It’s been shown that “Nearly two-thirds of adult Americans are overweight or obese. Despite the attention of the health profession, the media, and the public, and mass educational campaigns about the benefits of healthier diets and increased physical activity, the prevalence of obesity in the United States has more than doubled over the past four decades” (Marks). These alarming statistics are increasing exponentially as individuals all over the globe continue to adopt unhealthy lifestyles that can lead to detrimental, and many times, irreversible, health issues. As a result, my discussion section chose to design our utopian society, named Troytopia, with the founding main vision of adhering to strict, healthy lifestyles for the betterment …show more content…
of every individual’s physical, mental, and emotional wellbeing. The members of our society will live out this core value through a variety of cultural practices, such as eating a healthy diet of vegan cuisine, placing equal emphasis on work, leisure, exercise, and rest, and taking part in a unique, bi-annual entertainment festival/competition of sports, cooking, music, and high-intensity dancing. Through these regulated lifestyle choices our hope is to influence individuals one at a time to make a change for the better. My specific role in building the blueprint for our utopia was to assist in the design and planning of the entertainment sector in our community. I claim that this particular contribution embodies our utopia’s values in both form and content by being a means for which the community can come together as one with a shared vision to both promote and “practice what they preach” in all the different cultural practices that correspond with living out healthy lifestyles. In designing the entertainment segment for our community, my group focused on the creation of a utopia-wide, bi-annual event occurring in the winter and summer seasons. For this special event, Troytopia will “open it’s doors” to any and all outsiders, with the hope of obtaining the forward momentum needed to promote and spread the larger social vision out into all corners of the world. This event serves as an advertisement of sorts for our utopia, because it showcases to the outside world how much we value and believe in living healthy lifestyles. We hope that people will “buy” into our vision and make a change for the better. We used popular culture events such as the Olympics, the Super Bowl, Coachella, and EDC as basic building blocks in creating this event, and connected them with new, unique aspects to create our utopias own cultural practice. We chose major events like the Super Bowl as our foundation because it has a proven track record that these large-scale happenings have a major, lasting influence on society. For example, an article from Forbes describes the power of Super Bowl advertising on society. It reads, “The Green Bay Packers beat the Pittsburg Steelers in Super Bowl XLV; an estimated 111 million viewers (i.e. consumers) watched the game. At no other time during the year does any business obtain that extensive amount of viewership. Super Bowl Sunday has power! Power to draw viewers; power to capture attention; power to make consumers sit up and watch commercials” (Bickle). This exemplifies the direct influence a major entertainment event can have on society and its individuals. However, rather than advertising a corporation or company, we are promoting our value. We can use the influence of our own event’s activities to promote and be expressive of our larger social vision: to live out healthy lifestyles. In the summer season, the event consists of a large-scale sporting competition called Working Hard and Dishin’ It, which consists of worldwide popular sports, as well as a unique main event that presents a special fusion of exercise and cooking. In this highly anticipated competition, half of the competitors are trained athletes participating in a variety of challenging activities on stationary exercise machines, such as cycling and running. These individuals compete against one another, and those that measure the most productivity (i.e. running the fastest and farthest) will be rewarded with higher powered cooking appliances (such as ovens and stovetop burners) that are needed for their corresponding counterparts participating in a concurrent cooking competition. The overall winners of this competition will be determined based on a combination of who finishes cooking the quickest, along with whichever team produces the top-rated food dish – which is judged on categories such as nutritional value, taste, and aesthetics. In the winter seasons, our utopia stages an equally large-scaled event, involving a music and dance centered festival called Electroynent Movement Entertainment (EME). Here, the utopia’s citizen’s party and dance to a wide array of electronic music, emitting pulsing, fast, and hard beats. While relishing in this music, individuals will simultaneously participate in a workout much like Zumba. They will stomp and pound their feet to the beats, as well as dance around in crazy fashions to compete with one another in different sections of the stadium to determine who can produce the highest “energy levels.” In between all of this action, a wide variety of cooking competitions will be simultaneously taking place, all with the goal of producing the best tasting and healthy vegan dishes. As a result, both of these bi-annual events provide the citizens of Troy with an exciting form of entertainment, while also implementing and interweaving the cultural practice of exercising and eating healthy, which in turn is expressive of the larger social vision: to live healthy lifestyles in all aspects of life. Sharing the founding social vision of living out a healthy lifestyle, and living it fully through the cultural practice of participating in the bi-annual entertainment events unify the citizens of the City of Troy together by a common goal. In Walter J. Freeman’s article “A Neurological Role of Music in Social Bonding,” he discusses how music contributes to a feeling of social bonding among people of all ages and backgrounds. For example, he says, “A case is made that music together with dance have co-evolved biologically and culturally to serve as a technology of social bonding. Findings of anthropologists and psychiatrists are reviewed to show how the rhythmic behavioral activities that are induced by drum beats and music can lead to altered states of consciousness, through which mutual trust among members of societies is engendered” (Freeman 1-2). This is significant in formulating how the shared social music experience of the Electroynent Movement Entertainment event in the winter brings about a sense of “bonding,” as all the members of the utopia come together as one to take part and contribute in the activities. An article from the Frontiers in Psychology further discusses this phenomenon when it explains how “An important feature that distinguishes musical activities from other social behavior is the importance of shared rhythms, and the externalization of predictable rhythms that allow synchronization to occur between two or more people. Furthermore, people attribute movement and human agency to musical sound, which influences how synchronization occurs as well as impacting upon affective experience” (Tarr et al.). This directly correlates to the social bonding created through our utopia’s winter event. This type of group bonding can be demonstrated across many mediums, including the shared experience involving the sports and cooking competition in the summer. All of the utopia’s members are not only coming together as one to enjoy the entertainment, but also share a common goal to promote, advocate, and live out the healthy cultural practices of exercise and diet, which are directly representative of their larger social vision to live healthy lifestyles. This is a life-changing asset that brings a sense of community among our utopian society, and in turn keeps members united with shared motivations and goals. As a result, our utopia’s cultural practice of taking part in, and contributing to the entertainment event is expressive of the larger social vision to carry out healthy lifestyles. In Thomas More’s original utopian society, he describes how an average citizen spends a day.
He writes, “Of the day’s twenty-four hours, the Utopians devote only six to work... The other hours of the day, when they are not working, eating, or sleeping, are left to each man’s individual discretion, provided he does not waste his free time in roistering or sloth but uses it properly in some occupation that pleases him” (More 51). This describes the importance that More’s utopia puts on not overworking individuals, as well as allowing people the time to do activities of their own choice. We designed our utopian society to be very similar by making it a priority not to overwork citizens and putting equal emphasis on work, leisure, exercise, and rest. This important practice in our utopia ensures that society will not be lacking in anything that could result in inadequate physical, emotional, or mental health. For example, ensuring that people have the ability to set aside time each day for exercise is a key aspect of living a healthy lifestyle. An article by TrueSport explains the role and benefit of exercise in promoting health and wellness in life. It reads, “Health benefits that result from regular participation in physical activity include reducing the risk of developing type 2 diabetes and metabolic syndrome and improving metabolic health in youth. Such activity also benefits musculoskeletal health. ‘Compared to those who are inactive, physically active youth have higher …show more content…
levels of cardiorespiratory fitness and stronger muscles…’” (“The Role of Sport in Promoting Health and Wellness”). This is extremely significant as it demonstrates how exercise contributes to a more healthy and sustainable lifestyle. As a result, interweaving exercise into our utopia’s entertainment events as well as each individual’s daily schedule is a key component in expressing the social vision. This distinctive way of life is valuable in proving our society to be an attempt at creating a utopia with the aim of living out truly healthy lifestyles. Throughout history, race and equality versus inequality have been a major source of conversation and conflict.
