How I make sense of the American Way of Life? My thoughts from September to Now.
When first entering this class I was told “Omg you have Andy as a teacher?! His class is hard blah blah blah.” Off the back I was expecting a test everyday, tons of text book work, homework assignments and overall to be overwhelmed by American history facts. Well when I got to the class it was a total different experience than I thought it would be. We sat in a circle and discussed the American way of life. We discussed what we thought it meant, did everyone have the same definition and what were our American way of lives. In September we wrote a awol paper and my opening statement was “The American way of life is looked at in many different ways from different Americans perspectives. Although people look at the awol of life differently, in all definitions, success seems to play a part in it. Personally I believe people view the American Way Of Life as mostly being successful because that's the way it has been portrayed for years.” I’ve learned the ups and downs, disadvantages/advantages, and the pros and cons of living a American way of life..and that is something that I never had the privilege to learn about in my earlier education. After going through this entire school year focusing on this one topic, my views on it somewhat changed because now I believe that success is probably only a small portion of what people view the American way of life as. I can honestly say that being in this class helped me to expand my views and allowed me to see things in a deeper sense. Discussion that took place in this class helped me grow as a individual, and thanks to Andy Snyder I now see things in life differently and now see myself in a way that I never did before. This has been the most influencing and life changing course that I’ve taken in high school thus far.
Around October we wrote a paper on the American way of life and had to interview different individuals on their definition of the awol. Overall ones’ definition of success depends on their views on life, what one may think is successful, another may think is a waste of time. “It depends on what your doing to be successful, education, getting your own business, getting a house out of New York, family, dog, truck, a hobby. Yes I don’t live n the city I live in Long Island. A little bit more than the average man I'm not rich but I'm happy, and you gotta be healthy.” This was an answer that a random construction worker told me. By him saying that the American Way of Life was getting a house out of New York shocked me because many people who think of the American Way of Life, usually say that New York is a place where they would want to move in order to live the American Way of Life. Individuals who live in Long Island aren’t the people who are usually looked at as living the American Way of Life, but in this construction worker case, he believed that by living in Long Island he was actually living the typical American way of life. Health is also something that was spoken about in his description of the American way of life. I noticed that no one ever mentions health when speaking about the typical American way of life. This is surprising because when looking at different peoples lives, most of the time they all have health care or has been in a situation where their health was in danger. So for many people not to mention this, it shows that health is something that is maybe taken for granted in many American lives. “More money brings more problems for people, so being successful and rich isn’t always the best thing for an American person. There is a recession going on right now, so it’s hard for anyone to become successful when they weren’t in that position in the first place. Me as a single, struggling mom, it seems as if the poor are getting poorer and the rich are getting richer.” While interviewing a single mom inside of a pizzeria, she said certain things that a lot of middle class and lower class people might be thinking. I agree with her ideas on the American way of life. If you look at the economy as a whole right now, it doesn’t seem as if the middle class and lower class people are benefitting from some of the decisions that are being made for our country. The people who are successful in the world now are becoming even more successful, while people who are struggling are continuing to struggle. These views that different Americans have shows how the typical American Way of Life varies from one individual to another, but mostly importantly it proves that there might not be a typical American way of life.
My views on this sort of changed because now I believe that there just may be a typical American way of life which includes eating, sleeping, working and waking up the next day to do it all again.
One focus of this class that helped me to gain knowledge on America and how it is ran was the study of capitalism. Capitalism is something that is seen everyday in America. It is a social-economic system in which production and distribution has private ownership, there is a profit motive, and free market. One of the main factors of capitalism is the motive for producing goods and services to sell them for a profit, not to meet different individuals needs. The products of capitalist production have to find a buyer of the product, so they can therefore make a profit off of the product and end up with more money then was originally owned. The free market role that takes place in capitalism is based on supply and demand, with little or no government interference. Supply is the availability for sale of a commodity at all prices, and demand is the amount purchased at a commodity at all prices. A commodity is something that can be bought or sold in the market place. There is also something called the Equilibrium in which there is a price where both agree on. A completely free market is the ideal form of a market economy where buyers and sells are allowed to buy, sell, and trade freely based on a mutual agreement on price without any state intervention in the form of taxes, subsidies or regulation. Some factors that also contribute to capitalism is land, labor and capital. Land is the natural world and natural resources that are used to make the product that is either being bought, sold or traded. Labor is all the work that is necessary to produce and distribute the product, and capital are the factories as well as transportation methods that are used to transfer materials. When referring to capitalism there is a simple order that can help to get a better understanding of how it works. Wealth, capital, profit, and increased wealth.
