Lee McKinnis (57)
Kristina Marynczak (37)
Killian Noonan (36)
Melissa Castillo (32)
NikoVelazquez (27)
Shannon Ratzel (23)
Michelle Reyes (22)
Kyle Barczak (21)
Maura Bilek (21)
Susan Bayaa (21)
The Transgender Struggle For Equality
The issue I’ve chosen to discuss is discrimination, but more specifically, the discrimination of the 20 million or so transgender people around the globe. “Transgender” is a term [that] was coined in the 1990s to describe individuals whose appearance, behavior, or self-identification varies from binary gender norms (Denny). Many people view gender as a spectrum rather than through the binary “male or female” filter, but for the purposes of this discussion the focus will be on MTF (male to female) and FTM (female to male) trans-identified individuals. Typically a transgender person will express that from a very young age they’d felt as if their body was incorrect. Feelings such as being a girl in a boy’s body or vice-versa are commonly reported. The worldwide population of transgendered people is difficult to put a number on, but one estimate suggests their number is greater than 20 million (Kidd). 20 million people should not have to face daily discrimination for being themselves. No one should ever be afraid to express who they are.
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Kevin Jaderberg
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Kevin Jaderberg
I think the point of activism is to change the world. Activists acknowledge certain issues and identify their root causes. An activist is someone who wants to leave the world a better place than the way they found it. The act of service may be more instantly gratifying, but neglects to confront the central causes of an issue. As we discussed in class, providing service is almost like taking medication to alleviate symptoms rather than finding a cure. I think the guiding principle in my work is my world view which is based upon humanity, tolerance and peace. These ideas have and will continue to be the central force behind my writing.
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Kevin Jaderberg
Rajeev Goyal has long been a member of the Peace Corps. and probably one of their most valuable assets. He has done tons of work improving the livelihood of villages overseas. Most notably, he resourcefully directed the construction of a pipeline to make water retrieval easier in a village in eastern Nepal. I think you could even make the argument that he brought the Peace Corps. back from the brink of extinction. He uses relentless networking techniques and face-to-face interviews with those in power to get what he wants. I think Rajeev’s greatest characteristic is his outside perspective on the inner-workings of our government and his unconventional approach to getting things done; one such approach those “in-the-know” refer to as bird-dogging. He directly confronts members of the government with requests for support for the Peace Corps. But it’s not just that he wants whatever money he can get, he sees it as counterproductive to take money out of other peace keeping programs to fund his own. He’d much rather see the money taken out of the over-sized foreign military programs (Hessler). His unconventional tactics can be interpreted as bold, even pushy to those in Washington who aren’t used to the behavior but let’s face it, he does get results. Through his work, the value of an acre of land in the village of Namje went from $300 to $10,000. Perhaps he is not solely responsible for this boost in value, but his work almost certainly had an effect on it.
Hessler, Peter. “A Reporter at Large, Village Voice, The Peace Corps’s Brightest Hope.” The New Yorker. 2010. pgs 101-109. splatter.writing101.net -
Kevin Jaderberg
For the “Who will survive?” project, our group ended up flipping a coin to determine the fate of each survivor. The reason that most groups did not do this was because they approached the problem logically. How do we best rebuild society? Who do we keep? Who do we remove? The problem with this logic-based approach is that it ignores the fact that each human being has an equal right to live. It does not matter what you’ve done, how old or how young you are; your basic right to live is universal.
When we formed our group, I attempted to challenge the logic of each decision by pushing this universal right. First of all, you ask for volunteers. Naturally, not many people are going to choose to die, but those that do are helping to protect the future of humanity. After you’ve asked for volunteers, you draw straws. This random selection is the only way to give everyone an equal chance to live. Each human being exists by chance. In fact, everything there is was born out of chance. I just thought embracing this idea was only fair. Each member in the group reluctantly agreed that flipping a coin would be the only unbiased way to pick our survivors.Let me be clear, I understand that when you’re building a society, the fittest of mind and body offer the most promising results. That’s the logical conclusion, but I personally don’t feel that you can justify killing with logic. It’s just not human. When you ignore your sensibilities, and let cold logic determine who lives and who dies, what have you become?
