Georgetown folk, remember to comment on Vox over the summer. A recent post by Chris Heller says the 10,000 commenter will receive a fully flexible Georgetown Barbie. Do it. I know I want it.
Saturday, May 29, 2010
Check out this article:
The Way We Live Now: The Why Worry Generation
-Do you think the criticisms of Gen Y are spot on, or inaccurate, from personal experience?
-Do you think that the ability to keep "deep discouragement" at bay is worthwhile if this ability is also accompanied by a tendency to overestimate one's own abilities?
-Will you turn down a job if you do not think it matches your potential?
-Do you think you have an accurate idea of your own abilities?
-Do you think overconfidence is something that spans different socioeconomic statuses, different ethnic communities, different religions/cultures in the US? Or has this type of upbringing been limited to certain groups?
-What other countries do you know of where the popular childraising technique is to praise at all times? Is the same problem prevalent there?
A couple of years ago, I wrote an editorial as an EIC that received a lot of praise from similarly minded (liberal) faculty at my high school, but a good amount of finger-shaking from the administration. How I interpreted the situation in its aftermath, however, is formative in how I write pieces that I intend to put out publicly.
I think that precisely conveying your thoughts is a challenging thing, and an interesting pursuit. I have always loved playing around with words, putting odd combinations together to form a more stimulating description. Recently, as I write mostly non-fiction pieces, I feel like I'm riding on a hyperbola: each edit brings me to a sentence that is closer to the thought in my head, but the sentence never matches the thought completely.
Because I haven't learned how to write as accurately as I think is necessary, I do not trust myself to editorialize, at least not yet. Outside-imposed censorship is bad and sharing opinions is vital, but I think that recognizing the limitations of your own knowledge and your own arguments is just as important. There will always be people who disagree with you and who will argue against your arguments and who will chastise you and demonize you, especially as the writing gets more interesting and relevant.
But what if someone who doesn't know the subject well internalizes your ideas? What if someone misinterprets what you are saying because of faulty language, and internalizes something you never meant to say? What then? How do you feel as an "author"? And how do you feel when readers find out that you haven't done as much research and thinking as you should? Blogs have such a bad rep--a good number of blog authors write as I did in high school--they want to be heard, but take too little time to edit and fact-check what they are transmitting. Take this psychological phenomena--false information is released and people dismiss it at that time. The false information is repeated a couple of months later, and the same people believe it because they heard it before. I don't want to be the author of false information. I don't want to sensationalize anything. I see writing as permanent, and I personally don't want to look back ten years later and cringe at the generalizations and factual screw-ups I made. I think that having the medium to self-publish gives authors an extra responsibility (if they want to be taken seriously) that used to be attributed to editors of formal institutions--and blog authors should remember that.
I have thought for a long time whether or not to discuss the more serious topics on this blog. I think it would be worthwhile, but I think that if I ever do so, it would be 95% factual, 5% interpretation of the facts--I will never pound out several paragraphs of straight out admonishment or praise, but do expect a compilation of facts and opinions by better-versed authors. "Write about what you know" is good advice.
Onto the topic of web monikers. I want one. I think it jazzes things up. I'm going to try out Frites. I thought myself really clever as I came up with this at 3 in the morning (all my ideas seem terrific at 3 in the morning). Frites-->Hi Frites-->Heifetz Get it?
Image by wikipedia user Rainer Zenz used under a Creative Commons license.
Lately, I've picked a different theme song for each season/semester. Fall semester was "I've Got a Feeling" by Black Eyed Peas (I know I'm too original and scene to be handled, don't be hatin') and spring sem was "Zero" by Yeah Yeah Yeahs. Now I need a summa theme song, and I need one badly. It will probably be one of the busiest summers I have ever had and if I am going to pull myself into the wake up at 7 go to sleep at 11 sched, instead of the usual go to sleep wheneva wake up at 11 sched, I need something catchy. Something good. Something inspiring. I need a song that inspires a personal mission.
Candidate!
All for you I give it all/Cause when I'm thinking of you/When I'm flying above the world/How I wish I was drowning in you
In regards to a personal mission, this could be taken in several ways. The interpretations get creepier along the line. The first interpretation is kind of nice--it is me lovelorn and pining. I would wear many romantic dresses, get dramatic bangs, and read Wuthering Heights all the time. The second interpretation would probs pertain to hobbies/former "passions", before I lost them to orgo. This would probs be violin and writing. The third is kind of strange: applying these lyrics to long term goals. Say my long term goal was to obtain a flamingo as a pet. "All for all, I give it all"--I'll do anything to get that flamingo. I will work 60 hour weeks to obtain the funds to build a suitable habitat in my backyard. I will work hard. I will spend sleepless nights reading about flamingos, and when I finally pass out, I will dream about flamingos and how I will build this bond with said flamingo. When I finally get this flamingo, I will also get it a male/female flamingo companion so it can have little flamingolettes. I will read my flamingos bedtime stories and the morning news, everyday, just because.
Do I even need to go through the rest of the lyrics? It's creepy. I'll be continuing my comprehensive search lata.
Wednesday, May 26, 2010
For a relatively grassy and leafy place next to miles of white sand and beach, Long Island gets a lot of trash from 20 somethings for its suburban stereotypes. I live in Nassau, so from personal experience, I’ll answer some frequently asked questions.
1) Did you have Sweet Sixteens?
Yes, we did. Ranging from the spectacles you saw on MTV’s Super Sweet Sixteen to just renting out a room in a restaurant for close friends and family, it happened for most of the girls I knew. The tiaras, limos, and barechested-men-carrying-the-birthday-girl happened, as did the more sentimental moments, like sixteen candles for sixteen important people. Aw. We were mocktail connoisseurs by seventeen.
2) What are the locals generally up to?
Mall, beach, concerts, and carnivals. I hate carnival rides, so I just go to eat zeppolis. We also go to the city (NYC) and pretend to be natives there quite often.
3) Are zeppolis really delicious?
Yes.
4) Do the people from Supa Sweet Sixteen actually exist?
Now what are you really asking me, sir? Are Long Islanders materialistic? Answering in absolutes always means answering falsely. There is a pretty distinct Long Island style, and in junior high and high school, we went through phases. There was the Hot Topic stage, the Juicy Couture phase, the phase in which everyone wore Abercrombie and Hollister, the Tiffany’s phase, the phase in which everyone made bracelets out of the plastic ring that came out of the cap of Coke bottles, etc. I would label it a problem of conformity rather than a problem of spoiled materialism. Most people I knew worked part-time after school (tutoring, cashier jobs, etc.) to pay for what they wanted to buy, even if their families were affluent. If what we want to battle is conformity, pls look to San Antonio teens.
Do it Long Island teens! Neva congregate in front of Hollister again!
5) Was the Long Island Iced Tea really made in Long Island?
The Briad Group claims that T.G.I. Friday’s invented the Long Island Iced Tea, although wiki entries generally attribute the drink to a mysterious bartender working in the Hamptons. Well, since T.G.I. Friday’s was launched in New York City in 1965, and the Long Island Iced Tea supposedly originated sometime around the early 1970s, it’s very likely it was Long Island inspired. But those over twenty one beware: the Long Island Iced Tea doesn’t actually have any tea in it. It is named an iced tea simply for its appearance, and it is actually one part tequila, four parts more-liquor, mixed with coke, ice, and lots of something sour.
Why the FAQ? I’m staying in the suburbs for the summer, but no FMLs. I plan to keep myself busy.
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