Thursday 7 May 2009
Comment responding to http://stripeybees.blogspot.com/ Poly pill
I think the only suitable response to this blog is SHOCKED AND APPALLED!! Given that the government are constantly banging on about the state of our health, “eat your 5 a day”, “look at this horrible picture of a smokers lung”, “all our kids are fat and dying of obesity”, you would think that they would be willing to use some of their weapons of mass destruction fund to subsidies drug companies making a pill that could save so many lives.
Comment responding to http://banana-herpes.blogspot.com/ To die or not to die? That is the..."Gunshot"
Wow, interesting read! I think your friend’s right though, an actual suicide attempt, as opposed to self harm is definitely something people turn when they think thing will never get better. I’ve never really understood why people refer to it as, “the coward’s way out”? The fact that we, as human beings aren’t physically capable of biting into our own flesh unless insane, would suggest that causing enough harm to kill yourself is no measly feat...
Comment responding to http://take-off-your-colours.blogspot.com/ Spitting
Totally right Katy, I can't think of anything that makes me feel more queasy than when people spit on the street. It's not a normal body function that just happens and you can't stop it like being sick. People purposely chose to do it for no good reason as far as I can see?
Questioner
Age? 22
Sex? Female
What is your degree subject (both if joint)?
Drama & Performance and Philosophy.
Does ‘Being Bad’ relate well to the other modules you are taking?
Not at all.
If so, how? And if not, why not?
Because the module seems to be geared more so to creative writing students than philosophy.
Have you found ‘Being Bad’ too demanding, too easy, or at an appropriate level?
Too easy to begin with and then too demanding with the same deadline for the blog and the second assessment.
Do you think the list of topics covered on the module was appropriate?
Other than smoking, yes
Are there any topics not included in the module that you would like to see included?
Do you think that the format for classes has worked well?
Not really as it did not encourage people to attend regularly.
What did you think of the module team?
Some we less interesting than others, but this could have been due to the subject content i.e. smoking
Do you think it would have been better to have had more:
Small group discussions?
Definitely. Seminars would have been much more appropriate as not everyone feels comfortable discussing certain subjects from the module in such an open way.
Discussion and debate among the class as a whole?
Not in the form of lectures.
Information and talk from lecturers?
Yes as it would have provided more information for the assessments and blogs rather than other students opinions which were often aside from the point.
The approach taken in the module is interdisciplinary (drawing on perspectives from English Literature, Film Studies, Creative Writing, Philosophy, Media Studies and Politics): do you think this a useful way of approaching the topics covered in the module?
Not of philosophy students who may prefer to focus on essay writing but have only had the opportunity to write one essay, half the size of a normal one.
Do you think that interdisciplinary modules are a good idea?
Not really as electives are supposed to give students studying one degree, a taste of another subject. It is not be a true reflection of the subject if the interdisciplinary approach is taken.
Do you think you have benefited from the interdisciplinary approach taken in the module?
Not at all.
Would you like to see more modules that cover this kind of subject matter?
Yes, but in a way which relates more to my chosen subject.
Are you planning to take the follow-up module PH2004 ‘It Shouldn’t Be Allowed’ at level 2?
It depends on the structure of the module.
Would you recommend ‘Being Bad’ to a friend?
If they were studying creative writing then yes.
Do you think that the blogs (web logs) were a good idea?
No, because they essentially forced a hobby onto people for several months, that they may not enjoy. Not everyone is comfortable with airing their opinions in a completely open forum.
What did you think of the other assessments (e.g. would it be better to have one longer assessment rather than two shorter ones?)?
For a philosophy student, one full length essay where you could actually delve into the topic without running out of words would have been much better.
What have you learned from the module?
Some interesting historical facts about thing we consider taboo.
What parts of the module have you found most useful and why?
The factual information given in lectures because it give you another way to argue something in a social situation
What parts do you think were a waste of time and why?
The seminars because they were not mandatory and so nobody attended them.
Are there any other comments you wish to make regarding ‘Being Bad’?
