So, after a long, exhausting, frustrating day of work, I decided to come home and watch The Island thinking I would be entertained with some philosophical questions, problems, and solutions to some  idea of utopia. What I got was a cliched movie (when it started, my mother asked if this was the sequel to Gattaca) with ridiculous amounts of actions scenes that put me to sleep before twenty minutes before the movie ended – and I never fall asleep while watching movies, no matter how tired I am.

But enough about the experience, onto my reactions and thoughts about the ideas in the movie.

Why would the people in our society want to live forever or live for an extremely long time?

Almost everyone I have talked to has said that they do not want to live forever, and they would want to die in their 80s because by then they would have lived a full life. Besides, the life outside of the underground shelter did not seem any better than it currently is. So, again, why have a harvestable clone that prolongs your life?

What would happen if people found out that the clones were not vegetative?

This society seems rather selfish if it wants to live forever or at least a long time. It kind of reminds me of the Nike situation. When the news of the Nike sweatshops went on a whirlwind, everyone was disgusted and outraged! Yet, people are still buying Nike brand, do they really care? Would the people of the society in The Island care, or only care that they are getting the best product they can and will be better for it?

While I understand that the movie is a pastiche of utopian ideas and theories, it did not come across utopian or dystopian at all. It felt like a poorly executed, futuristic, action sci-fi drama with a love story. The people in the bomb shelter utopia were not happy until they won the lottery (they could not even eat what they wanted → bacon!) and the people above ground were not happy with the time they were given on earth or the physical and medical issues they were given. Neither group/society was happy and I do not believe that they were working towards happiness either, something that I feel is part of utopia.

Word Count: 391

Image 1: www.memecenter.com

Image 2: http://popreflection.wordpress.com

A City Without Crime

Precrime, arresting people before they have actually committed a crime. Does this make sense? Does this protect the people, protect their rights? Does this make for a utopia?

My answer to all of these questions is a big, fat NO.

I'm sorry, but the whole idea of triplets being able to predict when, how, and who for murders that will take place four days from the present is far fetched. Not only that, but the inhumane treatment of these three people, or at least that is what they would have been if they were not kept in that electrolyte bath and shot up with drugs, is morally wrong. Along with immoral actions, the officers arresting people for actions they have not yet committed completely against constitutional rights. According to Agatha, these people still had a choice...yes they dreamed it would happen, but the individual still had a choice to complete the action, such as with John. So these people may have never even completed the crime, and yet they are arrested for an indefinite amount of time for thinking about it.

Does a world without crime lead to utopia?

In utopia, people tend to be generally happy, suffer little, and put the many before the one. In Minority Report, while there was no murder, there were still other crimes, people turned to drugs, and protected themselves. The people still had to cautious, they were not completely safe – a major part of utopia. John and Lara suffered terribly with the loss of their child, Sean. In the first scene, the woman was committing adultery, which may have meant that she was not happy or satisfied in her marriage. John had to get drugs off the street. Lamar set up John to save his own butt. Precrime does not seem to make a utopic society. Yes it brings down the murders, one less way for people to suffer, but they have other things that happen that show that the people in this society do suffer.

I would rather continue living life in this society, with murder, than a world with precrime. First, they treated the triplets inhumanely, they also ignored our constitutional rights, and finally people still are not exceptionally happy.

It was a good movie, but nowhere near utopia...or dystopia...it was just there.

Word Count: 383

2+2=5

Wow. Mind boggling. Terrifying.

Those are the three main thoughts running through my head after finishing Book I of 1984. We had a discussion about similar things once in AP U.S. History in high school. We discussed how many people just accept what they hear without questioning what is being said, and how this makes us as a society rather gullible. This gullibility can be seen in the citizens of Oceania.

