She's got it Hand-MADE

Yeah, she's got a house, food, and a MAN. She has it hand-MADE.

I came up with a relativly funny post title and no substance behind it .

Yeah.

So during The Handmaid's Tale Offred has much of what a person would want it life. She has a bed, food, clothing, safety, unfortunatly rape on occasion.

This isn't going anywhere. ARGH.

I'll just say things then.

PUPPIES. WITH CUTE TOUNGES :O

Rape is bad, DANNY.

Also, Danny has on a nice sweatshirt today.

HI MRS. SAUNDERS! where you at today!? we miss you!!

If Dex opens a labratory you know maybe meth or some other substance, it had better be called "Dexter's Labratory", you know before it explodes.

Nour's hair is pretty today!!!

BEN IS THE COOLIEST.

Calorine has a nice face, and she swims. Yep.

So, The Handmaid's Tale it's a good book amiright?!? I feel bad calling Offred "Offred", her name used in her captivity. She lead a life no more than a dog at a breeders'. She lived...but only barely. Her overies where worth more than her. She was fed mearly to be kept alive and viable. Even after all of the oppresion and confermation that she was worth nothing, she escaped from her oppresser and made her story into history. She passed along her suffereing to futher the people of the future. To know there were more than succesfully climbing birthrates. There was suffering, something that should never be wittnessed again. Women are "sacred vessels" but they are also people. Offred or June as we suspect was a women with hopes are dreams. With a child and a husband. When Gilead was established she lost that, but in her escape she found it again.

Maybe she didn't have it made, but she made it. She turned her suffering into success. They don;t talk about other Handmaid's tales in the historicakl afternote, they don't dispute her stories. They learn from it. They teach it. June did this. She made this future.

YAY BLOGGING.

Prepare for the alpacalypse.

IT'S ABOUT TIME.

hehehehehe.

JANINE YOU PROSTITUTION WHORE!

I didn't want to put "Slut" in the title so I used a phrase a little bit more appropriate. Anywhoozel...

In Margret Atwood's The Handmaid's Tale the Red Center, the place were our lovely Handmaids are trained, has a new kind of rehabilitation. She depicts a class almost, where the Aunts retell the stories of potential Handmaid's rapes.  Offred's "friend" from the Red Center Janine who she recognizes as Ofwarren experienced this method. "It's Janine, telling about how she was gang raped at fourteen and had an abortion." (Atwood 71). They go through this now a days torturous point of yelling at her. That it's "her fault, her fault", and "who lead them on?" "She did, she did," they all yell back at Aunt Helena in unison(72). This unfortunately is something that is kept under wraps in our current society. Although women are often told that it is in fact their fault that they were raped. They dressed provocatively  they were out late alone. In our society you'll see many campaigns to teach women to protect themselves from rapists, but never how rapists can protect women.

The message being taught at the Red Center is something that is being fought all over the world today. Only in the last 40 years was rape redefined to include marital rape. Along with the institution on the Rape Shield Law which protects a women testifying against her rapist from having to bring up her past sexual behavior, I.E. even if she was a prostitute, it's still rape.

In the past couple of months a new movement has begun. It's been nicknamed the Slutwalk. A march where women and men come out to disprove the notion that women who dress like "sluts" are making themselves targets for sexual assault (rape is legally called sexual assault in Illinois). They boast signs that say "My Skirt is NOT An Invitation" and "Nobody Asked What the RAPIST Was Wearing!" The movement started in Toronto after a police officer made the comment that "women should avoid dressing like sluts in order not to be victimized" (Erbentraut 1). 

Men should be blamed for rape, not poor innocent 14 year-olds like Janine, when they blamed her they let her rapists win. She did it, she lead them on.  Just like the murder victim just enticed the murder by walking around all alive and stuff, just breathing all over they place! They basically asked for it.

 If you didn't notice this happens to be something I am very passionate about. Most of you should be too, being young women in this society, and YES Matt, Dex, Jonny, Derek, and Danny this applies to you guys too! It may be called "Women's Rights" but I say it's everyone's responsibility to be a decent human being, no matter who it is. The Handmaid's Tale simply brought up this message over and over again until I just had to get it out of my system and BLOG, and not just blog but SERIOUS BLOG. 

