Hey there,
Let's blog about critical perspectives found in the web magazine, www.anxietyculture.com
Looking at the site's table of contents, browse a few articles (except for links in the "Regulars" and "Amusement Arcade" sections). When you find an article you like, read it through and find a (relatively short) quotation that relays a strong perspective.
Returning to this blog, present the title of the article/link and the quotation, introducing it appropriately. If you are unsure about introducing quotations, search the web for tips.
Then discuss the quotation in its entirety, presenting your own critical perspective on what was written.
After that, respond to a post by one of your classmates...
-_- Florence
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36 comments:
First
This study struck me as interesting.
"A recent BSA (British Social Attitudes) survey reveals that 6 in 10 British workers are unhappy in their jobs. The survey also showed a majority of workers reporting the following:
• Feelings of insecurity
• Stress over work
• Fretting over inadequate income
• The feeling that their work is not useful to society
• Exhaustion by the time they get home"
This seems to be the way many people view life at work. It's a stressor to have a job and a stressor to not have a job. Both those who are employed and those unemployed have similar worries. Both worry about income, usefulness to society, insecurity, and exhaustion. Maybe we just haven't found jobs that really suit who we are. Instead of just going to college to spend thousands of dollars to hopefully graduate with a degree in something that will then make us thousands of dollars, we should find something that is interesting to us. Whether it's great pay or not it'll be a lot easier to go to work and do your job if it isn't something you despise doing. The salary shouldn't be the reason we pick a certain career.
Oopsiez. I maed typo.
http://www.anxietyculture.com/guilt.htm
This is an article about the 'Guilt system', and finds a way to fit the word 'guilt' no fewer than exactly fifty times in ten paragraphs.
The line, "We see ourselves in a competitive, threatening world, but we’re not guilty of creating this world; it’s them out there – those bastards – who are guilty of creating the unpleasantness." manages to sum up the article's message of people creating the perception of a iserable world, and then blaming everybody else for perpetuating it. The article then goes on to suggest that one should accept their 'absolute innocence' for each individual moment in time, and if everyone did that, suddenly we'd all be happy. Personally, I think that ten paragraphs is hardly enough space to sum up all the problems with our society and provide a foolproof solution, but if any of you have something to say about this, go for it.
In the article How to avoid Responsibilities Kevin MAxwell states “There isn’t one fibre of quitter in me." This comment means a lot to me cause I was brought up never to be a quitter even if I hate what im doing. Granted I have quit a couple things in my life I always finish my responsibility towards whatever it was then I would quit.
I think they used that Maxwell quote to be sarcastic.
Undoing the Worrying Habit
This article struck me as interesting because I always find myself worrying about the little stuff. I tell myslef that I shouldn't be worrying so much, but like the writer of the article said you are raised up on worrying and if you don't then you're not considered and adult.
The author states, "Laid on top of the first neurosis is the idea that spending money will make you happy."If you spend enough money to give you the (advertised) conditions for happiness, the neurosis emerges in the form of apparently random worries, guilt, "feeling shitty", etc." I found that to be interesting because when ever I start stressing about something or get really worried about something I feel that going out and buying a new pair of shoes or sneakers is going to make me feel better. But at the end of the day I all I Have is a new pair of shoes, a low balance in my savings account, and the same worries that I had when I started.
http://www.anxietyculture.com/emotion.htm
The article is called Empire of Emotion. It is about how emotions can change the mood of a setting, and how you should use the right emotion for each different situation.
"We're sold socially appropriate emotions – every social circumstance needs the "right" emotion, just like every household task needs the right appliance."
In certain situations we're expected to act a certain way. Showing the wrong emotion, shows disrespect, and often times shows a bad example. Like if your at a funeral, and you smiling and happy the whole time, People are going to think your being disrespectful torwads the family of the lost loved one. If you show no emotion you seem like you are un-healthy, and this is seen as suppresion. People want to see your emotion to tell how you are feeling.
I agree with Sarah. I think that quote was 110% exaggerated
Zach, what if staying even one more day would be 'the straw that breaks the camel's back' - why finish up your obligations for propriety instead of changing course once you've made up your mind?
Hannah, I really liked that article. When I was really young I went to a couple of funerals where no matter what I did I just couldn't get myself to cry. Everyone was sobbing. So, I just kept my eyes open for a long time till they started to well up with 'tears...' and I felt like I didn't stand out anymore.