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Kevin Jaderberg
I can’t say I fully understood the motivation behind Dave Eggers story What It Means When A Crowd In A Faraway Nation Takes A Soldier Representing Your Own Nation, Shoots Him, Drags Him From His Vehicle And Then Mutilates Him In The Dust, but I enjoyed the piece nonetheless. I felt that I could personally relate to the character in the story. He is described as suffering from unease and tension for reasons he did not know. I’m familiar with this sort of restless behavior, but I couldn’t figure out what the connection to the photo of the dead soldier was. In the story he had been feeling this anxiety for the last year, but only saw the photo that morning. “He’d never felt this kind of untouchable ennui, but he had been feeling it for a year”, “The man had seen the picture that morning, in the newspaper” (Eggers) I was also confused by his inexplicable reaction to the photo itself. I guess I understand why he would be angry, but he takes it further by saying that because it was one of his people in a foreign nation, his anger was intensified. Why should his reaction be different in the case of a young family drowning in a lake? Is it a matter of pride? That’s basically all I could think of. The man is proud of his country and gets pissed because some foreigners desecrated the corpse of his countryman. All in all, I enjoyed the style of the story, but I don’t think I understand what the author was trying to say.
Eggers, Dave. “How We Are Hungry”, What It Means When A Crowd In A Faraway Nation Takes A Soldier Representing Your Own Nation, Shoots Him, Drags Him From His Vehicle And Then Mutilates Him In The Dust. McSweeney’s, 2004. pgs 17-18. Splatter.writing101.net 2012 -
Kevin Jaderberg
The Case for Living
Life and death are the ultimate concepts. Every single person must experience both, but not many people agree on what they mean. I would wager that humankind’s earliest thoughts were on the subject of life and death. Existence and non-existence, known and unknown; these are thought-provoking concepts. Death looms like a shade in the mind. The sheer mystery of it can be overwhelming, even scary. It defies reason. Our fear of death can be so potent; it is sometimes used against us as a means of control. The threat of non-existence is a powerful device. Our minds cannot comprehend non-existence and we place a proportionally high value on existence, on living. With stakes as high as these, we can learn a lot about ourselves when we contemplate the nature of life and death.
We’re born without our consent into circumstances that for the most part, we can’t control. These circumstances largely shape us into who we are and who we will be. As we grow older, we have the ability to make more choices, but these choices cannot exceed the means of our respective circumstances. For instance, poor people do not have the means to run for political office. Poor people don’t get to choose between the private jet or the private yacht. People are restricted by their means, and in many cases they have little control over what those means consist of. There isn’t always a choice. I live because I live. What logic can I add to that? I can tell you some of the things I enjoy doing, but that doesn’t answer the question ‘What do you live for?’ I just live. Death is hardly an alternative. I don’t see it as a choice really. If it is, it’s only within cases of extreme suffering. I live because nothingness is a shitty option, and it’s the only other one we’ve got. I will live until my body can no longer sustain life. After that, my troubles will be over.
I believe that our existence is inherently meaningless and that there is no greater purpose to each life. That being said, many good people have brought about meaningful and lasting change into our world. Was this their purpose? I don’t believe so, but I do believe in the differences they made. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. died of a gunshot wound. Was it destiny? No, it’s simply what happened. He led a movement towards equality that continues today. He could have stayed home, but he didn’t. That man decided to stand up against overwhelming odds because he knew he was right. To say that it was simply his purpose, or worse, that god worked through him is an insult to his courage. I think the idea of purpose is a label we apply in retrospect so that we can create the illusion of order in a chaotic system.
I think it should be our responsibility as human beings to inflict as little suffering on each other and all living things as possible. We should strive to ease discomfort in all of its forms. It’s bad enough that we’re here; we might as well try to help one another through it. Is that what I live for? No, it’s just what I would like to see humanity working towards.
I think the question ‘What would you die for?’ has to be the most difficult of the three. Our number one imperative as conscious beings is survival. What could possibly bypass this instinct? Saying you’d jump in front of a bullet to protect a loved one is all well and good, but actually performing the action? It’s a different story when your brain is overflowing with adrenaline trying to choose between fight and flight. Since we have only one life to live and any form of afterlife is about as unlikely as a bearded man in the sky who fancies winning football games for some people while simultaneously starving others to death, I’d say dying for anything seems rather silly. I don’t think dying is something I could ever choose, for any reason. I believe our greatest priority should be to live as good examples. We should spend whatever time we have trying to shape the world into a better place for everyone. If my death happened to push the world a little further in the right direction, that’s great, but death is not a tool. We’re not here to die. We’re just here. We should make the best of it by living, not by dying. Today, many people martyr themselves in an attempt to spark change and some are successful in doing so. I feel that we should work towards a future that is embarrassed of that. We should work towards building a global community that holds life in the highest regard. Change should not come in response to a death toll. True progress should come from good people living their lives fighting for what’s right.
