Analyzing Analysis.

Today, I read a really awesome post on Tumblr. I do not feel lame at all that all the awesome stuff I find is on Tumblr, because I can tell you Tumblr has made me a better person.
Anyway. it's this: a post called RABID WRITER CAPSLOCK RANT GO.
It's about how BORING English class is when they make you analyze intent, theme, etc. in books. And I have to agree. I hate being told there's one way to think about what the author wrote.

remember how they talked about ‘theme’? and there was a list of themes like ‘man versus nature’ and ‘man versus himself’? and how you had to ‘figure out’ what the theme of a piece was? remember how there was one right answer?
you know how they’d ask “why did [author] write it this way?” and for some reason, “because it’s awesome” was never an acceptable answer. there was always a hidden reason. a boring, preachy reason.

Which is terrible and wrong.
WRITE ABOUT WHATEVER YOU WANT! THINK ABOUT STORIES HOWEVER YOU WANT! Because that's what makes it fun. We don't read books, and we haven't been reading books so we can be told there's only one way to interpret things.

remember the last time you talked about your favorite fandom* with someone else who loves it as much as you do. remember how excitedly you analyzed characters and untangled plot, speculated on future directions, wondered whether the author was fucking with you or whether that crazy thing you noticed is canon for real.
remember how fun that was?
the difference between the fun experience and the soul-sucking one is that you were analyzing the story, and your high school english teacher was analyzing analysis. there’s no reason you couldn’t have the same crazy awesome discussions about shakespeare or the iliad that you do about homestuck or sherlock.

Fandom:

 is a term used to refer to a subculture composed of fans characterized by a feeling of sympathy and camaraderie with others who share a common interest. Fans typically are interested in even minor details of the object(s) of their fandom and spend a significant portion of their time and energy involved with their interest, often as a part of a social network with particular practices (a fandom); this is what differentiates "fannish" (fandom-affiliated) fans from those with only a casual interest.

A fandom can grow up centered around any area of human interest or activity. The subject of fan interest can be narrowly defined, focused on something like an individualcelebrity, or more widely defined, encompassing entire hobbies, genres or fashions. While it is now used to apply to groups of people fascinated with any subject, the term has its roots in those with an enthusiastic appreciation for sports. Merriam-Webster's dictionary traces the usage of the term back as far as 1903.^[1]

Fandom as a term can also be used in a broad sense to refer to an interconnected social network of individual fandoms, many of which overlap.

So, you might be a fannish fan of Glee or Boardwalk Empire or animes or what have you. Do you ever talk about new episodes with your friends? Do you ever freak out when the story progresses in a new way, or when there's a cliffhanger? I know I do!
Sometimes I get depressed in English because I want to just geek out about whatever I'm reading, and everyone else is like "lol i just read sparknotes calm down." It's sad, but they have a right to do that. Analyzing analysis is only fun for a few people.
Books, however, are fun for everyone. I love stories. So, so much. And you do too!!! Storytelling is becoming a lost art but I know how important it is to everyone. When you read a story you can nearly live vicariously through, it's a very thrilling feeling. Great movies tend to do this for people, too. I know I feel like I'm spinning through a hallway or sprinting through Mombasa when I watch Inception.

And don't even get me started on games, games are the king of storytelling as far as I'm concerned, since they effortlessly splice written story, character interactions, and visuals all while maintaining a feeling of choice or power over the situation at hand.
Maybe I'll post about games later.

So how about you, do you ever feel really bored having to do some really boring analysis of a book? I feel bad having to see others feeling bored because it's definitely not for everyone.

*

Fandom:

 is a term used to refer to a subculture composed of fans characterized by a feeling of sympathy and camaraderie with others who share a common interest. Fans typically are interested in even minor details of the object(s) of their fandom and spend a significant portion of their time and energy involved with their interest, often as a part of a social network with particular practices (a fandom); this is what differentiates "fannish" (fandom-affiliated) fans from those with only a casual interest.

