Proposition 19

Check out what some LMU students have to say about Proposition 19 at:

http://areyouhalfbaked.blogspot.com/

The Purpose of Being

On friday night I went over to the Student Art Gallery to see the exhibits of art and metaphorical demonstrations that were put on. As I walked through the gallery in my halloween costume of Ronald McDonald with my friend who was dressed as Colonel Sanders we got a few interesting stares but I was delightfully surprised that our appearances were not something that would draw attention over the art displays. As I went out to a friends house I told them about how we had stopped by the gallery while in costume. A friend of mine looked at me and asked me if I was making a statement. And I wasn't really sure how to react to that but then I thought about it more.

The presentation that we went to was The Purpose of Being and how life kind of works its way out with everyone. How everyone has their own kind of journey through life and the way these people expressed those ideas were through art. There were gas pumps hanging from the ceilings and molded heads made of yarn attatched to the walls of the gallery and it made me understand why people participate in the practice of art. I believe that everyone is trying to find their own balance and own purpose of their lives. Now when I walked in there as Ronald McDonald I thought about the kind of statement that might have made in relation to The Purpose of Being. When I looked up the word McDonladism I was connected to this link about McDonaldism and the ways it changes the way people live within their culture. How it changes the way their culture is progressing in the future. It changes the way things have been for a long time and it makes everything commercial almost to a point where everything is going to be run but McDonalds or some other big business. It destroys tradition and individualism. So when I walked in there as Ronald McDonald with Colonel Sanders right next to me it made me think of it almost as a metaphor for commercial business and the way it just walks in to places and simply imposes big business upon them. We walked into an art gallery and represented everything opposite of what art represents. Everyone in the gallery was in the learning and discovery of being a person on an individualistic level as well as a global community of individuals.

The Purpose of Being to me was not something that was just thrown together to be a fun art exhibit but it was put together to make you think about your own purpose in life and how you want to attack it. To live according to your own wills and freedoms as opposed to the big business and commercially owned economies. The power of one is worth more than anything and thats really how I found myself representing more than just a goofy costume on Halloween weekend. I was representing everything that the artist doesn't want to happen but I walked right in anyway.

Media Changing The Way We Change Things?

You know, after reading a few of the article from The New Yorker, read the introduction of Convergence Culture, and watched the presentation of Henry Jenkins I start to really realize that to really understand how media works one has to pull them outside of the spectrum and look at it from afar. Before this class, I never really thought about how media worked through networks of people and how media information acts as a social catalyst for any number of cultural movements. Henry Jenkins really has an outsider's perspective when peering into the media world. He sees the ways that media works through the networks of people throughout the world. I, as a young adult, have been engulfed by this explosion of media since I was just a boy. I never thought about how images and information changes people and how they think. But I'm starting to look from the outside.

In the book "Convergence Culture" by Henry Jenkins, he says that "In the world of media convergence, every important story gets told, every brand gets sold, and every consumer gets courted across multiple media platforms" (Jenkins 3). I really do believe that and I believe that social networking through the internet is changed who I am and who I am going to be when I'm older. Now is that exactly all bad? I really don't think so. It gives me an understanding of connection between people. It gives me a unique consumption of information everyday that I'm not always exposed to in everyday life. It allows me to reach a broad spectrum of people that I probably have something in common with. I can reach them at almost any moment I need to. Now in terms of gathering people together for a social change? I think this new media we are dealing with is the greatest gift we could have.

After reading about the sit-ins from blacks in the 1970's and the modern day protests that were gathered through twitter I come to think that this ability to rally people who believe in a cause together in a short amount of time is exactly what we need; the ability to create change to a flawed society quicker than ever. We live in a western society where we stress how much change is important in regards to detrimental cultural issues. Through media connections such as Twitter, we are allowing ourselves to rise against the imposing quicker than ever and create that change with less of a push back. It will take not days but hours for people to unite together. I think this will catch on in years to come. Change will be something that happens everyday and it won't seem so drastic as much as it has in the past. It will become apart of who we are as people.

