HW 31 A & B

This is my friend Ariel she has a tattoo. I asked her why she decided to get a tattoo and she said: For my mom because she has lupus and the butterfly is the symbol for it. I asked if she thought it had a strong message and added more to her as a person, she said: Yes it does, it represents the support and love I have for my mother. Plus I designed it so no one else in the world has the same one. Which adds to my individuality. I personally don't exactly see the point of having a tattoo. Although I think her message is very symbolic and meaningful, why does she need to stamp it on herself for the rest of her life? Yes it makes her a little bit different than the next person but think about how many people get tattoos a day. Regardless of there possible differences there is not just one person in the world with a tattoo. I think it definitely adds to the arch type she decides to live her life as. Something I notice about Ariel is that since she has got her tattoo she usually wears clothing that allows on lookers to see it. It is essentially adding a spotlight to that one part of her body to give her ultimate attention. As people we find ourselves as curious thinkers, making a statement like this intrigues people to ask questions. So is it really about the message or the attention you might get for that one moment in time? I think the message gives the tattoo a better purpose it adds meaning and gives us the illusion that is significant.

Part B: Personally I have no idea what makes me an individual. I don't really think I am, I think I take each moment as it is presented to me. I have a very generic look and I don't have tattoos or anything unordinary.

HW 30

I decided to explore the Buddhism origin of Dukkha, from my research it seems as though they have three ways of defining it. (I am just going to copy and paste their definitions of it because I like the way they are explained).

1. In the Four Noble Truths Dukkha is represented as birth, old age, sickness, and death; grief, sorrow, physical and mental pain; involvement in what one dislikes and separation from what one likes; not getting what one wants; in summary, the five groups of grasping (or craving) are the source of suffering.
2. Threefold Dukkha is ordinary physical and mental pain, that is, pure or intrinsic suffering, suffering as the result of change, suffering owing to the impermanent and ephemeral nature of things; and sufferings due to the formations of individuals and their temporal or finite states.
3. It is maintained that all transient beings, whether gods, humans, pretas (deceased), animals, or inhabitant of hell, are subject to Dukkha. Gods suffer the least since they are in a hierarchy of different beings, and the inhabitants of hell the most. Humans lying midway experience a mixture of suffering and happiness; this makes them best fitted to escape from their temporary surroundings, because the mixture gives them both the opportunity and the impetus to discriminate the nature of reality.

In my own words I think that their first definition is basically trying to say is that we all suffer. Some of us suffer more than others but we are all humans with feelings and emotions. Our lives play out more similarly than we realize we are all brought to this planet and we are not here forever. We all see death and we all see sickness. We all get hurt and have to learn to cope with it. We are all here trying to figure out and discover our purpose before our time runs out. By doing this we figure out what makes us happy and what doesn’t, yet one person doesn’t always get everything they strive for. We are all here on this planet together and only for a brief moment. The second definition continues to emphasize the suffering but the idea that after everything we do there will be suffering. Since we are a creature that has feelings and emotions we are guaranteed to come out of situations with sorrow. Maybe not because we are upset about what we just did but the fact that it is over. The third definition reminds us that we are equal regardless if we come from different places. That in our lifetime we will all experience Dukkha. We use “happiness” as a way to escape reality, this than allows us to forget our suffering for that moment. By doing this we distract ourselves for what we all know is coming next. Before I decided to focus on this one philosophy I was thinking about my own idea of why we find it so necessary to live the way we do. I think this universe and this world is just like the game Jenga. For those who have never heard of this it is the game where you have a tower of wood blocks and you have to pull ones from the bottom out one by one and keep stacking them on top of each other. If the tower falls the game is over. Just like Jenga I think humans represent the wooden blocks and the tower represents the world. We are all here together for that brief moment in time and although we hate to admit it we all need each other to survive. Every move we make and every moment we live has an affect on the other 6,706,993,152 people on this planet. Just like in the game we try to move forward to get closer and closer to the top of things. While doing this though sometimes we suffer and loose loved ones, family members friends. This than makes us feel incomplete and we loose our sense of “happiness”. For just like our lifespan is brief so is our happiness. So while we play the game of life we feel it necessary to do as much as we can before our tower falls. We feel that without all the things we buy, all the conflicts and drama we make and all the unnecessary judgments we have throughout out lives when the day comes where the tower falls we will feel incomplete about ourselves. I think some also to factor in is that all the wooden blocks are identical to one another; I think we are frightened to want to be different. Maybe not frightened but unaware of how to not be a cookie cut person. We are so focused on death that we sometimes forget to live.

