Life in Plastic

So I opened up Blogger to start writing my blog, but as always, I got distracted. I opened up YouTube to watch some videos, and guess what my advertisement was?

Yeah, it was Barbie. And in case you really desperately have some time to kill, here it is.

Oh, the irony. I was just about to start writing about Barbie, and as soon as my mind wanders off and I procrastinate, here she comes, out of absolutely nowhere. I sat through that entire 2 minutes and 30 seconds of advertisement, because I wondered if Barbies have changed over time. But honestly, wtf. I don't know what the heck I just watched. 

In a nutshell, the video showcased some sort of Play-Doh pizza, made by two Barbies of different race in fast-food restaurant uniforms using plastic tools and plastic hands. I couldn't take it seriously. But the thing that stood out was that at the end of the ad, it said "You Can Be Anything," and in the background there was an upbeat song that started "anything is possible, we're unstoppable." 

So this is what I don't understand. Barbie herself is thin as a stick, with a chest that is "so out of proportion to the rest of her body that if she were a human woman, she'd fall flat on her face" (Prager). But here she is, empowering girls to have freedom, become whoever they want to be, do whatever they want to do. What's the actual message here? Barbie sets a horribly unrealistic standard for girls, but at the same time promotes individualism. Is Barbie really trying to say that to have freedom, a woman must meet these physical expectations? The whole thing is hypocritical, really, and it truly does make sense that Barbie was designed by a man. From what I can see, the only thing that's changed are the different skin colors that Barbies now come in. And of course, that isn't a bad thing. But you'd think that after a while they would realize how impossible Barbie's body is. 

I admit to have played with Barbie before, a long time ago. I have two older sisters, so inevitably Barbie was bound to end up somewhere in our house. I remember thinking that Barbie must have been some sort of alien, because I didn't recall seeing a woman who looked like.. that. So perfectly crafted to fit her clothes, her shoes. Plastic is supposed to me malleable right? But Barbie? Nope. Her body is so stiff, so rigid- she may as well be made of metal.

Blog

In a couple hours, I’ll be on an airplane. Right now, I’m on a bus, writing this blog on my phone. You will probably read this on a computer. After finishing this blog, I’ll probably go on Facebook or watch some Netflix. Point is, technology is now essential in our lives. 

But should we set a limit to the capabilities of technology? Or is the advancement of technology limitless now that we have sparked it? 

Scientific- including technological- discoveries and advancements are definitely, irrefutably, undeniably incredible. They have created new ways of viewing things, unimaginable to those before. 

But, as Marie Curie’s cause of death was due to radiation, breakthroughs have their consequences. In a more relevant context, Mark Zuckerberg has recently been taking fire for this data scandal. Coincidentally, Facebook has been one of the most revolutionary social media outlets to connect people across the world. But apparently, maintaining this system came at the cost of its users. I wont go into the details of Zuckerberg’s downfall, but let’s just say this- he may have been too ambitious. 

Now I’m not a scientist, and I haven’t developed a billion dollar company based on social interaction. However, just as we are certain that the sky is blue, it is certain that discoveries do not come without a cost. But maybe for society to become more advanced, we need people like Mark Zuckerberg and Marie Curie to take these risks and brave the unknown. 

Anyways, the plane is taking off soon. I should probably post this before I lose connection. 

Charging Girl

"Fearless Girl" might have been a good idea. It was a great idea, actually. But who gave Kristen Visbal the authority to completely tarnish Arturo Di Modica's original piece of art?

Before I go on, I'd like to state some things:

1. I am not against feminism and/or gender equality.

Actually, that's about it. Now let me get on with my point.

The concept is really creative. A young girl facing a bull, displaying her courage to fight back against what some people would refer to as  "male dominated corporate boards." And I get that. The message is clear. But as we know, the piece was actually commissioned as an advertising campaign. And this completely undermines the point of "Fearless Girl." 

What triggers me the most is this- when Di Modica tried to defend his piece, people just assumed that he was against women in corporate positions, or gender equality/feminism in general. And on top of that, his "Charging Bull" was created to represent the "strength and power of the American people." Tell me where in that phrase it suggests male favoritism. Nowhere. Di Modica built an incredible work of art to portray a strong message, and that message is completely overridden by "Fearless Girl." Arturo, as well as the bull, has been antagonized wrongfully. And because the sculptor of the bull HAPPENED to be a man, he is considered a man who doesn't "like women taking up space."