Oatmeal for Theo

So I had a  touchy bit of a problem with Children of Men. Well maybe it was a big problem.....

I HATED ALL THE CHARACTERS.

Kee was a potty mouthed uneducated girl who clearly didn't understand anatamoy and how BABIES ARE MADE. I understand you know 18 years since a baby was born but what ever. Then Theo who I would ammount to oatmeal wwith a voice. Everything he said had little to no point in the over all story line. He just babbled about and swore a lot. Every character to was just so bland. The world is ending how about we all try to oh I don't know be INTERESTING?No, lets just go about our buisness. The premis of the movie was vagely interesting, but as you watched it I was just bored as heck. Well, yes the point. THey were all SO BORING. The individual characters just did nothing, but the story line and the cast a a whole shaped a really good movie.

That's all I've got. Sorry guys. Hate comments are welcome.... Derek.

GO HOME (just for kicks)



Cat's Got My Tongue

Yes, this is about the cat dilemma.
No hate guys come on.

Thorough out Life As We Knew It the problem of Horton, the beloved house feline has be brought around just a few too many times. Some of use would eat him right off the bat or kill him, others would do exactly as Miranda and her family did love him. When I read this book the first time around I didn't think twice about this whole deal. I personally have two cats. Both of which I adore. Which is why my cat's have got my tongue. I could never speak of eating the cat then going home to look in my Oreo's bright green eyes. Also, please no hate on his name I picked it when I was six. See there! Another reason to not eat the cat. My cats are 11 and 12. I am 17. They have been around almost my entire life and for some people probably longer than younger siblings. They are family. So keep the forks away.

Really could you eat them? 

(Oreo is on the left, I did know my colors and cookies at six. Frankie is on the right.)

Lets tie this in with the blog prompt. Let's relate it to a modern day event! Hey we all remember Hurricane Katrina. We all know about those ASPCA commercials that make us want to cry and hug puppies at the same time, if not here you go. Try not to cry.

These organizations and many others are founded to help animals. We as humans have a link forged over thousands of years to both cats and dogs. Black cats were killed for their alleged alliance with dark magic and witch, when in other points in time cat were worshipped. They have a special place in our society. Some people might not see it, but I do. Cat's got my tongue, more like cats' got my tongue. They both do, I couldn't leave them behind and I'd never eat them. Be it a hurricane or the coming apocalypse.

Martyr-dumbs.....

I can only imagine this title as how O'Brian thinks of things. As if when ever he says "Martyrdom" to him self he giggles "...more like martyr-DUMBS...lol". This may be a very loose representation of O'Brian's personality but this is how I saw his point of view. OKAY, so the point is how fascinating I found O'Brian's whole rant on why the Party is spending so much time on Winston. So I quote,

    "The first thing you must understand is that in this place there are no martyrdoms." (Orwell 253)

This idea he presents really got me going. We all know what a martyr is the person who dies for their cause. Whether it be Martin Luther King Jr. dying while fighting for equal rights or that guy who gets arrested at the protest. They're often viewed as martyrs. They sacrificed themselves albeit on very different levels for what they believed in. They sometimes too are considered heroes for what they've done. That's the problem going on here for the Party. Heroes. Big damn heroes. (If anyone gets the reference to Firefly, you probably laughed, if not....carrying on...).
       "In the middle ages there were Inquisition. It was a failure.[...] Why was that? Because the Inquisition killed its enemies in the open, and killed them while they were still unrepentant  in fact, it killed them because they were unrepentant. Men dying because they would not abandon their true beliefs. Naturally all the glory belonged to the victim and all the shame to the Inquisitor who burned them." (253)

These heroes become something people are inspired by and we can't have that in Oceania. Only Big Brother inspires. So, they've solved the problem. They made their decision and it worked "so long as [they] resist us we will never destroy [them]. " (254).

Problem solved. We didn't kill a traitor. We killed one of us, because we could. I don't have much of a way to relate this to anything today, other than how interesting it is. It's an interesting technique. Cruel,but an idea that is curious. It's one thing to convert someone unwavering to your side, its another to kill them once they've gotten there.

