Owakare da (Time to part)

The irony of a Japanese phrase as blog title in an English class. Well if you read my previous blog then you should already know how I honestly felt about this class and the results that I felt that I got. But that just shows that not everyone likes doing an online class in opposed to a face to face class. As I said in my previous blog as well, I was more preoccupied with my other classes which were all face to face and was dealing with personal matters throughout the semester as well. But for the sake of this final blog assignment, I shall reiterate my thoughts about this class.

For the topics we studied, I honestly did not find any interest in the majority of them. But there were a few that I actually put most of my personal thoughts and beliefs in but all in all I only really did it because it was an assignment that counted as points toward the grade. Don't get me wrong, I am sure that just about everyone else enjoyed expressing their thoughts and emotions on here, but I am not that type of person who likes to express his emotions through writing.

As for the work, well let's just say I really appreciate the fact that I have a sense of temperance, otherwise I would have dropped this class on the first day in. Well the only type of work that actually bothered me really were just the essays because I detest writing essays and I always never meet any professor's standards for making a "good paper", I always get in between the 60 to 70% range at best no matter what topic is given, unless it is a freestyle paper then I can do much better than I would expect myself to do.

As for the community, I honestly thought: "What's the point of getting to know each other online? It's not like we are going to go meet each other to do our assignments, making the so-called online community pointless. Plus it is just really weird talking to other people you don't really know online." Well at least that is what I believe. I do not believe in the necessity of talking to other people, I prefer to go about my day by myself for many reasons, and that is how I have always been as well.

The path I walk is one that only I can walk on, the path I walk is the path I chose, the path I walk is one that will eventually lead me to my goals. I will always be the way I am no matter what any other person says because I am myself, not just another lifeless clone like the majority of the general population. I will always hold fast to what I believe in for it is what I truly believe is right. I am myself, I am an individual, I am my own person, I am Linden Davis.

My writing...well.....

To be honest, I do not feel that my writing has improved. I do not feel that I really gained anything from taking an online class. I honestly believe that a face to face class would have been more fruitful in regards to improving my writing, because in class the professor will usually show you examples and techniques, and usually I take notes in class either out of boredom to keep my brain active or if I find the lecture truly crucial. However in an online class, I just slide through, honestly.

Initially I took this course for two reasons, the first was that I actually needed an English 103 class which I discovered last semester, and the second reason was that this was the only English 103 class that was available when I was registering. I honestly thought: "Hmm, well it is only an online class and I need an English 103 class in order to transfer so it can't be that bad." Well I was wrong, I had trouble keeping up in this online class and I discovered that I really do function better in a face to face class in oppose to an online class.

Maybe if I only had just this class during a semester I would have surely applied myself a lot more, however that is not the case for I had taken this class as a full-time student, which was actually written in the advice document under the don'ts of this class. Also I am someone who is only driven by motivation and/or an absolute reason, and if neither one is present I will not put all my effort into it. The reason why is that I detest writing essays, hell I detest school period, I am actually in an English 103 class because of the transfer requirements screwed me over and made my road to transferring even more tedious than it already was.

I am also someone who does not like to listen to other people unless I feel what they have to say is worth my time and catches my interest. But if neither one of the latter is met then I will just tune out or focus on something else that is more immediate and holding more importance in my life. In other words, my other classes being the immediate for they were face to face classes, and my personal matters as the important. I am sure that this class has helped at least one or two students improve, however I am one of the students that got nothing out of this class.

As I said in the beginning in the blog, my writing has not improved, honestly. I had other classes and personal matters going on throughout the semester and their priorities went over this online class, I wish I could have either had only this class to worry about this semester so I could focus on just this class or that I had a face to face class to improve my writing in person. But that is not what happened.

Research paper!?

Well if you want what I honestly think about this research project. Son of a c*** f***ing c*** piss, why the f*** does this f***ing s*** always happen to me!? F*** my life!!! Pardon my vulgar language and censorship, but I really do not like doing research papers, I do not even like writing essays in general. I would rather take a test than write an essay, at least I can just get that over with rather having an essay hang over my head until it is due and I hate tests as well. If I can write three pages in an essay then I consider myself lucky, but a six page minimum!? No, I can't stand that, that makes me want to jump into a fire.