Killing is bad. We know that. It’s not a difficult concept. And yet, in spite of this basic knowledge, the war machine keeps churning and bodies continue to pile up. The idea that people are willing to kill for their country is ghastly. Murdering people thousands of miles away from America doesn’t somehow ensure our protection. Explain to me how the slaughter of innocent women, children and seniors protects my freedom to write these words. It doesn’t. It just makes me mad. Above all things, I am a pacifist. I haven’t killed an ant in years (not intentionally anyway). I shouldn’t have to imagine a scenario in which I’m forced to kill or be killed. If I’m not in the situation, I can’t honestly imagine what my actions would be. This isn’t a movie. The last thing I would ever want to do is take a life, human or otherwise. However, in the interest of a word count, I’ll conjure up a scenario. If someone was about to kill a member of my immediate family, and the only way I could stop it from happening was to kill them first, I would do so. There is something primal about the relationship we have to our siblings, parents and (I imagine) children. It’s as if we have a biological duty to protect our family, our blood. Since it’s unlikely that this scenario would ever become a reality, I’m going to reiterate: Killing is just wrong. The act of killing another living thing violates its most basic right. People that don’t understand that are sick. Now, you can’t blame them completely; in most cases they’ve been brainwashed into some ideology or another. Fear of life and death pushes people to delusions of god, heaven or whatever. People are susceptible to these fictions because they’re scared. People are scared of what they don’t understand, the unknown: death. So ironically, fear of death is ultimately what leads them into the battlefield to get shot at. Death glorified, murder justified and another life wasted.
The fact is we’re only here for so long. Nothing is worth throwing what little time you have away. Life is the most valuable asset. It’s what sets Earth apart. I don’t care what they’re selling you; your life is too valuable. It’s more valuable than any idea, no matter how grand. Anyone who tells you different is either lying or they’ve already been gotten to. Stay away from that person. The best you can do is hope that one day the spell will be broken, and they will see the truth.
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Kevin Flores
I like your paper and the way you wrote it, it really attracts the reader and you state your point of veiw very well. I cant really say i agree with you 100% when you say that we dont have a purpose in life I think that were allhere for reason and we can either choose to make a difference or not do anything with it and it is entirelly up to us. I feel that if someone is willing to die for something they beielve in it is entirelly up to them. I put in my paper that alot of people talk alot of crap that they would die or kill for something they beieve in but would most likeley coward out at the last minute when they are faced with death but not every one is like that. There are people who feel about something so strongly that they are willing to give their life for it and then those people are then remebered. And if they were willing to give their life for it that was their choice and I feel that we can only have our opinions about it and cannot judge their desicion. The same goes with the religion part we all have our own opinions about religious beliefs every one has their own beleifs about life and death. Overall though I liked your paper I got to see some of your beleifs and veiws on what You live, kill, and would die for.
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Nick Kleopa
I think your paper was very thought out and it makes the reader fall into it. The sentences and examples you used were very good and appropriate for this topic. You really make the reader think about his or her decision’s. Most of your examples are very good and paint a nice picture for whoever is reading. On the subject of saying that we don’t have a purpose in life, as I respect your opinion I have to completely disagree. I think everyone who is born has a purpose. They are given choices to make and if they complete everything to the best of their ability, their so called “purpose in life” will be fulfilled. Everyone can accomplish anything in my opinion, and I feel that everyone is born for a reason. That is in my own opinion off course. Another thing was when you were saying you didn’t agree with the war machine, I once again respect your views but I myself have an entirely different way of looking at it. If someone is willing to fight for our country overseas or wherever they are in the world I feel that that is what they want to do. They feel that is their duty and those are their views. There really isn’t any need to get mad but I do understand where your logic is coming from. As long as they are extremely careful and only take away the “bad seeds” then I have no problem with it. All in all your paper was very interesting and it gave me some different perspectives.
