ENLIGHTENED SURRENDER
How many essays have been written about American culture? How
many books dedicated to the intense scrutiny of every aspect of our
modern society? Countless thoughts, countless theories—many of them
lost in the very chaos that the authors spent 300 pages explaining. There
are always solutions, which their creators seem entirely convinced will solve
this mess, but the truth is that these ideas are often impractical and unrealistic.
But no one writes an entire book complaining without offering us
something at the conclusion. Sociologists parade around with their own
superfluous speculations, conflicting and contradictory, but this must be
better than unresolved pessimism, right?
Thomas de Zengotita doesn’t seem to think so. In his essay, “The
Numbing of the American Mind: Culture as Anesthetic,” he discusses the
perceptual overload of Americans and the differing and indistinguishable
levels of reality in which we exist. He claims that most people don’t know
and can’t recognize what is real what is not. There are so many different
kinds of reality—he lists sixteen out of many—and they have all become
so intertwined into our lives that they bleed together. As a result of these
discrepancies, we can no longer appreciate the differences between what is
important and what isn’t. Using modern examples like the events of
September 11th and the media’s response to them, de Zengotita explains
how we’ve become numb to things “so enormous, so horrific, so stark, that
[we believe] the great blob of virtuality that is our public culture would
be unable to absorb it” (342). It is a typical review of American society—
pessimistic and daunting—though his sarcastic humor and nonchalant
attitude are...
... middle of paper ...
...ous diagnosis of a serious
condition. Would we rather not know about it because it happens to be
incurable? This goes much deeper than subject matter, or political bias,
the usual folder. It determines the way we frame everything . . . the attitude
we bring to living in this world of surfaces. (de Zengotita 350)
No amount of truth can ever bring about change on the grand scale, but
the way you chose to function within it will define the difference between
prisoner and progressive. In expressing a helplessness to do nothing, de
Zengotita has accomplished more than all the theories in the world.
“It was to have been the end of irony, remember?” (de Zengotita 340)
Works Cited
Zengotita, Thomas de. “The Numbing of American Minds: Culture as Anesthetic.” 2002.
The Text Wrestling Book. Eds. Donna LeCourt, et al. Dubuque, Iowa: Kendall Hunt,
2005. 340-351.
1.1 Describe Systems and Procedures for Storing and Retrieving Information Collect documents to be filed, sort in to alphabetical, numerical or chronological order, find the relevant file and place the document inside after it’s divider, and return the file to its original place. Confidential files should be kept in a lockable cabinet and old documents should be shredded after the length of time outlined by the organisation. Electronic filing is similar but on the computer. It is important to name files so that they are easily recognisable by everyone who may need to access it. If the information is confidential it should be encrypted with a password to prevent unauthorised access.
In “The Coddling of the American Mind” by Jonathan Haidt and Greg Lukianoff they say “when students come to expect trigger warnings for any material that makes them uncomfortable, the easiest way for faculty to stay out of trouble is to avoid material that might upset the most sensitive student in the class”. Instead of teaching, teachers are focusing on not upsetting students and getting rid of anything that might trigger someone. Haidt and Lukianoff also state that “demands for trigger warnings on reading assignments with provocative content is an example of fortune telling”. This is because a trigger warning is like predicting that something bad will happen or that things will get worse, when really there is no way to know unless you experience
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The United States and cultural myths pertaining to this country have been a topic of discussion for many years. Stephanie Coontz’s “The Way We Wish We Were”, David Brooks’ “One Nation Slightly Divisible” and Margaret Atwood’s “A Letter to America” are all essays about different American cultural myths. Each author focuses on a different cultural myth that pertains to the United States. They explain how these myths are thwarting a realistic view of America. As well as changing the perception of the country as a whole. The major cultural myths of America among the texts are about “ideal families”, “ideal lifestyles, and a “ideal country.”
Rereading America: Cultural Contexts for Critical Thinking and Writing written by; Gary Colombo, Robert Cullen, and Bonnie Lisle, Eighth Edition, published April, 2007 by Bedford/St. Martin’s, is a textbook about writing and critical thinking. In the first chapter of Rereading America: Cultural Contexts for Critical Thinking and Writing, “Thinking Critically, Challenging Cultural Myths”, the Authors begin by setting a relatable scene of what it’s like for a college student. How a new found independence can be overwhelming, especially with regards to critical thinking, showing that what we have learned, needs to be re-evaluated and that an open mind in essential. "What Is Critical Thinking" In this section of the chapter the editors explain what it means to be a critical thinker. They explain that critical thinking is not just studying dates and facts, but rather taking those facts and examining them. The editors then proceed by explaining how having an open mind, and taking others' perspectives into account when formulating our own opinions on what the author is trying to say to us is important. A critical thinker takes all aspects into account and reflects on personal experience as well. The editors also point out that different cultural experiences bring different opinions. They suggest that we need to become active learners, continuously questioning the meaning behind everything, testing not only the theories of others but also our own experiences and analyzing the text rather than going for the obvious. They show that thinking outside the box is the epitome of critical thinking. Basically, we need to step outside our comfort zones and what we have always been taught. The editors also suggest that we need to re-evaluate our per...
In the text, “The American Cultural Configuration” the authors express the desire of anthropologists to study their own culture despite the difficulty that one faces attempting to subjectively analyze their own society. Holmes and Holmes (2002), use the adage “not being able to see the forest through the trees” (p. 5) to refer to how hard it is for someone to study something they have largely taken for granted. The Holmes' article focuses predominately on paradoxes within our own culture, many of which we don't notice. In a paradox, two contradicting statements can appear to be true at the same time. This essay looks at two paradoxes commonly found in everyday life: the individual versus the family and religion.
In America, the existence of so many different cultures and religions can inadvertently cause one religion to impose its values upon another religion. In Grace Paley’s “The Loudest Voice”, however, the school system directly imposed Christianity onto Shirley Abramowitz and other non-Christian students in the school. Teachers in the school tried to enforce Christianity onto the non-Christian children whenever and whichever way possible. The major illustration of this attempt of “brainwashing” was the production of a Christmas play performed mostly by Jewish students. This was an obvious attempt by the school to try to force the other students to learn the value and history of the Christian religion.
When I first decided to take the Introduction to Sociology class I wasn’t quite sure what to expect or even what to think. I had never taken any classes on sociology so I was quite sure that this would be an adventure. Well, as things turned out it was an adventure, this class was fun and very insightful. This class taught me a lot about what the rest of the world is like and how the American culture is different from the cultures around the world. What america accepts as the norm is different than say what Germany accepts as the norm.
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