Two Annotations

1. Weiss, Elaine. "Paying Later." PEW Center on the States. (2011): 1-5. Web. 19 Mar. 2012. <http://www.readynation.org/uploads/20110124_02311PAESCrimeBriefweb3.pdf>.

This journal article is an issue from the publication “Partnership for America’s Economic success” that features details on how not investing in children at an early age will lead to higher future costs and negative effects including child abuse and neglect, criminal activity and drug and alcohol abuse.  “When we fail to invest early, children…are less likely to be healthy and more likely to be criminals”. Up to $740,000 is spent by the individual and society on illegal drug abuse and up to $200,000 on child abuse. These monies are divided up into tangible and intangible societal costs. Tangible includes items like prison beds, and prison food that have an actual cost and can be calculated. Intangible costs are consequences of child abuse, drug abuse and crime like pain and suffering that have costs but are not easily calculated like tangible items. The effects of child abuse on teens and adults are not only a burden on the individual victim but on society as a whole. Higher healthcare bills and costs to combat crime are paid by the nation, us taxpayers who might have nothing to do with any child abuse, crime or substance abuse in our entire lives yet we are forced as a society to pay for those victims.

This articles explains that our economy is weakened by these American’s who have these problems because they are more likely to be less educated and hold low income jobs that do cannot pay the tax expenses so the other half of the nation has to pay more in order to cover for those low income households.

2. "Alternatives to Incarceration." Criminal Justice Brief: Office of National Drug Control Policy. (2011): 1-5. Web. 19 Mar. 2012. <http://www.whitehouse.gov/sites/default/files/ondcp/Fact_Sheets/alternatives_to_incarceration_policy_brief_8-12-11_0.pdf>.

The article “Alternatives to Incarceration” does give alternatives to the prison system in order to “break the cycle of drug abuse and crime” but also gives important background information on the link between drug abusers primarily and the cost taxpayers must pay for managing the growing population of drug abusers and criminals put into the prison system. “Nearly seven million American adults are under supervision of the state and Federal criminal justice system” which could arguably be due to early childhood abuse and leads to an economic problem for families who now must pay rising taxes.  This article also shows the outcomes and problems we have to deal with as a society as a result of so many criminals and drug abusers that could be an effect of child abuse. Because of the financial burden this quickly increasing problem in America is creating, we must now dedicate more time and money to alternative plans to incarceration and rehabilitation programs when the issue might be abuse and neglect early on in the offenders’ lives. Perhaps instead of creating all these different alternatives like drug courts and new probation/parole programs that are mentioned in this article, we should focus on how children grow up early on in society and educate our school systems and the general public about warning signs that could mean child abuse and neglect in the home. This alternative to the alternatives could possibly be more beneficial and get at the root of the problem instead of just letting the problem continue to grow and spending more and more money on adult criminals and substance abusers. 

Revised Thesis

Revised thesis: Child abuse does not only hurt the child exclusively but also society at large due to the increased likelihood of criminal behavior and substance abuse that, in turn, leads to an economical burden on society.

-Arguments on statistics of child abuse leading to criminal behavior and substance abuse, articles showing how criminal behavior and substance abuse are becoming an economical burden on society and can be very expensive, and linking the two to show the possibility of child abuse being the root of the economical problem with prisons and public rehabilitation programs. Also exploring the possible solution (the solution being investing in children at an early age) to the economical problem with prisons and public rehabilitation programs that cost us more money in the long run- getting at “the root” of the problem being child abuse instead of waiting for the negative behavior to come up and then spending money on the creation of other alternatives to prisons and public rehabilitation programs.

Thesis Questions & Statements

Questions: 

1. Is it permissible for parents or legal guardians to spank their children as discipline instead of using reasoning? 

2. Is abortion permissible or not? Why or why not?

3. How has the media affected how and the rate at which children mature? Whether it be positive or negative

Statements: 

1. Although the idea of physical discipline of children is looked down upon, "Spanking" should be a permissible form of discipline because it proves to bring about more positive outcomes than negative. 

2. Although most would claim that abortion is wrong, based on the specific traits that qualify a being as a person, it can be argued that abortion is not morally wrong because it is not technically the killing of a living person. 

3. Children’s exposure to the media (computer, tv, ect.) should be more closely monitored due to the growing negative influence of the media on how, and the rate at which, children mature. 