I cannot stress enough how much I absolutely detest writing essays let alone research papers, you would have to talk to me in person to be able to measure how much I detest essays. I will try to break down the reasons why I dislike writing essays or research papers. The first reason is that I am not good at writing essays, therefore I dislike it because I do not like doing things I am not good at. The second reason is the page requirements, if the minimum is 2 or 3 pages I can manage, but if it is 4 or higher I just lose it. The third reason and the reason nearly every single person has is "procrastination", nobody wants to do anything that they do not like, I most certainly don't. Especially essays and research papers. Therefore I neglect writing it until the last minute, however if I am motivated enough I can be creative and receive a passing grade on the assignment. But this only happens about 6 out of 10 times though.

All and all, I hate research papers, I really do. Did I mention that I hate research papers? (I am only kidding, I know I have said it enough times to get my point across). Sometimes I wish there were an alternative to writing research papers, like taking a test in relation to the research subject. But unfortunately being wishy-washy will not grant me such an alternative. But I do honestly wish that there was one, but there is not. Maybe if I did like writing essays and did not procrastinate then this would not be an issue at all, then again if I did like writing research papers then I would not be able to write this blog tonight. But this is a given opportunity that we are allowed to vent upon a specific assignment, do take note that most professors would never openly allow this, and so, I shall end this yet another rant/vent blog with something that I know that will stick with those who read this blog: I hate writing research papers!!! (How many times have I said that, or something that related to that phrase? If you know please keep count in the comments below, thank you)

0N71N3 C0MMUN1C810N (Online Communication, pardon the 1337/LEET Speak)

To me there are two types of online communication styles: proper online etiquette and short-handed online/texting speech. Personally, I do not care for short-handed online speech because of its crude function, and to me it shows the intelligence level of whom is using it which is usually not very high. Call me judgmental or whatever you find fitting for my condescending manner but this is the awful truth when it comes to that type of online etiquette, and to save face in regards to this blog's title I wrote it like that to serve as somewhat of online humor. In other words it is supposed to be a joke.

About my online communication style, I type how I would speak in the real world; properly and with class. For example, "In the real world, I would talk like this" and, "While I am online, I would communicate like this". I type in that type of manner in order to get my point across with efficiency and I do not say too many words to throw off my audience, because if I did type to much for them, then would most likely feel that they were reading an essay or an article. However that is not an issue for I am a person who likes to get straight to the point, usually.

What do I think my online communication style says about me? I believe that it says that I have a sense of discipline/class needed in order to get my point across properly, without resorting to use short-handed online/texting speech. However I do prefer my speech to be "short and sweet" because over-extended comments and messages tend to lose the reader's(s') interest after the first two or three sentences, depending on the receiver's attention span. Is this turning into yet another rant blog? Well, yeah it is about to be in a few sentences, so brace yourself or stop reading. Fair warning.

What does my style communicate to others? To be honest, I actually do not know for two reasons: 1. I do not talk to people a lot whether it be in the real world or online. 2. Even when I do talk to someone, they usually either do not have anything interesting or intelligent to say or they just do not give me the time of the day. But I have gotten past that, I make better choices of whom to talk to and whom to ignore, and I ignore a lot of people on top of that.

Do I have different styles for different situations? Yes I do as a matter of fact, when I am giving out instructions or directions I am precise and detailed as I can possibly be, regardless of the receiver's communication style or how long the message is. But when it comes to drama or plain old BS whether that person is berating me with proper online communication etiquette or with short-handed speech, I just ignore them, cut off all contact if it becomes a problem.

Political Cartoons make me laugh...kind of.

Political cartoons are funny, political cartoons make somewhat of an indirect point, political cartoons can be plain stupid, political cartoons can be just downright offensive. I usually find most political cartoons either funny or stupid but having some substance of what the editorialist is trying to depict. However there are those offensive cartoons that would make anyone angry by viewing the nature of the depicted issue, and I have seen some pretty offensive political cartoons throughout the years. However one of the most offensive political cartoons that I have seen was a cartoon of an amputated man with a doctor saying "I'm listing your condition as 'battle hardened'." Battle hardened!? More like the guy can even live his life anymore because of the traumatic events during the war he returned from and the grave battle-wounds he received.

