Reading 15

This article proved very interesting to read considering I am a currently enrolled college student. Although I was lucky enough to not take out any loans to attend this university, mostly all of my friends had to. Witnessing them stressing out about balancing work and school even makes me stressed out even though technically I do not have to worry about that. I cannot even imagine having to carrying such a large financial burden on my back while simultaneously trying to keep up in all my classes. Witnessing people in my life who are in their late thirties and are still making steep student loan payments every month to continue to pay off their debts is unimaginable and makes me sad that my current friends will have to do the same. This article is frustrating to read because I cannot take one side without contradict my opinions on another aspect of the chain effect these changes with bring. I believe that the government should have limited involvement in businesses and private universities however I do disagree with the constant increase in tuition costs. If there wasn’t so much pressure to need an undergraduate degree in the work force, a third of all graduates wouldn’t be in debt right now. Overall, I have mixed views on this topic. 

Reading 14

This was one of the most interesting articles I have read so far. Obviously a morality pill that would correct all violent and harmful tendencies would save thousands of lives and be a cure to basically all crime. However if this world were made to have no sin or mortality, it would have been that way already. A science phenomenon cannot change the entire humanistic ways of a society. As brutal and awful as some people can be, the world has adapted. If we did not have crime, we would not have thousands of jobs that man our police and government defense forces. If we did not have psychopaths with abnormal brains, we would not have specialized doctors and hospitals to accommodate them. Yes, this would put a stop to the some hundreds of crimes that happen a year, but what about the hundreds of thousands of schools, jobs, and professions that would be dissipated because of it. Our free will is something that can never be tampered with because it has been deep rooted in not only our DNA but also, our history for thousands of years. Everything started with Adam and Eve and I do not think a pill will be substantial enough to convince millions of people to desert the belief of their right to free will. 

Reading 13

This article seems like a stretch, as if CBS sports were trying to rile up a media frenzy that didn’t happen. If this article was three pages long, I would have been thoroughly annoyed that I wasted my time reading it, but since it was four hundred words I couldn’t be bothered. I don’t really see what else Brady would say at a pep rally. If he said something the least bit negative, the media would jump all over it too. His comment was not the least bit inappropriate and the editor who let the story run should be receiving the brunt of this grief, not Brady. Even the competitors who I am sure have had their fair share of concussions can tell the difference between motivational and distasteful comments. At least the Giants did not jump on this story and retaliate because that would have been an even bigger mess. Playing football as a career is a privilege and making it to the super bowl is an even bigger one. The media’s ability to potentially ruin that for a player by misinterpreting a harmless comment is pretty ludicrous. I am not sure what else to say other then this article is very, very idiotic. 

Reading 12

I do and always have considered myself a republican. Interestingly enough, with two of the biggest controversial issues deciphering whether a person swings right or left, my opinions point me left. I one hundred percent condone the option of abortion as a last resort, not as a birth control, and I support the legalization of gay marriage. And reading an article like this only solidifies my views. People like Eddie Thompson make it really hard for me to understand things from the other perspective. Religion should play no part in the legalization of homosexual marriage because it should play no part in the government. Separation of church and state has been enforced for too long to allow Christian extremists to preach and sway the vote. Freedom of religion allows Americans to participate in any religion they choose as long as their practices do not harm others. Just because a group of people decide to believe in those values does not mean that everyone else must abide by them. Christians opposing the idea of same-sex marriage’s big argument is that the bible says marriage is between a man and a woman. If they were reasonable, they would understand that not everyone leads their life according to those writings and they cannot control what others chose to do or whom to love. Everyone should be held accountable for their own actions and that is it. America is not a dictatorship where one person or group of people has the right to command everyone to follow their customs. This solution seems so simple to me and hopefully soon people will acknowledge that. 

Reading 11

I thought this article was pretty interesting to read because I have never seen this issue in a published article besides Hugh Heffner’s fiancés in the tabloids. I can appreciate that larger age gap relationships have been growing more and more popular, but the way this author with the creepy profile picture depicted her own relationship turned me off. Regardless, I agree with her main claim that age is really just a number. Especially her quote at the end of the article where is said that people are just older and younger. I thought that was interesting point that definitely made sense to me. I remember in high school, if a freshman started dating a senior, it was the talk of the town. But when I came to college I saw a major difference. People didn’t care as much about what others were doing or whom they were dating and were more concentrated on their own life and goals. High school was a secluded and sheltered environment where your personal life was less then personal. But when you venture on to a different chapter in your life, people are more concerned with accomplishing their goals they have set to fulfill what they want to do for the rest of their lives and who someone in your graduating class dates, no matter what age, is of little importance. I think age gaps will always be spoken about, but will become gradually less and less exciting. 

Reading 10

This reading was a bit of a stretch for me. It seemed like the author looked up two studies and then wrote this article about them and then rambled on into the cultural effects of headphones. I think any common person would be able to recognize that blasting music in their ears everyday when they work out or walk to work is not beneficial to their hearing abilities. However, I do not believe that if someone does that for an hour a day (like during their workout) that they will be deaf in five years. Reading a statement like that clearly made me question the credibility of this writer. Then stumbling into her next point about how music should be a communal activity was just as unappealing. It is obviously unrealistic for everyone to walk around with speakers to share their music with the world because everyone would go insane. Headphones provide a quiet and peaceful environment that I am sure also prevents a lot of conflict. The teenager on the subway does not want to “share” the music of an older woman listening to classics. Without a doubt, this would cause issues. This article seemed like a high school student wrote it.