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Klem Bachleda
The opening paragraph to your paper is great. It pulls the reader into it. It shows depth and meaning. But then the rest of the essay seems somewhat repetitive and straight forward. What I mean is all that I got from it was “Live to live”, “Killing is bad” and “I won’t die for anything.” I mean there are examples of why you just live to live, but stating that nothingness is a shitty option doesn’t really justify why you “live”. If that were true, why do you attend school? Why do you drive the car you drive? What are you majoring in? Why are you majoring in that field? There are questions to ask after answering the initial questions that might get you to think about why you live a little more.
Another thing is the statement you made that “our existence is inherently meaningless and that there is no greater purpose to each life” I would have to greatly disagree with. if that statement were true, then why would killing somebody be an issue. If their life is meaningless, then why let the other person live. Same as death, if there’s no greater purpose to each life, why not die? I do somewhat understand the points you are trying to make, but some of it does seem contradicting.-
Kevin Jaderberg
“Live to live”, “Killing is bad” and “I won’t die for anything.” Actually that sums up my views perfectly, thanks for paraphrasing.
I’m going to school to kill time, I don’t have a major, and I drive the car I drive because it’s the only one I have keys for. The suggestion that I would live for any of these things is somewhat silly. Your life is not the culmination of the things you own or waste your time doing. Life is breathing, being awake. Life is the absence of death. The assigned question roughly translated would read “Why don’t you kill yourself?” That’s a pretty silly question, don’t you think?
Our value is not determined by some inherent meaning. Just because there’s no purpose to life, doesn’t mean people are worthless. Things such as decency do not rely on purpose.
My argument revolves around the word ‘purpose’. ‘Purpose’ suggests there is something bigger than yourself determining your actions. ‘Purpose’ implies you do not have full control over what you do.
‘Purpose’ implies we are bound by fate, which we are not. -
Kevin Jaderberg
Also, thanks for your comments.
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Killian Noonan
Your paper was quite remarkable to read. Indeed like myself in my paper you hold strong views and opinions. It is very interesting how we were paired up to read and comment on each others essays. Though yours was very interesting to read. Your paper said and held very cut and dry statements. Which really captured my eye, because you were telling it like it is and there was no censorship. Much like my paper. I indeed got a better understand of you and your views of life and death. I also would very much like it if we continued the discussion about my views in my paper, though certainly that can wait for another day. Your paragraph on killing strikes me in particular as exceptionally well written and thought out. I feel like in that paragraph alone is where the back bone of your opinion lies. It is where you made the most unconventional statements that really caught my eye. Although we hold opposite views on matters of life, death and killing, I can respect your view and stand point. I indeed have seen the movie The Guard, the main character was Brendan Gleeson, quite a character. All in all this was interesting to read, and you mentioned several examples in there such as Martin Luther King, which really gave it strength. Very good job mo chara (my friend).
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Kevin Jaderberg
I think a person who is ecologically literate is someone who is aware of the state of the environment in which they play a significant part. I believe that I am only somewhat knowledgeable in this regard. I’m aware of the fact that climate change is a significant issue we face as a global community, but I can’t say that I’m actively doing anything to hinder its progress. I’m of the opinion that Western society has an industrial obsession centered on profits. Instead of directing our collective efforts towards viable renewable energy sources, our focus is predominately on drilling in one country or another. I understand that a large portion of our global economy is based upon the importing and exporting of oil and that we can’t simply stop altogether, but a shift in priorities is vital if we want our planet to be inhabitable for future generations. In The Web of Life, relationships within ecosystems are discussed thoroughly as well as humankind’s relationship to the greater ecosystem known as Earth. Ecosystems are cyclical in nature, while our industrial system of exponential growth is linear (Capra). This relationship is truly unsustainable. This system of ever-expanding profits operates with a sort of tunnel vision. There is a dollar sign at the end of this tunnel, and the number next to it is never quite large enough. Those in control of this system want to cut government spending on programs like the EPA because it threatens to stand in the way of profitability. I wholeheartedly agree with the author that great changes need to be made before it’s too late. The idea that we can base our system on the cyclical nature of ecosystems is interesting and thought provoking.
Capra, Fritjof “The Web of Life”-
Prof McGuire
Your citation needs some attention. Use the Fister MLA trifold that you purchased for this course as a resource to get you started.
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Melissa Castillo, 
Kevin Jaderberg, 
Killian Noonan and one other person are discussing. 
Klem Bachleda and 2 others are discussing. 