War is no joke, however the editorialist whom depicted that issue as a joke which may have initially may have been intended to be just that, a joke, turns out to be a highly offensive editorial cartoon. Why I say so is because the cartoon half-heartedly presents an amputated soldier with a doctor saying that he is now "battle hardened". Battle hardened from what? Getting his limbs blown off? That is what being battle hardened is? No, it is not. Callously depicting such a cartoon should not have been published for this insults those whom serve the United States and those who lost loved ones because of war.

I do not know who would find any kind of editorial cartoon depicting that specific type of issue funny, but to me if someone does find that funny, then that person(s) does not know the damaging effects that wars always leave behind in its wake. I do not know how this cartoon was allowed to be published but I know there are individuals whom seek to its censoring/removal due to its callous depicting of battle-wounded soldiers. I also believe even if the role of the hospital bed patient was changed, I would not find this editorial cartoon to be funny.

If it were up to me I would just axe that specific editorial cartoon so it would not see the light of day in order to prevent the publishing of offensive content. However even that type of content is protected by the First Amendment and does not depict excessively obscene material, it is just callous. I have seen offensive editorial cartoons throughout the years and this one stood out because of its callous nature of the depicting of the issue, and the fact that something that disrespectful to those affected by war is allowed to be published. To be honest if I found out why editorialists publish offensive material such as that other than to get money I would probably go over to that editorialist's office/station/whatever it is called and throw a stone or a chair through their window and say, "you like to publish crap, well publish how your damn window got a hole in it" then run like hell.

Major Event Impact

I categorize events into two categories; important and hype. I personally do not pay attention to news because I will usually not like yet I know that is does not surprise me that it occured in that manner. The reason why I feel that way is because I prefer to focus on my own immediate issues and do what needs to be done for me. However if something important did happen it will have my utmost attention, and the last event that occurred that grabbed my attention was the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami in Japan on March 11th 2011. For the first time in many years, I actually cared about something that occurred somewhere else.

There are two reasons why this disaster grabbed my attention, the first is that the country which is the source of my Japanese pride faced an apocalyptic disaster and the damage whiched looked like it was a movie was actually REAL. I actually asked myself, "Is this really happening? Is this some horrible joke? Is this a nightmare?" Unfortunately only one of those questions was answered, that it was really happening and the apocalypse was unfolding upon Japan. I almost wanted to cry because how could such a disaster happen to a country like Japan? I felt like I died inside that day.

Aside from dumping my emotions out upon that I will tell you what I think about news which is simply hype. Well, it is just as I say it is: hype. Therefore I just turn my head away from it and just continue on my life without being disturbed by that type of news. Why do other people get all worked up about news like that is beyond me, well it may just be the difference of interest between me and most people. But that is just how it is, I guess.

When I learn about information and wish to learn more about a specific event, I either look on certain websites, my e-mail news page, or ask one of my relatives whom always have updates about the news. Every time they always tell me about a specific event their information is always concrete and detailed. As for considering what type of news is just hype, well I usually dismiss something that does not involve any deaths or damages as hype because to me that is not important because I have better things to do with my life instead of being preoccupied about trivial matters.

Some people would tell me to watch the news and I would respond, "I do, and there is not anything that concerns me". Ignorant as that my sound I feel that way because I do not like being preoccupied with other people's issue, especially with people whom I do not know or will ever meet. As selfish as that sounds I hold that type of perspective for specific reasons (which I will not state in this blog) and will remain to holding on to those reasons until I go to the grave.

The Sting of Hate Speech

What is hate speech? How can one define it? Hate speech is, outside the law, any communication that disparages a person or a group on the basis of some characteristic such as race, gender, ethnicity, nationality, religion, sexual orientation, or other characteristic. In law, hate speech is any speech, gesture or conduct, writing, or display which is forbidden because it may incite violence or prejudicial action against or by a protected individual or group, or because it disparages or intimidates a protected individual or group. This is a formal way to define hate speech, but if one were take a survey about what makes speech become hate speech, the results would differ within each person's given answer.

How do I define hate speech? To me hate speech is an offensive type of speech that includes racial, gender, social slurs that are purposely used to degrade the unwilling receiver of this type of speech. People often express hate speech either consciously or just out of ignorance and is done constantly (almost every 2.7 seconds) without any end. Despite this being a worldly issue, there are individuals that have never heard hate speech in their entire life and are oblivious to the sting that hate speech delivers. Usually it is those type of people whom have never been a target of hate speech are the ones that either say it haphazardly or are just oblivious to this issue.

