Propaganda, Hidden Amongst us in Disguise?

            Does propaganda still exist you may ask? Yes it does but it hides in plain sight and remains invisible but to only the untrained eye. Now first off let us discover what propaganda is.


Propaganda:
• information that is spread for the purpose of promoting some cause.
Now where does this exist you may ask? Its actually all around us but it subliminal. Lets take McDonald's as an example. They take famous athletes or celebrities to star in their commercials to promote their food to the younger generation when we all know that the food is bad for you. 
             Now how about another example. Lets say terrorism? After 9/11 the word "Terrorism" has been tossed around quite often when we talk about the war in the middle east. At first many people would of not supported the invasion of Iraq but after 9/11 that changed drastically. Many people wanted to feel safe after 9/11 so when politics talk about "fighting terrorism" people don't really seem to understand the situation but would continue to support it to have this sense of security. Fear can be a essential tool to propaganda.
             A silly but not so different example of this would be episode 17, season 5 of Family Guy where Lois runs for mayor. In order to win the election she resorted to propaganda on terrorism. She started saying these idiotic things about terrorist plans and such so the people of the town said: "How much money do you need until we can feel safe again?" After that they blindly started throwing money in. So basically she was spreading information (that is not necessarily true) for the purpose of some cause. 
            Now there are countless more examples of propaganda but thats all for now. 

Free Response On Black Boy

                         Compared to todays society it seems hard to believe the stories in this book are true. Richard has experienced so much in his childhood that not of us could compare. Nowadays I hardly believe any of us have been beaten to near death circumstances by our parents (at least I hope not). I don't understand why family would do that to one and another. I get the idea of punishment but this seems like they just want to hurt him. I couldn't stand the idea of me hurting any of my family members to such a circumstance. Yet Richard lived in a violent time where strict rules would seem just. I don't however agree with it.
                        The thing that I find really annoying though that at any time Richard gets in trouble he hardly understands why. More like beat now and answer questions later. We must remember that Richard was really young during these events. He hardly understands why he does the actions he does. Sadly whenever he gets into trouble its always one sided. He can never get any support and he would always be branded as the wrong one. So I was glad to see when he stood up for himself against his aunt for wrongly accusing him of making a mess. He now understands that he has to be strong and aggressive to survive in this world of his.
                        So far the book has been great. Can't wait to see what happens next.

Hungry for Attention (Is young Richard alone in his cravings? )

                 Richard seems to be always looking for attention. . He didn't like the feeling of being ignored. Yet isn't it just natural that children crave the attention of adults? Don't you ever have that one child that walks up to you and wants to show you how well they can count for over an hour? Richard is not alone for he is not much different from many other children.
                  Despite the fact that Richard set his house on fire and killed a kitten for attention he isn't much different then any other child. In our reading you can see that Richard loves playing 20 questions. He constantly asks his mom what does this or what does that mean to the point where he becomes a nuisance. I myself have had a little brother that loved to play that game. The fun was one sided. Richard just wants a little attention. With his father gone and his mom constantly at work he just needs someone to show him a sense of purpose. Sense his mother is always at work she most likely ignores him while shes busy. He wants his presence to be seen and not go unnoticed. Even I as a child would just walk up to my mom and constantly call out her name until she finally responded. This was very annoying to her but it does end up getting her attention.
                So Richard isn't alone. He's just like every other child seeking the attention of their parents. Children are kind of like sponges. They'll keep with them anything you say and they are always anxious to hear more.

Response to "On being a Mexican American"

               I have a lot in common with the author. Not only am I Mexican American but my last name is Mendoza like his :). Well besides the obvious I had similar experiences growing up. I, like the author, was born in the U.S but born a Mexican. 
             My childhood experience was very similar to the authors. As a child I didn't see the differences of me and other people. I was always around my family and I always thought everyone else must be like us. The way I spoke is the way I thought most people spoke. At that point I thought being Mexican was no different from being American. It was not until school when I began to realize we are not all so alike. 
            According to the article and my own experiences, school is one of the first places you begin to notice being different. You see that not all the kids around you look like you, some children begin to tease you for being different, the things around you begin to unfold. In many cases you begin to become the thing your not.
           My father is very proud of his heritage and he strongly believes in maintaining it. My little brother and father would sometimes get into little quarrels where my brother says "I'm not Mexican dad I'm American" and my dad would just lecture him on how wrong he is and how he should be proud of being Mexican. So my little brother was being "Anglocized" as the author would put it.
       Knowing how much my dad does to maintain our heritage comes the question from the author "DO WE Mexicans ever totally integrate?". In my opinion I will never truly be "Anglocized". Despite how much I have changed to better fit this new society I will never forget my culture. I am proud to be Mexican but also an American. That is why I am Mexican-American.

