CR: Social Action Project Thoughts

In English class we are doing a social action project. The project consists of choosing a social issue and creating a way to either make a change or raise awareness for it. I actually really love the idea of this project. I just wish that I had a little more time to actually do the project. I feel that if the project was started a little early, we would be able to accomplish amazing things and even seriously impact people.

I chose to do my project on social ostracism, a form of social rejection that involves an emotional withdrawal that occurs in the physical presence of the target. Ironically, even though victims are visible during social ostracism, it is with this type of ostracism that targets may actually feel invisible. This is because the “offenders” (people, who are doing the ostracizing,) behave like the target is completely invisible, like they do not exist. This actually includes a lot of what we do today such as the silent treatment, the cold shoulder, freezing out, and even ignoring phone calls or emails. Some call ostracism the “social death penalty.” It’s the feeling of being a pariah, of being shunned, ignored by the group, or given the silent treatment.

Many people do not understand the serious effects isolating someone can have on that person mentally and even physically. Ostracism can cause people to become depressed, have suicidal thoughts, physically hurt themselves, have bad moods, become socially awkward, and a lot more. It is important that people understand the consequences of their actions when shunning or ignoring someone. The smallest thing can turn into the biggest problem. So remember to always try to brighten someone’s say because the smallest gesture can also become someone’s brightest treasure. 

FC: Final Thoughts

So of course, every school year must come to an end. In the past I have always been extremely excited for the summer and longed for the last day of school. The last 10 days would always go by slower than the last 5 minutes in a NBA game. This year, yes the days are going by  but instead of wishing for them to speed up, I wish they could go even slower. Now don't get me wrong, I am beyooooond tired of school. However, I am beyooond nervous about whats to come next. Unlike all of the past years, I am not going to the same school. Hell! Im not even going to be in the same state! Just thinking about being virtually all alone in a place where I dont know my right from my left. 

College is completely different than high school. And Saint Peter's University is completely different than Thurgood Marshall Academy. I do not know what to expect and there more questions and wondering than any answers. What's my roommate going to be like? Will my mentor understand my lazy ways? Will he even care? Will my professors show the same amount of motivation as my high school teachers did?  I'd like to think that all of the answers to these questions will be the ones that I am rooting for, but I know better than to expect everything to go how I want it. 


The reality of it is that there is no way for me to know the answers to any of these questions until  I experience the situations myself. And in order for me to do that, I have to push my worries to the side, put one foot forward, and leave the nest to go to college. Just as I have to with my first home, I have to leave TMA which will not be an easy task. Through all of the ups and downs, I can honestly say that my TMA experience has prepared me for my new chapter in life which is furthering my education and becoming a Saint Peter’s Peacock! Although I am thrilled to be an official Peacock I am a Lady Panther for life and will continue to show TMA pride! TMA will forever be engraved in my memory as the place where dreams, leaders, and conquerors are made. I will go where there is not path and create my own, leaving a trail for others to aspire to.

It has been an amazing time at TMA and I can honestly say that I'm sad to go. I came to Thurgood the summer before 7th grade and I hated it. It wasn’t until I entered high school, that I realized TMA's extraordinary qualities, like the incredible and long lasting friendships it creates. Shout out to my BOMB squad, Chey, Nere, and Jelly! I love you guys more than words can express and I wouldn’t ask for any better group of friends. You helped me through these last few stressful years with laughs, love, and inspiration, and for that I thank you. But I can't forget the new additions Aqua, Tahera, and Yomi. You guys were unexpected but I love and appreciate you just as much! And you can always sit with us (inside joke.) To the senior class, I hope your dreams take you to the highest of your hopes, the windows of your opportunities, and the most special places your heart has ever known. I'd say bye, but it's never byes, always see you later's!

  

CR: The Heart of Darkness

                                                               The Heart of Darkness

Marlow made a comment about women on page 14 of The Heart of Darkness. He said "it's queer how out of touch with truth women are." I find this comment to be very disrespectful and inconsiderate. Yes, the women back then may have been out of touch with the truth but they are not to blame, men are! Men refused refused to let women in on the truth. How could Marlow be upset with how little women know compared to men when women were not given the truth?

I wonder how he would have reacted if women knew more than than they did or more than men. All men would probably be upset and outraged. They would try to put the women down because of their knowledge. Men would probably dismiss the women's knowledge and tell them that they were always wrong.

Even today it is considered "dangerous" for a women to know more than men. That is because, some men are intimidated when they come in contact with a female who is driven and intelligent. Men like to be the provider and they often need to feel needed. I think that when a man is in a relationship where he is not the sole provider, he tends to feel unneeded and that feeling produces an emotion reaction like anger.

I AM NOT PUTTING MEN DOWN! This is just how the oppression of women is shown in history.

ID: Economics

According to Investopedia, economics is defined as "a social science that studies how individuals, governments, firms and nations make choices on allocating scarce resources to satisfy their unlimited wants." Basically this means that economics studies individual's choices that they make to satisfy their wants. At first this kind of bothered me because it shows the way that businesses use us, the consumer's, to make a profit. Now of course the consumers are what makes the businesses profits,I understand how that works. We, the consumers, have wants or needs and the businesses provide it, it's as simple as that. 