HW 29

“There is no solution to discovering cool you force cool to move on to the next thing.”  It’s a never-ending cycle that we continue to allow to repeat itself because we don’t have the self-control to stop it.  It seems as if we like the media in a weird way, that without them we wouldn’t be able to function.  Is it the fact that we are afraid to be ourselves so we constantly need the “advice” from those who know best?  However for a person who hasn’t necessarily caught on to this it isn’t what will look best on you or what will help you be a better person all around, it’s the product that will sell the best.  Then there is also the idea of being an “individual” the truth is no one is.  There isn’t one person in the world that is far different from the rest of us.  We are all just copies of one another.  Although we hate to admit it, in reality it’s the truth.  So when we find one person cool I am sure there is someone out there who is just like them, does this mean they are both cool or does that make them both uncool?  I think attention is nice as long as it is positive but it seems that most of the time attention is usually negative.  Do we do all of this to be happier people?  If the attention we receive is negative how can we be happy?  Corporations are funding us with the right attire to satisfy the arch type we live up too.  So in a way we are both doing each other favors we give them money they give us “happiness”.   

Then we need to address the question is it all just because of the thousands of ads we see on TV, billboards, the World Wide Web?  I think it has an affect on some people but personally I don’t know how much influence it has on me.  I think the place where I am most drawn into the medias trap is on the streets of NYC.  When you see someone up and close, they are real.  What we watch on TV is just another tool of manipulation.  They are not as real as the people I am surrounded by.  My mom was telling me recently how companies hire people to advertise their product without saying they work for the company.  They literally advertise the company in a non-chalet way and make it more personal.  I googled this type of job and information for college students looking for work came up. “For the Public Relations Student: Working as a secret shopper can be an interesting and unexpectedly fun gig. (Additionally, you often get to keep the groceries or other products your employer pays for you to buy.) Some companies hire secret shoppers to "work" undercover in their stores as shoppers, whereas other companies hire shoppers and send them out to different stores.” (http://collegelife.about.com/od/moneyfinances/a/offbeatjobs.htm) No longer are people listening to there TVs there is a new solution to making the money, manipulate people right under their noses.  Another tool similar to this is by sponsoring people; this is used in the skateboarding industry.  The companies give all there products to teens to ride around on there “cool” skateboards with their “cool” clothing making all the other people their age jealous.  This then inspires there audiences to go to these stores that sell the product that looks “cool” so that they can be just like the skating billboards. 

 If you think about it not only is it the companies involved in the manipulation it’s the government as well.  The government essentially makes all of these rules when in reality they are well aware they will be broken.  In many countries they have no drinking age or they drinking age is much lower than the United States.  The government claims it is because the brain is still developing but then why is it so much lower in other countries?  I’m assuming that when alcohol companies are trying to figure out ways to market their products to the world they also factor in the teen population.  Although the legal drinking age is 21 they are well aware that a lot of the profit comes from underage drinking.  This money goes right back to the government who are making the laws forbidding it.  Isn’t that a little strange?  I don’t know exactly how the saying goes but the whole idea of the thrill of doing something when you know it is really bad is much more fun than doing it when your allowed to.  I am more than sure the companies take this into account when marketing and maybe even work with the government.  The law is almost just another key part of the manipulation involved in making high school and college kids feel the need to look cool.  This is a sick country.

             Below is a song that is a complete advirtisment which includes: The United States of America always being a party (influencing people to move here = $$$$), Hollywood being this AMAZING place ($$$), Jay-Z ($$$ for him), Kicks aka sneakers ($$$), not feeling comfortable so trying to change to fit in (infleuncing all girls they need to do the same = $$$), Britney Spears ($$$) which all leads back to being cool!