King Still King?

         Martin Luther King Jr. was a great man then but what about now? As we all know he was a man who fought for his people. No, for all people, to live amongst each other in peace and harmony. Not to be distinguished by the color of their skin but by the actions they have committed. MLK fought with the belief in his mind : All men are created equal.
         From the very day he began fighting for civil rights to the day of his death, his actions will forever echo in eternity. His actions will be passed down from years to come serving as a great example of human accomplishment. To this day his words live on to inspire future generations to fight for what they think is right. Such as Cesar Chavez, a civil rights inspired by MLK's words, to fight for his rights. So MLK's voice has not faltered over the years. Do we not study the past to improve the future?
         Not only has he inspired the future but improved it as well. To this day we can see examples of his success by simple going to school. Our school is so ethnically diverse and we could thank MLK for that. He allowed us to all be under one roof where no one is inferior then the other. Instead we can see each others as equals.
        So King is still King. He shall remain a role hero to many and a role model to all. His words and actions will never go unnoticed and will forever be a part of our lives.

"The Sacred Soil" by Chief Seattle Response

             After reading this I feel a sense of respect for the author. He doesn't try to refuse that fact that his people will be gone soon. He accepts it. Yet he doesn't say it as a bad thing. More of an eventuality. He explains how all people in time will fade away in time so instead of blaming the white men of his peoples leavings he sees it as nature taking its course. The author stated "Tribe follow tribe, and nation follows nation, like the waves of the sea. It is the order of nature, and regret is useless."
             Yet he does feel some remorse over their land becoming desecrated. However his people will truly never be gone after they have left the land. Much like the author has said "There is no death, only change of worlds." So there "spirits" remain to roam the land they once inhabited. So despite the fact that the white men have cleared the land of their people, the white men will never be "alone."
            It is really sad though how the author and his people never really had a choice to go to the reservations or not. His people are few but the white men are many. So the author states "The white Chief says that Big Chief at Washington sends up greetings of friendship and goodwill. That is kind of him for we know he has little need of our friendship in return." So it was not much of an option.
            I wonder if "the white men" ever thought of the possibility of not taking the land that didn't belong to them. The author's people have been theres for hundreds of years so whats gives these foreign people the right to commandeer it? So none the less this story was a good read.
                          

ZOMG Robotz Are Taking Ovar Teh Worldz! Oh Never Mind its Just Daft Punk (Music Review)

          Look at the music you listen to, now back to mine. Now back at your music, now back to mine. Sadly it isn’t mine, but if you listen to Daft Punk it could sound like mine. Look down, back up, where are you? You’re searching through their album, listening to the music  your music couldn't sound like. What did you hear? Back at mine, it’s an album playing something you want to hear. Look again the album is now diamonds. Anything is possible when you listen to something new.
         
          See them two robots robots over there? -->

Their actually two French musicians called Daft Punk who happen to be an electronic music duo. And yes they do go everywhere wearing those helmets (They like light up and everything but are $65,000 a piece, ouch). Now back to the music. 

        

    Now if your into lets say techno or electronica,then your right at home. If not then bear with me or they'll find you(look they even have a map out). Just kidding (or am I?). Now does music need lyrics in order to be music? No because many of Daft Punk's songs don't really have any lyrics. You just sit their and enjoy their musical creations. Did you know that Daft Punk had created a animated movie based entirely on their Discovery Album? There is literally no dialogue. Its all music thats been perfectly blended into a story.  If you wanna get the most out the album then I recommend  watching the film ( heres the link, Full Length Movie( Don't Worry its just Google Video))

         
         I do however find some of the songs to be a bit repetitive at times. Like as if some parts drag on longer then necessary. A good way to cope with this is to treat it like background music. These songs are good to have in the background or listen to while your busy. You can listen to it while walking, on the train, doing work, or just waiting to pass the time. Sooner or later you won't notice the small details in the song and you might even notice that you were moving to the rhythm of the music.
      
        One of the main reason I find Daft Punk's  music so amusing is that its unique. Compared to todays music theres nothing that stands out above the rest. Daft Punk though seems to keep a variety from one song to another.

         Yet its not up to me to say whether or not their music is "good". I think its great but thats my opinion. So you have to listen yourself so you can find out yourself. You've might of already heard of them before. They were featured in Kayne West's song "Stronger" and even provided the sound track for the upcoming film "Tron Legacy" ( You could notice them in a few scenes). So give a try won't ya? ;) wink. Also a fun song try try to sing along to is Technologic :P