This served as my first formal introduction to capitalism, because even though this has been discussed in class in middle school, it was never quite explained to its full potential. After learning that capitalism was a main part of our lives in American, it stayed in my mind as something that I should pay more attention to and actually want to learn about. Now that I know the basics of it (and even more) it helps me to understand business on a deeper level and how profit is made, how things are sold and the ending result to it all. This information is honestly something that I will carry with me when going to college and trying to figure out what I want to do with my life, in my opinion every human being in should have knowledge on capitalism because it is indeed a big factor in the American Way of life.
Learning about the united states government also was something that I took as one of the main important things to know when learning about the American way of life. The three branches of government Legislative Branch, Executive branch and the Judicial branch were things that I got a better understanding of. Although it was very frustrating to understand some of the ideas that were in the constitution, it gave me a lot more insight on the way the united states go about doing things. I already knew most of what I needed to know about the three branches, but during the reading it just seemed to give me a clearer understanding of how they worked. I don’t feel as if we as Americans actually follow the constitution now in days, which gave me a feeling that the constitution was full of crap. The amendments were things that I enjoyed reading because after reading I connected it to the way we lives as Americans now and tried to see whether or not these were actually important things to us. Personally, I believe that the 13th amendment was one of the most important/powerful amendment of all. This amendment gave me the right to sit here and type this response, because it abolished slavery. If this had not been made, there is no question to where I might have been right now, being a black person. If gave my family and many other black families around the world the chance to live on their own and raise families such as any other American living in the United States. It helped to strengthen the way American was structured, and improved the diversity of the state. Letting black people go free from working under white masters, helped give hope to the economy. Maybe it didn’t fully change the social class in the world between black and whites, but it served as a way to get them closer together. I am thankful for this amendment, and happy that It could have made the change in America that allowed me to be “equal” to others.
Another amendment that I feel is very important is the 15th amendment. This is what allowed people to vote no matter the color of their skin or their gender, or other things that prohibited individuals from voting. During the 2008 election, I reflected back on this amendment and discussed with my 18 year old sister the reason why she was allowed to vote this year. The color of her skin and her gender wouldn’t have allowed her to vote...because she is a black female. This amendment broke down barriers for many people and made people feel as if they had rights to do things in this country, that they wouldn’t have been allowed to do if this amendment would not have been passed.
These amendments show the struggle that many Americans had to go through, but most importantly is showed how American grew as a country. The American way of life back then was about owing slaves and living a unequal life by having one race be superior to another, but even though we as Americans don’t really live a equal life to each other now in days it is more widely spoken that equality is the what we should have between all individuals. The events that took place in the pass has help to shape America today, and helped to change the constitution/amendments for the better. When they were first written people living in that time probably didn’t think that the laws stated were “bad.” This is because it was all that they were use to. Just like now, if im use to living in a country in which freedom is idolized, than I would think that current constitution is something that could benefit the United States. But what if generations from now believe that only certain people should have freedom, than the constitution wouldn’t seem as perfect to them. This is why I believe that the revisions made to the constitution are written examples of progress in the United States. The constitution shaped America and helped freedom spread. Before this, there were barely any rights for people other than whites. During the time period of the Constitution building up, Congress didn’t consist of any African-Americans. This probably was a very intense period of time since blacks weren’t involved in any decisions at all because at any time during the Civil War, the choice that all people are equal could have changed. Anti- federalist opposed the constitution and if this right were taking away from blacks it wouldn’t have made a difference to them. The government seemed to have all control of the country, but they also begin to support the words... “We are all equal.”
