Author: acynicalbookworm

I was reading a Wired article today about Instagram, specifically about how the advertising is so different on there because of the nature of the app/website/whatever fits. It basically talked about how on Instagram, you get this feeling of people who have a blissful life and how scrolling on Instagram gives you this sense of mindless complacence. Which is pretty fair, as anyone who is on it knows that it’s the ultimate time filler for when you have nothing to do or, let’s be honest, when you DO have something to do but don’t want to do it.

But that’s not really the point of this at all. Among those my age, (and more often the parents of those kids), a really big debate is ‘what are the pros and cons of social media, and is it worth it?’ By high school and college, most everyone has social media, but it’s a pretty big topic as to when you get it.

I love Instagram, because I can see gorgeous pictured AND get my fill of posts and memes from my favorite fandoms. The problem with it is that it’s so nice, it’s a really big temptation. Part of that is because the icon is too pretty and candy-colored on my phone for me not to click.

On the other hand, I disagree with people who do not let their kids get social media at all until they’re sophomores. Mostly because by then, everyone they know will be on it and it’s a medium for communication, so they’ll probably feel left out. More importantly, this is not the hill parents should die on. Because if kids feel left out, they’l probably try to relate to their peers in other, not so good ways. Social media is relatively harmless, and if parents let their kids have some freedom, then those kids will probably be more willing to compromise.

Finally, it’s a question of responsibility. Because it does take a measure of responsibility to be safe, especially on the internet. But protecting kids from stuff doesn’t help them when it comes time to make their own decisions. So, in my opinion, parents should choose when their kids are ready, but not be oppressive about it.

And that’s that on that. Now, back to my mindless Instagram browsing.

 

Last night, while browsing the Overland website with my family, I came across this beautiful mink fur knitted poncho– with a hood! (I’d be in love if it didn’t cost more than my phone!) This morning, I was thinking about it, and then I remembered a National Geographic article I ready a few years ago about the ethics of mink farming.

Immediately I went on the lookout for any evidence I could find that the fur industry was ethical, so that I might still long for that poncho without feeling like a monster. I delved into article after article, and found a few that supported my case.

I don’t want to actually make an argument here, just talk about one I found. A lot of anti-fur organizations said that fur was unethical because we don’t need fur.

Well, fur makes warm clothing, which we do need.

The articles continued to say that there are other sources of clothing other than fur, so we don’t really need it.

When I read that part, I immediately wondered– is every single member of any anti-fur organization vegetarian? Because many people are, and they do fine. Which makes you wonder, if plenty of people live without eating meat, does that make the meat industry unethical? Clearly, you don’t need it to survive.

A lot of people might reply by saying ‘Yes, but we need food, and I like eating meat. That’s how the food chain goes, predator eating prey.’

To which I would respond, ‘Exactly. Since human civilization has existed, we have used fur as a resource for warmth, and as long as it is being harvested ethically and the animal is not wasted, it should be fine.’

Of course, this is a nuanced argument with far more than I have presented. But either way, I think it’s important to look at the issue beyond what we see on the surface.

Now, if you will excuse me, I’m off to dream about my mink poncho, guilt-free.

I’ll admit, I haven’t had much time to experience the phenomenon I’m speaking about, but it was something of an epiphany to me, so I want to write about it anyway.

On the weekend after Independence day, our family made a road trip down to Nashville, Tennessee. The 4.5 hour drive wasn’t bad at all, as we have driven 17-18 hours (Philadelphia to Missouri) in a day. It was 2am Saturday morning when we arrived, and we settled in to sleep immediately.

Skipping over the events of the next morning, we arrive at Saturday evening. We were going our to dinner with my parents’ old friends. These people were incredibly kind, and you could tell just from talking to them that they were filled with a seemingly limitless amount of generosity.

We were leaving on Sunday morning, and as we were doing so I experienced something that has affected my perspective of life immensely. My parents were checking out while Raghav and I guarded the luggage. At this time, the two of us happened to be sitting next to an older man working away on his laptop. He seemed to notice us and took a break from his typing to have a conversation with us.

