If only Ben were alive today

“There seems to me at present to be great occasion for raising a United Party for Virtue, by forming the virtuous and good men of all the nations into a regular body, to be govern’d by suitable good and wise rules, which good and wise men may probably be more unanimous in their obedience to, than common people are to common laws.”

How far have we diverged from this idea? Is our current government something Benjamin Franklin would approve of? How disappointed would he be with the modern world? How badly would he want to take over and fix every problem in the world?

The politicians of today obviously have a different mindset from the political thinkers of the 18^th century. However while reading about Franklin, I began to wonder who has the interest of the general public in the forefront versus self-achievement and personal status. Then I shifted to thinking about who actually knew what they were doing and who thought out their ideas to the fullest extent. It’s not that I think all politicians of today are complete nincompoops, but there is just so much extra stuff they get caught up in - for example, becoming reelected and constantly publicizing themselves via television and Twitter. I feel like back in the 18^th century, the political thinkers thought out their plans more fully because there was less for them to get caught up in. Also there was more for them to lose because the still newly settled colonies could not afford ideas that were not well developed.

This weather is horrid

I would much prefer snow to this wind and rain. Today was gross, I did not enjoy going outside at all. I had to turn on the heater for the first time because there is a terrible draft coming in from the windows.

Snow makes the world prettier.

The Real American Dream

The American Dream has shifted from being an actual idea to the desire to gain as many material items as possible. People no longer think of the American Dream as working hard and having a vision for where they want to take their life. I think most Americans don’t even think about the American Dream anymore, unless it is in the manner of evaluating all of their material gains and how these items apply to their satisfaction level throughout their life. I don’t understand how a person can achieve the American Dream by having a lot of stuff. Stuff doesn’t last and it is replaceable. Then there is the stereotype of the American Dream, which Cullen illustrates as, “Economically self-sufficiency, a secure and esteemed profession (e.g., the ministry), the leisure to pursue a career in politics: these among others were the yardsticks by which upward mobility was measured,” (pg. 61). Personally, I do not agree with this view on the American Dream because all of these characteristics are centered on gaining money and power. I believe the American Dream has to do with finding personal happiness and being able to realize that having a dream gives oneself a purpose in life. Money and material items cannot help one come to this realization. Therefore the American Dream resonates within the individual.

Dorm Inventory List

AmCon Inventory List –

2 lofted beds

2 desks

2 dressers

1 window seat

1 telephone

1 rug

1 mini fridge

2 trash cans

1 recycle bin

1 printer

1 bag of Halloween candy

1 loaf of bread

1 bottle of milk

Now specifically my side:

1 desk lamp

1 standing lamp

2 plastic cubbies

1 kettle

1 steeping pot

1 jar of tea

1 jar of honey

1 box of Goldfish

2 boxes of cereal

many granola bars

1 box of oatmeal

1 dry erase white board

2 water bottles

3 mugs

2 plastic cups

3 blankets

2 pillows

2 sets of sheets – purple and green

15 books

many pictures

1 pre-wrap tape – purple

1 cell phone

1 laptop

1 iPod

1 camera

many highlighters, pencils, and pens

many note cards, notebooks, folders, and page markers

1 headlamp

1 stapler

1 roll of tape

1 bottle of hand sanitizer

1 Burt’s Bees chapstick

1 hanging shelf

1 backpack

1 lanyard

assorted cords for the phone, computer, and camera

many clothes

2 jackets

1 shoe holder

3 pairs of flats

2 pair of boots

2 pairs of flip-flops

1 shower caddy

1 laundry basket

1 bottle of Tide

2 purses

1 umbrella

3 metal book containers

3 towels

1 box of Kleenex

1 toothbrush

1 hairbrush

1 hair dryer

1 hair straightener

1 curling iron

5 plastic storage containers

1 paper towel roll

1 bottle of Clorox wipes

1 dishtowel

1 bottle of dish soap

1 sponge

1 mirror

1 bottle of apple juice

1 jar of applesauce

FUN BLOG

The Fun Blog

The other day I was at the Mall of America and I went into the Disney Store. AmCon did not originally motivate my visit to the Disney Store. I wanted to buy a Toy Story water bottle. BUT right in the middle of the store was the Disney Princess display and off to the side of this display were Pocahontas dolls. There were way more Cinderella and Belle dolls than Pocahontas dolls. This is a good comparison: there were as many Pocahontas dolls as there were Prince Charming dolls.