:)
WORK HELL
http://www.anxietyculture.com/workhell.htm
According to Brian Dean (2005), “Work Cures Poverty” is a myth.
In this article “Work Hell” Dean portrays that people who have jobs don’t necessarily have enough money to live comfortably and are still in poverty, due to the low wages he even states that 1/5 of the homeless people in the U.S. have a job but don’t make enough money to buy or rent a house. I agree with Dean. The minimum wage in the U.S. is $ 5.85. If you multiply that by 40 hours a week you get about 240 a week minus all the taxes about 200 a week. Then 4 weeks a month you get 800 dollars a month. Renting an apartment can cost 800 a month. Then you have lots of bills to pay and food to put on the table. Working at a minimum wage does not cure poverty, and this forces a lot of low paid workers to go on welfare.
"If we were to believe the conventional wisdom that true happiness comes only from meeting challenges and productively exerting ourselves towards responsible goals (etc), then we should conclude that young children are never truly happy, and we should develop work-schedules for infants – to prevent the misery and degenerate idleness that must result from all that pointless play, infantile wishful thinking, daydreaming and sucking on a nipple."
Reading this quote really got to me because I believe there are many different types of happiness. Being happy doesn't mean always being productive and having to do something. Happiness can be just being idle, and spending time with someone you care about or just relaxing after a really hard day. You don't always have to be saving the world or being "busy" with your time. This inner happiness can come from just being tranquil and reflecting on your thoughts. In my eyes we should all spend at least one day acting as an infant would. They get to enjoy the life around them without being caught up in it.
http://www.anxietyculture.com/householddebt.htm
In today's society more and more people are in debt or filing for bankruptcy. In tyhe article
"Household debt & bank rip-offs"
an insteresting thing caught my eye. "Banks and credit companies see household debt as an "opportunity". Huge profits can be made from ripping-off the financially desperate." It points out how late fees and overdraft charges are put in place to take advantage of the people's hard times and make them even poorer.
I tend to agree with it because people who have the money to pay the credit card fees most of the time would pay on time and avoid them. But for those who live on paycheck to paycheck basis it makes it difficult to pay it on time therefore they lose an extra $40 which they might not have to spare.
"Reducing multi-valued issues to two-valued (either/or, yes/no, right/wrong, etc) controversies has the effect of stimulating territorial ("us" vs "them") instincts and emotional identification with a "side". At this point most people begin to look stupidised."
i liked this article becasue it made a point that i agree which is that there is almost never only a right or wrong answer to any question and when people decide to go either one way or the other and leave no room in between they are being "stupid"
I agree with what Sarah had to say about her article. I don't think that you should go to a job everyday that you hate off the strength of it pays good. Why be miserable doing something you hate...when you can be satsified doing something that you love? I can relate to that. Well sort of...I used to hate my job and only stayed there because it paid good and supported my shoe shoppin habit...LOL But I've been there for a couple years now and it has grown on me. So now I'm working in a place that I love, with people that I love, and I'm getting paid good money...
http://www.anxietyculture.com/purpose.htm
"Don’t be a slave to the purposes of others"
The author of the article is mainly talking about the people who don't know what their purposes in life. He thinks that these people are becoming some other people's slave and they do everything what told to do. Author does not believe that purpose is an achievement and he is saying that you should not wait to be told and do things by your own. I believe this is a really good perspective. I personally prefer do things my own. I don't like to get orders from other people, thats why i can never work in a company or under other people, so hopefully i am going to run my own business in the future. Because i believe this is the only way that i can be in this life without dealing and being a part of other people's purposes.
"Generally, we are too controlling; our minds are like dictatorships – everything, inside and out, has to be controlled." This quote was in the article posted on http://www.anxietyculture.com/dictator.htm. The article was called "The Inner Dictator:
How to Think Bad Things".
Personally, as I was reading this article, this quote stuck out the most. For some reason, I found myself stopping to think, "thats really true". People are constantly being controlled by others. For example at school, teachers and professors tell us what to do in class. At work, our bosses or managers tell us tasks that have to get done before we leave. We are always being told what to do, and yet noone does anything. It is as if we feel "safe" being told what to do. If we dont get controlled, we know what to do with anything.