I think that the module code should be changed to one for creative writing because. Other than touching on a few modern ethical questions, the structure and way the course is run does not seem to have anything to do with philosophy. This was not intended as an elective for me but seems to deviate from other philosophy modules to the point that I don’t feel that this has aided me in my goal of a philosophy degree at all.
Sex? Female
What is your degree subject (both if joint)?
Drama & Performance and Philosophy.
Does ‘Being Bad’ relate well to the other modules you are taking?
Not at all.
If so, how? And if not, why not?
Because the module seems to be geared more so to creative writing students than philosophy.
Have you found ‘Being Bad’ too demanding, too easy, or at an appropriate level?
Too easy to begin with and then too demanding with the same deadline for the blog and the second assessment.
Do you think the list of topics covered on the module was appropriate?
Other than smoking, yes
Are there any topics not included in the module that you would like to see included?
Do you think that the format for classes has worked well?
Not really as it did not encourage people to attend regularly.
What did you think of the module team?
Some we less interesting than others, but this could have been due to the subject content i.e. smoking
Do you think it would have been better to have had more:
Small group discussions?
Definitely. Seminars would have been much more appropriate as not everyone feels comfortable discussing certain subjects from the module in such an open way.
Discussion and debate among the class as a whole?
Not in the form of lectures.
Information and talk from lecturers?
Yes as it would have provided more information for the assessments and blogs rather than other students opinions which were often aside from the point.
The approach taken in the module is interdisciplinary (drawing on perspectives from English Literature, Film Studies, Creative Writing, Philosophy, Media Studies and Politics): do you think this a useful way of approaching the topics covered in the module?
Not of philosophy students who may prefer to focus on essay writing but have only had the opportunity to write one essay, half the size of a normal one.
Do you think that interdisciplinary modules are a good idea?
Not really as electives are supposed to give students studying one degree, a taste of another subject. It is not be a true reflection of the subject if the interdisciplinary approach is taken.
Do you think you have benefited from the interdisciplinary approach taken in the module?
Not at all.
Would you like to see more modules that cover this kind of subject matter?
Yes, but in a way which relates more to my chosen subject.
Are you planning to take the follow-up module PH2004 ‘It Shouldn’t Be Allowed’ at level 2?
It depends on the structure of the module.
Would you recommend ‘Being Bad’ to a friend?
If they were studying creative writing then yes.
Do you think that the blogs (web logs) were a good idea?
No, because they essentially forced a hobby onto people for several months, that they may not enjoy. Not everyone is comfortable with airing their opinions in a completely open forum.
What did you think of the other assessments (e.g. would it be better to have one longer assessment rather than two shorter ones?)?
For a philosophy student, one full length essay where you could actually delve into the topic without running out of words would have been much better.
What have you learned from the module?
Some interesting historical facts about thing we consider taboo.
What parts of the module have you found most useful and why?
The factual information given in lectures because it give you another way to argue something in a social situation
What parts do you think were a waste of time and why?
The seminars because they were not mandatory and so nobody attended them.
Are there any other comments you wish to make regarding ‘Being Bad’?
I think that the module code should be changed to one for creative writing because. Other than touching on a few modern ethical questions, the structure and way the course is run does not seem to have anything to do with philosophy. This was not intended as an elective for me but seems to deviate from other philosophy modules to the point that I don’t feel that this has aided me in my goal of a philosophy degree at all.
...the social networking site says noooo?
A friend of mine recently joined a group on facebook which is a petition to have the photographer Alis back onto facebook. She was recently removed from the site because the material which she posted was deemed offensive.
Being the nosey git that I am, or should I say, “voyeur” I couldn’t help but take a peak at what all the fuss was about. So I went onto the artist’s website, via the link on the facebook group and had a good old gander. I was on there for a good 10 minutes, reading her blog entries, checking out the info on the artist and browsing the different sections in the photo gallery. In all of this time however, I did not find one single word, let alone an image, that I thought was anywhere in the region of offensive.
The thought occurred to me, that if I was having to work this hard to look for something offensive, then how the hell could her facebook have caused offence to anyone? Don’t get me wrong, you could tell that it was alternative photography you were looking it, it wasn’t exactly sunshine and lolly pops kind of pictures. But still, there were no bats being beheaded, or small virginal children being sacrificed.