Although I understand how it works, I cant help but to be a little insulted. Consumers are often manipulated into buying things we dont need and businesses take advantage of us. Take Jordans as an example. Almost everyone wants Jordans and that is mostly because of what is portrayed about them. This is my view on the Jordans:

Nike sets the price high to attract mainly the people who cant afford the sneakers. This makes the sneakers seem like a dream one wants to make come true. As soo as they have the money they go buy the sneakers.

And this continues to happen every time a new sneaker is released. People even go so far and stand on long lines to spend maybe $100 on a shoe that took only about $16 to make. 

Appendix 1. Breakdown of costs for a pair of Nike shoes from an Indonesian plant, 1995 (Behind the Swoosh). http://www-personal.umich.edu/~lormand/poli/nike/nike101-8.htm

Production labour Materials Rent, equipment Supplier's operating profit Duties Shipping Cost to Nike	$2.75 $9.00 $3.00 $1.75 $3.00 $0.50	$20.00
Research and development Promotion and advertising Sales, distribution, admin. Nike's operating profit Cost to retailer	$0.25 $4.00 $5.00 $6.23	$35.50
Retailer's rent Personnel Other Retailer's operating profit Cost to consumer	$9.00 $9.50 $7.00 $9.00	$70.00

In my opinion, it does not make since to waste money on such materialistic things. Especially when they are over priced and the company is one to manipulate. One thing that I found funny was the fact that Michael Jordan doesnt even wear Jordans. 

Since it is our choices that shapes a businesses' success, maybe we should think more about our choices. 

SSR: Imperfect

SSR:

I am currently reading a book named Imperfect on  a website/app called Wattpad. Imperfect is about a girl who is mentally unstable because she has a mild (but serious) case of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD). Her disorder causes her very wealthy family to disown her and treat he like dirt. Even though her family behaves in such a manner, she is always trying to impress them and make them proud of her. I am really starting to like this book because it kind of relates to me. No I do not have OCD, no matter how many times I joke about it. I relate to the character, Penelope, in a different way. I understand the need to make your parents proud, as do most teenagers, and I understand the need to control everything and be perfect. 

As a senior, starting her last semester in high school, I want everything to go  perfectly. I want to control everything and as soon as soon as things don't go the way I want, I shut down. But the thing is, its tiring to control everything all of the time. That is why I am starting to give up and just let things go the way the universe wants. I am starting to not care what my parents say or what my friends think, which is exactly like Penelope in Imperfect. 

Penelope started to act out and disobey her parents. She started to question whether or not she wanted to go to college even though she was at the top of her class, yelling at teachers for giving her an A-, and telling off mean girls. Penelope took her hair out of that tight and rigid bun, and let it fall down her back. That is all I want to do! I want to question my choices! Do I really want to go to college? Or do I just want to go because that is what's expected of me? I want to let my hair out and just go with the wind! I don't want that tight rigid bun anymore! 

But the reality of it is: I cant go with the wind and graduate above average at the same time. I can question myself yet still control things. I've tried it and it does not work. Unlike Penelope, I don't have OCD, letting my hair down is not good for me. 

This book is not yet completed, but I can predict that Penelope would be better off going with the wind. its beneficial to her. But not to me, I cant afford to let go like that. At least not completely.
Link:http://www.wattpad.com/story/3078548-imperfect

Experiences Shaping Futures

Hi everyone! I'm Deja. I am a senior in high school which is super exciting, I am so glad that it is finally my last year. But along with the excitement comes responsibility and PRESSURE. That is mainly because I am starting my application and planning process for college. So, I have narrowed my long list of possible colleges to three that I absolutely would love to go to. Those are John Jay College of Criminal Justice, Manhattanville College, and Baruch College. But the one that I would absolutely love to get into, is John Jay. And that is because of my love for criminal justice, more specifically forensics.

I developed my love for forensics in my after-school program in 6th grade. I went to drew Hamilton, which was a branch of Children Aids Society. I was asked to partake in a project for Madison Square Garden called "Garden of Dreams."The project was basically a presentation of my dream job and what it consisted of. At the time I wanted to be a detective, because I foolishly believed that the way movies and TV shows portrayed being a detective, as the real thing. Once I found out that it wasn't, I became significantly disinterested in it. However, during my research process, I came along the field, forensics. After I researched more of what it was, I completely fell in love with it. I loved how Forensic Scientists are kind of behind the scenes, and they don't get much credit when crimes are solved even though they are the people who really solve them. I loved how even though they are not glorified, forensic scientists truly are the backbone when it comes to convicting criminals. Overall I just loved it because I'm the type of person who always roots for the underdog, and in some way I felt that forensic scientists were the underdog. So that is why I love forensics and why I want to get into John Jay. 

I am extremely excited to go to college, but its a little bittersweet because the amount of responsibility i'll have is pretty scary . My family is definitely pushing me to go to college. They are not really pressuring me, its more encouraging, which actually helps me persevere through the process. Another thing that is helping me is definitely the teachers in my school. They are brutally honest, especially when it comes to how students need to change in order to achieve certain goals. The teachers being honest not only pushes me to persevere but it is also prepares me for the real world where no one will sugar coat anything just to save my feelings.

I feel that my experiences definitely shaped how I now see my future. And after being in school for twelve years, my experiences and my perspective o things has changed. But before my whole school experiences ever truly started, it was my experience in my after-school program that truly shaped me. I also fell that without my family, teachers, and school experiences I would not be prepared for college, I wouldn't be able to push through the stressful application process, and I would not even know what my dream job is. These are all things that are hard to imagine let alone try to figure out on my own.

                                                -YoursTruly-Me