Chicks Man

After seeing "The Social Network" last week and really getting an opportunity to soak it all up, I really see facebook.com in a completely new light. Aaron Sorkin wrote a masterpiece by connecting the three stories of the smartest jerks in the entire world. He showed us a lot about what money can do to people and how being "cool" can be more important than your closest friends. But there was more to the creation of facebook than just this idea of being socially accepted by your peers and accepted into the most prestigious clubs in Harvard (as lame as that is). The single driving factor to this entire explosion of social experiences is girls. Now I know that might sound a little sexist and maybe even trying to dumb it down a little to far but let me explain.

Do you really think that if girls were not into facebook guys would still be tagging themselves in pictures from the night before when they went out for jello shooters and some line dancing? Probably not. I know that without girls on facebook, I think facebook would be the biggest waste of my time (not that it isn't already). Guys don't really care what other guys are thinking, doing, or planning to do or at least any of the guys that I know. Guys are on facebook because they have an opportunity to look at girls online and feel a bit closer to them even if they don't know the girl. I mean of course its a great way to connect with long lost friends and a place to store photos. But its not like it was all that hard in the first place. There are plenty of picture storage sites on the internet and if people really wanted to find Jimmy from down the street 10 years ago, they probably could. Facebook just gives them an easier way to find them without bending over backwards.

Its pretty clear in the film that Mark Zuckerberg is more socially awkward than you or I and had a tough time with understanding what's going on in the brain of the opposite sex. The very first scene in the movie was a girl pretty much telling him that "Mark, you just don't get it". Do you think that if Zuckerberg was a super cute, well groomed dude (that happened to be a genius computer nerd) he would have still created facebook? I'm not saying he wouldn't have but I can't deny the fact that it was easier for him to hide behind a computer screen to talk girls than it was to approach them in person and strike up an interesting conversation. I mean in the film, he got exactly what he was looking for; facebook groupies. Girls who wanted to talk to him for some other reason than who he actually was as a person because in reality Mark Zuckerberg comes off as a real asshole. Now lets be honest, its easier for everyone to do that. So then the creation of facebook is a manifestation of Zuckerberg and his fears of women.

But I can't blame him. The guy found a way to beat the system and it seemed to work out for him. I mean an Asian girlfriend and 25 billion dollars later, it seems like Zuckerberg has the last laugh.

Podcast by Michael Quinones

Podcast by Michael Quinones

MySpace, You're Crampin My Style

So lately I've been thinking a lot about how we, as a human race, are going to progress in the future and whether or not we will stay as connected as we are today. It seems to me that there are certain trends that come and go with people and I'm curious to see if Facebook is going to be one of those fads. Granted, Facebook has been around for nearly 8 years but are we ever going to be without it anymore? Are people just going to be over it the way they were with MySpace? I think it might happen.

I really think that there has to be something else that will come along that will take everyone away from Facebook and no one will be that interested in it anymore. When you look back to sites that we used when were were in high school like Melodramatic, Myspace, and God knows what else, the moment we started hearing about Facebook we just got up and left without really even thinking about it. Thats kind of a messed up thing to do to someone but I don't think anyone can really blame us. Its almost looking at it as if we were customers at a coffee shop. We go there everyday and that is the cool place to be after school or a football game or something; everyone you know goes there to hang out. And the coffee is good, not great, but thats not really the reason why you go. You go because its a social interaction and lets face it, its cool to hang out there. But what if we just picked up and left one day to go to another shop down the street? That coffee shop we used to hang out at relied on our business to stay open, and now its shutting down.

To me, I'd feel kind of bad leaving without any remorse or overall reason. The only real reason why we left was because everyone else left; it was the cool thing to do. People were somewhat happy with MySpace simply because they didn't know any better. But the moment a bigger cooler site comes along everyone packs their bags and leaves. Now I'm not saying its wrong, but if I'd be pretty damn annoyed if I'm Tom, the creator of MySpace.