During that class period we also discussed how easy it could be for people to alter history and how history is written by the “winners”. (Such as with WWII and the camps in Europe AND the US) In Oceania there is the Ministry of Truth, which alters history to match the Party’s version or vision of past events. A Ministry of Peace, which wages war because fighting comes before peace – or so we are told. The Ministry of Plenty, which plans economic shortages but tells everyone that we are doing great. And finally there is the Ministry of Love, which I assume is where all the corrupt ideas and actions of the government are kept hidden. All of these ministries are frightening and can be seen in society today. Oceania's slogan: “WAR IS PEACE; FREEDOM IS SLAVERY; IGNORANCE IS STRENGTH” kind matches along what happens in the U.S. We go to war to “make” peace. We “free” countries by enslaving them. And the people that are ignorant of corruption, as the proles supposedly are, are relatively happy. ← Ignorance is bliss, right? 

The people of this society are so controlled, so brainwashed that they cannot even have private thoughts. I should rephrase that, private thought that are anti-government. If I feared being caught and imprisoned every time I had a thought that was against the current political leaders, I would live in constant fear of being caught. They can't even have their own, individual private thoughts. They will be told on by their young spies. The kids are raised to tell on people that are doing “wrong”. I remember being raised to not be a tattle-tale (which is what these spies are). It was looked down upon.

I don't know, this is by far the worst “utopia” we have read. I could have lived and been satisfied in the World State, but Oceania is too corrupt for me. I think our own politics are corrupt to the point that I think we should just do away with political parties or political associations. And Oceania seem twenty-thousand times worst. 

Image 1: http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/754538/Why-Britain-is-Great-Pub-Landlord-Al-Murray-Ignore-lecturers.html

Image 2: http://kairisoosaar.wordpress.com/2010/02/01/pr-and-propaganda/

Image 3: http://tigersoftware.com/TigerBlogs/June-13-2008/index.html 

Final Thoughts on Brave New World

I really loved the last few chapters of Brave New World because if you hadn't yet picked up on some aspects of this “utopia” they are really brought to light here. Chapter 16 is one of my favorite chapters in this novel. This is most likely due to the fact that I get angered by the concept of consumerism over beauty. (The beauty of literature, or art.)

Granted, I am not the most educated person when it comes to literature, but that does not mean I do not read great works by Shakespeare or Austen and others. They are beautiful pieces of art that can be related to modern times even though they written over a hundred years ago. The language is outdated, but the ideas, problems, behaviors all can be seen in society today -- they are even the basis of many plot lines of shows, movies, plays, and other novels! These historical novels have influenced so many aspects of our society that I cannot imagine reading and watching other things and NOT realizing that they have a relationship (in some way) to great works. And the fact that this society keeps them away because they are OLD an do not promote consumerism frustrates me to no end. Also, the citizens of the world state have infantile emotions and gratifications that would not allow them to appreciate great works of art. They would not be able to understand. How can a society take this away from people?! I understand they want stability, but emotions like love, anguish, heartbreak, happiness, etc are beautiful and develop a person. Why did they find this a fault in us? I believe it to be one of best qualities and what makes us human. These beings are just that, beings. They are not humans. They do not know what it means to be human nor should they deserve to be called human.

Chapter 18 also angers me. They want people to b happy and take pleasure or find amusement in the internal, personal anguish John is suffering through. They want to report on it and release feelies about it. It's absolutely disgusting. But then I feel that that is something we do today. We watch other people suffer and hurt themselves, but do not really help them. Why do we watch shows like Teen Mom? or 16 and Pregnant? TO FEEL GOOD ABOUT OURSELVES AND BE THANKFUL IT'S NOT US WHO HAS ALL THEIR PROBLEMS. This is a huge problem with society today. We like to see other people struggle, just to feel a little bit better about ourselves. EXACTLY like they are doing in the world state.

Knowing what I do and thinking about a life without the struggles I face in day to day seems horrifying. It would be interesting, but still horrifying. I am one of those people that always tries to have hope and be content or happy with everything I have, and I feel like I truly am. I don't want to live anywhere else. I don't want to be any one else. I want my family, friends, school, job, struggles, joy...everything. I don't know what the future may hold, but one thing I do know, is that I do not want to live in a world like world state.