When I went to New York, it was before "Fearless Girl" had been erected. And "Charging Bull" by itself was a very popular attraction. But with the installation of "Fearless Girl," Di Modica's original piece of art is simply a character in the scene that Visbal set up. And on top of that, it's the villain. You could say the girl is standing up against the coincidentally male bull. Or maybe the girl is just standing in the way of the bull's true meaning. You tell me.

"Freedom" of Speech

I might have spent more of my life in America, and English may be my best language at the moment. But English was not my first language.

In America, there exists something called the First Amendment (in case you didn't know). It grants us freedom of speech- the right to express any opinions without censorship or restraint. But on the other side of the spectrum, there's political correctness. In recent times, people have become obsessed with being "politically correct." Whether that means referring to the mentally or physically handicapped as "differently abled" or using vague terms to encompass everyone, words don't seem to 'mean what they mean' anymore. But outside of these conflicting views, to some, English itself is not a language, but a governmental law- and whosoever does not abide by this law is deemed not a true American citizen.

When you leave the country, you don't attempt to learn a different language, you attempt to communicate with foreigners through English, the "universal" language. In America, we immigrants are somewhat expected to assimilate to American culture. We are expected to be fluent in English, although even when we're fluent, we are and will always be inherently "foreign." We are expected to be in the loop of politics. We are expected to know which team is winning which game. We are expected to be cultured. For the most part, immigrants have a good way of adapting to this new environment. But when we aren't, we are somehow seen has individuals of less value, or at least our native cultures seem to have less significance. It's not like it's an everyday occurrence- just some microaggressions here and there that really set me off. Like when I'm speaking to my mother in public- in Korean- and some people decide that there's nothing wrong with looking at us like we're aliens inhabiting a new planet. 

It's hard to find painful examples around here, the community seems to be pretty accepting of other cultures. I don't want to name any names, but some regions seem to be VERY closed-minded when it comes to foreigners. Like yeah, I understand English is a great language and you're proud to speak it. But like literally chill I'm gonna speak whatever language I want to- and unless it's affecting you, mind your own damn business.

This here is not a microaggression, but a full-on aggression.

This too.

I am not saying this accurately portrays all Americans. But these people can literally speak fluent English too.

The Death of the Blog

Blogs that I write are not properly to be called blogs; they do not excite that pleasant sense of carefully thought-out, precise diction. They are hybrid creatures, neither good like a blog submitted before Sunday, nor decent like those planned out before 6:45 pm. The absurdity of these blogs are out of this world, struggling to hang on for dear life, or as I see it, hanging on for dear logic. Nevertheless, the present specimen, lacking a substantial topic and real message, seemed to be content with its grade. It was a pleasant Sunday afternoon, mid-March, a clear and sunny sky. 

That's what I had written before 6. Currently, it is quarter past 6. I'm scrambling to make stuff up, say something intellectual, sound somewhat thoughtful. But no. As usual, it's not gonna work. I look out the window and see freedom. This freedom I cannot reach, cannot obtain, cannot but catch a glimpse. The lifeless, lackluster user interface of Blogger stares back into my soul, unaware of the anguish imposed upon me. I periodically check the time, averting my eyes from the words to the corner of my computer screen, then to my phone- as if passing seconds would suddenly inspire me. But no. "It was useless to try to do anything." You could only watch the extraordinary efforts made by my hopeless keystrokes against an oncoming doom.

Nothing, you knew had any chance against death. Nevertheless after a short YouTube break I kept going, mindlessly spewing out any words that came to my mind to fill the gaps. 5 minutes left, and I have yet to give in. "It was superb this last protest," and with freedom--commonly referred to as dinner--so close I continued on. But even as I did so, the "unmistakable tokens of death" revealed themselves. My fingers slowed down and grew stiff, losing the adrenaline produced from my body's fight-or-flight response. No matter how hard I thought, my brain shut the door and closed up shop. The struggle had ceased. The insignificant blog now knew death. As my hands retracted from the keyboard, the blog seemed "uncomplainingly composed." It knew that freedom had come. It knew it no longer needed to struggle. O yes, it seemed to say, death is stronger than I am.