Grandma, I'm Sorry But We Can't Be Facebook Friends

I'm not totally sure what constitutes a digital native and/or a digitial immigrant but I would say that there are large populations of both and only one group is getting smaller. This idea of digital immigrants is dying with social sites such as facebook and twitter so much that my goddamn grandma has a facebook. Now whoever thought my grandma, a chain smoking cancer survivor from the 1950s with a bark that stings like a big ole gulp of Tabasco, would be on her computer 4 hours a day poking other grandpas in town and kicking some serious ass on Farmville? If you say you thought that would happen, I'll chop my own foot off.

So this new age has to be doing something to spark this new craze for people to practically leap onto their computers, even those who barely know how to use a microwave like my parents. This digital space that we see all around us and don't even think about anymore is something more to the older generation. Something that is ripped straight out of an aldus huxtable novel and scared the day lights out of them when they told ghost stories around the camp fire of talking machines and artificial intelligence.

So these digital immigrants are becoming more accustomed and tech savvy everyday because we make it apart of our lives. When you think about how new the Internet is, it's staggering. The Internet is nearly 25 years old and look at how quickly we have put our entire lives into it (literally- bank accounts, photo albums, our romantic endeavors, etc). 25 years after the first car was made it was still a pretty shitty car in our eyes, where as now cars practically drive themselves. 100 years from now our grandchildren will be at a loss for words knowing that we were born with the Internet next to us. Now maybe it's not wrapped up in a pink blanket with a hospital bracelet and a tag on it's wrist that reads "It's A Girl!". But I'm growing up with the Internet and this new digital frontier. As much as I haven't explored the nooks and crannies around every corner on the web, I would say that I'm a native or at least I'm just not ok with someone calling me an immigrant to my own computer. I fucking belong here.

Democracy and Blogging

In the grand scheme of things, democratic thought is one of the most revolutionary ideas in modern history. The first amendment alone bares the weight of a country and suggests that no one is perfect (except for that one guy with the sandals and the beard); everyone subject to another's opinion. American government, democratic to the very bone, so arrogantly reinforces the "gift" that we have been so graciously been given to us by our trustworthy patriotic fathers, called freedom of speech. But let's make no mistake, no man gives me the freedom to speak my mind. It is solely some higher power that provides me with a soul that has given me the privelidge to speak my mind. I think about the world of blogging and how democratic society simply does not kill us or throw us in jail when we say what we think.I For that, I'd like to say thanks a bunch.

But blogging in a democratic world is not only our right but it is our civil duty to push the boundaries of others and challenge the world. At least that's what my momma told me. We already have the freedom to say whatever we want when we want and only god can take that away from me. And at the same time don't let your government tell you that they are giving you something you already own. Cause that's a fucked sense of privilege.

God Gave Me A Voice Because He Wanted Me To Speak

There's a lot anyone could say about themselves. Some more than others. And certainly I understand that I enjoy hearing the echoes of my own voice but that beside the point, I am not only forced to speak about myself I am delightfully encouraged. Encouraged by what the 'World of Warcraft' nerds call a "Noob" to the profession of teaching. Evelyn McDonnoll is just a small glass of water with a badass tattoo on her left arm and you know that when she puts the pen to the paper her words come like fire. Comparatively, we are trivial commas in her illustrious narrative that she's been piecing together since she picked up the pen but here is my attempt to turn that comma into a sentence.

When someone says explain who you are I take a look at who is asking me that question and if they actually know how to answer that about themselves. Its a hard thing to really put together. I know who I was and I have an idea about how I got here which might seem like a more appropriate answer. My parents named me Michael after my grandfather who's life dream was to start his own newspaper in the boonies of Wisconsin. Being the guy that he was, he didn't let anything get in the way of that. He built his own house and lived off of the Green Bay Packers, playing his tuba at the local pub (even though he was never invited to), and the small newspaper that he loved. I know that really has nothing to do with me but at the same time it has everything to do with me. My mother grew up watching a man love the simple things in life and living out his dream. I've grown up trying to fit into that same impression.