But at the same time, people hate being told what to do. Why is it we hate something that is done to us everyday? Why doesn't anyone do anything about it?
Jasmine, it's been proven that worrying makes people spend much more than they normally would. I find that whenever things get really bad, shopping does help... but only when it's a bargain. I love thrift store shopping!
obviously there are certain actions for certain situations. I was mainly talking about sports and being part of a team. I have been on teams where people have quit because the coach didn't like them or for whatever reason, but I have been in that position as well. I played for a coach for 2 years that disliked me and I could have asked for a trade or my release but the team had such a strong bond and we were winning and I was a piece of that puzzle. If I may have left I would have let the whole squad down and that is why I am not a quitter.
http://www.anxietyculture.com/purpose.htm
Article: How to Find Your Own
According to the this Purposearticle, "Something motivates [us] to get up each day." Each and everyone of us wake up each morning for a reason. Some of us have jobs and some of us have school. Whatever the reason might be, there is an explaination to why we wake up each day to go to work or school. For many, money is a major motivation. Infact money is a motivation for a majority of peolpe in the world today. Like Wu-Tang Clan once said, "Cash Rules Everything Around Me."
in the article, "the dissaproval system", there was this quote that i found interesting:
"Many people grow up believing that disapproving of things makes you a better person – ie the more things you disapprove of, the more virtuous you are."
i think that this statement has a lot of truth to it. i myself were taught these virtues as a child growing up. but i was only taught to a certain extent. some kids, actually most kids i know have this instilled in them from day one. their parents bludgen them with the commands. i am not saying that this is a bad thing, because i understand that some kids need it more than others. so i am kind of in the middle on this topic. to me it could go either way depending on the situation.
http://www.anxietyculture.com/workhell.htm
Work Hell – Exposing work myths. Useful facts & figures.
Myth: "Work cures poverty"
"Meanwhile, in America, 40% of those served in soup kitchens have jobs. Nearly a fifth of all homeless people in the USA are employed in jobs."
I found this interesting, since when we pass a homeless person on the street begging for money, we tell them go and get a job. But that individual may already have a job and still be homeless. I wondered is our society making us stay poor. Is that why we have homeless people and people at soup kitchens with jobs. Were hard working people still can't make enough money, to support themselves and their family. I think that working two or three jobs still can't be enough these days to have a easier life. And working too much with stress levels increase can also kill you let alone.
Athena,
Yes, most people can't rely on their basic incomes to support themselves. It seems like no matter what happens prices stay on the rise. This article exposes the myth that simply getting a job is a way to make a life. One has to be more proactive about it by looking to use one's skills and talents to make more income.
Belief Manipulation
"Thoughts tend to comfort or frighten us more than things. For example, the belief in an unsafe universe leads to perpetual anxiety, whereas the thought of a safe environment produces a feeling of comfort."
I agree with this quote because the way a person thinks has alot to do with their behavior. It's obvious when someone had a horrific thought going through their head that they are going to behave in an frightened manner. When that same person feels safe he or she will then feel comfortable. I think this goes for all kinds of people and not just a few people. Our thoughts have alot to do with who we are and who we appear to be.
Dennis Staton - great choice of quotations. I keep reminding students that controversial issues are never two sided. There's always a context, a grey area. The Yes or No response comes after one weighs the pros and cons... and reaches a conclusion.
In response to Dtekin's post...I can understand you not wanting to be a slave to someone elses purpose...I mean no one does...I don't agree with the author's perspective because if you are working for a company sometimes you have to start at the bottom and you can't have that outlook or else you will end up pink slipped...If you personally prefer to do things on your own well that's great and I hope that you do one day get your own business because you'll never make it in the world thinking like that.
http://www.anxietyculture.com/crapjobs.htm
This is an article about the financial services industry, in which the blogger feels is a "Stupid, Pointless Job"
"It’s more evil than CRIME... it’s a greater threat than nicotine... it’s more corrupting than DIRTY words... No, not drugs or paedophiles. I’m talking about pointless, stupid, unnecessary work"- Blogger
Not only did I find the quote interesting, but it was also the first sentence of the article. It seems that as society tries to "evolve" the work society performs, devolve them. People spend thousands of dollars in attaining a higher education, in order to sit in front of a desk, send out e-mails, pick up phones, and call themselves a "receptionist".
