Assignment 6

Supreme Court Justice Potter Stewart said that "“Censorship reflects a society's lack of confidence in itself. It is a hallmark of an authoritarian regime.” Do you agree or disagree with his opinion? Why?

I agree with his opinion because censorship limits our worldview at a time when we need to understand the world around us. Our society is obsessed with control and who has it. Our society and the government lacks confidence in our ability to reason and to think for ourselves. The government thinks that the masses want censorship. They feel the need to control and protect children's minds from the corrupt nature of books and fail to realize that the children have already seen what is in the books. When time comes, children are old enough to make their own choices, and parents should hope that they have developed the critical thinking abilities to question what they read and hear. If parents choose to limit their child, that is up to them. But, no organization, religious or not, should be able to influence public policy to limit children's access to information.

Assignment 5

The group founded by Mel and Norma Gabler has had a greater impact on the textbook adoption policy than any other. Although the founders are now dead, the group they founded is still flourishing. Discuss at least one good and one bad aspect of the work that the Gablers have done through the years.

The Gablers reviewed every textbook planned for state of Texas schools and checked every fact for accuracy and expressed their opinion on the text. They gained a voice when they disapproved that textbooks contained too many errors within the state and education. Many books were rejected or re-edited because of their efforts and concern. They developed definitions of the terms in the Texas textbook regulations. The state fined textbooks publishers for hundreds of errors the Gablers found. The publishers were very unhappy with them because they lost money and took extra time to fix the errors. They had to look at things more carefully. It also interfered with their right to free speech, but children have the right to learn correct facts at school. The Gablers had a narrow world view of religion and are still controversial to this day.

What Book are you?

You're Mother Night!by Kurt VonnegutNobody knows what to believe about you, and you know least of all. You spent most of your time convinced that the ends justify the means, but your means were, well, downright mean! And the end is nigh. Meanwhile all you want is to travel back in time, if not to change, then to just delight in the way it used to be. You are who you pretend to be. Oh yes, you're the great pretender.

Assignment 4

"Of course Hispanics will vote for Clinton because they would not want a black president in office."


http://blowmeuptom.com/


I was listening to The Tom Leykis Show yesterday in the afternoon on 97.1 FM radio station. Tom recieved an email from an anonymous woman who stated, "Hispanics will vote for Clinton because they do not want a black president." He asked his Hispanic and African American audience to call in and see if this is true and their opinion on it. Many called and were outrage by the idea, and others said that this was true and many Hispanics are racist. It got me thinking, and in some cases this is true. In Mexico, many Mexicans are in fact racist against their people based on the color of skin. This kind of thinking comes from generation to generation. It depends how you were raised and the people you are assoicated with. I am Mexican American myself, and I do not think like this. I accept everyone eventhough I was raised with parents who are racist in my opinion. Mixing with different races in dating realm is a big NO in my family. I could really careless what they think, and I am educated enough to make my own decisions. I can relate to this because I have seen it everywhere in my life. I have noticed that Clinton won the majority vote in California in the Primary Election. I wonder what was the percentage of Hispanics who voted for her in the election. So is this true that Hispanics prefer to vote for anyone else except an African American? It's sad to say that this may be true in some cases. Does anyone have an opinion about this topic?

I love Tom Leykis! Most women hate him, but he speaks the truth.

Assignment 3

How does this image represent John Stuart Mill's ideas of the dangers of popular opinion and Tyranny of the Majority? Use one example from contemporary American society to support your point.

My first reaction to the image was I started to laugh, but then stopped and thought about it. It was no laughing matter I realized. This image portrays our society, ideas, and logic. According to Mill, he believes democracy is dangerous. Some may agrue against this idea, but it has some fact to it. Popular opinion is the opinion of the majority vote of an issue in society, and everyone follows it because everyone else is doing it or agrees with it. The image repesents popular opinion because each person in the line is following the others and falling of the cliff without thinking about the situation. Tyranny of the Majorty is influenced by money, media, and power. We should not blame society for popular opinion because the government has a responsible to inform us and not by the media. The media can twist the truth and give society false information because they have all the power. We all have decided on an idea based on other's opinion or the popular one. We have the right to explore and express opinions. An example of popular opinion is the Presidential Primary Election. Some people will vote for Clinton becuase she is known and is the first woman that has a good chance of winning, and others will vote for Obama because he can be the first African American president. Many vote without taking the time and research on the candidate's issues or ideas they want for America.