So to me the fact remains that if I, as fully grow adult, would like to peruse some make believe photographs that could cause others to squirm, don’t I have the right to? And doesn’t Alis, as an artist that clearly has a fan base, deserve to exhibit her work on a social networking site like any other artist?
Obviosly there is the possibility of someone who doesn’t like the work, or even a child coming across it. But to be honest, it’s not as though any of the overtly offensive images was easy to find. So in my opinion, that’s more than ample warning to get off the page before you stumble across something you don’t want to.
Being the nosey git that I am, or should I say, “voyeur” I couldn’t help but take a peak at what all the fuss was about. So I went onto the artist’s website, via the link on the facebook group and had a good old gander. I was on there for a good 10 minutes, reading her blog entries, checking out the info on the artist and browsing the different sections in the photo gallery. In all of this time however, I did not find one single word, let alone an image, that I thought was anywhere in the region of offensive.
The thought occurred to me, that if I was having to work this hard to look for something offensive, then how the hell could her facebook have caused offence to anyone? Don’t get me wrong, you could tell that it was alternative photography you were looking it, it wasn’t exactly sunshine and lolly pops kind of pictures. But still, there were no bats being beheaded, or small virginal children being sacrificed.
So to me the fact remains that if I, as fully grow adult, would like to peruse some make believe photographs that could cause others to squirm, don’t I have the right to? And doesn’t Alis, as an artist that clearly has a fan base, deserve to exhibit her work on a social networking site like any other artist?
Obviosly there is the possibility of someone who doesn’t like the work, or even a child coming across it. But to be honest, it’s not as though any of the overtly offensive images was easy to find. So in my opinion, that’s more than ample warning to get off the page before you stumble across something you don’t want to.
Wednesday 6 May 2009
Body talk
Whilst watching the film memento the other day I realised how much of an interesting twist it gave on modern body morphication. In western society the vast majority of body morphication is for either aesthetic or religious reasons. People have nose jobs because they don’t like their appearance, they have their children circumcised for the religion that they practice.
We do not follow the ways of tribesmen, using scarification to carve or origins into our face, and gone are the days of the Russian mafia, tattooing their life stories on themselves. We don’t tend to use our bodies as such literal carriers of messages, so i though it was quite interesting to come across a film where a man’s entire reason for being could be read on his skin.
We do not follow the ways of tribesmen, using scarification to carve or origins into our face, and gone are the days of the Russian mafia, tattooing their life stories on themselves. We don’t tend to use our bodies as such literal carriers of messages, so i though it was quite interesting to come across a film where a man’s entire reason for being could be read on his skin.
Monday 4 May 2009
She knows what she likes, and that’s white, white, white.
I was watching an episode of hollyoaks recently where one of the younger characters has been the victim of bullying. She is being bulled because she is Asian and so she buys skin whitener to lighten her skin. Whilst I obviously don’t agree with forcing someone to change who they are by means of mental or physical abuse, neither do I have a problem with changing your appearance to fit in. Some people don’t like to stand out from the crowd but would rather blend into the background and look the same as their friends.
Because the skin whitener doesn’t work the character turns to household bleach and suffers burns on her legs. When the character’s parents found out about what she has done they berate her for being weak and dishonouring her culture. In all honestly this response surprised me as I don’t think that someone’s cultural identity is entirely linked to the colour of their skin. An albino black man to me is still a black man. Changing your appearance to make yourself more aesthetically pleasing is something all of us do all of the time, whether it’s styling your hair, dressing a certain way, or even having a nose job. So why should lightening your skin be any different to getting a tattoo?
Because the skin whitener doesn’t work the character turns to household bleach and suffers burns on her legs. When the character’s parents found out about what she has done they berate her for being weak and dishonouring her culture. In all honestly this response surprised me as I don’t think that someone’s cultural identity is entirely linked to the colour of their skin. An albino black man to me is still a black man. Changing your appearance to make yourself more aesthetically pleasing is something all of us do all of the time, whether it’s styling your hair, dressing a certain way, or even having a nose job. So why should lightening your skin be any different to getting a tattoo?
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