bonus 12 Repsonse Willy Wonka and Murder castle Montaya

Willy Wonka and the chocolate factory was a very confusing movie, it was hard to understand the true meaning of everything that happened to the children. I loved this post I Never Really thought of the Willy Wonka Factor in this sense. The post made me think in depth of the producer creating the movie.  As a young girl I was scared of the Willy Wonka Factor, until I got older and realize what the scenes in the movie were not that scary. Fear does have a big influence on how every person understands movies or enjoys them. This film is supposed to be a great children’s movie but unlike most it is not about a fairytale or a comedy in which Jacob brings light to that the several points is his argument. After reading this post I realize that the movie is really set in its own category and is really influenced by the events of its time.  The music within the film was very contradictory to the bright colors as was discussed. The music was like horror music and made the tension very thick while watching the show. I like how Jacob used a very famous image of the boat ride in which very loud crazy music played.  I instantly saw the scene replay in my head as soon as I saw the image. The scene made you think that the contestants had made a very bad decision to go to the chocolate factory and was the first image in my mind while reading the post. As a young girl I thought that after this scene something really bad was going to happen. In most scenes when a kid was going to do something bad, or after they did something bad crazy music came on, which kid of started a classical conditioning theory for viewers. The Scene where the girl turned blue after chewing the gum scared me every time. Jacob did a great job with his argument comparing the murder castle to the Willy Wonka factory. The point about Willy Wonka being the opposite of H.H. Holmes murder of people during the 1893 Chicago World’s Fair and encouraging children with Sarcasm really made me think about the true meaning of the movie. In the movie several times Willy Wonka used reverse psychology on the children which set them up for failure to do things and made the other children feel like he was a good guy still by sending ompaloopas to help them.  The point of how the camera turns is affecting how the story is portrayed is a great detail of how the small things really make a big impact. The post explains a lot of psychological mind blown events an Jacob does a great job of breaking them down for readers of his blog to understand them.  Also, Jacob did a great job in the argument using the stranger Danger movement as proof of why, and the way the movie was produced.  I agree with Jacob that in the end willy Wonka is a horrifying Stanger danger film.  This post was great and I agree with all the points explained within this post.

Bonus 12 - Response to Sam's Bonus 9 "Who has the Right?" by JJ Leath

        Deciding who can write about sensitive topics such as the Holocaust or disabilities is extremely complex, because it is a balancing act. On one hand, we have a desire for freedom of expression. The censorship of ideas is rarely a good idea. Freedom of expression, dialogue, and speech is crucial to a democracy. On the other hand, we don't want to see misinformation spread or tragedies get exploited for financial gain. I chose to respond to Sam's post because she makes a particular point that I think can help with this balancing act. In the first paragraph of her post, she writes "As readers, it is our own responsibility to interpret these stories as we see best". I think that this a great way to look at how we can balance these conflicting desires for open, honest discourse in our society. 

        I do think that there needs to be censorship of bad ideas, but I think that this censorship should be enforced not by some systematic rule, but rather by the discretion of the public. As readers, it is our responsibility to identify bad ideas and expose authors who are exploiting tragedies. I have every right to compose a paper arguing that the sky is in fact green, and nobody has the right to block me from doing this. However, it is the responsibility of the public to identify and expose this as incorrect. The same goes for the exploitation of tragedy. As Sam also said in her post, "anyone is entitled to say or feel whatever they like". No one has the right to tell an author what is acceptable and unacceptable to write about. If an author writes something exploitative, however, it is the responsibility of the public to expose this. I think this is how we can strike a balance between the conflicting desires of free speech and the condemnation of bad or exploitative works. 

        Further, Sam had another line that I thought was powerful: "Authors tend to go based off of their own research, feelings, and experiences. Therefore, it is easier to have an open mind and try to understand where they are coming from as opposed to disputing it all." I think this speaks towards how we progress as a society. Many ideas accepted now were controversial at the time of publication. The Earth being round and the sun being the center of the universe were highly controversial ideas when they were first published. If it were up to the ruling class at the time, these ideas may have never seen the light of day. Even if we read something that we don't agree with at first, we should always approach things with an open mind with understanding as our goal. 

        Overall, I thought that think that there were thought provoking lines in this post. What I think there was to be learned was that we cannot systematically censor writings, but rather it needs to be the public that accepts or rejects the works of authors. Further, I think a great lesson in this post is that we need to be careful of how quickly we dismiss an author's work. We need to approach new ideas with an open mind and a goal of understanding. 

        

Bonus: Response to Kathleen's Post by Bailey West

I do agree with Kathleen's post and I think she brings some good points to the discussion. Humor and the concept of offensive jokes are a hot topic- especially as we begin to evaluate being politically correct and how far to go with it. I honestly think it's a sticky subject and I don't have a firm opinion on it. I think there is some weight to the side that we use humor as a coping mechanism and in the environment of humor you know not to take things seriously. However, as Kathleen mentioned, different audiences will be impacted differently by the joke. I think her point about people of different generations would be impacted differently by certain humor. I hadn't thought of this point but I think it's very relevant to the discussion. I think it's important to recognize how humor would have different impacts on different generations. Usually people that are older and had first hand experiences with injustices would react differently. For example, an older person that knew people killed in the Holocaust definitely wouldn't find those jokes funny. Or people that lived through the Civil Rights Movement and had to deal with segregation probably wouldn't find racist jokes funny. These people are closer to the injustices that we sometimes joke about. However, generations like mine are a bit more removed. We know it's still "bad" to joke about these, but it happens and is funnier to some people because it's so shocking to joke about.