It is no doubt that the American way of life lived today is due to these things that I’ve just discussed. I even believe that it helped to shape the american way of life. The Constitution, as amended, helped a lot of discrimination and separation discontinue in the United States. Even though this still takes place, I believe that if this country did not have the constitution, it would be even more of a wreck than it is now. The constitution definitely didn’t heal all of United States issues, but it served as something that eliminated a lot of separation between races, genders etc...which united the country to some extent and the American way of life is now a reflection of that.
For different American ways of life, I believe that the constitution helped to expand opportunities for some cultures, and to create chances of success for other cultures. It provided some equality in America, and it answered many peoples cries for help. The Bill of rights served as the main key to helping individuals gain equality in America, which than expanded the social class for many African Americans. It helped to somewhat close the huge gap between the way white people were in charge of things, and how black people worked under them. A better living was able to come out of these specific historic documents, and when you think about it...its crazy how a few words/choices could change an entire country around for the better. When I looked at how America is now, compared to the way things were way before I was born, I thank god that things changed and that I wasn’t alive in that time period of suffering for blacks. I love the words “freedom of speech” because its something that I practice everyday, and I believe that its something every individual should live by. The creators of the constitution/amendments must have believed in this, and I can see the big impact it had on America...so therefore I believe that If I practice this than I can also be a person to speak up for things that I believe aren’t right. Without some of the amendments stated in the constitution, sometimes I think where would women stand now in days? Where would black people be right now? These documents broke down a barriers between certain genders and races. It expanded diversity, abolished slavery, and overall started a movement of equality in America.
One assignment that I think served as something very significant when discussing the American way of life was one where we had to buy something from the popular website Ebay.com. This website is one where buying, selling, supply and demand are all demonstrated. Ebay is a big market which serves as an example of capitalism. Selling, buying, competing. The seller sits back while buyers compete for an item, and at the end of the auction the buyer and the winner are the only ones who profits. This shows a big part of how the American way of life is based on technology. The new generation of how things can be sold and bought serves as a easy way for Americans to consume things they want. Americans being some of the laziest people around, just sit back, place bids and wait for a win. That's the beauty of Online shopping. It also shows the competitive streak that many Americans have. Massiel, a student in my American way of life class, said that she even went as far as contacting the seller after she was outbid, and offering him/her a deal in which she would pay more for the item than the person who won. Even though this is clearly going against Ebay policy, she still decided to do it...this shows her greed for the item. This is a trait that many other Americans possess. This experience helped me to see first hand how the this website worked and why it is so popular. Its because this what we do as Americans, buy things and other profit (or vice versa). It’s a great example of the American way of life.
American way of birth is obviously something that plays a huge role in the life of many Americans. When the birth unit came around I didn’t really see it as something important that we should be learning about, but by the time the unit was over I saw the significance and connection that it had to the American way of life. Learning about the two different types of birth, natural and normal, helped allowed me to see other views on the way birth really takes place. I found that a normal birth consist of medical professionals, drugs such as epidermal’s and Pitocin, loud noises from the pain, fetal heart monitor, and a lot of steal instruments. During a natural birth there are loved ones that are gathered around, no drugs, sometimes kissing and caressing the woman’s body, and most of all it is women centered. All of the attention is focused on the women, oppose to a normal birth where the attention is centered on the doctor delivering the baby. I am sure that many people who have children aren’t very aware about natural birth, it is something that I barely hear about. This is because it isn’t practiced much in hospitals, where most births take place. But why cant natural births occur there as much as normal births do? Maybe because doctors want to deliver the baby as fast as possible, get the job done...and go home. With everything that Natural birth comes with, I believe that many doctors would oppose it. The decision for many mothers seem to be normal births because its what we are accustomed to in America. We barely see things about normal births, which makes it less popular. Watching videos of child birth helped me to see different ways babies(or even animals)are born into this world.