A fandom can grow up centered around any area of human interest or activity. The subject of fan interest can be narrowly defined, focused on something like an individualcelebrity, or more widely defined, encompassing entire hobbies, genres or fashions. While it is now used to apply to groups of people fascinated with any subject, the term has its roots in those with an enthusiastic appreciation for sports. Merriam-Webster's dictionary traces the usage of the term back as far as 1903.^[1]

Fandom as a term can also be used in a broad sense to refer to an interconnected social network of individual fandoms, many of which overlap.

Gender and sex are different things!

This is an issue I'm a little passionate about. I believe in equal rights for everyone, and since I'm a senior, I wanted to make a bill to that effect. At first I wanted to make a bill that was about making sure there were public facilities that allowed for use by people outside of the gender binary, but I realized I wouldn't get anywhere trying to pass it. The fact is, members of the trans* community (transgender, transsexual people) are so misunderstood and oppressed that many people don't even know of their struggle.

Let me get this straight first for those who don't know. Gender is a social construct. That means that it is not part of a human at birth, it is assigned to people based on their sex. If you're confused right now allow me to describe the difference between sex and gender.
Sex is the biological part of someone, rather, whether they have female or male sex organs. There are also inter-sex people, or people with sex organs that do not fit solidly into "male" or "female," so even biological sex is not strictly speaking a binary.
People aren't in charge of their assigned sex and so sometimes gender identity and sex "disagree."
Gender is all a matter of identity. It is what you choose to be called (she or he, woman or man,) and what you identify with. Like sexuality, gender is a spectrum. There are not only "girls" and "boys" who are defined only by the sex organs they were born with (we call people whose sex and gender agree "cisgender." This would include myself, I am a cisgender female). In fact, gender means different things for everyone. What's feminine and masculine is totally different between cultures and between individuals, too! Genderqueer is a term people use when they don't identify entirely with being a girl, or a boy. Sometimes it's appropriate to use gender-ambiguous pronouns like "zhe" when referring to these people but only if they ask you to.

Why do I think it's important to learn the difference between gender and sex, and understand that both are spectra? Because I want everyone to be educated and tolerant. I notice that people seem to be very intolerant of trans* individuals as a whole so I thought I'd make a post trying to educate people.

Those of you more familiar with this than me, feel free to correct me or add something!

WWASP and legal torture of minors

Perhaps some of you have heard of WWASP. It is an umbrella organization of Mormon fundamentalist "schools" found throughout the US, and other countries. It is infamous for the crimes it has committed against the youth it houses, such as physical and psychological abuse. There are several documentaries which spotlight their crimes. I'll post some here later.

The organization claims to have dissolved, but in reality there are many schools still in operation, where kids are forced to succumb to torture and harassment, in some cases even rape. The organization can get away with this by changing its name, and it's gotten away with it for so long because of the large family-based network which owns it.

Perhaps you recall the for-profit industry of locking up minors mentioned in Capitalism: A Love Story, which you watched in class. This is like that, but much, much worse. Some victims suffer from such severe PTS that they can never function normally in society again. And all this is done under the guise of a rehabilitation resort.

Well, thoughts? Like I said I'll post a documentary and witness accounts later when I can reach the database on my own computer (right now I'm on a school one.)

A post for you: What would you like from me?

I'm really excited to be a TA for the first time and it's been great seeing and commenting on all your posts. I want to know what you think of my feedback, and what you would like to see more of from me!! Are you trying to improve your writing skills? Do you want more topics to write about besides what you're given? Do you like creative writing, but are scared to post your stories without revision? I want to know what I can do to help you. I see all of you as my equals and I want us to be able to help each other think and write more effectively.

So what would you like from me? Have I not commented on your blog yet? Is my feedback bad, or just not what you're looking for? I might make a formspring account, so you can talk to me or give me feedback anonymously. Would that be a good idea? I'm done peppering you with questions now. I'm sure you are all quite seasoned, I am just trying to gauge how my input has helped or hindered, and what else I can do.