I honestly don't have a firm opinion on whether or not this humor is wrong. I think that it has to be very carefully placed in order to be considered funny. That includes thinking about who the audience is- their age, race, class. People have different humor and it's sometimes hard to judge what will appeal to them- or how they'll react to controversial jokes. I think as long as it's done with no ill intention, it's usually OK but it just depends. There will always be people that find it funny and some people that don't. I do like that Kathleen played in the middle of this, too. Personally once I look at some of the jokes deeper I also see how it's offensive and could be more offensive if said by someone else. I agree with that part of Kathleen's argument. I also think, though, that humor is hard to restrict. Many people argue that it's not meant to be taken seriously, but at the same time I see how it's a reflection of our culture and values. I like that Kathleen took a deeper look into the situation that wasn't just one-sided. I like that she looked to the viewpoints of others, especially people from different generations, because that can be eye-opening to how humor impacts people differently. Overall it was a good post that went to a deeper level to examine whether or not these controversial jokes should be considered funny. I think that we should be sensitive to the topic because really no side is right or wrong.

Bonus #12: Response to Aly Bonus 8 by Kathleen Paxtor

First of all, props to you Aly for getting it together this semester. I really wish I would have gotten a better routine so I wasn’t stuck writing papers at 1 a.m. I really like how you tried out a new system and explained it. It seemed like it really worked well for you. It made me think that I should incorporate this into my next semester classes because I usually live on the motto “living life day by day” and it really does screw me over many times. I love that with this system you have more time to hang out with friends and family and relax which I think is super important. Trying to balance school, friend, family, work, and a social life are almost impossible but you seem to have it figured out. Good luck on your Law School Admission Test! I too understand what you mean with having huge ambitions and getting carried away. Growing up in a poor family and becoming a first generation college student makes me feel like I have to do a lot to make my parents proud. I plan on going to Medical School and becoming a Pediatrician. Medical school is really hard to get into and I really wish I would have had better time management throughout my school years. I think that not really knowing what I was getting myself into with college in general was terrifying because I had no one to guide me I had to figure it out all on my own and now that I have I feel like it was too late. When I first read your bonus I became really interested in your system because these next few remaining semesters really count. I need shadowing hours, community service, study for my actual classes as well as the MCAT, work, church, gym, and family time; I feel like there aren’t enough hours in a day to do everything I need to. You inspired me to really think about how I manage my time, I would too love to be stress free and sleep more. I sleep on average 4-5 hours a day and sometimes it really gets to me. Next semester I plan on removing myself from all social media by deleting my apps and Netflix if I see that my grades are slipping. I too will make sure I plan my homework 3 days ahead so I don’t fall behind. Congratulation on making healthy life choices too! I recently have as well and it only adds more things to do on my schedule. I have to work in meal prepping and gym time which reduces my sleep/free time but it will all be worth it. I have lost 40 pounds since January 12 so that is one thing that I have going for me so far lol. But either way thank you for sharing this new system and I hope that everything works out in your favor—if I ever need a lawyer I will know who to call.

Response to Brandon's Bonus 8 by Kyra Moore.

I think that most college students can agree with majority of the sentiments stated in this bonus. I know a lot of college students who also experience burnout, especially as this semester comes to a close. College is arguably one of the most trying times in a person’s life. More times than not, we have to juggle school, extracurricular activities, applying for professional development opportunities, applying to scholarships, church (if applicable), family issues, maintaining a social life, trying to maintain a healthy lifestyle and the list goes on. College is where people from all walks of life gather in the name of one thing- education. I have respect for each and every college student, it is not easy by any means but I feel that it is definitely worth it. To every college student reading this, you have my unconditional respect. I am extremely proud that we have all made it thus far- however it is that we got here. Do not let societal constraints nor the opinions of others define you nor your success. Your journey in life is very specific to you and you only. While we all know that it is going to be tough and become overbearing at times, it is my hope that you find the strength to carry on as I know that we all can. It is absolutely okay to be a wreck, what matters most is that we do to remedy the things that are a wreck in our lives. Any stride towards success in adverse times is a magnanimous one.

My favorite part of the post was the actual layout of how Brandon planned to better his “body, ethic, and spirit.” I also greatly appreciated the acknowledgement of how these steps can be taken one at a time- “though it’s not necessary that every step betters each virtue all together, like a toddler its best to take it one step at a time.”

I am an avid planner as it pertains to how to efficiently execute all of the assignments that I have to complete, but never an avid planner as it pertains how to efficiently execute life. I think that myself, and other college students as well, would greatly benefit from doing this type of planning. It could potentially make the load that is getting your life together seem substantially lighter. In light of it being finals season, I think that I may implement this strategy fairly soon, especially in the summertime.

In addition, I am also striving towards some of the same goals presented in this blog post. I too am “trying” to live a healthier lifestyle. The time consuming apparatus that is college makes this fairly difficult I must say. Convenient eating, which is ideal as a college student, more times than not promotes me to make unhealthy food decisions. Currently, I am researching how to eat more clean on a college student budget. I plan to implement these tactics over the summer and have them carry on to next school year. Wish me luck!

Overall, this was a very enjoyable and refreshing read nonetheless. I have gathered some tips for life and found comfort in this read.