get older work is going to be what dominates my life. I don’t want that to be how it is but the harsh reality is that it probably will be. It’s like that for most Americans I think but I just don’t want that to be how my life is. As the song goes on, it talks about the one person running away. I don’t want that at all and I don’t think that’ll be the case but it is definitely a possibility that could happen.

            It’s a great song and Rise Against has many that stand out to me but this stands out the most. It’s been my favorite song from the second that I first heard it and it reflects on something that could be anyone’s future.

Homework 11

I selected the Apple and Nike logos because I believe that Americans are very influenced by brand names. It represents our culture because we’re always trying to get these things to look good or for whatever reason.
The Apple product shows how we’re driven by technology and the name of a brand. Apple is always creating new products and people always want them because they’re so cool. We as a culture always want this stuff because we believe that we need every new technological thing. Our whole country is driven by technology basically. When people look back years from now, they’ll realize how much Apple and technology has influenced this country. Americans are driven by products and technology so we will always be trying to get the next great thing, and Apple is usually the provider of that.

Homework 11

I selected the Apple and Nike logos because I believe that Americans are very influenced by brand names. It represents our culture because we’re always trying to get these things to look good or for whatever reason.
Nike is another material brand that people always want. I do it too so I’m kind of a hypocrite. I think that’s an example though of how we are in this culture. I’m just like everyone else. I am easily influenced the the “swoosh” and always have been. It’s not just with Nike though that  we do this. We do it with everything. I just selected the logo because it is a symbol that everyone can identify with.

We’re driven by brands in this country. We’re driven by technology in this country. That’s how it’s been for the past at least twenty years and it will only continue into the future. I don’t know if those logos count as artifacts but what it is is the fact that Americans always will be Americans. We’re influenced easily and love technology.

Homework 10

Dylan Fetterman

                An interaction that I’ve had in the past few weeks is how my friends and I usually go out to eat somewhere and how we talk.  The talks usually consist of the usual questions like, “how you doing” and “what’s up” but just the fact that we’re talking while we’re out is part of American culture. In American culture, people go out to eat with friends all the time and I like doing this as well. I don’t think that many countries will do this like Americans because it seems like us Americans tend to do it a lot more than other countries. And also I think that when people in other countries go to eat with friends, they don’t discuss as much as Americans do. They will talk some, but Americans tend to talk about everything while eating.

                My friends and I talk differently then how most people do that go to this college I think. I’m from a very rural area. I’m from this area actually. We talk differently and I think we behave a lot more differently. To me, it seems that the kids that are coming in from Pittsburgh or Philadelphia at times act like they’re better than the people around here. At times that’s not the case but it seems like they usually do. My friends and I don’t do that. I think a lot of that has to do with where you’re coming from. I was raised to not think that I’m better than people and I definitely don’t think I am. The kids that are coming in from the big cities think this place is a piece of crap. I respect this place. This is where I grew up and I think that has a lot to do with how each different group of people behave or talk about this place.

                Individuality to me is just being yourself. I’m not going to change. I display individuality everyday by being me. I don’t dress up when I come to school. I wear jeans and a hooded sweatshirt. The clothing you wear says a lot about your individuality and I think that’s how I show it there. I also tend to wear my Pittsburgh sports teams attire. I always support them because I love sports and that’s just me being me. In class, I’m usually pretty shy because I just don’t like speaking out when I don’t know a lot of people. It’s completely different when I’m with my friends because they have a pretty difficult time shutting me up. All of these characteristics are how I would define individuality. It’s being you- not changing who you are because you don’t really care what others think.

