Remembering 9/11

On the morning of September 11^th, 2001 I specifically remember sitting in 6^th grade algebra class when our principal interrupted our class with urgent news. As I noticed the waterfall of tears streaming down her face as she explained that the World Trade Center had been hit by two large airplanes and that our government suspected it of being a terrorist attack. Initially I was somewhat confused because I didn’t know what the trade center was. We soon turned on the news in class and I recognized the two buildings that had been hit at became speechless. Seeing how devastating the attacks were the classroom went dead silent once we soon heard about reports of the other attacks that day. Some students at our school had family members in New York that day and were given the immediate opportunity to call and find out the status of that member’s whereabouts. Teachers ceased to teach that day as we all just watched the horrific aftermath on the news. At the end of the day we were called into an emergency prayer ceremony held in the gymnasium. I have never seen so many people crying all at the same time.

The Media and politicians both use the memory of 9/11 to unite our citizens. For the most part 9/11 is not a controversial event that took place in our nation’s history and the media uses this horrifying fascination to draw in viewers and inform us on note-worthy journalism whether it may be an uplifting story or a disheartening story. Politicians are well aware that the respected remembrance of those who perished is just as important as the public gratitude we owe to those who served that day and risked their lives to save complete strangers, yet fellow American citizens. The media, government and many other types of institutions in our country use the memory of 9/11 as way to unite our nations people, to promote a sense of Americanism never seen before, and clearly label our nations enemies whom we are promised will be brought to justice – American justice. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KF0C6JmSEgk

Adolescence Success Based off of Nurturing

Growing up in a suburb of St. Louis I was consistently enrolled in private catholic school education from the time I was 6 until I was a senior in high school. I may have had to drive 25 minutes to get to school but some of my best friends still went to my district’s public high school 5 minutes down the road. At times I tried suggesting to my parents that I should leave my catholic high school and continue my education down the road where it didn’t cost a dime to attend classes. My parents never so much as gave me the time of day to listen to my arguing points but some of my friends always managed to make side comments about our friends who went to public schools in the St. Louis area. These comments ranged from, “Oh we’re receiving a better education that Joe Schmoe who attends public school. Can’t wait till he works for us…” or even as I began college I still heard, “Joe Schmoe went to a public high school, therefore we won’t achieve as good of grades as some of us and won’t know how to study for multiple tests at one.” Personally, for being a huge supporter of the concept of nurture over the idea of nature I think these statements made by my fellow classmates were naïve, ignorant, and overall complete “bull s#*t.” It doesn’t matter where one attends school but how they apply themselves at that school. It depends if their parents drilled in their head the concept of studying multiple nights before a test or making it a known fact a D on a report card meant 1 month of being grounded. It depends on who the student hangs out with and those friends’ dedication toward school. The more diligent and serious someone’s friends are about school the better student that person will try to become in order to live up to their friends expectations. Innate gifted intelligence is possible but how one applies themselves in school is what really matters, whether it is a private of catholic school. Overall it depends how your primary sources of socialization (parents, peers, and the media) helped you understand how important it is to establish good study habits at a young age and actually learn as you attended school, no matter the level of education. As Handel, Cahill and Elkin write in regards to neural plasticity, “These research findings suggest that the biological development, structure and functioning of the human brain is ‘largely environmentally regulated’ ” (Human Neural Plasticity and Socialilization, 12). Our future in life does not depend on what type of education we received but how well we took advantage of the educational environment we were brought up in. As stated above it is important to have a well established education environment sourced through our primary sources of socialization in life. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zhD6nO1T1wg

Fictional Media

Call it a habit of questioning authority if you may but sometimes it is very difficult for me to trust the media. It’s not that I believe every piece of news the media reports is false or over-exaggerated but I am left wondering if the “Top stories this evening” are truly the top stories. Are there certain events that happen or pieces of news out there that our government forces the media to keep secret? If so, then why? Is it for the public’s best interest to live in a need to know basis type of society? No matter the answer it is obvious that the media is personally responsible for our social construction of reality and the daily beliefs about the world we live in. It is difficult to imagine my perspective on the social world if there wasn’t television, film, radio, the printed press or internet. I would have no idea as to what was happening outside of my own social world. As stated in class, “Different levels of institutions are responsible for creating a social world and reality for us.” Without the institution of media we wouldn’t know about the current troubles taking place in Washington D.C., the protests and revolts in Lybia, the civil wars taking place in African Nations, the news surrounding the beginning of the NFL season, and the possibility of the University of Missouri leaving the Big12 for a new conference. The world we live in continues to evolve everyday and without the institution of the media normal citizens such as myself and the majority of the entire Mizzou population would not be able to keep up. However, as human beings – human beings with a brain – we must ask ourselves if certain types of media pull us away from the actual realities of our world and into false manipulated realities. Are we ever given the truth about the actual reality in which we live? There is no way of knowing…unless the media tells us so.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DgLA1_I_wcQ&feature=related