1984 #3

I agree with this statement. Winston's belief is applicable to the world we live in today because no matter how many people aren't willing to stand up for what they believe in, there are those who will come together and do what they know is right. It reminds me of a show called "What Would You Do?". In the show, there are many different scenarios in public places that see what viewers will do in what they think is a real situation. A couple situations are: seeing pilots drink alcohol an hour before flying, people yelling at a mentally disabled person bagging groceries, and a waiter refusing to serve gay couples and their families. The people in the show who stand up for what's right in the world show that most people have the decency and morals to help show the inherent nature of individuals.

1984 #2

I definitely see a connection between the censorship of our language and vocabulary today to Newspeak in 1984. I think it is nonsensical to remove some of the ideas and books from classrooms because they are deemed offensive or controversial. When a child is of age to their own decisions, they should have all the information necessary to make an informed decision on what they want to believe or not. Parents stepping in and making sure their kids don’t have books that teach a different way than they are brought up or have a child acting in a negative way, shouldn't have that right if the kid is at a certain age or if it must be taught to be informed. To have words such as soda banned and needing to be said as Coke or Pepsi because it’s “regional bias” is a little ridiculous; or hordes banned because it is in reference to immigrant groups. Nowadays people read too much into things. I doubt anyone would get offended by me saying I made a snowman instead of snowperson. I understand if it is actually discriminatory against a certain sex or racial group, but we should all think about what is really important in the world. Why shouldn't we be able to say the words we want, we are Americans right? This is the land of the free…including freedom of speech.

1984 #1

Newspeak is "the only language in the world whose vocabulary gets smaller every year." It is a language that has reduced and simplified grammar. Th Party created it to eliminate "crimethink" by destructing words that in any way describe freedom or rebellion. Instead of using antonyms and synonyms for good, whether you really like it or dislike it, you say doubleplusgood or ungood. Newspeak is the name of the new language that will replace Oldspeak in Oceania by the year 2050.
One example of a leader that uses language to put a spin on reality is President Obama. Although he is a great orator, he uses many examples in his speeches, but does not give all the facts. For example, health care, he puts a very positive spin on it, but is it truly going to mean everyone is covered? Another example is media coverage, Glenn Beck and Rush Limbaugh sometimes stretch the truth in their stories to sensationalize it. Many people know that they are not always completely true with the coverage they give, but some people are oblivious to this exaggeration of the truth.

Cloning

In my first blog, I was completely against cloning, but I didn't know everything there is to know. Now, after seeing the video, I agree with a couple of forms of cloning. I definitely agree with therapeutic cloning. It will be great when everybody who needs an organ or tissue transplant will get one by medical advancement. I think In Vitro Fertilization is an okay thing to use when trying to reproduce, but I don't agree with cloning as a way to reproduce. I don't agree with food production cloning. I think food is better for people when it is organic and not genetically altered. I agree with animal cloning when a species is endangered due to human influence.

Brave New Babies

It all starts with everybody thinking just one thing is harmless. I mean, what's the harm in choosing the sex of your baby? What is wrong with this situation is what will come next. I think now that parents have started choosing the sex of their baby is the beginning of choosing the intelligence or good looks of their baby. I think this is very harmful to society. What makes us human is our good qualities as well as our flaws. I think if it becomes a possibility to choose qualities of a baby it will destroy each person's individuality.

Brave New World #1

This World State Society reminds me if a different world such as one I read of in The Giver. It seems as though the government controls what they have as a caste system. Each person who is made has a certain place in society that they will serve. Some of the people who are made have figured out that there is more to the world around them than what is put into their brain by the government. I found a connection between knowing the truth and being happy in something we have discussed before. Plato talks about people who live in a cave and are not shown light, but then some of those people are allowed to venture into the light and experience the world. Once they are put back in the cave, they see what they were missing so they miss it. They can try to explain to the others what it was like, but the explanation is nothing like the experience. When people don’t know they can live a better life they are perfectly content with it, but when they know something better is out there they want it more and more because they know the truth. I think that soma is something that resembles a drug or alcohol. It seems to make the people happier and give them a release from the world around them.

Healthcare

It's hard to believe that in other countries the health care systems seem so easy and carefree as Sicko showed. The whole time we were watching it I was thinking of how badly i want to move to one of those countries in fear of something bad happening to me here in the United States and not being able to afford it. What Sicko didn't inform me on was the waiting lists they have in those countries. In Dead Meat it talks about the wait Canadians must go through to get in to see a doctor because they have a national health care system. Canadians interviewed said it it nice that it's free, but the waiting lists are sometimes life and death situations and the quality of care is not top of the line. According to the article, the U.S. is the second best nation in quality of health care. In Dead Meat i though the analogy of the veterinary clinics was a good point. Having a tremendous amount and specialty clinics drove down the cost and many clinics gave special benefits because each is trying to compete for customers. If only we could translate that into the American health care system. I don't understand everything on health care, I just know we definitely need a change.