Giraffe gives birth (video watched)
This seemed like the least careless birth ever possible. The giraffe was just walking around not seeming to care that there was a baby giraffe being born. It looked as if the mother was growing weaker, because she began leaning over to the side. I can tell that it probably was a painful having the giraffe just stuck there and having to carry that weight around on her back. After all of that walking the mother did, all of a sudden the giraffe came out. It reminded me of a human birth because sometimes mothers walk a lot of induce the labor. When the giraffe splattered out, it had a coating around its body...and it looked as if brown fluids were coming out of the mother. I felt bad for the baby giraffe because it hit the floor so hard and seemed as if it were dead, but I guess that is natural for a giraffe birth. Towards the end of the video, the mom came and pulled some skin off of the baby and just walked away. It didn’t seem very loving, similar to when the baby is born and right away they are taking away from their mother. Overall this birth is similar to a human normal birth, unloving and fast.
Ina May (video watched)
When looking at Ina May video discussing natural child birth, she made a statement about how the men and women would just kiss when ever contractions came along. This is something that we discussed in class, and something that isn’t done often. Often I hear about normal child births and think that it is the best way to give birth, but after listening to the points that Ina May were making...It helped me to see that natural child birth is something that maybe all women should have. Even though at one point she discusses how the doctor putting his/hers fingers into the woman’s vagina to open it up, can sometimes as if her privacy is being invaded or can make the mother feel uncomfortable. A good argument that she brings up is allowing the mother to have a midwife present that will make her feel safe and feel as if there is someone there who is similar to her, which will make her comfortable enough to push out the baby with no problem. This is something that doesn’t occur during natural birth, it should because often women feel like hell when giving birth. In normal births when the doctor gives the patient epidermal’s and other pain medicines to relax them, I guess this serves as their own way to help them feel better while giving birth. This is significant to the American way of life because birth is something that happens everyday in the lives of Americans, its apart of our culture.
The whole unit of birth is something that opened my eyes to home birth and the glorification of it. Its usually something that I would say "oh no" to but after learning about the different aspects of it, I am aware now that it can actually be the best way to deliver a child. I feel that every woman planning to have a child in the future should watch this documentary in order to be educated on home births and to learn the unknown facts about hospital births. The whole unit of birth is something that opened my eyes to home birth and the glorification of it. Its usually something that I would say "oh no" to but after learning about the different aspects of it, I am aware now that it can actually be the best way to deliver a child. I feel that every women planning to have a child in the future should watch this documentary in order to be educated on home (normal) births and to learn the unknown facts about hospital births. After the birth unit in class, we moved on to a unit that can connect to this...the health unit. When learning about health care in class, we learned about the different types off health care services. Different services that stood out to me were single player, socialized, and HMOS. In a single player health care system everyone is covered by the same plan which pays private providers. This than means that there is no competition to be dealt with, and all patients get the best medical attention available to them no matter what. In socialized health care, the health care is provided by the government, and in HMOs you join a network of consumers and the network pays for the health care. This is the service that most Americans have. Although it is obvious that this isn’t the best health care there is, it still hasn’t changed the way the united states deal with health care. I believe that health care in the united states should change to either single player or socialized health care because this would allow everyone, rich or poor, to receive much needed health care. Although HMOS sometimes decrease the cost for medical assistance in some cases, they still deny thousands of people because of the simple fact of not being able to pay a certain amount of money.