Unfortunately I was not spared from hate speech, as a matter of fact I was a target for an endless barrage of insults and implied racism due to my mixed ethnic heritages and characteristic traits. Also the ones who kept on firing these forms of hate speech were from a specific ethnic group (I will not say which one it is, but the answer is obvious), and peaked at it's worst when I was in high school. As the years passed my disdain for that specific ethnic group began to grow to the point if someone were to fire a racial slur at me, I would fire one back that was ten times more offensive. This also showed me that most people who express hate speech love to insult other races, however they will not tolerate being insulted. But to me that is just a typical reaction.

As a predominantly African-American and Japanese mixed individual, I am a target for multiple racial slurs and that is something that will never change as long as people still shoot off hate speech with ignorance, and unfortunately ignorance is not something that will not disappear anytime in this life cycle. But I learned how to tolerate stupidity/ignorance of such magnitude and how to counter their racial slurs because if you insult me, I will insult you back and make sure that you feel the sting of my words ten times more than what you fired at me. I will end this rant blog with a piece of wisdom; give what you can take, if you fail to simply do that then shut your damn mouth.

Which is more important- Happiness or Self-respect?

Two different concepts, two different mentalities, both of these words have a different meaning. Which one is more important? I say self-respect, because to me happiness is fleeting or temporary, however if one has self-respect that will always be with them until they go to the grave. I also believe that self-respect strongly defines one's character and sets a standards for those around that person to follow if they have self-respect. One other reason why self-respect is more important is because if one person does not have that, then what is the point of that person even living, they are only making themselves subject to other people's will making them no better than a lifeless doll. To me, that is one of the worst ways to live life, being at the beckoning of other people, which is absolutely disgusting.

As for the concept of happiness, it is always fleeting, not everyone can achieve it or can be allowed to experience it. It is also temporary, as it can either be related to someone or something else and if that something or someone goes, so does one's happiness. As for the emotion, well emotions do not last forever, although it may feel that way to certain people, but even happiness can be swayed as well and to be honest I would not hold my breath for something that is temporary, ever.

Back to self-respect now, to me the word self-respect means "respecting yourself" (although that is an obvious definition) and to hold yourself to a high standard. It also helps me shut out those who try to use me to satisfy their superficial whims and to set an example that I am not some clone like nearly every other person that exists around me. However if one person allows to be deluded by their own self-respect that is called being "conceited", which consists of over-confidence, arrogance, and narcissism usually. If one where to adopt this type of behavior and force the above mentioned traits upon other people that person will lose integrety and be considered just another (insert description here).

I have a lot of self-respect, too much for some people. But that just shows how little they know of me and the type of life I have led. If someone from my high school saw me as I am today and had not seen or heard from me since then they would think I was a different person, but that is fine with me, I do not like being as I was in high school because it sucked. I also do not believe in adopting a fake happiness, or pretending to be happy and nice to other because that is not how I live my life. Unlike most people I am honest with my character and I always say what I feel like saying without any sugar-coating because that will only just inhibit my own style and I also have way too much self-respect to lower myself to everyone elses' half-witted standards.

Nonverbal Behavior

Nonverbal behaviors can explain a lot about one's personality if you are able to discern their actions. Although I do not know how often people in general rely on nonverbal cues, but for me they can tell me what type of person they are, or what they want to let on. When I have a conversation with someone I always pay attention to three critical factors, 1. Eye contact: if they cannot look me in the eye while talking then they are not worth my time. 2. Voice consistency: if they hesitate while telling me something I will assume that the other person is lying. 3. Tone of voice: the most important key factor to me, if the person is trying to "talk at me" instead of "talking to me", I will not listen to a single word that comes out of their mouth.

As for the words spoken by the other person, if they are using words in a sentence consecutively while trying to explain something that each have no relation to the subject, I am going to assume that the other person does not know what they are talking about. Also if they use "mainstream words" I will begin to lose interest in listening to the other person, eventually tuning them out. Conversely if the other person uses too many big words in the same sentence throughout the conversation I am going to assume that the other person is trying to show off how smart they are, and that will prompt me to just turn my head away from them showing the utmost disinterest in the other person.

