Blog #8

Proud is a word with a positive connotation. A notable example of this is the television commercial for the Marine Corps. that ends with the phrase "The Few. The Proud. The Marines." Pride is seen as a positive characteristic from this angle. The Marines know what they're doing is important and feel worthy because of it. Other uses include the phrase "Be proud of yourself," often said to people after they accomplish something they do not feel is very important. This phrase argues that the person should feel a sense of self worth for what they've done. This is contrasted with the word vain, which indicates that a person has too much pride. A person would never say to another "be vain," because this would be telling them to feel more accomplished than they actually are.

Blog #7

In Fast Food Nation, Eric Schlosser makes multiple arguments throughout Fast Food Nation in support of his main argument. One of these is the argument that fast food companies and the meatpacking industry mistreat their workers. The workers in the fast food industry are not allowed to unionize, and there are many horror stories from meat plant workers, including the one of Kenny Dobbins, a loyal plant worker for 16 who was fired after being abused in hopes of making him quit. Another of these supplementary arguments is that the fast food industry destroys family farms. Because there is more demand for meat, factory farms have sprung up. The family-owned farms cannot compete with the the factory farms, and are run out of business. The suicide rate among ranchers is three times the national average. He also argues that the companies have little concern for health standards, instead, they try to squeeze out every last dollar they can. This is supported by the fact that fecal matter has been found in the meat. The large amount of e. coli outbreaks are also a testament to this.
All of these show the author's main argument: that fast food companies are bad for America and have a reckless desire to make as much money as possible, throwing human health and dignity out the window.

Blog #6

It's 3 AM when a red bell begins ringing furiously. Instantaneously, the courageous men and women climb out of bed and begin rapidly suiting up. Within minutes the sirens are on and the firefighters are off to rescue the residents of a burning apartment complex. In minutes they arrive, and the fire is extinguished. Through the valiant actions of these workers, everyone is recovered alive. But these people's lives could not have been saved if there was no money to support the firefighters' actions. How is the money gained? Through taxes.

They are often vilified and complained about. For the grand majority of people, April 15th is not a day of joyous celebration. Letting go of one's hard-earned money is not easily done. But those calling for taxes to be lowered need to realize that they are very important and are necessary for society to function.

Cutting taxes does not solve problems. The California education system is currently very indigent. Classroom sizes have increased, teachers are being laid off, and there are oftentimes not enough books for all students. This is the result of tax cuts. Because of these tax cuts, education has been put on the back-burner in favor of other services. The future of California is being overlooked in favor of instant gratification of the population, and that hasn't happened either. The salaries of state government workers are being cut, and the needy are seeing their services reduced. All of this in the name of not raising taxes.

They aren't popular, nor does anyone like submitting them, but it must be remembered that taxes are the backbone of society. Without them, there would be no military, no public education system, and no one to help if an apartment complex burns down.

Blog #5

I don't know if the Box Man would have chosen to be such a nonconformist if he had the chance. I don't think that if anyone had the choice between being homeless and having some sort of shelter that they would choose homelessness. However, the Box Man has come to terms with the fact that this is the way that he has to live his life. In doing this, he has conquered loneliness by realizing that he is his one true friend; that he is on his own. I don't thinking conformity is necessarily a bad thing, as long as one believes what they are conforming to is the right thing to do. One shouldn't follow a society's rules or expectations blindly, but there is rational conformity. People who don't go about murdering others are conforming to the social norm of not killing people. It is conformity, but it obviously is a good thing. Decisions should not be made based on whether they are conformist or nonconformist, but on what the individual values.

Blog #4

The United States and the People's Republic of China are ironically similar. China is a Communist single-party state, while the United States is a capitalist democracy. In United States, the the rights of the people, such as freedom of speech, freedom of the press, and right to trial by jury are upheld, whereas in China most of these rights are not granted. However, the two countries are also similar. China has the most active duty troops in the world, while the United States has the second most. They both have market economies, despite the fact that China is led by what used to be a communist government. Also worth mentioning are that they are both nuclear powers.

Blog #3

In Fast Food Nation, Eric Scholosser shows the beginnings of fast food chains and their transformation from small, family run businesses into huge, multinational corporations. The companies, he says, have become a "revolutionary force in American life." Throughout the book, Scholosser details the darker affairs the fast food industry have been involved in. The fast food companies have marketed to children to manufacture them into consumers for life. The workers for fast food restaurants are maltreated, and the workers in the meatpacking industry (which developed to support fast food companies) are even more so. Small-time farms have been put out of business by factory farming, with the suicide rate among farmers and ranchers being three times the national average.
This is definitely an important book for everyone, especially Americans, to read. The facts about the fast food and meatpacking industries cannot be ignored. While some readers may not like the conclusions Scholosser comes to, they must know the facts.

Blog #2

The nonfiction books I remember reading include The Diary of Anne Frank, Fast Food Nation, and All But My Life. I remember the line "Despite everything, I believe that people are really good at heart," from The Diary of Anne Frank, and the idea that corporations end up doing whatever they can to make as much money as possible, such as allowing terrible working conditions in meat plants and not allowing workers to unionize, from Fast Food Nation. Fast Food Nation had the imparted on me the philosophy that one shouldn't exploit others for their own personal gain. If I ever ran or formed a company, I would hope that I would treat my workers decently, or at least give them decent working conditions and allow them to unionize. I don't consider myself exploitive at the moment, and I hope don't start, but to use the cliché, power corrupts.