Homework 8

1. From most of the popular tv/movies about college life, you will find that college is portrayed as one big party, where most of the students can be found out with their friends most nights. But in reality, college is much more about studies than it is about having a good time.  On weekdays most students can be found in their dorms studying for their classes.  Another difference from the movies is that hazing is not as prevalent as they make it out to be.  Most movies like Old School show extreme hazing but that’s not really the case.  The reason why the tv/movies portray college this way is to get more interest in their show/movie.  If they were to make their show about how college really is they would have horrible ratings and no views.
2. The pamphlet describes Americans view of time as something that is very important to them.  Time is used as an organizational basis for everyday life, and most people try to make sure that they are on time because being late is considered rude.  American’s view time this way for organization, if they need to get something done they use time as a way to make sure they get it done efficiently and quickly.
3. The pamphlet argues that Americans do not like interruptions because they want to be able to convey their ideas and thoughts easily and make sure that they come across clearly. In my group of friends we tend to interrupt each other for a few reasons.  Usually, its because we’re either making fun of each other or we’re arguing.
4. “The United States is a highly individualistic culture and, as such, respect based on individual accomplishments tends to define status more than age, tradition, or family background.” I find this sentence interesting because I find that it is very true in everyday life.  For example when you are discussing the Lakers game with your friends, you’re mostly talking about Kobe Bryant and how he scored 30 points.  Not how he “supposedly” raped a girl; most people tend to forget about what people have done in their past and focus on how well they are doing now.

 Dylan Fetterman

Homework 7

Learning from Ladakh

1. The introduction of a money based economy has obviously distorted relationships very much. You can never fully trust the seller now. The seller always finds a way to get to you and will act like your friend the whole time. That whole time though, you can never fully know if that person is ripping you off or not. It has distorted the economy into having a value for everything as opposed to something just being equal to another thing. People can never know what the true value of something is now even know they don’t know the true value of it.
2. I think that they were better off then because they knew what the true value of everything was. Now, you can’t really be sure and everything has a monetary value on it. It was a lot easier to just be able to trade everything then now where everything has a different value attached to it. They were a lot more comfortable with the situation before then too so that always has to be considered.

The Global Village Finally Arrives

1. “The world will not become America.” This is important to know because that although places are always adapting parts of our country, they will never be us. Places will always change to be like us because we are the most developed country but they will never fully be us. This isn’t a problem but it’s also not good. No country should be entirely similar to another. That’s what makes us different. But because they will never be like us entirely, a chance for a war or fighting is always a possibility. That sentence was strong because it also seems like America would rather just have the whole world be us when obviously it can’t.
2. Positives
   1. The world is becoming more advanced. It’s a good sign because countries need to catch up and become further developed for their people to live better.
   2. Other ideas are spreading. One culture or one country’s ways need to make their way to other people’s countries so that others can learn to accept that there are always different people and to understand their ways as well as their own.

Negatives

1. The world is becoming more advanced. It’s a bad sign because other countries are catching up to our own and the threat of a nuclear war is obviously clearer. It’s a scary sign for the entire world. They’ve taken ideas that we first put into action and used them as their own.
2. Other ideas are spreading. A lot of people in this world don’t like to change their ways. This ultimately causes problems in the world in forms of violence and other negative things.

I know that my positives and negatives are the same but I really think that it’s interesting how they can be looked at in two different lights.

Dylan Fetterman

Homework 6

Globalization of Eating Disorders

1. The influences that have shaped my views regarding body image are mostly based on that you need to be skinny and muscular for a guy and lean for a girl. Being a guy, I don’t really feel that pressure often but I think it’s been there before. I wanted to get muscular because when I looked around at all the “popular” guys, they were muscular and in good shape. They got all the attention and the compliments from people so I felt like I needed to be like them when in reality I was fine the way I was. Movies and TV have not helped this for either sex and it’s just going to get worse because of how everyone is obsessed with body image.
2. I do think that Americans have a different outlook on body image then most places. Even though we’re probably the fattest country on the planet, we still always tend to judge others due to their appearance. I don’t really think that Indian people who are Buddhist think that. I believe that they tend to think that how you are is just fine. If you look at the Buddha himself, he was a bigger guy. But in all the pictures you see of him, he is smiling. So I definitely think America looks at body image differently.

Macho Men Visit the Doctor Less

1.  
   1. Strength- Strong people are respected and even sometimes feared.
   2. Facial Hair- My dad and most of my relatives always had facial hair growing up and I always considered them “masculine” guys and respected them.
   3. Hard Workers- Blue collared guys that go to the steel mill and punch in and punch out and just have that tough persona about them.
2. Men aren’t really supposed to be affectionate in public to me. I don’t think that it’s helpful because people should act however they think they should and not how groups of people around them will think. Most men are pressured to work out and be strong. To a degree it’s good because it makes them stay in shape. It’s also bad though in the fact that it puts unnecessary pressure on themselves.