Are my own nonverbal cues influenced by my gender? I believe so, I am a male and I express myself as a male would. I usually express my own nonverbal cues too much if I am disinterested in what the other person is talking about, or if the sound of the other person's voice irritates me. As I said in my Nonverbal Cues- My Gestures and Signals blog I wave the back of my hand which translates to either "go away" or "not interested", which was influenced by my ego treating whichever issue or person I do not like as if they were a bug telling them to go buzz off somewhere else.

Overall I believe that the influence of nonverbal cues lies within not only a person's gender, but a person's personality, lifestyle, or media influence. I say so because not all of my gestures were invented by myself, although sometimes I would like to think that way. There are many types of influences that can integrate into a person's nonverbal behavior and each person has a unique set of nonverbal cues and are all executed at varying intervals and each could have a different meaning than what it generally translate to. But that is just what makes the subject of nonverbal behavior so complex, because if every person used the same gestures and each meant the same thing that would be really boring.

Nonverbal Cues- My Gestures and Signals

According to most communications professors; body language is the strongest form of nonverbal communication. Body language sends out numerous amounts of signals to those around you, however each individual's reaction will vary due to cultural background differences. However when it comes to my own body language I try to make my gestures as unique and clear as possible so other people can understand what I am trying to say without verbally saying it. For example, if I am waving my hand in a back-hand waving motion I am telling someone to either "go away" or I am saying "not interested". Another one of my gestures is how I bid farewell, I do so by giving a two-fingered salute facing away from the one I am parting from.

As for the "vibes" I give off, I usually give off a "don't bother me" type of vibe because I am not interested in most people within my community. This vibe of mine was also developed because of the way I grew up and how much my personality clashes with most others, which has prompted some to deem me "unapproachable" or "abrasive". However I do not let other people's thoughts about me change my perspective because they have no right to do so. There is only one me and I will not let any other person sway me from my path.

My facial expressions usually state what I type of mood I am in or what I am thinking about something. For example; if I am disgusted with something or someone I will either turn my head and not look that direction, or I will openly display a disgusted expression. This has also created friction between me and certain people because I am too "blatantly honest" and I also do not believe in hiding my thoughts or putting on a fake expression because that does not blend within my discipline.

My dress style, now this one is a kicker, is not what you would usually see a "Black guy" wear. Despite being 25% Japanese along with three other heritages people will either silently stereotype me or openly question my style. To be honest I say that they are just plain ignorant and need to see past their own noses, if they are capable of doing so that is. This was actually an issue I had to deal with frequently throughout my high school years and lead to numerous conflicts with my so-called "peers". However this is now just dust in the wind, it has came and it has gone away.

As for my mental attitude, I try to adopt a "neutral" type of attitude, not allowing my emotions to cloud my logical reasoning or judgment. Once again this has also been a main cause of friction between me and other people because I do not think like every other person nor do I desire to. I can also be very "snippy" if someone tries to aggravate me, because if you say something insulting to me I'll do it back and ten times harder. Why so sensitive? Call it sensitive if you want, but I call it "not taking 'you-know-what' from other people".

English the "lingua franca"

Out of the over 6 billion world population, approximately 915 million speak the English language which is between 15 to 17 percent. However, if a native English speaker comes across someone who speaks a different language the English speaker will usually berate the the other person, in English, for not speaking the English language. Why is this such a critical issue? Not every single person on this planet can speak a general language, and native English speakers have no right to berate other speakers for not speaking the same language. There are about 7,300 languages that exist throughout the world, yet those who speak English as a first language somehow made it a requirement that every single person speaks English to them or else it is impossible to communicate.

Personally I would like to berate those who berate others who do not speak English because what they are displaying when doing that is called "ignorance", such a thing that knows no bounds in a certain country, which I will not say in this blog, because the ones who are native speakers of the English language who berate others who cannot speak English are closed-minded, ignorant, and are unable to establish common ground with foreign speakers. This is an issue that exists not only on the outside world but also on the internet as well, although not perfect there is something called a "translation site" to at least help someone understand what someone else is saying, but no, to those close-minded native English speakers: every one must speak English.

