Huck and the N-Word

After reading Mr. O'Connor's post on the N word, my thoughts on the word used in the book has changed. My first reaction to it was disgust. I didn't like looking at the word or even reading in my head. However, I am starting to understand the reasons why Mark Twain would use it. I think that by using the word, it makes the book more historically accurate because people used the word in every day conversation. The word was used by whites and blacks casually, even when everyone understood the harsh meaning behind it. I think that when Huck uses the word, he isn't completely ignorant to what it means and that it isn't just any word. I think we are giving Huck a 'straw man' quality by brushing off the fact that he is using racist language and blaming it on his ignorance. Huck uses the word most frequently around other white people and rarely or never uses it in the presence of Jim. I think this shows that Huck does know that the word is bad since he can say it around other whites, who obviously wouldn't have a problem with him using it.  The times Huck chooses to use the word give us a good peek into what Huck actually thinks about the meaning and the emotion behind the n word.

Favorite Blog: Second Quarter

My favorite blog this quarter is "Las Vegas: Suicide City?" I used a different approach with this blog post when finding information and the idea to write it. With past posts, I would search through articles on a news website to find an interesting article and then blog about it. For this blog, I started with what we were discussing in class. We were talking about children being affected by their environments and that the commercials they watch change who they grow up to be or how they think. This topic was interesting to me so I typed into Google "environmental effect on humans". This search gave me a bunch of studies. The one that stood out was the one about certain cities having higher suicide rates. Since this topic was so interesting to me, i decided to blog about it. I think i favor this post over others because i came across the idea in a different way than previous posts. Now, i have decided to start my search for a post idea by using topics we discuss in class and branch off of them.

This strategy has helped me think of good blog topics because i had been struggling with that in the past quarter. I have come to find that by blogging about topics that aren't just commenting on random articles makes the process much easier and enjoyable.

New Body Scanners Heading to O'Hare

I have written before about the diminishment of privacy in the United States. I recently found out that another part of our privacy is dissapearing in Chicago. A new security device is going to be used at O'Hare airport which uses a full body scan for supposed security purposes. The full body scan is a very controversial machine because it is a virtual strip search. The machine scans your entire body and spits out an image of your body to the operator. The image that the body scanner produces are said to "reveal the contours of a person's body with embarrassing clarity." (Daily Herald)
While passengers do have the option to be patted down by an officer instead of going through the body scan, many travelers may not even realize what the scanner is or how it is violating their privacy. I think security at airports is extreamly important, however, I don't think that investing in a machine that allows the oporators to see an image of you vertually naked is appropriate security measures.

Is "The Nagging Strategy " Ethical?

In todays class discussion, we talked about whether it was ethical for corporations to aim their ads towards children so that they nag their parents to purchase their product. I think that this is an ethical way of marketing because parents have the ultimate decision to buy the toy or not. I remember when I was younger, if I saw a cool toy on television, I would ask my mom and she would sometimes say yes or sometimes she wouldn't want me to have the toy, for whatever reason. If I kept nagging her she would get mad, not just give in and buy it for me. I think that if a parent can show their child that they wont always get what they want, the corporations marketing strategy wont have a negative effect on children.


I think it is a smart way of getting kids excited about their product and getting them to think they have to have it. However, I think it ultimately will be the parents jobs to make sure they can get them to begin to understand that they actually don't need the toy, they want it, and that there is a difference. They may not understand at young ages, but as they get older, they will ultimately learn a good lesson. I think that this strategy of marketing is ethical and has no real potential to harm the kids in any way.

Parental Control

There are so many ways that allow parents to keep an eye on what their kids are doing online and what they watch on TV. They can block channels, monitor key strokes, and install gps chips in their cell phones. I think that some of the ways that allow parents to monitor their kids is a violation of their privacy. Many would argue that its for their safety and the parent just wants to protect their child. However, with software enabling parents to read their child's emails, MySpace messages and text messages is taking it a step too far. I do agree with a parents need to block certain channels on the television or putting a parental control on the internet so their kids don't have access to adult websites, however when your reading a private conversation, it isn't right. If their kid is old enough to have their own cell phone, MySpace account, or email account, their parents shouldn't be secretly reading their messages. If their parents are so concerned about online predators or any danger to their child, they should set household rules such as no computer in their room or limited computer time so that they can monitor their children in a more respectful way.
Is it right for parents to monitor their kids secretly?

Bad Fan Base

On Saturday, I went to the Northwestern Vs. Michigan State basketball game. It was held at our own stadium, however, with all the Michigan fans and their support, it sounded like we were at their gym. It always suprises me at the lack of support our team gets at each game. Compare us to any other big ten fan base and we look like we don't even care wheather they win or lose. The overwhelming support that teams like U of I recive helps their team get pumped up and energized to win games against difficult teams. The energy our team had trying to play Michican State was depressing. We lost so horribly in our own court and i feel we could have plaed better if our fans were on their feet supporting the team. The few NU fans that do cheer were drowned out by the insessent clapping and cheering lead by Michigan fans.
Why is it that we can't seem to get a good enough fan base? Why is it that the season ticket holders rarley come to the games let alone cheer for the team?

Las Vegas: Suicide City?

I always knew that the environment you grow up in can mold you into the person you are. I think it is so interesting to think that if I had grown up and lived with my family in another town, I could potentially have been much different than the person I am today. When I began researching the topic, I found some startling information.

Where you live effects your mood directly. According to a study by Temple University, people who live in Las Vegas, Nevada have a significantly higher suicide rate than other cities. Their suicide rates are twice as high as the rest of the country. About one person per day commits suicide in Las Vegas (NPR). Plus, "people who die while visiting Las Vegas are twice as likely to die by suicide versus those who die traveling someplace else" (AOL Heath). The University's study suggested that the environment in Las Vegas could be 'suicidogenic' which means "unknown aspect of the urban lifestyle promotes suicide" (AOL Heath).

I wonder why people are at such a higher risk of committing suicide just based on where they are. Could it be that Las Vegas attracts those types of people or does the city's environment cause these high rates of suicide?