Christmas Break or Holiday Break

I am calling for a truce among nations, a bridge between fighting forces, a peace to settle among this hectic world. I would like to put forth that it does not matter in the slightest whether kids color Christmas trees in school, or sing carols, or wear Santa hats. It also does not matter whether you call it Christmas or Holiday Break.

I know this may be shocking to you but as a minority faith, I am not particularly disturbed or offended by any public display of a religion that's not mine. I am glad that I live in a country where my religious freedoms are defended, and therefore I defend the right of people to put on Christmas displays. I understand how some people can get upset about when the government institutions do religious displays or the fact that is in schools. I just think this a part of Christianity being in the heavy majority in this country. I'm sure in India, the government does displays for Hindu festivals, or Jewish festivals in Israel.

In fact, I know that last one is true. When I was in Israel the government made elaborate displays and light shows during holidays. This was in the heart of Jerusalem, the crossing roads of Christianity, Islam, and Judaism, and no one really seemed upset in the slightest that the government was displaying a certain religion. It's not oppressive or forcing. The Christmas tree at Rockefeller Center in New York does not demand that all citizens be Christian, it is just a representation of the faith that makes up a majority of this country.

Besides, Hannukah and Christmas are both very inconsequential religions when it comes to the actual religious side of it (which I will talk about in a later post). They are supposed to be times of joy and happiness, instead of discord and division.

So I am calling out to everyone to relax a little, and not start a fight over whether it is Christmas or Holiday Break. Thanks for reading.

Begging for Anonymity

I know how yesterday, I said that anonymity has created a culture of hate and aggressive ignorance based on lack of consequences. However, it turns out we don't need to worry about that at all, because the idea of internet anonymity is more and more thoroughly becoming a complete illusion. Very soon, nothing we do online will go unrecorded with our names attached to it.

This has become a recently accelerating trend. Perhaps we are just recently discovering all the behind-the-scenes tracking that is going on. There are two types of internet tracking that have recently learned about: advertising and government.

One of the most recent news stories has been over our government tracing its own citizens. This story was recently brought to light by a NSA worker named Edward Snowden. He revealed how the NSA was monitoring the US citizens in a huge number of ways, including reading and searching our personal emails for dangerous and terrorist-related words. Many people have protested this and have called for laws to be put in place to protect our privacy. In response to this public outcry the government basically kept doing the same things they were before and tried to arrest Snowden, who had to flee to Russia to avoid persecution.
There are even websites dedicated to keeping our emails private... and then let the government read them all anyway. This is because the Patriot Act, a bill signed into effect shortly after 9/11 that greatly reduced the privacy of the american citizen. I completely agree with the increase in security measures, but it gave the government the ability to wiretap, access online data, follow, and arrest without reasonable suspicion individuals who have no indicated connection to any terrorist activity. So, it might be a little bit easy to abuse that power, and I hope the people of America can eventually find the fine line between security and privacy. However, right now we are at the whim of the federal government.

The other tracking that is now going on is for advertising purposes. There is a new trend where advertisers have been paying online companies to provide data on who accesses what websites to personalize the advertising to that person. This may not seem too important until you realize this means that private business companies are tracking your online movements so that they can reap an economic benefit from it. This is become slightly more sinister when you realize exactly how in-depth it is. In a quote from the New York Times about Target's advertising strategy "Target can buy data about your ethnicity, job history, the magazines you read, if you’ve ever declared bankruptcy or got divorced, the year you bought (or lost) your house, where you went to college, what kinds of topics you talk about online, whether you prefer certain brands of coffee, paper towels, cereal or applesauce, your political leanings, reading habits, charitable giving and the number of cars you own." That's more than most people know about their best friend! This was in a story about how a father became angry when Target sent his daughter an ad for supplies that a new mother might need, implying she was pregnant. He later apologized to Target, as it turned out she was pregnant without his knowledge. Target knew a girl was pregnant before her own father did!

I'm not saying this is the start of the computer uprising or that we are all pawns underneath the greater powers, but it is a disturbing trend. Thanks for reading

Anonymity is awful

I'm not going to be recommending any specific video from Youtube on this blog post, mainly because it encompasses every Youtube video. It encompasses every single place on the internet where you can say something publicly without ever having to say who you are, and there are a lot of places. Twitter, Facebook, Youtube, Instagram, Ask.com, Urban Dictionary, and so so many others. When we take away the responsibility of people, the consequences of their words directly upon them, we invite people to spout the most awful things that come to their mind.

I have seen genocidal, racist, sexist, rude, profanity-filled, immoral, and evil comments on Youtube, and not even cared. They have become so commonplace on websites that even being able to report people for their comments has no real effect. It's everywhere! You might say that people have identities when it comes to Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram, but most often it is made up. There are fake celebrity accounts scattered all over the place. We have no idea if Jake Henslow from Nebraska is Jake Henslow from Nebraska.

