WEEK 8 MEDIA BLOG FORUM

TOPIC 1: BANNED BOOKS AND YOUR BOOKSHELF

"To Kill a Mocking Bird." This was one of the books that I noticed on the banned list. It quickly struck my attention because I read this book during my 10th year of high school. I remember it being a very heart breaking story, and I think it also made me cry. If I am correct, I also had to write a paper on some of the passages. I think the point of reading this book was the ban on it. This book is placed in the time of the American history when racism was okay. Jim Crow laws was a horrific thing, and it also is not something that anyone should forget about it. I believe the ban on this book wasn't so much of the word choices used, but rather to try and erase the history. I don't believe it should be banned. Students should try to understand some of the things that people of color went through back then. To this day people still treat one another like crap, and this is an example of why we should be treating each other better. I think that this is a book that has the ability to touch many hearts if the ones who read it will let it. In other words, I think it is an excellent way to remind each other what empathy is. Racism still exists to this day, and it only has evolved. This book is a clear reminder of what white people have done, and it is a reminder of how far someone will go.

Another book that I noticed was "Fifty Shades of Grey." I have not read the book or watched the movie. But, I very much so know what it is about. If a book makes someone uncomfortable, the person has the right to not read it. I don't think that they have the right to ban it from other people though. This book is about BDSM. BDSM stands for bondage, domination, sadism, and masochism. It is a type of sexual practice. I may have not read the book, but I have a clear view of what it is. I did watch part of the movie, and it was boring to me. I fell asleep. I am somewhat familiar with the practice though. If a person does not like it, they don't have to do it either. I think putting this on a ban list is a way to shame people and their likes. It's okay for one person to do something, but it's not okay for someone else to do something in a different way. I don't think that this is right. This has just been another way to make people conform to what they want.Everyone is different, and not everyone likes the same thing. No one should ever be shamed for what sex thing like. I don't believe the ban has anything to do with sex, but rather what a person likes during sex. Some would say that its not a sane practice. Some will also say that BDSM is abuse, but it is not. People use safe words, and this is an actual thing. Banning this book creates an open door to keep shaming people. I thought that the world was moving away from this.

Another one I noticed was the Bible. Everyone has the right to the own religion. Maybe that's not the point. Perhaps, the reason is not to force the religion onto someone. I think banning this creates closed minds. We should be opened to learning about every religion, but that is not what society has taught us to do. Society has taught us that there is only one religion. I think banning the Bible is a way that will continue this habit. I believe that this habit should die. Why not teach all religions? I honestly have read into numerous amounts of religions, and I have found that all of them are so similar. It seemed that the end goal was the same. The end goal was love and happiness. When we decide that one way is not the right way, we will keep creating closed minds. We will create a place where we think that religion is not okay. It is a way to shame people for their faith. People want to be accepted, and I don't believe banning books helps people feel this way. I think it discouraged people from people who they are. 


After everything that I have said so far, I don't believe that public schools should limit access on materials. I think that it should be up to the person who is reading the material. Books is a way to escape, but it is also a way to learn about new things. It is a way that people can learn it is okay to be them. The parents should have a say if a student can read the material because that's the parent. But, I don't think that parents should be the people who are the reasons books are banned. A student should be able to read what they want if the parent is okay with it. I don't think it is fair to ruin that for the rest of people. There was another book that I heard about on the radio. It was about a transgender student. Parents weren't okay with it. But, this is creating a path that shames kids for who they are already. No one wakes up and decides to be transgender one day. We should be working towards acceptance and love. This creates more hate in the world, and it teaches kids that being transgender is not okay. If it was my parent who got that book banned, I would be very upset. I don't think objections are reasonable because some people are taking out small passages to books that they don't like. It could be one sentence for the reason why it gets banned. I have brought up that I listen to OBP on the radio. They were actually talking about banned books a month ago. It had something to do with the reading challenge across the country. 

I have never been a strong reader in my life because I was never fast at it. I do have a book series at home. It is about 12 books, and I will eventually read it all. It is called the Glass House series. It is a vampire series. I love reading vampire books, and this one I love in particular. It has been the only series that I have been able to create a clear picture in my mind. I have an idea of what the characters look like, and I have an idea of who they are. I have a clear view of what the hometown looks like to. I can visualize everything. This is something that I cannot usually do with books. To be honest, this is the only series that I have been able to interact with. It says that I like vampires. I love them actually. The other types of books that I have are related to animals. It shows that I love animals. It is passion, and one day I want to help endangered species. You could find a Bible in my possession as well. My father gave it to me on my birthday. I don't think that really says anything about me. I do come from a religious family, but my family are very different from me. I also have the dictionary to help me with writing classes. I don't think it says anything about me. It depends what a person thinks. I don't use them often, but I do carry them with me throughout the terms.

My favorite author is Rachel Caine, and she does the Glass House series. I have the Crossfire Holy Bible. It was written by many scholars. I also have a book called Boundaries. The authors are Cloud and Townsend. I have never finished it though. If I am correct, it is a book about rape.  I have the Merriam-Webster dictionary. This sums up almost every book that I own. I can't possibly say it tells anyone anything about me. It comes down to judgement. A person could just ask me what my interests are instead of basing them off of the books that I own. 

TOPIC 2: MAGAZINES -- 

I have read New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and Oregonian. I have never willingly just wanted to read a newspaper, or magazine. I am just going to throw that out there. It does not appeal to my interest to take out time in my day to read these things. The main reason is reading. It is just not my thing, and it has never been my thing. I have used these to source in papers throughout my college experience. I have used the Oregonian to talk about the cost of living in Oregon, and pay wages. I actually used them for an essay a couple of terms ago. The main other reason I have used these three is for animals. I have used them to talk about the different diet choices. I have sourced New York Times when it comes to the negative effects of meat eating, and why people should go vegan. I have also used them to discuss the empathy side of things when it comes to animals. Why? Because, animals lives matters to! They have been extremely helpful when it comes to writing papers. I look for like minded people. The ones who care to. The ones who understand that animals matter to. I guess that would say that I love animals, and I fight for them to. My interests are with helping animals. I love the New York Times. I will continue to use them because I do trust them. I think that someone could tell if a person is being dishonest. I just don't get that with these three newspapers. Here are some examples of when I used all three to cite in essays.

Examples from past essays

Hunsberger, Brent. "Oregon's minimum wage to increase 10 cents in 2011." Oregon Business News, The Oregonian , 20 Sept. 2010, www.oregonlive.com/business/index.ssf/2010/09/oregons_minimum_wage_to_increa.html. Accessed 16 May 2018.

"Red Meat Increases Risk of Dying From 8 Diseases." The New York Times , edited by Nicholas Bakalar, The New York Times, 15 May 2017, www.nytimes.com/2017/05/15/well/eat/red-meat-increases-risk-of-dying-from-8-diseases.html. Accessed 12 February 2017. Accessed 12 Feb. 2018.

Seetharaman, Deepa, and Katherine Bindley. "Facebook Controversy: What to Know About Cambridge Analytica and Your Data."THE WALL STREET JOURNAL, THE WALL STREET JOURNAL, 23 Mar. 2018, www.wsj.com/articles/facebook-scandal-what-to-know-about-cambridge-analytica-and-your-data-1521806400. Accessed 17 Apr. 2018.

Weber, John. "Should Companies Monitor Their Employees' Social Media?" The Wall Street Journal, Dow Jones, 22 Oct. 2014, www.wsj.com/articles/should-companies-monitor-their-employees-social-media-1399648685. Accessed 17 Apr. 2018.

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