So fast forward to this class and I've got to admit that I came in here with a blank slate (or at least one that was full and fell in the snow). I'm interested in saying things. Usually things that lead to something else and that doesn't always end up being the case but thats the intention. In the back of my mind I want to stop the superficial banality that takes over the film school promising fame, money, and artistic treasures. But I'm not always certain that I should live in that world. Journalism to me is a way of saying what you want to say about issues that you want to talk about or nonetheless people should know about. Communication is at its peak in the history of us and yet at times it seems likes its dying in certain areas (as emo as that sounds). I bring a voice and a pen and I think thats all I really can say. Do I hope that I learn the craft of journalism? Sure I do, but I'd rather spark a waning intensity and bring it back to life. I want it to be so alive that I dance. So lets fuckin' dance.

Devon:

Boiled coldy across a well lit field of broken grass. She sits and waits for the wind to blow her hair across her eyes to give her a reason to break her gaze of the clouds. Her sweater smells of smoke and firewood. The mud that lines the heel of her boot crusts over and dries out as her feet fall beyond the shadows of the great will tree and basks in the sunlight. She forgot why she came by remember why she left. the ocean continually runs away from her as she settles in the european drift of her young twenties. there is a time and place for everything and that time has come and gone. and now her home, which at points seem to scare her away and trouble her eyes, simply misses her. She finishes her tea and wipes the flies from her nose. She knows that home is home and it is going nowhere. It is her rock of Gibraltar and it longs for her.

Fuck You Funk

I've been frozen lately. Not the kind of frozen where my girlfriend's feet are cold and she needs to wear christmas fluffy socks and rub them against the lower half of my ass frozen but fucking frozen. The last few days I have literally sat at my computer and stared at blank pages and have nothing to say. The words that seem to end up on the page are old emotionless banter and I can't seem to muster anything short of bland. My computer is slow, my room is a mess, and I haven't been to the gym in a few weeks. I'm not that kind of guy who acts like he is getting fat because he hasn't been to the gym in three days, like every other girl and their mother who go to my school, but when I work out I remember the basics. My inability to move or think has subsequently placed me on my computer chair where I am watching The Devil Wears Prada because I can't seem to watch ESPN News any longer. Somehow I have found myself slowly forming a hard shell of staleness over the back right of my shoulder and the butt of my chin like a bagel goes dry when your mother leaves it on the counter all day after breakfast was over and everyone was out the door. Obviously I am slightly embellishing my incompetence to a bit of an extreme but I just wish I could move. I feel like a goddamn ship in the harbor that freezes over. The rope that holds the ship to the harbor freezes over and there is no slack or give as the tide pulls in and out without the ship hardly swaying. I'll eventually thaw out. I go through my day hoping that some type of inspiration might show itself, and not even for aesthetic reasons either. I just want to get out of my goddamn funk. Fuck you funk. Fuck you.

I'm Afraid of Leaving.

I'm afraid of leaving my home. I live in the most beautiful place in the world and I fear that if I should find myself somewhere else, the world will seem not enough. I want to leave, don't get me wrong. But I am afraid. I want to live in the snow and realize I hate it. I want to surf in Australia. I want to be able to live the life I want. I want to go. I really do. The only thing stopping me, is me.I don't want to be afraid. I don't want to be afraid.

I Remember You Were Beautiful When I Met You Yesterday.

Between pastels and the dark chartreuse sounds we used to brew up at night beneath the sheets and judgments. I can tell that your hair doesn't smell of smoke as much and your skin's pigment has faded into a deep pale. It sounds like you. It really does. Sober eyes really does wonders for you and yours. But I wanted to make it clear that there are levels of love I can't deny I still reminisce about. Your sensations. Your hands. Your warmth. And everything that you used to use against me. Second measures are little, to non existent. Catch me. Help me breath when I reach for you. Call home for me please, because I don't get reception under your thumb. It get quite lonely around here. Tell them I'll send cards.

I Burn

I burn for the reckless abandonment that we maintain

I burn for far moments that stand alone

I burn for the right

I burn for however long I choose

I burn for those who don't

I burn for fuck

I burn for religion

I burn for joy

I burn for sight, sound, and accumulation

I burn for desperate measure

I burn for rebelliousness

I burn for fuck

I burn for children

I burn with cancer

I burn. I burn. I burn.