Blog #6 - Seeing #2

Rev, John P. Minogue uses many metaphors in his essay The Twentieth-Century University Is Obsolete to describe the state of education in liberal arts institutions. Through them, Minogue is able to argue how universities are more like corporations rather than learning institutions.

In the third paragraph, Minogue describes higher education as a "global commodity" and how similar it is to the movie industry. Much like when a company makes a movie and distributes it, universities teach their students and send them out into the world with what knowledge they have. When the students are from other countries, they bring what they were taught back to their home countries. This makes education seem like a factor in the marketing progress in globalization and adds to Minogue's belief that education is more of a commodity rather than actual learning institutions.

Minogue also compares university faculty and staff to factory workers by calling them "knowledge engineers" in the sixth paragraph. By teaching certain courses and having them arranged on various time slots, universities are able to efficiently, yet not effectively, teach many students at once. This also allows the "working professionals" to "wrap courses into a degree to be distributed in cookie-cutter institutions" for students based on their majors or intended career paths. Much like a mass assembling-line in a factory, university faculty and staff are able to churn-out numerous students in order to reach the needed graduation percentage.

Blog #5 - Seeing #2

In her essay This Land Is Their Land, Barbara Ehrenreich uses a variety of methods in her argument. Through the uses of satire, sarcasm, irony, and ridicule, she is able to support her argument and its serious nature.

One instance of sarcasm that Ehrenreich uses criticizes the rich's preference for scenery, even if it's for a few weeks out of the year. She writes that if the rich don't get views of "vast expanses of water" or "mountains piercing the sky" outside their homes or hotels, then they may have negative health repercussions. This paints scenic luxury as if it were a physical need for the wealthy, thus supporting Ehrenreich's view of them as "[hogging] all the good scenery."

Another use of ridicule in her essay is Ehrenreich's comparison of workers' daily commute and a vacationer stuck in traffic. This would be a nightmare to the vacationing upper class, but this is nothing for workers who travel several hours a day just to clean dishes and trim hedges. So because they are unaccustomed to this sort of travel, one should "shed a tear" for the vacationer when in reality, the tear should be shed for the workers. This paints the wealthy as impatient as well as self-important, for they too good for this type of inconvenience.

In the last paragraph of the essay, Ehrenreich uses both satire and irony to summarize her argument and make it seem as if America is made more for the wealthy instead of "you and me." As real estate and land are bought-up by them, Ehrenreich insists that the rich are claiming what should be everyone's "birthright" for themselves. This becomes apparent through her take on the line in "This Land Is Your Land" and how it probably wasn't meant to be sung by "hedge-fund operators." Instead, it would have been more fitting if the line were sung by a chorus of polo-wearing members of a country club with gulf clubs in their hands. Thus, it is this paragraph that gives the essay its title.

Family Guy - Morning Wood Academy

Blog #4 - Stereotypes

In the photographs The Ohio Project and Gevonni Davis, both present a member from a different race in a light that doesn't coincide with their stereotypical representations. Through the use of clothing and makeup, the artists are able to depict exceptions to racial norms.

The Asian girl in The Ohio Project is dressed in a tube-top and short skirt, a fashion that can be described as "white trash." Her hair has even been dyed blonde, another trait of Caucasians. These elements present a race in a scenario that one would not expect to see them. The same goes for the young man in Gevonni Davis. The man has a more feminine appearance, complete with a shaven-face and distinct eyelashes. With the aid of the necklace, makeup, and thin eyebrows, the photo presents a black homosexual man as opposed to a black thug. These pictures illustrate difference as a social construct by exhibiting race in a more human aspect. The Asian girl and the black man are made more believable when they are dressed more true to their depicted personas and less like their racial stereotypes. These personas present the realization that not all people are prone to their designated stereotypes, whether they be ethical or racial.

I guess one could say that these are "fish out of water" photos . . .
Racial Reversals in Television

Blog #3 - Facebook article

Through the use of feature settings and the status feeds, the article is true about how Facebook is more about stroking the ego rather than polishing one's personality for "friends" to see.