This gives people the opportunity to say whatever they want to without any repercussions. Now I don't think these people actually deeply believe what they are saying. They either need a way to relieve anger and stress, or they do it for the shock value because that is amusing to them. So my first piece of advice is to never take any online comments too seriously.

This is a major issue though, because people do take these internet comments extremely seriously. When we take away the immediate consequences, people assume that they aren't having any serious impact. However, we all know exactly how serious these comments can be, and the large effect they have. We have all heard in recent years of cyberbullying, the online harassment of other people, often anonymously. This has driven people to depression, rage, and even serious actions like violence or suicide. I am all for the current attempt to crackdown on cyberbullying. Just recently, someone posted a racist filled message on the Washington High School webpage advocating for the KKK. I can absolutely guarantee that they, and most of the other hateful anonymous commentors, would never think to post such awful messages if they had to have their name on it.

I think if any comments are going to be made on the internet, a place where they will exist forever. You should think long enough about whether you want to post that message, that you feel proud to put your name on the page.

My name is Adam G. Burstain, I live in Cedar Rapids, and I go to Kennedy High School. I hope no one out there lets the hateful anonymous comments of others affect them personally, and I hope that no one would ever want to post those comments. Thanks for reading

Smartphone Addiction

When does technology go too far? That is the question we are constantly having to ask ourselves in the rapidly increasing pace of technology today. At any point in time, we are usually about two minutes, or two seconds, away from the internet. It has become such an integral part of our life. Are we becoming overly dependent on the use of the internet?

We recently had a discussion in class about the use of cell phones. I think cell phones don't even compare to the level of distraction, diversion, and detriment to society that smart phones pose. The amount of face-to-face interaction people are having is steadily diminishing. The first problem this creates is an internet mentality at all times. The internet, especially social media, encourages egocentricity, triviality, and gossip. Not to mention the anonymity of the online presence that allows people to say horrific things and bully others. We are also losing the simple ability to stand up and speak before our peers. Everyone's dialogue, including mine, is now peppered with "um" and "like".

There is a very eye-opening video on Youtube called "I Forgot My Phone" by Charlene deGuzman. She captures my feeling about smartphones exactly in one 2 minute video. She is going through her daily life enjoying the little pleasures and time with her friends, yet everyone around her is always glued to the screens of their smartphones. That bowling scene reminds me of Leonard Pitts' article on the train shooting. No one notices what is happening around them. Everyone here knows, and might be, one of the people that takes smartphone videos of moments instead of enjoying them. Like those who videotape concerts they're at, or every person in the world who feels the need to take a picture of their meals. I'm hungry! My mom has a habit of filming fireworks (which no one watches later), and then can't recount the fireworks when I talk to her. I've seen groups of friends text one another instead of talking, or sit in a circle just looking at their phones.

It is a point-and-shoot culture that encourages us to document every second of our lives so that everyone can pretend to enjoy our moments that we didn't even enjoy ourselves. It's so saddening to watch people do this. I'm not saying every smartphone is evil, no. I am saying that we should put down the smartphone for a second and just enjoy it. Also, so I don't feel like the dork who is watching everyone be hypnotized by a flashy screen. I mean, think of the next generation. We had smartphones just introduced, so it is not that ingrained in us. However, I have seen two and three year olds with being brainwashed by angry birds and pretty smartphones.

There is something to be said about a wonderful moment that was not tweeted or recorded, just enjoyed.
Thanks for reading

Snow is cold

So it is officially wintertime in Iowa again, and we will not be seeing green grass for another five months. I don't like snow. It's cold and wet and most of the time it's not crisp white snow, but the dark black snow that is formed from the exhaust of cars. It ruins your shoes, makes the roads slippery, and cancels school. Actually, the canceling school is fine. To most people snow is a mild inconvenience, a triviality, but snow is a huge deal.

Ask any northern state government if snow is a big deal. It slows down our economy in a huge way every time a fresh blanket of snow covers everything. In Canada they even have specified snow dump sites. One snow dump site was so large that even though the rest of the snow melted in April, it stayed until September. It costs billions of dollars to our nation to deal with snow. Oh yeah and it also causes car crashes all across the nation.

But snow has some positive sides right? I'm a skier and I love skiing. However, I'm starting to think slightly differently about that fluffy powder you cut down the mountain on. For one thing it is not as fluffy when you crash into it at forty mph. The other thing is avalanches. Avalanches are tremendous forces of nature. Oh, and there are people who find avalanches to ski and snowboard in front of. It's called an avalanche escape run, and it's absolutely stupid. There are videos all over Youtube of guys skiing and snowboarding away from thundering stampedes of snowy death behind them. One guy is even cocky enough to do a backflip off a cliff as he is escaping.