Party in the USA - Miley Cyrus

I hopped on the plane at LAX
With a dream of my cargidan
Welcome to the land of fame access
Am I gonna fit in?
Jumped in the cab here I am for the first time
Look to my right
And I see the Hollywood sign
This is all so qrazy
Everybody seem so famouse! 

My tummy's turnin'
And I'm feeling kinda homesick
Too much pressure
And I'm nervous
'Cause when the taximan turned on the radio

And a Jay Z song was on
And a Jay Z song was on
And a Jay Z song was on

(Chorus)
So I put my hands up
They're playin' my song
The butterflies fly away
Noddin' my head like 'Yeah'
Movin' my hips like 'Yeah'
I got my hands up
They're playing my song
I know I'm gonna be okay
Yeah
It's a Party in the USA
Yeah
It's a Party in the USA

Get to club in my taxicab
Everybody's lookin' at me now
Like "Who's that chick with rocking' kicks she gotta be from out of town"
So hard with my girls all around me
It's definitley not a Nashville party
'Cause all I see are stilletos
I guess I never got the memo

My tummy's turnin'
And I'm feeling kinda homesick
Too much pressure
And I'm nervous
And the DJ dropped my favorite tune

And a Britney song was on
And a Britney song was on
And a Britney song was on

(Chorus)
So I put my hands up
They're playin' my song
The butterflies fly away
Noddin' my head like 'Yeah'
Movin' my hips like 'Yeah'
I got my hands up
They're playing my song
I know I'm gonna be okay
Yeah
It's a Party in the USA
Yeah
It's a Party in the USA

Feel like hoppin' on a flight
Back to my hometown tonight
Something stops me everytime
The DJ plays my song and I feel alright! 

So I put my hands up
They're playin' my song
The butterflies fly away
Noddin' my head like 'Yeah'
(Noddin' my head)
Movin' my hips like 'Yeah'
I got my hands up
They're playing my song
I know I'm gonna be okay
Yeah
It's a Party in the USA
(Na, na na na na na)
Yeah

HW 28

HW 27-Informal Research-Interviews & Surveys-Continued

Private vs. Public

 Private:

Please describe your school: Um, I go to an all girls school, there are around 50 girls in my grade.  We all know each other really well.  The workload is crazy.  Most of the girls live in the neighborhood of the school, a couple live in Westchester or like Brooklyn.  Some girls party a lot while some girls don’t do anything at all.  There aren't really cliques if there is any exclusion it’s between two people not a whole bunch of people.  There are of course groups of friends but they aren’t really exclusive.

What does cool mean to you? That’s a good question…cool means being able to pull anything off.  Or get away with anything.  Physical Characteristics play a huge role, really skinny and pretty of course, its even better when someone has something corky or odd that looks good on them. 

Why do you believe people are so concerned about physical appearance?  Very few people know you well enough to judge you on anything but your appearance.  How you present yourself to the world.  I want to say it comes from magazines and movies but usually the pressure comes from competition with your friends.  You’re going to be more jealous of a friend than a movie star. 

Do clothes play a huge role in the cool factor? Yeah, because there can be a lot of things that can be cool like your personality or your lifestyle, but the biggest factor is appearance. 

What if someone was ugly in your opinion but had expensive designer clothes on?  It wouldn’t make a difference they would still be ugly.  I wouldn’t consider them cool because if there’s no foundation the house will fall down.  If they are weird they can’t pull anything off. 

Do you think your cool? I’m working on that…I wouldn’t be able to know if I was you cant be objective when you ask yourself that question.  Its kind of impossible to judge yourself I would have to ask others. 

When you think of the word cool who comes to your mind first? Really tall skinny, white skinny jeans J Brand of course…Knee high leather boots from Marc Jacob…Navy V-neck t-shirt from American Apparel I guess.  A really cool colorful jacket I don’t know which designer but it should be one.  Tiffany and Co. Jewelry to top it off.  And don’t forget the Anya Hindmarch bag. 

Why do you think we care so much about being cool?  It makes you unique yet accepted at the same time.  