Word Count: 552

My thoughts on Brave New World (after the first reading assignment)

I promise I am not just repeating what was discussed last Wednesday. My schedule last week was extremely hectic and I never had a chance to post this. I wrote it BEFORE class on Wednesday, I promise.

I'm not going to lie, I have read Brave New World prior to this class. While I found it odd, I did find it intriguing. In no way would I wish to live in this world that is so label oriented and prejudiced – but that does not make it any less intriguing. This kind of plays into what I said on the first day of class when we went around and shared our ideal utopia. Mine included a lack of brands, so people could not judge others based on what they have or are wearing.

Already we know that in Brave New World the characters are labeled as Alphas, Betas, Epsilons, Gammas, Deltas, etc as their social class level based upon their PREDESTINED embryos. Each child is then trained to hypnopaedia to believe in the established prejudices. There are also specific colors that each class of character wears, and then dislikes and judges others if they are wearing a different classes color. This is the part that ties into my utopia. They are disliking someone based on the color they wear (similar to a brand) rather than the good quality that person (← notice I did not say individual) has or contributes to the society.

On to other topics of Brave New World...

The whole idea of everyone belonging to everyone, and how having a steady relationship with just one person is disgusting completely boggles my mind especially since I feel that this is a recurrent theme in almost all the utopian books we have read. What do these authors find so wrong with loving one person, belonging solely to them? I find this one of the best things in life...the search to find this person, the memories you've made along the way, the ability to know that you share something special with that person and they share something special with you. This is a large aspect of society. Finding that one person to spend forever with. Granted, marriage is not as sacred anymore nor are there as many couples getting married these days, yet they live together and share other responsibilities. Why, in most of the utopian novels we've read, is marriage and monogamy so heavily frowned upon?

Sex is everywhere in this novel, the naked playgrounds for children, how its wrong for a child to not want to engage in sexual activities, he was not conditioned well enough, etc. the sexophones, the orgies...I do not really know how to take this. We go from a land of Virgin Maries and now free love...kind of like the Oneida Community and how they had the big circular room with little alcoves to do the deed. Sex is also not used for procreation in this novel, but rather recreation and pleasure. Other societies and time periods did view sex as only for procreational uses and so this may come as novel to readers of that or earlier time periods. We know it is not for procreation from the first chapter. Every person is a test tube baby and all the females carry the 1-4 contraceptives (in fashionable cases too!). Then, when we meet Linda, we find that Lenina's reaction to her son and even Linda's own reaction were along the lines of disgust. Why is natural pregnancy and childbirth so disgusting?

Hypnopaedia. When they first brought up the idea, I was thought that this would be really useful for education! But then that was quickly shot down since they already tested that theory out. Either way, the idea itself is interesting, if not a little scary. Can you imagine having a machine playing in your consistently with the same messages over and over again until it basically becomes apart of you. You believe in something, but do not really know why you believe in it...that thought is terrifying. If this was used today, I do not feel that it would better society, but rather hinder it. It could be used in evil ways. I think the way it is used in Brave New World is in humane. In our society we learn from our family and peers and hypnopaedia takes away from this. We also learn from our mistakes – which this society seems to make few of (from their own perspective).

Soma. A pill to take whenever you feel distraught! How ingenious! Or is it? I feel that the harder emotions, stressful, confusing, etc. times are the times that help develop us: our character, strength, success...the list goes on! Soma appears to be an “antidepressant” or a knock out pill. Some to take to make you feel good, to leave the moment so you don't have to deal with the situation. While that may seem appealing at times, I feel that a person is missing out on so much personal development. You don't know how strong you are until you win the battle, whatever it may be.

