mindwanderings

The controversy on foreign aid reminds me of Oprah’s endeavors (and success!) in opening up an all girl’s private school in South Africa. An inquiry arose as to why she went abroad and not start a school in the U.S. She replied that she has, for so many years, tried to improve inner-cities schools but the outcome of success has failed each time. She has worked with the children of America and encourages them to see that education is the way to a better life. I get the impression that Oprah was discouraged by the lack of motivation and success in the states, that perhaps if she went abroad, the results would be different.

I think that one should look to home before fixing another problem. I believe how well a country takes care of its citizens reflect the moral and ethic values practiced. If one country forsakes or neglects its people, what gives others the idea that other countries in need will be aided?

What if other countries solely depend on us for foreign aid? How can they recognize their problems and find a way to fix it if we keep supplying the tools and means for their survival? What if the dependence were to be cut off? If worst comes to worse, people will do everything they can to survive. For example, if one area is not fit to grow produce, one should relocate elsewhere. Not everyone will have the means to transport themselves to a different location, but maybe that is where we can help. We can supply a transportation system for families in order for them to build a new life where the land is abundant and there is a good chance of farming. Organizations such as World Vision supplies families in third world countries food and clean water, but it is inevitable that it will eventually run out. If we can help third world countries to live independently and teach them new irrigation systems, for example, that helps them in the long term. There is a quote: “Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime.”

Regarding morality, it is said that it is a moral thing to help others if we are able to do so. I think that we should help others as best and as much as we can, and it doesn’t have to necessarily mean sacrificing too much.

Though this is the reason why Oprah took her efforts elsewhere, there is no excuse as to why citizens of this country aren’t taken care of.

As freshmen class entering college, we have a couple years ahead of us until we have to officially declare our majors, so it wouldn’t be a bad thing to look into what kinds of field of work you are interested in if you haven’t done so already. A part of college, to me, is about exploring about different types of education and discovering what you like. It’s about experimenting and veering off into all sorts of directions with different possible careers. A wise thing to do, I suggest, is to look at the jobs that are in demand, such as health care workers, or computer technicians, for example. Not only should one look at what jobs are in demand now, but growing fields that are “booming”. A job in the medical field is always in demand so it would be a good investment to go to medical school. A career of becoming, say, a hockey instructor, won’t be as high as demand, especially with our recession. While researching what type of jobs are highly needed in the future, one would have to look at the trend of the current market economy, stability of people’s income, the possible percent increase of salary of a particular job and how popular it will be in years to come, and among other factors. It is a fact that employers are willing to pay more to suffice for a lack of workers. Whatever job is in high demand and there is a need for workers, employers have to make up with income with the employees they lack. Say, for example, there is only one doctor in the three towns. The town who is willing to pay the doctor more for his skill would probably woo him over; he is high in demand and they are all competing for his specialized skill. In that respect, it would pay to do a little research beforehand.

I have declared my major as journalism because I think this will enable me to be more aware of my surroundings by learning about the world around me. I think being a journalist will give me access to resources by presenting me with a broad array of information. I think in order to be a journalist, one has to be a well rounded individual that has sufficient background knowledge in many areas. In addition to what I have just said, I would like to greatly improve my writing. I think because journalists do a great deal of writing, it would be hard not to learn anything along the way.

So I have declared my major already, but I know that it is still early enough to change if I want/need to. But looking at the future of the media, namely newspapers, I can see that the forecast is gray. I’m not sure what to expect for the survival of newspapers (or magazines) because they are fading away. Other media forms come into play, such as television and internet, that can reach millions of people faster. Do people even read newspapers/magazines anymore? There are subscriptions online, like the New York Times, but we are talking about the existence of these media forms.

Perhaps going into the newspaper field wouldn’t be as demanding, according to the trend, but online writing is growing considerably. In that respect, I wouldn’t have to totally change majors because I can branch off into a different department of journalism. And maybe that is where my research lies.

I sometimes watched television back in high school, but when I did, I must admit I enjoyed the programs that played such as Friends, the Simpsons, and a variety of other shows that I randomly watched from time to time. Since I moved to San Francisco though, I must also admit that I miss television. Yes, I could stream shows from the internet, but there’s something about having the set in front of you and the remote in hand that gives me power, the power to change the channel.

Although I don’t have a television in my dorm room, my lovely next door neighbors do. The thing is though, I don’t go there specifically for a show. I only watch television just to be in the company of friends; it’s more of a social interaction than following Desperate Housewives. I’m also glad I don’t have one. Although I would watch the news as usual, I wouldn’t be surprised if I fell into the traps of other mindless shows. Are they really mindless, though? I mean – don’t some shows make you think if Abby will go for Dave or for Max? She’s twisted in a love triangle. All in all, I am better without a talking box.

I always saw television as a mean to escape from reality for a moment. It made me forget about my long day and took me into the lives of the television stars. I’d turn to television when homework was too frustrating or tedious. Of course television isn’t real; it’s ironic that reality television is the phoniest thing I have ever seen. Now I don’t see it as an escape but more of something one turns to for entertainment.

I can’t say that television has any influence on me right now. I watch it just because it’s there. I am not easily influenced (or am I?) by the nature of the shows and don’t seem effected by its violence and whatnot. The only influence that it has ever done to me was make me a couch slug who was entranced by the shows. And damn those commercials; they make you want to know what will happen next but you’d have to wait minutes before the story continues. No, I am not an angry person because of television – it’s just those commercials stretch so long sometimes.

Although I do miss watching the tube and all the fun programs, I know that life is waiting for me outside. I realize that I have wasted a great deal of time spent in front of a blaring screen when I could’ve explored the world outside. It wasn’t hard to give it up because I wasn’t much of an addict to begin with; but it was something that was fun. However, I wouldn’t necessarily want to entirely give up television. I still like following stories and am restless when I can’t know what will happen next in the episode until next week. My idea is having a couple of hours a week (no more than 5) so you won’t be missing much and totally deprived.

In many ways, the way marketers vie for consumer’s attention is the same as how producers for television shows want to attract viewers. The way the TV narrator spells out the drama for the next episode is not only exaggerated, but it turns out not to be what he said in the first place. The little clips shown don’t tell the whole story. Advertisers try to entice consumers with many different psychological aspects in hopes of filling an unconscious void. They aren’t all that different; the more people interested, the higher the profit. Desperate Housewives must make a fortune.