Quick Quips

The comic in The New York Times by Gary Markstein is of a woman and a man sitting at home watching the presidential debate and the man says, "Are you scoring the candidates on their responses?" The woman responds, "Yep. Best quip, zinger, sound bite and who's more likeable..."(pg. 2 Times). The argument being made here is that many Americans who watch the debate look more at flaws and criticisms than at what the candidates are trying to say. The comic really appeals to any American because it is portrayed as funny, and its purpose is to show how some people aren't truly as informed as others on the candidates views, just on their comebacks and mess-ups. The way this comic persuades others is that it appeals to everyone and people know that this is a common situation that isn't necessarily said out loud. It is an unspoken truth, and that grabs people's attention. Maybe this will persuade others to become more educated on the matters at hand with these candidates. The issue that is ignored is: what about the people who really are informed? Are they the only ones entitled to a legitimate opinion? Because this is America and anyone over 18 has the right to vote, anyone can. This argument is successful because it catches the attention of it's viewers and has the possibility to get people more educated on the election, or at least be less quick to judge without knowledge. I do realize that I was supposed to select an essay of sorts, but this Sunday's paper had this comic and I thought it presented a compelling argument on the common American. 

The Economy and Perilous Times

When watching the news this week, I came across an article that struck me as an interesting correlation to the Perilous Times we are talking about in class. Our economy is incredibly bad right now, and the stock market is not doing well. In times of economic despair, society turns to place blame on others or look to authority figures, as we talked about in class, to “fix” problems. In this current presidential election, our society, I think, is looking towards Obama and McCain to do what needs to be done to get out of this economic failure. What we talked about in class is true; presidents tend to have the blame put on them for financial problems, when in reality it’s just the ebb and flow of the economy. Presidents in office either get lucky or they don’t. Now that financial issues are being more prominent, society is putting emphasis on how the presidential candidates can “fix “ this problem. I think that sure, they can impact what goes on with our money, but the ultimate change isn’t all up to them. This is a perfect example of how people look to authority figures to help in times of peril, and if they don’t end up doing anything influential they are blamed. With the Lehman Brothers filing for bankruptcy and Merrill Lynch being bought out, the economy is proving to be in a desolate time right now. 

The article suggests that in times of need, leaders show their true colors. ‘“This is a crisis, and in crisis, leadership rises to the top," said Daniel Clifton of Strategas Research Partners, a firm that analyzes Washington for Wall Street. "So both candidates have the challenge of being able to, one, be a leader in a time of crisis, but, two, fashion a response that will make the American voter feel comfortable.”’ This section of the article proves the point being made: Our society looks to powerful and influential people to lead them, and if they fail, society looks to them to blame. In Puritan society, people try to blame others and doubt them for not following the religion rigidly. The stress of wondering if they are part of The Elect makes the Puritans judgmental and afraid of their own sinful actions. They look to authority figures to seek advise on how to act and not be “prone to sin” as Hetty Shepherd said. 

Catholic School, As Viscous as Roman Rule

When we were in class talking about Father Arnold in Reservation Blues, there was a passage that we went over on page 165: 

"We told the Indians the boxes contained smallpox, and if we opened them, the disease would kill them. 

Why would you do something like that? 

It's the only was to get them to listen. And you saw how well it works. They listened to you.

But its wrong. We should teach through love. 

Don't be such a child. Religion is about fear. Fear is just another word for faith, for God."

This passage reminded me of a song I have known for quite some time, I Will Follow you into the Dark by Death Cab for Cutie. The song talks about a boys experience in Catholic School, and how the nuns would bruise their knuckles and tell them, "Son, fear is the heart of love." He ends up leaving the school because he disagrees with this tactic. The Indians were treated the same way when learning about Catholicism and transitioning into being part of the dominant white culture. In Reservation Blues, the Indians were told that they would get smallpox that was enclosed in a box if they did not succumb to the teachings of the priest. They were forced to "believe" that this religion was the correct one out of fear. Like everything else, whether it be the clothing they had to wear, the education they were forced into, and the general mistreatment, it was to change the Native Americans into what was "acceptable" for current society. To do this, their traditional rituals and customs were outlawed and essentially their entire way of life was taken away from them. Scaring people into believing something doesnt make them fully understand what they are forced to believe, and alot of times it turns them away from it, like it does in this song. Though the song is about a man loving a woman after her death,  these lyrics really relate to what we were talking about in Reservation Blues and how society can try to conform you. Luckily, the man in this song had the choice to leave the school and not believe this, while the Native Americans weren't so fortunate. For them, there was really only one option, and that was to learn the religion and believe it in fear.

Youtube video of the song:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wNISOcuDOMw