I do enjoy this novel. It reminds me in some ways of the movie Gattaca, which I also enjoyed. It definitely makes me appreciate the life I have...and kind of makes me fear progress for the sake of progress. We shall see how the story progresses and how my thoughts may change.

Word Count: 874

Something is Missing...?

Something that has bothered me since we began reading our utopian works has been the lack of talk or interest in the social life of Utopia. So far it has been praise and work, work and praise...what about personal relationships?

Maybe I find this so problematic because our society puts so much emphasis on being social and having relationships...I'm not sure, but it's a part that is lacking for me. I see that there is religion, there is family, the is marriage, etc but what about friendship or a good relationship with each other? Are our good actions More talks about suppose to be what makes a a good relationship with someone?

St. Benedict made every thing very intrapersonal, More had everything general about the society and important relationships such as husband and wife, but even then there were no feelings mentioned. Well, except, “in the choice of mate, which may cause delight or disgust for the rest of their lives, people are completely careless” because they are not seeing the entire package. What about marrying someone for who they are, not what they look like? (Before people start harping, I do understand that these are different times and marriage practices are much different). Peoples feelings are not really taken into consideration, except for fear or pleasure (which is connected to happiness).

Feelings are personal and identify with the individual which most of the works tend to take away when describing utopia: the removal of individuality. If there was one issue I found in all the works, I find this to be the most irritating. I want to do me, for me. I want to make me, my family, and my friends happy. I want to connect with them, be more for them than a neighbor or “daughter”.

Again, maybe it's because the works are looking more at society, but if they ignore feelings and individuality then they are ignoring a part of society that can lead to corruption. In utopia do people not have these feelings? Do they not desire to be extremely close? I just do not know and this I find frustrating because I want to know what these authors think of the issue.

In other utopian or dystopian novels I have read, the main characters connected with their feelings and individuality and had to leave the “utopian” societies. This may be the reason why I find this to be such an important aspect for me.

Word Count: 411

"Get thee to a Nunnery!"

Living in a monastery...surrounded by people, prayer, and peace. While I understand the they are a brotherhood and helpful to each other, I cannot say they have the relationships with others that I believe make us healthy human beings and lead us to a better, more utopic society. After all, they removed themselves from society rather than interacted with it.

After reading the assigned chapters of The Rules of St. Benedict, there were a few aspects I found of the monastic lifestyle appealing:

1. The Instruments of Good works
   1. while I can't say I agreed with all seventy-two ules, most of them appealed to me
2. Living within their means
   1. One has to realize what is necessary and what is not. Once we realize these means, I feel that our society would be a bit better.
3. Honesty
   1. With yourself, others, and your God.
4. Content
   1. We have to be happy with what we have, but as we mentioned yesterday the grass is always greener on the other side. However, if we can be content with what we have, then we will be more likely to live a better, more meaningful life
5. Punishment
   1. Any society or culture should have punishment. It just needs to be justified and match the crime. Physical punishment should only be used to the most severe crimes. And “God” should decide what they punishment should be. I am a firm believer in karma and therefore each person will get their due in life by the decisions they make.
6. Working
   1. Every person should have to work. It may not be a lot of physical labor, but as long as they are contributing to society in some way then they are doing their part to make a better life for themselves and others
   2. Working teaches a lot of valuable things: work ethic, integrity, responsibility, perseverance
7. Common Belief/Values
   1. If people can agree on values and what is important then nothing can stop them from working together to achieve happiness.
      
      
      

Now, I am not an atheist – I just do not know my religious beliefs or if I even do believe, I have to many questions that have to be answered that have yet to be. However, I feel that there is more to life than a deity...and that life should be lived for other reasons than loving and fearing God.

Mentioned in Plato's The Republic, he says that their should not be an excess of happiness and in the monastery there is no excess of anything. However, I think happiness should be one of the main goals in life and that some of the physical aspects of life help us find this happiness. Such as love of a partner, family, friendship, humor, laughter, identity, etc...(maybe I watch to many Disney movies) None of this is found in the document we read because they removed themselves from society or temptations...(if we can conquer our temptations, could we not conquer most anything?)

