Thin Gruel Response

Are you kidding me? I don't agree whatsoever that anyone should have the right to challenge a book based on things such as too much fantasy with witches and goblins... OOOOH it's prolly the devil I forgot. What people need to do is put aside their frickin (CAUGHT MYSELF!) religious feelings, etc, and just read the damn book. (DIDN'T?) Maybe instead of deciding what goes against your specific religion, etc let's just try to enjoy something that somebody made for the masses. We're so caught up these days in being politically correct that it must be stifling to be an author during these times. If people would just relax a little and realize that what they're reading is fiction (The DaVinci Code perhaps?) the world would be a little more sane. Also, if people are wanting to ban books because of a stereotypical way of looking at another race, sex, etc. let's look at when this book was made. Most likely it wasn't from last January!! Such books as Uncle Tom's Cabin are classics, and while they don't 100% apply to today, there is still some kind of value we can gain by reading it. I'm just so sick of people being able to ban books and not calling it an infringement of free speech I could throw a donkey off a bridge. (Yes, I went there.) Get over it and just read it. Odds are you will like it. And remember, just because Jesus isn't a main character doesn't mean it's blasphemous!

1984: Section 1

The first thing I thought of when I began reading the bulk of this book and got passed all of the nonsense b.s. that was all leading up the the actual beginning of the story, was how much this society reminded me of high school. Yes, we are on our way out now, but everything you turn a computer on you are being watched. Certain information, however useless and unimportant it may be, is continually being blocked more and more every single day. All records from every computer within the school district can be looked at 24 hrs. a day by the "head honchos" and "computer techies." Yes, while we may be still under the age of 18 (some of us anyways) whose right is it to decide what we can and can't look at on the computers. Also, such things that have nothing to do with technology whatsoever (i.e. bathroom priveleges). I'm sorry, but when I have to "use the facilities" no one is going to stop me. It is my right to as a human to be able to do so. I don't have to ask anyone to carry on this completely natural process. Also, standardized testing came up in my mind the more I thought about this. By using standardized testing, you make us, just like the people in 1984, a stampede of faceless numbers. No personality, no humanity. The main thing I LOVED about the first part of the book was how much it actually did make us think about the everyday rights in our lives that we are just willing to give up because some faceless person somewhere wants it that way. I say, "DOWN WITH THE MAN!"

Boo Ya!

Imus

Let me just start by saying how unbelievably ridiculous this entire predicament was. First off, Imus used his words in a joke. He wasn't saying these things to be mean, hurtful, or racist. Also, it's ridiculous that all of a sudden he says something, while other comedians have said the same or worse things about race. All it takes is one person to take offense at something. Of course, they had a right to be angry, but there needs to be somebody there to still protect the right of free speech. To go along with the first article, I feel that there is a definite double standard when it comes to white people making racially insensitive comments and black people making racially insensitive comments. If we all want to be treated equally, then let's make sure that every race has the same backlash for a racially insensitive comment. Also, I don't feel that rap music or anything from that entire background has anything to do with this issue at all. It isn't 50 Cent's fault that people are saying things they should maybe keep to themselves. On top of that, why in the world should Imus be fired for saying the same things as many other comedians and radio show hosts. You have heard of Bob and Tom haven't you? Having said that, I'm sure there's going to be a pretty nice home for him on satellite radio.

Clone Video

I thought that the use of cloning to breed new breeds of chicken was an amazing way to solve a problem. However, it did make a direct correlation in my mind to the breeding of humans through genetic changes to make a stronger, smarter, faster, or just "er" in general human. While there are obviously differences between a chicken and a human, I think we do have to be careful how far we are going to take anything involved with cloning. I, myself, am completely 100% for all types of cloning, but there are people out there who support some parts and not others. I feel that it's more of an "all or nothing" kind of issue. You can't just pick and choose what you like and leave what you don't. It's all interconnected and one advance in one part of cloning will lead to another advance in a separate concept of cloning.

Brave New World: Part Deux

This entire book seems to lend a thought that maybe, just maybe society would be much better if we were all one big faceless industrial workhorse. Throughout the whole book anyone who is different is looked down upon because of it and nobody has the strength nor the "know how" to actually stand up against such people as the director and demand a voice. I feel that the main reason for this is because they don't know anything different from this. It isn't until John, an outsider, becomes part of this world that somebody is willing to say," HEY! THIS ISN'T RIGHT!!" I suppose Bernard could also fit this mold but to a much lesser extent. For me, I liked this book because of the fact that it outlined how negative having a consumer society such as this one could be. They were always looking for the new and now, much like our society and because of this humans were becoming the new and now thing. All of a sudden humans were being processed and developed like everyday goods, leading to a world of much less humanism. The leaders main thought was that by doing so, there would be no hatred and more equality leading to much happier and healthier people, but what they didn't realize was that by doing this, they actually spurred on the negative thought towards their capitalist outlook. And to be honest there wasn't anything I disliked this book at all.

Brave New World: 1-6

Wow. So.... This book is pretty much crazy. For me the biggest thing that really jumped out at me was the fact that they were so open with their sexuality and actually encouraged children to explore the erotic side of their lives. Also, the way that sex was handled so casually and that Lenina was actually told to be MORE promiscuous really caught me off guard. Of course, the idea that they are making human babies in bottles is kind of mind blowing. The most interesting part for me, however, was when the D.H.C. explained how they conditioned the babies to certain jobs and areas of the world in later life through use of sound, sight and feelings. So far the most deepest character we've seen has been Lenina, in my opinion. I feel this because it seems that she is struggling with her feelings for Henry Foster and what the society norm seems to be which is having multiple partners. While it is true that she most likely does have more than one partner and he does too, it seems that she sees something in him that she admires more than others.

Brave New Babies

The fact of the matter is that the entire idea of conception and having a baby should be under the control of the parents themselves. There are going to be lines that need to be drawn, however. When parents are choosing the sex of their baby, it is not a cosmetic or necessarily anatomical, superficial difference they're looking for. It is because they specifically want a baby of the certain sex. I understand situations when families with multiple children of one gender want a child of the other, and in situations like these it should definitely be a possibility. Just like with the transgender population, a family looking into genetically altering a fetus should have to undergo psychological testing.