Health is probably one of the main concerns that any American has. Health care has been a debatable topic in the united states for centuries. I believe that everyone should be able to receive health care in the united states because every citizen is entitled to seek help in times of need. It all ties back to being upper class, middle class or lower class. People who can afford to pay the high medical bills when going to the hospital or seeking medical attention, don’t have to worry about being in debt. They can receive the best medical attention there is because for them “health doesn’t have a price.” This is a quote that a friend of mines parent said, and in this case they are very wealthy therefore spending money in order to protect themselves from being sick doesn’t seem like something out of the ordinary. For other families that don’t have the benefits of being rich, they have to worry about and consider specific doctors that won’t be too expensive. Which than puts a damper on the type of medical attention they receive, because in many cases the less money you have…the worse medical attention you get. This is displayed several times in the movie “Sicko.” Many people in the movie were not able to get insurance because they could not afford it. This was because they wouldn’t be able to pay for their bills which shames America because this is suppose to be the country of opportunity but if a person cant even get medical attention because they don’t have enough money…than it shows just how much opportunity this country offers if a person doesn’t have large amounts of money. There was a situation with an old married couple in which the husband had to continue to work even though he should have been retired, this was because his wife’s medical bill had to be paid. There we have old people working in order to pay off medical bills, but on the other hand we have rich people sitting back relaxing without a care in the world because they are able to afford basically anything. Shouldn’t America help out the people in need and make health care cheaper or free for them? Instead the only people being helped out are the rich people.
Health care and the American way of life go hand in hand...we wouldn’t have life is we didn’t have health care and some of us would have life if we had better health care.
When relating American way of life to food, one thing that pops in my head is seeing a traditional family sitting around a dinner table discussing their day and bonding. Food is something that my family and I use to celebrate different holidays and on regular days it is something that we still love. We don’t really have a traditional way of preparing or eating our food, it is done in more of a “Prepare and just eat” kind of way. I don’t have a specific dinner time, but I usually eat dinner around 9 o’clock. Although my family and I prepare our plates and eat at the same time, we don’t eat together at the dinner table. My sis, my mom, and I usually eat while watching television and talking..while my grandmother goes in her room to watch her television and eat.
Obesity is something that is rampant in the united states and a main cause if fast food restaurants. Why are fast food restaurant so successful, when it is known that it really isn’t good for people? I believe that it all comes down to fast food being easy and cheap. The cost of food, the time it takes to prepare food are factors that play into a person every day diet. Would someone rather go grocery shopping and buy food to prepare, prepare the food which will take a long time and then eat? Or would someone rather make a quick run to the store, get their food in less than 10 minutes and not spend too much money? Even though many Americans know the affects that fast food can have on them, being that it is so convenient...that fact that it might not be so good doesn’t really matter. As far as being healthy, people can cook at home and not eat healthy..therefore Fast Food isn't an answer to not eating right. Adults with children also use this as easy way to get their kids food quickly and the fast food restaurants even advertise toys to make the food even more appealing. Another thing that has a big impact on the success of fast food places is how the media portrays these fast food restaurants. They trick the average mind from thinking about all of the calories in each burger, into thinking that it is fun, quick and satisfying. Also a persons laziness level plays a huge part. Americans are often said to be lazy, which serves as great reason to open up fast food restaurants. Im not surprised that America has a problem with over weight people, based on the amount of fat that we consume when eating at these restaurants. Overall, whoever idea it was to start these fast food businesses had a good plan in mind and it obviously worked.
(http://www.fastfood.com/Franchises/Franchising_Part5.htm)
(http://www.drgourmet.com/health/fastfood/)
“Whatever native wisdom we may once have possessed about eating has been replaced by confusion and anxiety. Somehow this most elemental of activities - figuring out what to eat - has come to require a remarkable amount of expert help” (Omnivore’s Dilemma: Michael Pollan. Pg 1)
When reading this I tried to relate it to my personal life by thinking back on my childhood and my eating habits back then. I use to eat things that I knew weren’t as bad as other things that I would consume, which was due to my parents. This does some how relate to me because the wisdom that my parents had given me based on eating doesn’t seem to be with me now. Its more of a feeling of eating whatever I can get my hands on most days of the week. Figuring out what to eat is something that I also go through a lot. When I was young I didn’t really have a choice of what I would have for dinner, therefor the decision wasn’t a hard one at all. As I became older and more independent I often find myself asking the question of what will I eat almost daily. This is a question that I think many Americans ask also. Its big question that Americans probably even ask more than once a day.