While a monastery may not be considered a utopia from a non-religious point of view, there are aspects or practices that I believe can lead to a better society. It is up to the people to put them into practice and follow them.

Images:

http://technorati.com/lifestyle/article/following-unwritten-rules/

http://weheartit.com/tag/and%20they%20lived%20happily%20ever%20after

Word Count: 573

"Shawty Had Them Apple Bottom Jeans..."

What: Remove brand names and logos from purchased goods

How: Have companies agree to keep their advertisement to billboards, commercials, and ads...not their customers

Why: I feel that when people see the names/brands of items others have, they are more quick to judge them without really thinking about what they are doing. I believe too much worth is put in/on what brand of item people have.

Brands...logos...they are everywhere you look. Even though you say you may not judge someone by what they are wearing (and by wearing, I mean displaying the name of the store or logo of their purchased goods), it sometimes happens unconsciously.

These names and logos on purchased goods give the viewer the feeling they can make judgments about a person right off the bat.

You see someone walk around with a shirt that says Gucci. A symbol on their pant pockets that lets you know they got their bottoms from American Eagle or Apple Bottom. A bag that has TH for Tommy Hilfiger all over it. A phone in a case that has a small circle on the back so the person that sees you knows that the very expensive phone in that very expensive case is an Apple product. 

(Notice how everything has a logo or brand? Even the coffee cup)

Why does our society put so much value on such necessary goods? That bitten apple on that phone increases its value ten fold. And one of the main reasons that phone is bought is because of the products name and logo. There are other, less expensive phones out there that have more capabilities and are less formal...but because everyone else has an iPhone you want it too.

What if our society removed the labels, brand names, and logos from the purchased good? This would remove much of the judgments people make prior to meeting someone, just based on their outer appearance.

I tried to put my plan into action (just for me) and was all set. My pockets were plain, I had no embroidered logos or brand names on my tops, my shoes were non-identifiable, I put a different case on my phone (yes, I have that phone), took a brown paper bagged lunch, etc. I went outside to turn my car on and realized I would have to cover up those as well, so I taped a piece of paper on them. I then made a cup of coffee to go and put in a plain travel mug, and went to grab my backpack for the day. That's when I realized my bag had JanSport Jon it, I was out of time to cover it up. So I left with the name brand on my back pack exposed.

As I got to school, I pulled out the bag in my car that had my laptop in it (a completely different bag) and realized that my bag had all those tiny “TH”'s embroidered on it and that my laptop had VAIO in big silver letters across the front. Later on I bought a water, that had Dasani written on it. No matter how hard I tried, I could not avoid labels and logos. 

Along with not being able to follow my own plan, I found myself still judging those that displayed their labels. Such as the jerk that cut me off on the highway because he had a sporty BMW and I was driving my tiny little Hyundai. He cut me off because he was in a nicer car, a more expensive car, and felt that he had the right to cut off a driver just because of the brand of car he had. While this may have been presumptuous of me, I still thought it...and then chastised myself for jumping to conclusions and judging someone just on the type of car he drives.

Even though this idea is not ground shaking or mind riveting, it is still a problem in our society. The first step in diminishing our prejudices of any kind (not just on what people have) is to acknowledge that there is prejudice, and that you are a culprit.

If you catch yourself making a quick judgment, then that is progress. Baby steps...your not gonna change the world in one day.

"Low" by FloRida

http://bendigofitness.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/human-billboard_thumb.jpg

http://www.polyvore.com/cgi/img-set/BQcDAAAAAwoDanBnAAAABC5vdXQKFkhES3g2dEp5UldhTEJNZXVBM0RMN2cAAAACaWQKAXgAAAAEc2l6ZQ.jpg

http://recognizeyourbrands.com/