 Dylan Fetterman

Homework 4

1. I think if people started buying material items solely, then it would definitely create alienation because the people would align themselves with one name or brand. They would then just stick to whatever they believe is best and you would have a large number of people being true to only one thing. They would then disagree with what other people believe and wouldn’t associate with them. So there is isolation to a degree right there.
2. I don’t think it would solve any problems. People would then be more willing to spend more money on the material items that they align themselves with. These people would then be purchasing more and more of what they believe is right and would just further distance themselves from other groups.
3. Three factors that influence competitive consumption are:
   1.  Consumers are rational- Consumers know what they want and like and normally will not change.
   2. Consumers are well-informed- Consumers have good information at their disposal of what they are purchasing.
   3. Consumer preferences are consistent- Consumers tend to get the same type of things over and over again.
4. I think that competitive consumption has a great deal of influence on both me and my family. We are middle class. We don’t go out and buy a bunch of fancy things because that wouldn’t be wise for us for how much money we have and we are always thinking of how to save money. I tend to buy things that keep me grounded to a degree and very rarely do I go out of my way to pay big money for something. The most expensive thing that I have ever personally purchased is my Playstation 3. My parents don’t buy too many expensive things. They don’t go out and buy Mercedes vehicles. They stay within their limits much like most of my area which is predominantly middle to lower class does.

Dylan Fetterman

Homework #3

1. I don’t think that a situation like that is very likely to occur in our lifetimes. I think that engineers and people who are designing these machines will need more time to develop something that works well enough to not have to worry about there being any problems with the device. If a situation like that did happen though, I think there would be mass panic in the country. After 9/11, the country is always a little tense about anything that could go wrong and a great number of people would assume that a terrorist attack would be taking place.
2. I believe that if a machine is developed that doesn’t need human help, then it will be near the end of my life but it is definitely a possibility in the future. When that machine is created, it will greatly affect human life. Most people will be even lazier than they are now because the machine can help them do anything. But I also believe that they could be very good things for the elderly because the machines could help them out when they need it.
3. Some positives of developing artificial intelligence would be that the machines could be there to help the elderly more and they could also reduce some work that humans are doing now. But that part also comes with a negative in the fact that less people would be needed for a job and the jobless rate would skyrocket. Plus, something could go wrong like explained in the story at the beginning of the paper.
4. Just recently, I had to purchase a new Playstation 3 due to the fact that my old one got the red light of death. It was very frustrating because I use the device a lot and so do my parents. So, I had to go and shell out over two-hundred and fifty dollars for a new one and that was a pretty big hit to my wallet.

Dylan Fetterman

Homework 2

1. I would consider Mother Teresa the most admirable person at first glance just because of her history and she’s definitely more popular. When the author started stating some things that Norman Borlaug did, I started to reconsider my view. Mother Teresa is still a great person and one to admire, but Borlaug also seems like a great human being. He helped feed many poor people with his knowledge of agricultural science. Saving people’s lives and helping the poor is always something that I personally look at to see who would be considered admirable so I would say that that reason is the biggest for me.
2. I think that Oprah Winfrey and Tim Tebow are two other very admirable people. Winfrey is always donating money to charity and she even started a school in Africa. Tebow is always preaching the word of God to people who need it and inspires many people every single day. My choice of admirable people doesn’t necessarily make me change my moral judgments but it tells me that I tend to respect those that help others a lot.
3. I wouldn’t say that there is a universal morality in the world today. In parts of the world, some people don’t care at all if they murder others. For example, in Rwanda two rival tribes were always killing each other just because of their family history and what group they belonged to.
4. The five varieties of moral experience are harm, fairness, community, authority, and purity. I think that Americans tend to rank fairness first. Look at all the things that have been done in our country’s history to make sure that everyone is equal. We’ve also gone to lengths to eliminate discrimination in the job hiring process and I definitely that Americans would always value fairness more than the others.