Feel free to give feedback or answer some of my questions here, or not, it's up to you.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Perception

Is perception a uniquely human thing? How about intuition? As in, how we perceive and plan for the past, present, and future.

http://journals.cambridge.org/action/displayAbstract?fromPage=online&aid=1391432

what's a human..?

"What makes us human?"
I love this question, SO MUCH. I have so many things to cite about this, but unfortunately I can't access them all on the school computer.
Let me talk about the human brain for a moment. I'll use the archaic term "limbic system" to refer to the primitive part of our brains. The human cerebrum is fascinating and has many parts- what I'm trying to talk about is the oldest, the reptilian part. What do I mean by that?!?! Well, the brain evolved outwards from the very start of life, from merely a stem to a huge amount of diverse systems. The reptilian brain is responsible for our primitive urges (pleasure/addiction, fear, territoriality, etc.) and exists at the very center. Our brain is made of multiple tiers of systems, showing us a timeline of how we evolved over the millenia. This is actually a controversial theory and is challenged by new research showing us that bird and reptile brains are more complex than we initially thought.
But before I run myself into walls contradicting myself over and over again as usual, the theory I proposed here does have at least a LITTLE truth to it. And we know for sure that certain parts of the brain of a human are not unique to it.
So what IS unique to a human brain? What makes us superior?
Define superior: "human" characteristics such as reasoning, curiosity, ingenuity, culture, language and dialect are found in other animals. Dolphins, corvids, cephalopods, and elephants, to name a few. But it is indeed our culture which allows us to prosper; our lifestyle is supplemented in great part by the agglomerative nature of our inventions. You could say that written word is what makes us human, if not for the fact that countless cultures have developed very sophisticated societies without it. Our language for sure is an incredible feat, especially because no one invented it! Dolphins and elephants, however, are found to develop unique languages specific to their social group. Dolphins, when encountering another group, must learn the other dialect before being able to communicate with them- so a dolphin's language is a big part of its culture. So, though humans have what is certainly the most diverse and inclusive of animal communicative systems, they are not unique.
But what about logic? Logic is the hardest of human traits to define as animal. Perhaps logic and reasoning is what makes us human? These things are found present in lesser degrees in the animal kingdom as well, however. Dogs can be taught to count, and even humans went a very long time with no concept of counting or 0. I'll end with a few quotes.
"The simplest thought, like the concept of the number one, has an elaborate logical underpinning. The brain has its own language for testing the structure and consistency of the world." -Carl Sagan.
"There isn't a sharp line dividing humans from the rest of the animal kingdom. It's a very wuzzy line, and it's getting wuzzier all the time." -Jane Goodall (I hope so anyway. these quotes are ones i remember.)


Anyway I spent more time talking about what makes us animal than what makes us human here. What do you think, guys? Am I a hapless blowhard? What do you think makes us human, or animal, for that matter?

Fukushima's Sunflowers

(above: sunflowers blooming in Fukushima.)

In this video, a monk in Japan plants sunflowers to remove toxins from the radioactive soil in Fukushima. He's planted over 8,000,000 sunflowers, which are said to remove 95% of the radiation from the soil.

In fact, it's not just one guy. Lots of people are trying this natural remedy to the terrifying concentration of radiation in and around Fukushima.

hat tip to this post. Needed this news on my blog!!

Yahoo!News article here.

Update:
This gnarly old man has decided to stay in his Fukushima home and defy the government's pleas for evacuation from that area. He plans to be a "human guinea pig," to test the effects of the radiation on humans inhabiting the radiated areas. He also states some evidence which disproves some of the news I posted earlier, sadly.

Hello!

I am your TA, Irene Smith. You can call me Irene. I will be commenting on your blogs from time to time and checking up on everyone :). Feel free to pose questions and I'll always do my best to answer. Or feel free to just leave me comments whenever about whatever.

When I was your age, I had a blog, too. You can find it here. I'll be posting on this blog from now on though.

I'm looking forward to reading and learning all about you guys!