Klem Bachleda 9:35 pm on February 28, 2012 Permalink | Log in to Reply
WOW. I have to congratulate you on this paper. Honestly, I never gave it thought that transgender might be an issue. I mean, obviously for some, they might have problems with it, but for me? Never crossed my mind. I guess I have more important things to worry about than what gender one claims they are. I have no issue with transgender and that’s probably why I never thought about it. But the use of language and examples in your paper make it meaningful. I like the personal experience you wrote with what your friend stated. I also like the statistics you incorporated into the essay. I also like the fact that you identified the three transgender individuals in Obama’s Administration. This shows that Obama would have no issues trying to help out educating America about the discrimination against transgender individuals.
One thing that threw me off a little was “We’re the god damn human race.” That made me think you were snapping pencils in half and screaming while writing this. It was good.
Kevin Jaderberg 10:12 am on February 29, 2012 Permalink | Log in to Reply
thank you! I appreciate the comments.
Killian Noonan 7:59 pm on February 29, 2012 Permalink | Log in to Reply
Caoimhín, first off I would like to say what a phenomenal job was done into this paper. I think out of all the ones I peer reviewed or saw on the dash board this is the most unorthodox. The reason being is that we hear so much of gay and lesbian rights, that we forget about the large number of transgender. Which as I’ve just read is a staggering twenty million. Indeed a number that will not diminish over night. I am one for everyone to be treated equal as well. The enjoyment I get out of reading your papers are the bold comments that are throughout it. For instance, “We’re the god damn human race.” These are so compelling yet so unconventional. I don’t believe in all my years as someone reading a fellow peers paper I have never come across statements so bold and cut and dry. Which is why I enjoy reading your papers. the segment you included was really great to add as well. I really like someone who feels so strongly about something that they are willing to show raw emotion when talking about it. To me it is an admiral characteristic. Within the paper I saw great facts and statistics which really give more credibility towards your cause. Especially including the info of individuals going on Oprah. If readers can see that this is an issue big enough to be worthy of such media spot light, maybe people will stop and listen. Go dtí go gcasfar le chéile sinn arís mo chara.
Kevin Jaderberg 8:31 pm on February 29, 2012 Permalink | Log in to Reply
haha thanks! These comments mean so much to me. I’m glad you enjoyed reading my paper.
Melissa Castillo 1:56 am on March 1, 2012 Permalink | Log in to Reply
So odd how I ended up to read this paper. No one in my group did their research assignment, so I picked you. So I agree with dude above. I really didn’t know this was an issue. I did know that there is a lot of confusion of ones sexuality. I’ve been hearing more and more about being gay and transgender. Actually, I’m a leader in the Girl Scouts and it was brought to my attention about a little boy who was brought up and felt like a girl, wanted to join the Girl Scouts and the parents were all a rage about it. The parents did not want a young boy who presented himself as a girl, looked like a girl, acted like a girl, dressed like a girl around the other girls. I honestly don’t think that he should join, but if a girl can join the football team, then why not?
I was raised and taught that being with the same sex or trying to change your sex was a sin. I believe it still, but I do understand how times have changed and who am I to judge or shone those away because of their personal preferences. I might be sounding all over the place, but as you put it we are naive to the situation and we choose to push it under the rug. Most of us are brought up with certain beliefs and old-school opinions. I do admit some of the things I was taught was totally off the wall and totally wrong, but some people are so brainwashed by media, parents, friends, schools, and churches that they think it’s right because that’s what their being taught. I’m going to be honest, sometimes I feel uncomfortable around gays or transgenders. I feel that they push their ways or beliefs on me and I would just like to know them for who they are. I feel that they put on this big act which makes one uncomfortable, which makes some respond in a negative way. Those are just my opinions.
Sometimes I sit in church and they say God made us all who we are and that we should love ourselves and not try to change ourselves. That being different and loving the same sex is wrong. I say to myself, “Who are we to judge?” Let God do that. Am I not to talk to those who are different? Well I’m going to treat everyone the way they treat me. If I’m being treated well by a gay, lesbian, or transgender then I will give them the same respect back. Just back off with pushing it on me. That’s all I ask. I admire your compassion and strong belief for this subject. It’s those like you who can change these knuckleheads out here. I can’t stand bullying and I think it’s a shame one cannot be himself. Thank you for all the information. Please add more information about the side affects from the bullying. Maybe some real stories of those who have been tormented or abused. That would make it a little more interesting.