Industrialized food is something that we eat every single day. Its served in fast food restaurants and the belief that industrial food is cheap is addressed in this piece of writing. It states that “The truth: If you added the real cost of industrial food -- its health, environmental, and social costs -- to the current supermarket price, not even our wealthiest citizens could afford to buy it”
The message that I took from this article was that the cost of industrial food isn’t as cheap as we think it is and how individuals should pay more attention to farming and healthy foods...it shouldn’t matter the cost of the food because even thought it might cost more the effects that it has on our body and we as humans wouldn’t be as harmful as the effect that industrial foods would have. This idea really stands out to me because I do believe that even though something may cost more, a price shouldn’t be put on your health. If there is a burger for 2 dollars that can potentially harm your body, and another burger for 5 dollars that wouldn’t harm you....which burger should you choose? Many people would choose the first burger because its cheaper, but the idea that choosing the healthier burger for more money should be broadcasted because it is overall the better food choice health wise. People who choose the cheaper burgers are mainly the supporters of fast food, cheap and easy food. Food that would fill you up and leave you feeling satisfied...but food that isn’t a good when related to your health.
Something interesting and important is how Pollan (from omnivore’s dilemma) shows how food is related to the way that animals die, and vegetables come and go...so the main importance of using these two sources is their quality. The quality of the animal and vegetable is only as strong as the quality of the land they are on. Maintaining the health of the fields is a important way to make sure the quality of the animals and vegetable are good. Grazing the grass at the right time is also important, if its grazed too soon it will die off and if its grazed too late animals would not like it. Overall what I understood from this chapter is that the balance of grazing, fertilizing and keeping the field in good condition is the best way to give the animals and land what it needs...which will improve the quality of the food produced overall. This shows the relationship between animals, nature and humans. The animals (chickens) help to remove diseases while making itself a very high protein meat. Just enough chickens and cows can make a big difference in the quality of the food us humans eat.
In my personal life, use to eat things that I knew weren’t as bad as other things that I would consume, which was due to my parents. This does some how relate to me because the wisdom that my parents had given me based on eating doesn’t seem to be with me now. Its more of a feeling of eating whatever I can get my hands on most days of the week. Figuring out what to eat is something that I also go through a lot. When I was young I didn’t really have a choice of what I would have for dinner, therefor the decision wasn’t a hard one at all. As I became older and more independent I often find myself asking the question of what will I eat almost daily.
“What should we have for dinner?” is such a important and common question. When first reading the book, that question caught my attention because it was so relatable. Every other day (if not everyday) my sister, mom and I always ask each other this question. Whether its through texting, phone call, or in person...this question seems to appear in our everyday conversation. In the morning before getting on the train I call my mother and ask “What are we eating tonight” she goes “I don’t know, what do you guys want?” and I say “I don’t know, I’ll call you at lunch time and tell you.” It seems so hard to come to a final decision on what food we will have, even though to me it seems like a pretty simple question. Simple but yet such a deep question.
Personally I do believe that the foods a lot of us consume are influenced by what Americans are told by experts. Although we as individuals choose what we eat, the process of choosing it is sometimes based on what we are told about each food, what it can do to your body, what it can cause, what it can prevent and a lot of other things that connects to health. From watching Oprah, Ellen, and a lot of other talk shows, the food segments that they have on their show which includes trainers, doctors and chefs...these shows help me to find out information about foods that I have never known. This is an example of how my foods (along with the other million viewers) are influenced by the thoughts of experts. ”
When beginning to learn facts on industrial foods, I started to look at food differently. By finding out the “facts” from several internet sources and in class discussion...my outlook in food changed to be believing that everything we eat is processed foods.
After watching this video about the abuse done to animals, I cant honestly say that I will go vegan. Quitting eating meat seems like a very hard thing to do right now, it will push me to search harder for meals when hungry, and spend way more money on meals than I do now. American way of life is shaped by the food we eat therefore this unit did serve as something very significant.