Power free write

    It has been difficult for me to really grasp the synthesis paper and how to relate the three texts from Berger, Focault, and Kanye West. They each have seemingly similar approaches to the concept of power with different "flavors", I would say. Although I am not yet sure how to format this paper, I do have a few ideas based on mostly Berger and West. I find it interesting to note that Kanye West's ""Power" music video is a busy jumble of moving images of mostly women but then at the end all of the sexually provocative images are taken away revealing two men going at each other with swords. This sort of plays on Berger's idea that reproduced images can show a different meaning than the original especially when cropped a certain way. The jumbled images in the majority of Kanye West's video can be seen as the "original" image and the two men at the end is the "reproduction" of the original image, Berger says that reproduced images are "material for the filmmaker's argument" (154) or in this case, Kanye West's view of the government. Another idea I have for relating Berger and Kanye is Berger's explanation of the mystification of art into a "holy relic" and how Kanye's music video almost takes on the appearance of a holy relic or religious painting. Foucault might be the most difficult author to connect to the others but I am thinking of arguing that the panopticon can be used in a way to gain power but only if someone is in the observatory watching the others, Berger says that reproductions try to hold power when in fact they do not, they can only be used in ways to hold power as you (Jake) said in your blog, that reproductions can be used to gain power in politics, perhaps the panopticon has the same quality- unless the prisoners or whoever is in the cells know they are being watched, if so, the panopticon is the ultimate place of power. 

However, these are just thoughts, rough ones that I can hopefully organize and synthesize in a better way for the synthesis paper.

Foucault's "Panopticon"

Foucault writes about the connection between power and knowledge in his novel Discipline and Punish and also describes the "panopticon" and its relation to discipline and power. "The formation of knowledge and the increase of power regularly reinforce another in a circular process" (306) meaning that with power comes knowledge and with knowledge comes power.  Power and knowledge relate to discipline in a way that, by dividing up our knowledge into disciplines, we are essentially distributing power by distributing knowledge. By distributing knowledge (and essentially knowledge) they can educate the public and produce more productive members of society. This way, there is no one person in power because power is being distributed; it is not a property or attribute of any one person (unlike a monarch, etc.) and therefore, society itself is responsible for power and each other. The panopticon is used as a vehicle of power because it allows visibility. The panopticon is a building where all cells can be seen at all times, ensuring power since visibility is a way of defining power.  The panopticon was meant to develop and improve the economy by spreading education and bettering public morality.

"Why Bother?" vs. Madsen

   Kyle Madsen makes a few points against my article "Why Bother?" that I believe do argue a good point however may also just be misunderstandings of my attitude toward the “going green trend” (Madsen 113). Although I do show a very dominant angle of vision in this article and strongly emphasize the “garden-growing” approach, I do not think that is the only way we can cut back on our environmental consumption in order to save the planet.  Contrary to Madsen’s comment that garden growing is the only solution given in my article, I do also mention biking to work, turning the thermostat lower, hang drying laundry, buying a hybrid vehicle, and eating locally grown foods. There are many other ways to reduce our carbon footprint but perhaps garden growing is one that produces many positive outcomes “some of them directly related to climate change” (Pollan 93) but also exercise for our own bodies by working in the garden and a feeling of self accomplishment when able to provide completely for ourselves. Although Madsen does make a good point that I could have discussed “more realistic alternatives such as pursuing smart consumerism…” my article does form a strong case for Americans to consider choosing one or two things to change in order to slowly “reduce [our] sense of dependence and dividedness” (Pollan 93) on cheap-energy. 

A Summary & Analysis of Geertz's Deep Play

      As Americans, we do not necessarily hear about the Balinese nor even know much about their culture at all. Geertz chooses to explore this culture not expecting to learn much at all, because of their closed off attitudes, but indeed becomes welcomed into the community soon enough to be able to observe the strange pastimes the Balinese men partake in.

     It is interesting to note the connection between the Balinese male and his rooster. He will pamper it as if it was his child and spend so much time with it even though the Balinese want to keep away from animal acts or acting animal like that they will eat quickly if in public and are embarrassed to do any acts similar to those that animals do. Throughout the passage, Geertz explains the underlying theme and motif for the cockfights- they are a way for the men to express their masculinity. Instead of playing sports like we do in America, the Balinese would find this much too like animal behavior and instead have these roosters fight for them.

This is almost opposite to how we think as Americans but maybe they are getting somewhere. Wouldn’t it be more humane to have animals like roosters, fight for us rather than us humans getting hurt and fighting each other? We go through so much work to make sure that there are animal rights and that animals are treated right but in the same way there is still small forms of slavery in the world and, in a way that is much worse. In no way am I against animal rights, I personally love all animals, but in terms of this argument perhaps expressing our animal-like behaviors: anger, masculinity, power, pride and the rest of the motives Geertz mentions, would be to our advantage through something like cockfighting.  

So, in the final analysis, it can be argued that Geertz uses the Deep Play to express a kind of acceptance of the cockfighting opposed to what the Balinese government and police might believe. Maybe Geertz is claiming that something like cockfighting is positive for a society; it brings about happiness, culture, community, and is in fact, a safer way to express our emotions contrasting to how it might sound at first.