I am actually surprised and disappointed that they berate foreign speakers for not speaking English over the internet as well and what is even worse is when an native English speaking customer or worker berates the foreign speaking customer or worker in the workplace. Now this just unprofessional and plain rude because certain native English speakers will always have a high expectancy level that every single person within that workplace speaks English, and if they do not then they have no right of being there. This is also an issue throughout society as well, ranging from a social gathering to an educational setting and this is an issue that knows no bounds and there is no sight of an ending either unfortunately.

I don't know how or why English became the "lingua franca" (frank language) for communications between native English speakers and foreign speakers but honestly, those close-minded native English speakers have absolutely no right to treat foreign speakers in such an unacceptable manner. To end this rant blog I would like to leave those with a piece of wisdom: if you, a native English speaker got lost in a foreign country that did not adopt the English language as a set of spoken languages and you attempted to communicate with someone who did not speak English and they berate you for not speaking their language, how would you feel then? Put yourself through someone else's perspective before forcing your own on other people and expecting them to accept it.

Slanted Reporting

There are usually two ways to judge an innocuous or an unharmful object, it is either judged favorably or unfavorably and this is called 'slanted reporting'. Why I chose to post a blog about this topic is that most people that I come across always almost immediately pass judgment to something or someone just by appearance alone without thorough analysis. For this blog I am going to analyze the pros and cons of an article of clothing; specifically my leather police-styled jacket. This jacket that I purchased for myself around the previous Christmas season holds a lot of meaning to me for two reasons; 1. I'ts my first jacket I purchased without any objections from any of my family members and 2. It looks cool and it goes with my style perfectly.

The pros: this jacket is a small size (size 36-38) and it fits on my upper body perfectly as if I was meant to wear this jacket because it completes my style. I also like the overall design of the jacket as well and it is a type of jacket to look like you are going to fight someone in rather than 'just to look nice' and this is my number one pro, but don't get me wrong I don't have anything against looking nice. Another one of my pros for this jacket is that it keeps me warm even on the coldest of days here in the Antelope Valley. Not everything is perfect though, and I shall explain the drawbacks of this jacket with the cons.

The cons: I can't wear my jacket when it is raining outside because if cowhide leather gets wet it will be ruined, and this my number one con for this jacket. Another thing that irritates me is that every time I put my left arm near the left half of the zipper line, which is cut your skin if you are careless enough, the left sleeve of my jacket gets scratched and I'm unable to figure out a way to prevent that problem other than not folding my arms. The last con that I have is being unable to wear this jacket in high temperature seasons but this is a natural occurance and I cannot alternate the weather so that is a natural drawback, however I could wear it while riding a motorcycle but I do not own one or even have an M-Class license.

This analysis of my jacket shows that not everything is perfect and that there will always be some type of drawbacks in the best of most things. But honestly I appreciate having this jacket for two reasons; the first is that it completes my style and looks cool. The second is that it is mine and it is something I can call my own and it shall always be that way until I'm physically unable to wear it or when I go the grave, whichever comes first. But one fact will never be changed: it belongs to me.

Martin Luther King Jr. - "I Have a Dream"

Martin Luther King Jr.'s "I have a dream" speech is one of the most prominent events during the Civil Rights Movement in on August 28th 1963, this speech contained power symbolic language that figuratively echoed throughout history and was heard across the nation. Whether if the location was intentional or not the Lincoln Memorial in Washington D.C. served as a natural visual aid for King's speech by using 16th president Lincoln as a reference to the Emancipation Proclamation which abolished slavery on January 1st 1863, one hundred years before King's speech and stated that African-Americans are still not free.

Had King chosen to make his speech in a different location his above statement would more than likely had less momentum for his speech, but he chose the capital of America in order to be heard throughout the nation and to attract attention to the capital's activity. This speech served as a major tool for the Civil Rights Movement, had this speech never been created then Civil Rights Movement would have more than likely failed to change America.

Fortunately this speech did help by serving as a major tool of momentum of the Civil Rights Movement to change America. King also used symbolic yet reality instilled language in his speech such as, "the Negro lives on a lonely island of poverty in the midst of a vast ocean of material prosperity", which outlined the harsh yet actual reality of the African-American population during that time. He also stated the injustices that African-Americans were dubbed upon by America and King said, "America has given the Negro people a bad check, a check which has come back marked 'insufficient funds.' But we refuse to believe that the bank of justice is bankrupt. We refuse to believe that there are insufficient funds in the great vaults of opportunity of this nation. And so, we've come to cash this check, a check that will give us upon demand the riches of freedom and the security of justice."