Although we only spent a few days focusing on the collapse study, I still have got a pretty good idea on the fundamentals of the topic. A collapse will eventually happen, it may scare people to think that it will but we as Americans’s have to face reality. The theories about when the world will end isnt something that I really pay attention to, because I don’t believe that there anyone really knows the specific and exact time when everything will collapse. I’ve heard stories from different people saying that the world will end due to fire because the last time it ended, water was the cause. I don’t know how true this is but until that day comes no one will know the truth.
Oil, oil, oil..this is the main resource for everything that is made, bought or sold. Before discussing this in class I was ignorant to the fact that oil really is what is keeps us making money, what helps to make things that we need in our lives, and to overall serve as something that we see ourselves benefitting off of.
When reviewing the peak oil primer link it stated in one part that "Oil is a finite, non-renewable resource, one that has powered phenomenal economic and population growth over the last century and a half." This means that oil has to keep being made, and sometimes oil is wasted which can result in less being able to be sold...therefore the amount of oil that is sold, has to have a price increase. This is a scary thing because as oil decrease, the prices of items that we live off of will increase. It is already a recession and people are struggling to maintain their jobs, houses and cars...so imagine the way it will be when oil is at a all time low. Everything will be so expensive that we wont be able to buy things, therefore the sellers wont be able to make profit. Noone will benefit from this and our country and other countries will be a big mess. In others words...we will collapse.
When watching the movie in class it stated that we reached our first billion of people on the earth in the 1800's. Our 2nd billion in the 1930's, 3rd by 1960, 4th by 1974, 5th by 1987, 6th by 1999, we should reach 7 billion by 2010. Its evident that the more the population grows, the amount of fossil fuel needed increase because this is what we use as individuals in our daily lives. Overall we need to think smart as humans and find alternatives or ways to better our country...even though at the end we still will be a risk for a collapse.
Can we as Americans stop the collapse from happening?A discussion came up in class whether on whether or not is will make a difference if people stop buying plastic wrapped items, or items that are said to cause pollution in the world. A classmate of mine named Dylan stated that he tried his hardest not to buy plastic times but it seemed impossible...everything he saw either was wrapped in plastic or had plastic included in the making of the item. Andy (the teacher) stated that would it really make a difference if we stopped buying these things? Will it stop people from making oil and using it to make product...will it stop the fact that oil is the main things used in the making of most of the products we buy? The answer is No...so is there even a point in the discontinuation of buying plastic or trying to buy items that are more “green.”
There’s really nothing that we can do to stop disaster from happening, we can do things to change our daily American lives but at the end of the day we cant prevent a big issue from happening to us.
Overall all of these things help to me to make sense of the American way of life...it helps me to understand that there is definitely more than one factor that make life what it is. The American way of life is made up the government, capitalism, birth, food, jobs, happiness..I can go on and on. To sum it all up, the American way of life in my eyes can always be understand easily by understanding the fundamentals of living and not being blind eyed to understand different peoples daily lives, and seeing the commonality that we all have when it comes to living. This course helped me to realize this because I know that if It were’t for being in this class, half of the things that I know now and many of the ideas and views that I have as an American...I wouldn’t have. Thank you Andy!
"I think that the American Way of Life is leading to a collapse." (Maggies blog)
I think the opening of your paper really expressed the ideas you showed throughout the paper. Everything that we as americans use has to do with oil,and oil is one of the main reasons that we will collapse. I enjoyed reading your paper because it expressed similar ideas to my own. Thanks for your contribution to this class throughout this schoo year, I see you as a role model in this class because of the views and input that you gave when learning about the different units.
For chloe's paper:Your ideas that you talk about in your final paper show your true understanding of the units learned during this course. I enjoyed seeing pictures of how things were after you were delivered, it showed your dedication to the unit.I think it was a great idea how you included pictures of your refrigerator because it helped me to better see how your food habits actually were. Your blogs this year were great, keep up the good work for next year!