This has been demonstrated most prominently through the lives of African Americans and the corresponding Civil Rights movement. As many of these societal problems have been settled over time, problematic issues still arise today. In John Szwed’s book, Space is the Place: The Life and Times of Sun Ra, he addresses this concept of equality. He writes, “Equality is another false goal. There is no equality in nature, no democracy, only hierarchy, where you are judged by your quality. Music is not based on equality-the chords and notes are all different. Equality means nothing to God: everyone he sent here is unique. I have to rise above liberty and freedom and equality” (Szwed 310). This is significant because addressing this prevailing issue is very prevalent in creating a utopia. However, the subject of equality in our specific utopia evolves specific to the issue of what it looks like to live a “healthy lifestyle” in relation to each individual. While one person may have their own vision of what living a healthy lifestyle looks like, another person may have a different perspective. Because of this, I agree with Szwed in that true equality is a false goal. We are all different individuals with our own bodies that function in their own special way. What may be healthy for one, may not work for another. There is no set standard for equality in living a healthy
lifestyle, only certain parameters we can chose to follow, such as planned nutritious eating and regular exercising. As a result, this concept of equality brings to life a possible shortcoming in our utopia, showing that even the most ideal societies have cracks and flaws below the surface. In conclusion, my discussion section created the blueprint for a utopian society named Troytopia; dedicated to spreading it’s core value of living out a truly healthy lifestyle in all aspects of one’s life. The members of this society will live out this vision through a variety of cultural practices, such as following a strictly balanced diet of vegan cuisine, daily exercise, and maintaining a balanced program of work, exercise, leisure, and rest. The larger social vision, as a sum total of these cultural practices, will be put on display through a bi-annual entertainment competition/festival, where the utopia and it’s individuals will come together as one to celebrate and promote their vision and goals to the world at large. These cultural practices are lived out whole heartedly by each member of our society, forging a sense of place among individuals, and in turn satisfying and strengthening these ideals and providing forward momentum into the world at large for those willing to listen to our utopia’s message and make a change for the better. This vision represents a brighter future for all of us, as living a healthy lifestyle has countless benefits (i.e. disease and injury prevention, increased energy, healthy weight, and increased mental health), all aimed towards living longer, healthier lives.
Flawed, contemplative, and challenging are three descriptive words to describe equality, or the lack of it. The lack of equality is a “monster” according to Cohen’s fourth thesis “The Monster Dwells at the Gates of Difference.” Cohen’s fourth thesis explains how differences among people in regards to race, gender, culture, etc. create “monsters” in society, even when people do not want them to exist. According to “Monster Culture (Seven Theses)” by Jeffrey Jerome Cohen: “Monsters are our children. They can be pushed to the farthest margins of geography and discourse, hidden away at the edges of the world and in the forbidden recesses of our mind, but they always return.” This quote means that the monsters society creates
American health, specifically our obesity epidemic, has grown into a trending media topic. A quick Google search will bring up thousands of results containing a multitude of opinions and suggested solutions to our nation’s weight gain, authored by anyone ranging from expert food scientists to common, concerned citizens. Amongst the sea of public opinion on obesity, you can find two articles: Escape from the Western Diet by Michael Pollan and The Extraordinary Science of Addictive Junk Food by Michael Moss. Each article presents a different view on where the blame lies in this public health crisis and what we should do to amend the issue. Pollan’s attempt to provide an explanation pales in comparison to Moss’s reasonable discussion and viable
“Fat Land”, a book by Greg Cristler, a health journalist who was formerly considered overweight, explains how America became the fattest people in the world. Before writing this book, Cristler was told that he needed to lose forty pounds and so to do so he enlisted a competent doctor, the prescription weight-loss medication Meridia, jogs in a congenial neighborhood park, a wife who cooked him healthy food, and access to plenty of information. Cristler is quick to add that those weren’t the only factors that led to his weight loss, but money and time were a big part of it. Cristler lost the weight, but he states “the more I contemplated my success, the more I came to see it not as a triumph of the will, but as a triumph of my economic and social
Thomas More sees physical labor as very important. Not only to survive, but so that everyone contributes to society. Idleness can be a disease. There must be a balance to work. Everybody in Utopia does some farming. Farming was considered a ver...
The best way to begin a revolution in health in America is to start with the youth. The United States has the largest percentile of overweight children in the world. Approximately one-quarter of all four to five year olds and one-third of ten to eleven year olds are considered overweight. The obese children will more than likely become overweight parents. A child with an obese parent is ten percent more likely to raise obese children and thus the cycle continues (McBride, 2010). The more years that go on the higher the obesity rate climbs because the children are eating more and more and becoming less and less active.
Utopias often describe the ideal society as a perfect harmony between male and female, black and white, rich and poor.