What happened to Pocahontas?

I thought the Pocahontas statue in the Jamestown Settlement was interesting because the way in which her arms were positioned suggests she was open and accepting to the new ideals and way of life the English proposed when they first arrived. One could also argue that the statue is positioned in a way that she is searching or looking for something. Either way, I still have no idea what to think about Pocahontas because we have to view her through the perceptions of others. And even then these perceptions could be biased by stereotypes or lack of information. Pocahontas’s image has become skewed to how people want her to look. For example the portrait done by Mary Woodbury in 1730, one could argue that she idealized Pocahontas as a Caucasian instead of a Native American. Then there is the Pocahontas that most of us are familiar with, the Disney version.

Pocahontas

In The Pocahontas Perplex, it is made evident that many men in the 17^th century were indeed Neanderthals. They were controlling sexists who took advantage of Native American women and allowed their desiring perceptions of women to affect their ability to form perceptions correctly.  Did anyone ever consider that Pocahontas did not want to marry John Rolfe? I mean she was being held captive when she met and married him. One could argue that in Pocahontas’s famous painting, John Rolfe is trying to remove her from the Indian lifestyle and making her become more English or “proper”. It is also arguable that their marriage was a way the English tried to gain control over the Indians because Pocahontas was an important person among the Indians and her change in lifestyle could influence other Indians to become more like her.

American Fakeness

In Playing Indian, suggesting that Americans’ attempts to form an identity are incomplete is absolutely correct. The American identity is somewhere between the English and Native American identity. I feel like this only came to be because it was all the English settlers knew and were capable of knowing. Also by diverging from the English identity and staying away from the Native American identity suggests a limitation on their ability to form an identity because they restricted their free will and ability to act naturally. One cannot form a complete identity when one is modifying the various behaviors that encompass an identity. One could go so far as to say that the American identity is nothing more than a cover for not having an identity.

Another Bloggity!!!

In Understanding Ordinary Landscapes, it becomes evident that the government-sponsored schools had more of a negative impact on the Native Americans than a positive one. When this happens, one must realize that their culture and ideals will not always meld with other cultures and ideals. Then one must ask oneself, who is to say that your culture and ideals are better than those of another. Obviously one will display a bias for their own culture, but even then, no one can possibly be correct in saying that their culture is better because they have not experienced the other culture.

In the process of “educating” the Native Americans, the government-sponsored schools praised individual achievement. When reading this segment, I began to question what good is individual achievement when the working-world is a somewhat collective society (I think I worded that quite badly – I thought of the people who have jobs and work together, which most jobs involve some type of collaborative effort). So what is the point of only praising individual work when collaborative efforts are inevitable? I don’t get it.

Identity?

How long does one need to stay in a place to develop an identity?

The development of an identity is fully dependent upon the person who will be forming the identity. A person could live in one location for their entire life and never fully discover who they are. Then there are the people who move around so much, that they are never given the opportunity to discover who they are. However there are certain cases where individuals have taken what they have seen from their experiences in past locations and melded them together to form an identity. Therefore, the length of stay in one location is not the only determinant when creating an identity. One must consider how the person utilizes their surroundings and learns from others when in that location. The environment in which one lives is like paint and the person is like canvas. No identity is the same because each individual takes their own perceptions and experiences from their environment and uses it to create their identity.

Landscapes, Landscapes, Landscapes

In Belden Lane’s Landscapes of the Sacred, it is referenced that Americans are in the constant search for the perfect land by holding mobility and placelessness close to their hearts. Is being in the constant state of wandering a form of identity? I do not believe so because with this, the mobility that drives Americans affects their ability to form the basic connections that are rooted within the formation of an identity. Ortega y Gasset said, “Tell me the landscape I which you live and I will tell you who you are,” how can this be possible when Americans are not in one location long enough to mold with the landscape? Then there comes the possibility that the American identity is to be in a constant state of wandering. There is no perfect land, the only reason people keep wandering is so they can continuously find new experiences that change their perception on something and then take those experiences with them to their new landscape.