We talked for a short amount of time until my parents picked us up to head out. Right was we were leaving, the same man comes up and stops my mother just to tell her that he though we were very good kids. This struck me because that’s one of the nicest things anyone’s ever done on my behalf. I was even more surprised because I didn’t even know this man’s name, and he had no reason to come up to my mother other than pure generosity.

This event was pretty important to me because something like that really just changes your perspective of the world. Just when it seems you’ve got people figured out, they surprise you. It reminded me that for all the evil in this world, there’s just as much good. These small acts make a big difference, and it’s people like him who inspire me to be a kinder person.

I don’t know if that man at the Gaylord Opryland Resort will ever read this or know how much his actions that weekend meant to me, but I want to say thank you, to him and all the other people who do these kind things without expecting anything in return.

WARNING: PETTY, VERY PETTY

Okay, let me get this straight, I have no problem with the movie itself. This is extremely frivolous, if you didn’t already get that vibe. I do not want to offend anyone, I just want to point out a misnomer.

So my problem is with the title (see, petty). The title ‘Crazy Rich Asians’ is kind of misleading. I’ve looked at the trailer, and so far every single person seems to be of one race.

Being Asian, I know that there is a wealth of cultures found in the most populated continent on the planet. However, in this film, everyone seems to be of a certain ethnicity (I don’t know which one and I really don’t want to offend anyone by assuming).

I’m really glad that an underrepresented group is getting recognized, but it’s not the best title. If you tell me that it’s about Asians, I want to see all types of Asian culture there. It’s like taking a primarily white movie and adding a single person of color in for a quick cameo and calling it diverse. Technically, there’s multiple ethnicities (just like they technically are crazy rich Asians).

Personally, I think that if we really want diversity, we need to represent everyone, not just a select few. I would be thrilled if I saw more movies where Kenyans, or Native Americans, or Indians (my people!) were able to play a central role.

Other than this, I really have no problem with the movie and maybe I’ll go see it. This is just something really small I wanted to address.

So yesterday my brother and I were blowing bubbles, which we haven’t done in a long time. It was a lot nicer than I expected, which made me sad. It is really sad that nowadays we are too obsessed with our electronics to really live. I mean, who knew that it was so peaceful to watch bubbles shimmering in the light.

The unique creature,

intelligent and bold

loving and protective

kind and beautiful.

Who rests with eyes wide open

while his master

sleeps in every comfort.

Whose joy fails to diminish

when he sees his family

no matter how long they’ve been gone.

Who dries any tears

coaxes laughter from the darkest situations.

Who brings some light

hope

and undying faith.

Who would stand by any one

be it a businessman

a sales clerk

or a drunken outcast

that they had learned to love.

Who will love when there is none to be had in return.

Who would go hungry rather than see his master starve.

Whose spirit cannot be seperated from his master’s even in death.

Dog.

I am a young person growing up in this world. When I have the power to vote, it will be in the 2020s. If you have heard of the UN Sustainable Development goals, you know that when I am an adult, we will have less than 10 years to achieve these goals.

Why should you care? By the time it’s too late to do anything, your lives will be ending.

But ours won’t. So I’m asking for you to do us a little favor. Leave us something we can work with.

I am not asking you to fix poverty, global warming, gender inequality, gun violence. All I want is that you start on the journey. If you’ve heard about global warming, you know that there is a point of no return which we are dangerously close to. So what if every adult worked together to start a movement and pledge to lower our average global temperature by 1 degree Centigrade, by 2050.

Or we could tackle childhood hunger. What if every adult had a bin that they could fill with unfinished food? They could leave it outside and maybe a truck could come by and pick them up. So many families waste food that could be used to feed a starving kid.

Maybe we could start working on programs to end gun violence. We could help oppressed minorities around the world. These’s so much you can do, if only you try.

If you work with us, there’s so much we can do, but if you don’t, as a species, our days may be numbered,

Sincerely,

The Future