The blogger explains how 60% of the population in the UK feel that their work "is of no use to the society" Thats more than half of a country looking around and noticing the pointlessness of their work. The blogger tries to envision a society where people work only on things that are beneficial, enjoyable and essential.
I sometimes think that some jobs are "pointless" and "stupid" but you have to do what you have to do in order to survive. Even if that means attaining up a boring job.
The aritcle called "The Distraction System" at www.anxietyculture.com.distract.htm discusses societies inablility to focus. There are so many distractions made by televion, movies, magazines, and the internet that people are having touble focusing on one thing. Once something becomes habitual, we do not focus anymore. It says, "Distraction addicts often seek more and more intensity of distraction, but never feel satisfied. That’s because intensity is a state of mind, not an external pursuit. As a mental state, it’s closer to focus than distraction. In other words, the best thing for thrill-seekers is to sit in a quiet room learning how to concentrate."
It is a social norm now to be distracted. The article axplains that the media has warped our view of distraction to mean enjoyment. It is a way for people to fit in. It says that most people associate focusing with work but actually, studies have shown that focusing can release the pressures of the mind whereas distraction inhibits it. From experience, I know it is difficult to pull myself away from the t.v. or internet and do something that is more mentally or physically stimulating.
I agree with Jasmine, money doesn't buy happiness. Even if it does, that happiness only lasts for a second instead of a minute. Property is not a solution to emotions, if you ask me.
Bianca, I thought what you said about "But at the same time, people hate being told what to do. Why is it we hate something that is done to us everyday? Why doesn't anyone do anything about it?" is interesting since, your right we are controlled by someone almost every point in our day. But I think that if were not controlled not that we may not know what to do with our selves but also if were not controlled I think then our society would be in chaos because no one is controlled. Also I think we hate the idea we are controlled since we want to be "free", but we accept it since we are so used to be controlled, so we don't do anything about it.
" A mind that sees 'avoiding responsibility' as cowardly and dishonourable will never achieve full relaxation (ie letting go of all concerns). It’s impossible to be duty-bound and happy at the same time, which is why those who obey social commandments usually look unsatisfied. "
This quote really stuck out while I was reading. It made me think of some stereotypes. You know, the typical rulebreaker who is always having fun and doesn't have a worry about anything; and then the worry-wart, the person who is always worrying about what rules are about to be broken by doing some random activity. How many times do we see those kinds of people?
And also, when the responsible minds say that never taking responsibility for anything is cowardly, in a way, it is true. I know for me, responsibilities make me who I am. If someone else were to take on mine, I don't think they could stay in my house. I mean I don't cook and clean, I have my mom for that. But I do have my fair share of responsibilities (as does anyone)and to let go of them is my goal in life. I don't know where I was going with that...
The reason why I chose that particular quote was because it is true. It's true for most people out there. You dont see a happy person following the rules. You just see them relieved not to have the worry of being caught.
i agree with jasmine's thoughts about the article "Undoing the Worrying Habit" I know how to feel "worry" and i believe this is an annoying thing. Jasmine talking about that whenever she gets stressful, she goes out and shopping and at the end of the day all she has a pair of shoes and low balance on her saving account. i like her perspective and this is generally people do when they get stressful.
I think bianca makes a good point when she talks about control. Its true, everyone is controlled by something. Whether it be direct, by another person or passively by expectations. We are all controlled
Jasmine, I feel the same way. I am always finding myself worrying about everything, no matter how bigg or how little it is. Buying a new pair of shoes is something that I do too. I dont know what it is, but something about buying new shoes or something when your stressed is good. I still dont understand it.
i chose the article control system, guilt system. It talks about how people carry out their guilt and they can transfer it to somebody else. The author says "You can undo guilt by seeing your true innocence. Not in the sense of an arbitrary moral judgment on your past, but unconditional innocence in the present moment, which means always. In truth, you cannot “be” guilty. You can accept the guilt-programming in your personality if you want life-long misery, but to believe that you – a unique being in unique circumstances – can “be” guilty seems insane. In fact, anything but a perception of your unconditional innocence leads to insanity. Unfortunately, the socially-programmed personality rejects this perspective as “immoral”. In other words, it can’t escape its evaluation of its own guilt: it judges rejection of guilt as the ultimate guilty act." Which means you can actually proved yourself to people and showed them that you are not guilty.
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