This speech has made it's mark in American History and shall remain so throughout the time of the world, this speech shall be remembered as the speech that changed America.

Literary Barriers

I was raised to be able to basic tasks, such as reading and writing. However if I grew up never learning such important abilites I would be labeled as an "illiterate". If I truly was an illiterate I would not be able to discern words that were in text form and would not be able to get through school or accomplish simple everyday tasks that require being able to read. Being unable to read would be dangerous too, because if I could not read a saftey sign I would not know what to do, for example: I see a "Do Not Cross" sign and I walk not knowing what that sign meant, causing chaos for on coming cars.

If I was an illiterate, I would not be able to follow certain instructions that require reading them, such as how to set up a computer or how to put gas in car. Such simple tasks to a majority of people would become a tribulation due to illiteracy and would make me feel regret and anger for not learning how to read and would forever hang over my head like a curse that cast upon me.

If I were illiterate my job opprotunities would be next to zero due to illiteracy, and being able to read is a critical ability a person must retain in order achieve a job. Let alone getting a job, if I were not able to read I would not know how to get to the designated meeting place because I would not be able to read the directions as well, I would not be allowed to get driver's license as well because there are a written portion that requires reading and if I were illiterate I can just forget about being allowed to drive.

Illiteracy is a very impeding handicap to have throughout one's life and being so does not bring any fortune what-so-ever. If I had a child now and still remained illiterate I would not be able to properly provide for my child due to my illiteracy. There would be so many things I could do but they would be vastly outside of my grasp due to illiteracy, and if I truly were illiterate I would not even be typing this blog right now. I would not even know how to use a computer or the internet if I were truly illiterate.

However, I am not illiterate. As I said in the beginning in this blog post; I was raised to be able to do basic tasks such as reading and writing, and I am able to utilize such skills to accomplish tasks in my everyday life and overcome seemingly insurmountable tasks that involve being literate and I admit I do not express appreciation for having these important skills, but if I were illiterate, I would think much more differently than I am now and would give anything in the world just to be able to read and write as a "literate person" and understand words that are written for a reason.

Critical Thinking

To me, critical thinking means using your own analyitcal techniques to discern a certain question in a given assignment or just using said analytical techniques to solve everyday problems. When I use my critical thinking techniques I usually either use logical reasoning or the process of elimination in order to solve my everyday problems and my assignments. The certain aspects of my critical thinking skills were developed as I grew up learning how certain things worked and how to analyze certain people in order to get around in life while understanding what is going on around me.

As I use my critical thinking skills to advance in my life because I always find the results more satisfying that I achieved so using my abilities in opposed to acting upon emotions. To me acting upon one's emotions is an unsightly thing to do, and before you start jumping on me I will give you my opinion why it is unsightly. In contrast to my beliefs upon critical thinking, acting upon one's emotions is similar to playing a game of risk because one can only assume what the results can produce, not providing a guaranteed outcome. For me acting upon my emotions usually provides me with results I do not want and has been a recurring issue growing up. But as I matured so did my abilities to use critical thinking or my logical reasoning, enabling me to decipher which method I use will produce the closest to ideal result.

My use of critical thinking in media involves seeing through the implications or lies that the media attempts to instill upon those who view their material. For example; fast food industries making people obese, which is incorrect. The correct answer is that people who are not physically active and do not eat a healthy diet are the reasons why people are becoming obese. That is only one of many reasons why I turn away from media and retain my own critical thinking skills over accepting the media's empty lies. Politics use similar tactics as well in order to persuade people to vote for a certain canidate.

As for this class English 103 Online, I more than highly doubt that it will change any of my current perspective that I retain. I have three reasons why I say this: the first is that I grew up in a rather undesirable manner and knowing how ugly people can be, the second is that I choose to use my own techniques when dealing with issues that require analysis and dislike when other people "suggest" things for me, the third is that I'm just plain stubborn. I went through a lot of good and bad things in my life and wish to remain as I am regardless of what others wish for me to be because in the end the only one who truly can define your character, is yourself.