The thing that scares me is when people get caught. The example is Julien Lopez, and there is a video of him falling during an avalanche escape. That means the snow catches up to him and he is completely enveloped in the rampaging snow. He completely disappears from sight into the white mountain face. That's a burial tomb right there. No one is anywhere near close enough to dig him out, even if they could locate him. I absolutely hate the idea of death from cold or suffocation and there is both of them wrapped up in a neat body-sized package. Luckily enough Julien was only buried slightly so that he could dig his way out though. He described it as one of the most terrifying moments of his life.

Listen, I understand the adrenaline rush of putting yourself into extreme situations. However, there is a point where you have to think about how awfully this could go wrong and whether it's worth it to take that risk. Make sure to bundle up and thanks for reading.

The future of education

There is a new trend that has started to occur across the country. Some people absolutely adore it, while others hate it with a burning passion. I'm feeling lukewarm on the subject, but I understand both sides. The issue of course is online education and how it should figure into our daily school life.

For the first time this year I am really deeply involved with online learning. This is mainly through my AP Chemistry class and our use of tablets (another idea I'd like to talk about later). However, most people are being forced into becoming acquainted with it through the use of the Canvas website this year. We watch videos of lectures on Youtube, we can get our assignments and missing work, edit and submit homework, and even take tests. I honestly feel like I could reach all the information I needed for the school year from my own home.

This is one of the great things about Canvas. I am missing a day of school tomorrow and, hopefully, I will be able to find all of the work I need online. This is so much easier for both the student and the teacher. It also provides some platform for collaboration and communication among students. However, that aspect has a long, long way to come.

My problem with all this online learning is that it is much, much harder to learn when it is simply a video rather than a face-to-face instruction from a teacher. It is so easy to get distracted while watching a video, or become frustrated with the fact you can't ask questions. In my mind, there is no substitute for a classroom setting until we somehow learn to implant knowledge directly into our head. We desire and need that interaction with our fellow students. It is our collaboration and struggles that allow us to truly learn something. Any student will tell you that the things they remember the most are what they did in the classroom, not just watching the video at home.

It is the same reason why can't just sit at home and watch Youtube all day. Even though I like Youtube, it is no substitute for the real thing. You can watch first-person perspectives of extreme skiing or hangliding, but you can't feel the wind on your face or the joy of accomplishing that. We need to have a classroom so that we can physically achieve our goals of learning. So while I do see how Canvas can be a useful tool for organization and communication, I don't see online learning as a replacement to our current education system any time in the next century. Thanks for reading.

Thank Goodness for Youtube

Yeah, I think I've decided to change my blog subject from music and humor to the effects, positive and negative, of Youtube on society. I'm still gonna talk about some of my favorite videos though. I just felt that my blog was getting a little bit bland and repetitive and I wanted to change it up a little. 

Well today I discovered another great use for Youtube. I recently caught a pretty nasty virus from my brother, and I spent most of yesterday with my head in a trash can (I'm learning about euphemisms). I was doomed to spend an entire day of my weekend feeling awful and trapped to my bed, with rare visits from anyone bringing me soup or water. 

I get bored very easy. I just always have to have something new to occupy my mind with. So I was not happy at just staring at the ceiling and counting the number of times I flipped my pillow over to the cool side. Thank goodness for Youtube. The one magical thing about Youtube is that it can take you anywhere in the world in about four clicks. Suddenly, I'm not just lying in my bed. I'm skydiving with someone or I'm at a concert or I'm watching a magician. I could spend an entire sick day just watching "Whose Line Is It Anyway".

The one reason I don't like the new season of "Whose Line" is not for it's humor. It's pretty darn good when compared to the original because they still have Ryan and Colin. It just angers me that this put "Whose Line" under copyright again and so they took all the episodes of it off of Youtube. I will talk later about how I feel about the copyright and restrictive policies on Youtube later.

Youtube is a portal to all the coolest, smartest, and funniest stuff in the world. There is a video of a cat riding a dog that will always make you smile despite your circumstances. I'm starting to feel a little bit healthier this morning, and maybe it was due to the power of Youtube. Doctors should do a study on that. Thanks for reading.

Youtube is serious (part 2)

There is serious power in having so many people see what goes out on Youtube. Billions of people watch Youtube each year, and 6 billion hours of video are watched each month. The amount of people you can reach is truly staggering. Last post I talked about the charity aspects that can come from the power of Youtube. This post I’d like to talk about how the power of Youtube has been used monetarily and as a catalyst for social change.

