A Simple Blog

Weekly Entry #10

I was looking on the National Geographic website when I came across this photograph. The collection of photographs in which this one was included was entitled “A Simple Life”. The Frafra tribe of Ghana live a simple life within mud huts such as the one pictured above. Basic grains are their primary dietary staple however; the tribe members are content with their lifestyle. I just find this interesting because here in the United States, the lifestyle of the Frafra tribe would not receive admiration but rather a sentiment of horror. It seems that Americans have become so preoccupied with the constant need to consume that whatever one’s current status is, it is never enough. It is not enough to just have a house, because once you have a house you need a better house. I believe that the media perpetuates societies need to consume and has been the primary reason as to why American’s now view the Frafra tribe’s lifestyle with horror.

Weekly Entry # 9

This link leads to the following article:

http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/10.06/melanotan.html

Thin! Tan! Hotter Than Hell!
Pharmaceutical labs are cooking up a new class of pills that make looking good feel better than ever.

By Wil McCarthy

This article is extremely interesting. It contains information pertaining to the “Barbie Pill”. The “Barbie Pill” is a drug which is in development that would help to enhance your tan, increase your sex drive, make you lose weight and help you to become more attractive. The following quote is my favorite part of the article: “Yesterday’s drugs were about need; today’s are about desire”. Despite all of the medical epidemics which are occurring worldwide, I think that the “Barbie Pill” truly shows how highly Americans value physical beauty.

Weekly Entry #8

My mother is a sixth grade teacher. The last time I went into her classroom I was surprised to find that the majority of the students had cell phones… and for the most part, their cell phones were way nicer than mine. I feel that an 11 year old should not have a cell phone because they are far too young to already be dependent upon/laden with technology. It seems that the society has come to the point that everyone no matter how old or young needs to constantly be ‘connected’ through technology. I posted this picture because I believe that it just emphasizes my point that everyone is now dependent upon/attached to technology.

Weekly Entry # 7

Last week I watched the Victoria’s Secret fashion show on television. The models on the runway were all extremely, tall, thin and attractive. None of the ‘outfit’s which the models were wearing would be appropriate for everyday life. I am pretty sure that half of the bras and underwear which were being shown would not even fit comfortably under a shirt. I put this photograph on my blog because I believe that the fashion show did not sell clothing/underwear. All the fashion show did was flaunt the female frame and display the ‘ideal’ female body type. Honestly, no wonder eating disorders are on the rise within the young, female population.

Weekly Entry #6

I recently went into NYC and saw “Spring Awakening” on Broadway. The play takes place in Germany in the early 1800’s. This video clip features the song “The Bitch of Living”. The characters within the play are a group of teenagers who struggle to overcome the suppression of their rights. Their access to knowledge and the media is severely limited and as a result of this suppression of information there are dire consequences. If the characters had had access to certain forms of knowledge then many of the dismal situations which occurred could have been avoided. I included this clip in my blog because I believe it demonstrates the powerful effects which the withholding of information has upon people.