Public:

Please describe your school: My school is very liberal.  It’s not like a lot of other public schools because we don’t take regents, its very stressful.  It’s a very creative school; people are into music, art and history.   It is a medium sized school, 300 kids per grade.  Most of the kids live in Park Slope, Brooklyn and the Upper West Side.  Most of the people that attend have known each other their whole lives.  Kids are really into getting their messages out to others about different cultural and social concerns.  Most of the kids at my school party…like everyone actually.  There aren’t that many cliques but there are big groups of friends that never leave each other and everyone else just falls wherever. 

What does cool mean to you?  Cool means being really original and not afraid to look stupid or feel self-conscious.  I think a really cool person is someone who follows their own beliefs and doesn’t conform to the beliefs of others. 

Where do these original ideas start from though?  I guess just like observations from their life and what they have seen in the world.  Someone has to be really passionate about what they believe in and that makes a person cool.  If someone is just going along with what other people think then that means they are usually naïve.  A leader of a movement or a group disserves a lot of respect in my book.  It takes a lot for someone to voice his or her opinion since everyone is so critical. 

Do you think there is one set idea of cool?  Never there are so many different opinions in the world there’s no way that one person can view “cool” like the person sitting next to them.  Its like saying a certain song is the best song ever because everyone has different taste in music. 

Do you think you are cool?  I mean not really there are certain aspects of me that I feel are cool.  When I am doing something I really love or I am with people that make me happy I feel cool.  But I’m still learning a lot about life and the way I want to live it so I dot really know exactly who I am yet.  I try to live my life with no shame because I feel as though people with negative attitudes have negative lives.  They aren't living their live to the fullest so instead of being focused on trying to be “cool” it is better to not care and be positive.  I wouldn’t really care if I were classified as cool or uncool because I would rather get to know myself better than waste time being so concerned. 

When you think of the word cool who comes to your mind first? This girl in my film class is really confident she is really passionate about her work, everything about her screams “I DON’T CARE WHAT PEOPLE THINK!” While at the same time she really cares about the environment and social justice.  Being focused on big things in the world like social justice makes you so much cooler focusing on small materialistic things that make you selfish.

Why do you think we care so much about being cool?  The media portrays “cool” as being beautiful, having money, drinking and doing drugs.  This makes others feel that they have to live up to false expectations.  People don’t usually focus on the positive things within them and try to improve all imperfection; they do this by comparing themselves to celebrities.  People shouldn’t have to relay on other sources to tell them what is cool. 

 

  

HW 27-Informal Research-Interviews & Surveys

We walked up to the first guy as he sat in Madison Square Park, he had a map in one hand and he seemed to be day dreaming.   In my mind he appeared to be a tourist, from the map and his heavy accent.  The first question we asked him was: What do you think is cooler a PC or a Mac Computer? He responded quickly with, "PC is cooler because it is not as new and it is still around." Then we went in for our actual question: What does cool mean to you? In summary he said: "That's a hard question...I don't know.  It's hip individual, someone who doesn't try to go down the same path and doesn't think they are cool.  Someone who struggles but still comes out with a smile is cool."

The second guy we walked up to was also sitting on a bench in the park, he had his blackberry in his hand, yet he wasn't using it.  He was staring off into space with a smirk on his face.  What do you think is cooler a PC or a Mac Computer? "Macs are cooler they are more fun..." He seemed a little nervous.  What does cool mean to you? "Cool is...hard question...a nice person I guess." Do you consider yourself cool? He paused for a moment: "I consider myself cool because I am a good person but I can't pinpoint cool on one thing so I don't really know."

Sitting very close to the second guy was a women who appeared to be very concentrated on her lunch.  She seemed a little caught off guard when a bunch of us walked up to her.  When we asked if she minded being a part of our surveys she was shocked.  What do you think is cooler a PC or a Mac Computer? "Macs are for more artistic people." What does cool mean to you? "You wanna know what I think is cool!? Whatever seems fresh...I think places to eat, style...style is a big deal in New York City."  Do you think you are cool? "I think for wherever I am in life I try to embrace what I have." When we asked to take her picture all she said was: "Make sure there is no food in my teeth!"  