Gayness' reference to users controlling certain features on their profiles, such as the information section and pictures, is one example of this. A Facebook user can use bands in the profile's "Music," titles in "Movies," or make other lists in other sections in order to shape their personalities. By including rock and metal bands, works by Edgar Allen Poe, and movies such as "The Crow," a user can project a "brooding" or dark personality based on their interests (or at least what they allow others to see). As for the pictures, they act as the avatar in physically portraying how that user looks (or how they want to appear). A user with just pictures of them in dark clothing or adorn in accessories from Hot Topic can help sale that "brooding" personality.

Another example from the article is the statement by Mark Leary used by Gayness. While a person in real life may seem modest, the catharsis that Facebook provides to its users may reveal otherwise. A simple status update can turn into a venting window for anger or sarcasm. These "windows" or momentary outbursts can shed light on a user's true character and makes the inner narcissist visible in a usually "unpretentious" person.

Gosh, I'd hate to see what Tony Stark's Facebook profile would look like . . .

Blog #2: My Backpack

Not many people are fortunate enough to have a backpack that has lasted as long as mine has. Since the eighth grade, my murky forest-green backpack has been my trusty sidekick, helping me carry items and accompanying me on numerous trips. This thing has sustained so much abuse, yet its straps are still in-tacked and I'm surprised it hasn't begun to fall apart. I sometimes refer to it as "Pai Mei," after the character from Kill Bill.

The reason it has been with me for this long is because I never felt like throwing it out. After every school year prior to eighth grade, my mom encouraged my brother and I reuse notebooks and other supplies for the next school year. Though I was always able to utilize my supplies to their full use into the next year, I never had the same luck with my backpacks. I always found some way to ruin those things, whether it was one of the straps breaking, tearing a zipper out, or the bottom falling out. So after a year of carrying around my Pai Mei, I was surprised at how durable it was. It was the first backpack not to crap-out on me. I didn't see the need to replace it, and it's been with me ever since.

I've taken Pai Mei to places other than school. He has gone with me to Myrtle Beach as my "entertainment bag," carrying books, sketchpad, colored pencils, and a CD player. He's also gone with me to North Carolina's FFA Camp on White Lake all three years, where he provided me with a hairdryer, a straightening iron, and extra clothes for those hot and muggy days. He was also there with me when I came for orientation at UNC-Wilmington, acting as a suitcase for my overnight stay. It's important to because memories of the places I have gone are attached to it. And I'm looking forward to more before it finally breaks.

English Blog #1: Values

Based on some of the items depicted in the picture of the Fernandez family, one can infer that the family emphasizes the conservation of food supplies. Items such as the 2.1 quart of vegetable oil and the 9 ounce ketchup bottles are clear indicators of this. Unless they are used at a restaurant, food items in that quantity are typically not depleted within a week's time. Other items that also show previous use are the orange-capped milk jug, Aunt Jemima syrup bottle, and the honey bottle behind the head of lettuce. The reason why these items are in the photo are to show how much is truly needed for use in one week.

A negative that this picture may have is the excess of American life. The McDonald's food and the take-out boxes indicate as such. While the Fernandez family may have to resort to fast-food and pre-made foods in order to save time, the cost for take-out is one cent more than the total cost of meat and fish and the fast-food contains ice cream treats that have no nutritional value. Another key item in the picture is the glass bowl of peanut butter. Instead of keeping it in the usual peanut butter jar (i.e. Peter Pan or Jif) to contain its freshness, it sits in a bowl and opened to the elements. Perhaps it has already served its use and the remnants will be thrown-out. If this is the case, then it shows how this American family takes food for granted. The pantry also plays into the excessive habits of the family. There's plenty of food in the pantry that the family could have used throughout the week, but they chose to spend money on more food. These items can represent the wasteful nature of the Fernandez household and the lack of value in what food they have.


Speaking of wasting food . . .Peter Eats Hydrated Food

First Post: Operation Test-Run

Alright! Glad to see that my laptop didn't implode from me trying to figure things out. I've never made a blog before, but it's required for my English 101 class. What one sees as "homework," I see as a fun experiment. Maybe by the end of the semester, I'll start to like the idea of blogs.

So you're probably curious as to why I named this blog "The Politically Incorrect Frenchie." Lately, I've been obsessed with French bulldogs, or "Frenchies" as owners call them. These dogs get no higher than 13 inches and have bat-like ears. As I was trying to come up with a name for the blog, this image of a French bulldog dressed as a politician just popped into my mind. (I guess it's those silly bat ears that made the idea so appealing!) So no, it is in no way meant to offend the renowned people of France.