Wrap-up Blog
In my Current Events Shape Your World class, centered
on current events and media perception, I found that many of my previous
beliefs were reinforced. As it was a good refresher on current news, world
events, and media bias, I was drawn back into the spectacle of media. I was
pulled into the drone controversy, had to find the source of “dark money”, and
learned that it is indeed cheaper to incarcerate people rather than kill them.
A win for humanity!
Additionally, I was forced to do this hideous thing.
BLOGGING. Terrifying as the possibility might seem, after I got over how
horrible the default software is, and my initial trepidation of sharing
anything remotely meaningful in a public setting, it really wasn’t so bad.
After all, I only have one reader. I can live with that. Now, if I can just
make the pictures stay where I tell them to….
During the course, I was forced to think about some
of my ideas surrounding politics. At times, my initial thoughts stayed the
same, but in a few instances, I began to rethink outside of my usual box. Also,
I got to do some writing. While I did not always follow directions to the
letter, I was interested to explore atrophied muscles. Also, I got to explore
genres of writing I would not think to use, and I think my writing skills are
improved.
Certainly, my Achilles’ heel of, SOMEONE FIX THIS COMPUTER
THING, provided some hindrance to my progress as an online student. I thought
to employ a hammer to the situation, as that usually fixes things, but between
attempting to download “The Daily Show with John Stewart” and tangling with “The
Colbert Report”, I did not have time to find where I had buried it.
Adding to my personal problems, I found that once I started
reading about a subject, I would fall down the rabbit hole of interweb land -- Feed
your head, FEED YOUR HEEEEEAAAD!
Fishing the depths of criticism, I can only concede to be
confused at times about how many paragraphs to write, although I tend to stop
and start paragraphs whenever I go on a new tangent -- again with my personal
problems….
Seriously, I thought it was a great class.
From here, I carry with me the abilities to convey information
in an almost reasonable fashion, follow course guildlines close enough so as to
not be drawn and quartered, feel compassion for the evil things known as
computers, meet deadlines in a lively manner, and write overly long sentences
in the method of H.P. Lovecraft. Ok, I just added that Lovecraft part so I
could add another sentence.
"As for the Republicans, how can one regard seriously a frightened,
greedy, nostalgic huddle of tradesmen and lucky idlers who shut their
eyes to history and science, steel their emotions against decent human
sympathy, cling to sordid and provincial ideals exalting sheer
acquisitiveness and condoning artificial hardship for the
non-materially-shrewd, dwell smugly and sentimentally in a distorted
dream-cosmos of outmoded phrases and principles... Intellectually, the
Republican idea deserves the tolerance and respect one gives to the
dead." -- H. P. Lovecraft
Obviously, I need to make some improvements.
Overall, the SuperPac topic was my favorite. As I inevitably
started to read a dozen websites regarding this topic, I stumbled upon more questions.
First, the chain of events leading to
how campaign finance works today was very confusing. Second, where the
financing was coming from seemed very ambiguous. Finding these questions compelling,
I had to read more! Whether I had not read that weeks’ lesson closely enough,
or I had uncovered something that wasn’t talked about in great detail, I did
find it fascinating. Fascinating enough to be able to loosely plagiarize my
blog, and end up with a 1400 word essay that was submitted for English class. Cross
your fingers please?!