After our third interview it took us about 5 minutes to find another person, he was sitting on top of a garbage bin I think, and he was a park ranger.  He spoke broken English and seemed to be hesitant.  What do you think is cooler a PC or a Mac Computer? "PC, I am not familiar with computers."  What does cool mean to you? "People are cool when they are into fashion but I am not into fashion." Do you have one person that is the first one you think of in terms of cool? "No one is cool, I am just trying to be myself." He wouldn't let us take his picture.  

Lastly was a man who didn't seem to happy in till we started conversation with him.  What do you think is cooler a PC or a Mac Computer? "Mac, I don't know why..." What does cool mean to you? "Other friends..." Who is the coolest person in your life? My brother, he is my best friend and he is fun." Do you consider yourself cool? "I am cool because I am a fun guy." He kept mentioning the word: fun, it seemed that as long as he was having a good time it was cool.  

Interview Two

1. What do you think defines cool? 

Well, lets think of the opposite of cool to understand its definition. Literally, the opposite is warm or hot, right? Someone who deals with stressful situations in a worried, frantic, chaotic manner is handling it with a "hot" disposition. Someone who can handle the same situations with a calm, understanding, open-minded manner is literally doing so in a "cool" manner. These cool individuals exert this expression all the time which is really what separates the james dean from the ugly betty. With that said, its hard to avoid the physical attributes usually associated with "cool", but often confidence can over shadow societal physical perfection and the less attractive can still succeed (ie, Conan O'Brien, Michael Jackson, Rosie O'Donnell (okay maybe she's not cool but...some people think she is)). Its hard to separate what one individual thinks as cool from what society deems as cool. I think we all know what society pushes onto us as cool, and I think to be cool is to understand this and to separate yourself from it. This is where we can start with my personal definition of cool, originality. An individual who can sincerely do what makes them happy without caring what others think is the basis of cool. From there, I think cool individuals have passions and hobbies that keep their time filled whether it's science, art, math, or fashion. An even cooler individual takes these passions and tries to inspire others on their path to make this world a happier, healthier, and more positive world to live. 

2. Do you consider yourself cool?

Duh (see above)

3. What subset of a group do you categorize yourself in?

The cool ones, just kidding. Well, as an "adult" this is a tough question to answer. In high school, my close group of friends and I were friends with every group. We had jock, druggy, nerdy, stupidly gorgeous, racist, band, artsy, and just plain normal friends. We are all still very close and very different (some married with children, others surfing couches across the world) and I think that no matter what subset you're in, being cool is being open to everyone.

4. Are we all just followers or are there really individuals?

One of my favorite lessons learned was from a movie called "SLC Punk". The protagonist eventually realized that no matter how "punk" he is and no matter how many drugs he does, he is still conforming to be a non-conformist. In other words, even though he is rejecting popular culture and rejecting all of the other groups of lame "normal" people he is still considered "normal" with the the group of punks because he is just like them. 

I think that when you can discover your passion and follow them without caring how, what, who, or why you reach your goals you can become an individual. We can be inspired by others, but not always followers because we can use what they taught us to reach new levels of expression. Would there be a Michael Jackson without James Brown or an Einstein without Newton? Maybe not, but their individual influence is very different to different people at different times in different places. Maybe we're all one ever-changing pool of inspiration and that we shouldn't question if we're all followers or individuals but WHAT people, ideas, and trends we do follow. 

Interview One

1. What do you think defines cool?

Being passionate about what you do, and being open to new ideas. A lot of people think "cool" is being apathetic or that angsty, disinterested personality. But I'm much more attracted to people with point of view and character. "Cool" is definitely subjective, because it all depends on what people like individually. 
2. Do you consider yourself cool?

Without being egotistical, I would say I'm a cool person. I have good friends, and a pretty strong awareness of what I enjoy. I guess this question is more about self confidence...from how I define cool, I'd say I am what I define.
3. What subset of a group do you categorize yourself in?

I definitely fall into the group of "artsy" kids. I love theatre, music, literature, and all that good stuff. My friends are basically the same way (of course we're all different), but our interests definitely tie us together into a sub group.
4. Are we all just followers or are there really individuals?

There are definitely individuals. Even if we all follow a trend in clothes or music, we all still have our own thoughts and feelings. That sounds incredibly sappy, but I think that in the end, each person is unique.