With such a large amount of people visiting the website, ad companies pay huge sums of money to have their advertisements shown. Many people may not think too much of these ads, but they accumulate quite a bit of money. Every person who has a moderately successful, viewing-wise, account can obtain amounts of money. There are many accounts and channels out there that are currently pulling in six-figure salaries. This is huge to the regular people who have mass appeal and can draw in huge amounts of money. The 1.7 million Lonely Island makes probably isn’t a huge deal for Justin Timberlake, but for Pewdiepie who was just a normal Swedish guy, the 6.1 million he’s made is amazingly life-changing.

The amount of views that come through Youtube also make it ideal for advertising small businesses. These companies can get some needed publicity through Youtube and other social platforms. The huge amount of popularity is also extremely important in the music industry. I talked last post about Justin Bieber’s rise to fame. Just think of all the other stars who owe their popularity, and wealth, to Youtube. A huge example is Psy. He had the most popular video ever on Youtube “Gangnam Style”. He became extremely wealthy, famous, had many endorsements and appeared all over popular media, and kind of a household name.

 

Youtube isn’t just for monetary gain though. There are many, many, videos out on Youtube advocating certain social changes. This can go from blogs like Sxephil (who also makes 1.7 million) where he discusses his views on politics and pop culture, to religious foundations, and all the way up to the head of state himself. Yes, social media was considered a huge impact to the 2008 presidential election that put Barack Obama into the Oval Office. This included a vigorous campaign on Youtube for his presidency. Was Youtube the decider in the 2008 election, we may not know. However, it did make a substantial in favor of Obama.

So yeah, even if all the amazing charity efforts in the last post couldn’t convince you that Youtube has serious influence on the world. I hope that this showed you the vast potential that Youtube represents, and as a fascinating example of social mobility, one of the things that makes America great. Oh, and by the way, if you were amazed by their million dollar salaries, you have to realize that that figure is before merchandise, licensing, and sponsorships which are huge components to the income they derive. Thanks for reading.

Youtube is Serious

One of the misconceptions I want to confront about Youtube is that it is "trivial". People think of it as a place for mindless parodies, free music, memes, pointless vlogging, and of course the champion of Youtube triviality, cat videos. This was extremely prevalent in the early stages of Youtube. No one took it seriously as a base for media and ideas. People used the example of FRED, a previously popular Youtuber to point out how unimportant the videos on the site were.

I think that this idea no longer applies at all to the modern Youtube. There are some amazing ideas, art, and philanthropy that is coming out of Youtube moment by moment. I have already talked quite a bit about the role of Youtube in fostering the growth and inclusion of everyone into creativity and imagination. There are countless people who rely on Youtube for their success such as Pentatonix, Justin Bieber, and many other artists and forward-thinkers. The part I haven't covered as much, but I still think is an extremely important facet of Youtube, is philanthropy, or doing good deeds.

The two types of philanthropy that are most common on Youtube are awareness and charity. Many vloggers have paired up with charities and ask for donations as well as coordinating events to raise money, volunteering, and awareness for these charities. It is absolutely wonderful that these people who have become famous through Youtube, subsequently use their fame to help those around them. Some examples that come to mind are Pewdiepie's "Charity:Water Campaign" which brought attention and money to help provide clean water to developing countries, Tyler Oakley's support for "The Trevor Project" which is a suicide prevention hotline, and Jack and Finn Haries who have dedicated their whole channel to charities including "The Rainbow Center" which helps poverty-stricken children find good education and a positive outlook on life,  a charity called "Comic Relief" which helps raise money for poor areas and encourages activeness in young American children. One of the more recent was "The Rickshaw Run" in India that raised $100,000 for the Teenage Cancer Trust which supports teens battling cancer.

Charities are so important to the fabric of Youtube that there is an annual Youtube event created by John and Hank Green (I actually really enjoy watching one of John Green's Youtube channels called "Mental Floss" that looks at common misconceptions and the joy of knowledge and he also has a wonderful book called "The Fault in Our Stars"). These two brothers had a huge following of subscribers and many connections throughout Youtube. They decided to set up a huge Youtube-wide charity project that all Youtubers could participate in for their respective charities called "Project for Awesome" or P4A. This not only raised a huge awareness for a variety of different charities, but also made charities an integral and continuing part of Youtube. They continue to inspire new people every day, as they have competitions for who can make the best promotional videos for their respective charities. This has reached all the way to the schools through NaNoWriMo or the National Novel Writing Month.

John Green said himself about how glad he is to be on Youtube, "It reminds me of what online communities are capable of ". I believe that Youtube is no longer a website for sharing dumb videos. I believe it is a creative platform for people to present their ideas and creations, while also becoming a vehicle for the common people to create huge positive change in the world.