Time of Death: 6:59pm

A Fairly Modest Proposal

It is a quite discouraging item to those who walk through the schools of this great nation, when they see the children who have fallen victim to a metal toy created by man. I think it is agreed by all parties that the number of families devastated, torn, destroyed by the hands of mentally unstable individuals with access to weaponry is too high. The school has disintegrated from a learning environment to a warzone, where students have lost a sense of security and safety. With preposterous suggestions of teaching educators how to handle a firearm, we cannot wait for more shootings to take place before the authorities deem it necessary to take action. My intention is very far from being confined to only preventing school shootings. I am assured by our merchants, that an average handgun is only a couple hundred dollars. Thus, the government will find this affordable, as they have spent much more money in other irrelevant areas. I shall now humbly propose my own thoughts, which I hope will not be liable to the least objection. 

My solution is simple. Every citizen in this nation should be issued a standard 9MM pistol, provided generously by the caring government. If a citizen can afford to do so, they may upgrade their given firearm with payment. It would be a great service to our nation, preventing crimes all over the board. Children may defend themselves- but most importantly, the incentive to massacre an elementary school will die down. If an enemy invades, we'll have an army of over 300 million soldiers, guns loaded and fingers on the trigger. Weapon producing companies will benefit off of this, able to provide for the government and their people instead of being shunned for giving unstable members of society the resources necessary to terrorize a learning environment. Seeing gun ownership as the issue, giving every citizen access to a firearm will cause the idea of obtaining a gun less special, therefore lessening the likelihood of impulsive decision-making. 

My proposal is no more bold than those advised by other officials, simply stating what is necessary for the growth of society. I promote this necessary work having no other motive than the public good of my country, making the nation's great schools a safer place to which students look forward to attending. 

Consider the Dog

Before I begin, I would like to clarify that I have nothing against Chinese people or what they may or may not do. Chinese people are great- I'm pointing out a societal flaw, not criticizing a Chinese festival. 

The Lychee and Dog Meat Festival, commonly referred to as Yulin Dog Meat Festival, is an annual celebration held in Yulin, Guangxi, China, during the summer solstice in which festival goers eat dog meat and lychees. The festival began in 2009 and spans about ten days during which it is estimated that 10,000-15,000 dogs are consumed. 

Now I know what you're thinking. Whether you own a pet dog or not, here in the Western world, dogs are in no way, shape, or form, intended to be consumed. "Oh my god," you think. "How could they eat such cute animals?" you question. Then you go about your day, consuming cows, chicken, pigs, fish, lobsters, but no- never dogs. Dogs aren't meant to be eaten. And yeah, I guess it's sort of true. This festival is quite cruel and disgusting. I was gonna provide a picture, but after looking some up, I think it would be best if you didn't see it. Trust me. 

But why only dogs? Why do we wince at the thought of dogs being slaughtered and cooked, but not any other animals? According to data from the USDA, in April 2017, the United States produced 3.9 billion pounds of red meat. We killed 9.34 million pigs, 2.4 million cows (with an additional 39,000 calves), and 179,000 sheep. Now on average, that's around 398,616 animals killed each day. 

"That's different, those animals are for food," you claim. But what exactly gave us the right to designate which animals are for which purpose? The fact that we are disgusted by this festival but simultaneously preparing a lobster for dinner reveals the dictionary definition of hypocrisy.

People are so self-centered that their beliefs are the only ones that matter. In China, the tradition of dog meat consumption began over 4,000 years ago. It's a tradition. What makes it different from Thanksgiving? The National Turkey Federation estimates that around 45 to 46 million turkeys are consumed each year for Thanksgiving feasts. Now imagine if some other country held Turkeys as sacred animals, or even just domestic pets. How would they feel? Exactly how you feel about dogs. "That's so wrong." "How could they do such a thing?" "How horrible!"

I'm not arguing for animal rights. I do eat meat, and after writing this I'm ashamed to say that I love meat. While animal welfare may be a significant issue, I'm looking at the bigger picture here. Humans are so caught up in their own doctrines that they regard every other opposing view as incorrect. Eating cows is okay, dogs- never. We see ourselves as righteous individuals, but disdain those who have different cultures. Of course, I sit here writing this, having just eaten mass-produced, processed pig/cow in the form of pepperoni on a pizza. I guess I embody the very hypocritical human I speak of. Maybe next time, you and I can consider the cow, consider the pig, consider the chicken, consider the lobster- just as we consider the dog.