...hier eating habits; and Improved health literacy. Many suffer from this disease, and the simple act of living becomes a task. The writer hopes that if an individual agreed with being obese before reading this essay has opened their eyes and has became motivated to make a change. At the accomplishment of achieving these goals, many deaths and illnesses can be prevented in America.
Roughly 35% of today’s America is obese. This percentage is increasing exponentially as the years past. At this rate, in the soon to be future, a majority of the population is going to be obese. Obesity is a major problem in our society and if this behavior is not stopped there will be consequences. There are few things we can do for this epidemic but if carried out by the right people, we can create a solution for this growing problem.
A utopia is a society that is characterized by being one in which everything is perfect or ideal. The opposite of a utopia is a dystopia, a society where everyday life is less than perfect. These concepts are widely subjective for varying parties, as some may view the utopian society they live in as a dystopia and choose to leave to find true happiness for themselves. This is demonstrated in the novels, Into the Wild, The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas, and The Warmth of Other Suns. These three novels each demonstrate the same underlying themes. The main protagonists in each novel must deal with a realization that they are unhappy with the current state of their lives, they had to leave in search of a better life, and they must deal with the changes brought by there actions as it affects the state of the society they left. These various accounts serve to form a concept for the most ideal utopia within the three texts.
Human sacrifice killings is a horrific but devastatingly true reality for some that come too close to the jaws of the Matamoros cult. People usually think of a utopia as an amusement park or just an amazing dream. The dictionary version is often defined as “any visionary system of political or social perfection” (“Utopia”). A dystopia is quite the opposite though. Think of your worst nightmare and that is exactly what a dystopia is. The professional definition is “a society characterized by human misery, as squalor, oppression, disease, and overcrowding” (“Dystopia”). As it goes in 1984, the whole book is based on a dystopian society. Citizens have horrible lives which leave them dehumanized by the central government. They are also being under
In today’s society, there is a spotlight on the topic of staying healthy and fit. In the recent years weight loss programs have become increasingly popular, for example, Nutrisystem or Jenny Craig. These companies drive their business on improving unhealthy dietary habits. But, this increasing popularity is due to numerous large sized drink and meal options becoming available. Higher intake of calories and sugars eventually causes obesity. Although eating is essential for survival, what you eat is a personal choice. Many government officials have made strides to improve America’s obesity problems; both Mayor Bloomburg and Michelle Obama have approached this topic. Rather than a public health issue, obesity is a personal responsibility.Government
Future has always intrigued people; we have always wanted to find out what future will
Obesity and overweight remain the two major social problems in the United States. Apart from the fact that obesity and overweight are dangerous by themselves, they also cause a variety of negative health consequences. Our lives our overloaded with tasks and obligations, and we often choose to eat something fast. “Fast”, however, does not necessarily imply “useful”, and more and more people face the risks of becoming obese even at young age. Because obesity has already become a national i...
Dystopia and reality do not sound like even remotely similar ideas, but is reality truly the utopia we make it out to be? On the surface, “Once Upon a Time” by Nadine Gordimer and “Rituals of Memory” by Kimberly M. Blaser seem like two completely separate themes, as “Once Upon a Time” is about privileged white families separating themselves from the colors while “Rituals of Memory” is about different races coming together. But, with a more in depth view, one would realize that is not the case. The two articles wildly differ in how their communities are assembled, yet ultimately these communities, in the end, are still built upon their pre-determined racial boundaries.
Equality is a concept mankind never is able to grasp correctly. Of course humans will always search for different solutions to create fairness, but factors such as human greed, ignorance of mass populations, and even biological aspects stagnates the process of equality. The oldest and most relevant discussion on equality lies with the difference of sex; man versus woman. Initially, men, because of their physical superiority, were given the prospects many women never even dreamt to have. Conversely, as time has progressed, women have fought this unfair treatment with demands of suffrage and similar rights to those of their male equivalents. Greatly enough, this generation has done an exceptional job in the challenge of overcoming sexism and inequality. However, will this search for equality ever end? When can we say we have created an equal race of men and women? The fact of the matter is that it is truly impossible to have equality between the sexes because of predisposed circumstances that are not easily controllable in the slightest bit.