**Also, song for this post or I guess for Winston and Julia is here.

"Red Rover, Red Rover..... "

I don't know about you guys, but I always played red rover when I was little. Separating into teams and being picked to run for your life. If you didn't make it through to the other side the other team took you. It was a hard game, should you send your best player? Even if you risk loosing them? And in actuality who is on your side? Can you trust the team member who is now on your team? 

This is what really would frustrated me if I like in Truman's or Winston's world. Who is on my side? For both of them it's questionable, or it becomes questionable. Comrades? Friends? Nope, they'll turn you in or try to sell you MoCoCo (Grown in the hills of Nicaragua!). Who knows. Really. Winston knows not to trust the children, or anyone at work. Truman realizes the horror we all think about. Everyone is working against us. No one to trust no where to turn. Both worlds who's to trust? For Winston its Julia whether or not she's the best pick. For Truman it's himself. These ideas are perpetuated in both stories. We actually see Truman's best friend and wife working against him to keep him in. 

I always hated that moment when I'd call "Red Rover Red Rover! Let....Sean come over!" Then all of a sudden you hear "Seaaaaaaan it's time for dinneeeeerrrrrrrr!" What? No. We're playing here. What did you listen to our game to call him out at that moment? Do you want to ruin it for us? In  Truman's world maybe Sean wasn't a main character maybe Merrill was supposed to come over. For Winston it's the thought police Sean thought to run and keep running. Can't have that. Truman realized that there were two teams but they were him and everyone else. Winston realized that you have to pay on your own. 

"Red Rover, Red Rover. Send Katie Right over!" Jeezum Crow. I have to run? I never get through though! I'll have to change teams! Will I fake it to help my true first team? Or will I switch allegiances with the call of my name? What would you do? 

Life, liberty, and the pursuit of *EXPLOSION*

(If you'd like a soundtrack to this post click here!)

Our country is based on a very simple idea its one we've all heard and if you haven't it's kind of the title, but not quite. 

The idea that I want to discuss is George Orwells' idea of making someone and unperson. This idea in the book seems so casual to Winston. Earlier in the book he goes over the fact that "Mrs Parsons would be vaporized. Syme would be vaporized. O'Brien would be vaporized" ... as if it was so very simple (61). A person's death. Gone from this world. Their society seems to complacently abolish the principle our government is founded on. Life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Although if we really consider it, neither does our country today. Around here it seems like the principle of Life, liberty and the pursuit of * EXPLOSION*. Yes, that's the title but what I didn't include in the title is is final outcome *DEATH*.

 If your in Rhetoric you might have recently watched the movie Digital Nation. A fascinating movie that discusses the effects of technology on people in general. Our behavior, society, and government. In the final part of the movie they discuss the current military advance, drones. Drones that aren't piloted b y people in Afghanistan or Iran. Drones that are piloted by men sitting in control centers in Syracuse, New York. If you've never heard of this feel free to find information here. The idea of young men and women being trained to do aerial strikes for thousands of miles from their target. Dropping bombs on black and white  figures on a screen. No consequences for them, sitting in complete safety and comfort. A person walking in Afghanistan unknowingly a little too close to a supposed terrorist hide out dies suddenly with no one knowing who they were. Could say they were vaporized. Not dead, just collateral damage, or simply an unperson. 

Life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. First an foremost life. Life, you guys. The right to live. To carry on in this world without the fear of being killed at any second. Winston and everyone in Oceania lost that a long time ago and have we lost it here? Okay it's not necessarily in America, but shouldn't we protect our own morals? Yes, it's not in the Constitution but in the Declaration. The declaration that we used to be freed from a mother country exploiting us. Now we betray those words to "help" others? 

You might of guessed, I don't quite agree with these ideas. Our nation has a lot of amendments and articles that protect us from things we don't think twice about, but life is one thing no one should be concerned about  losing. Now once you've got life locked down I think liberty and happiness should only follow.  

HANDI (It's in all caps get it....hehehehe)

In Harrison Bergeron's world everyone is handicapped, and considering what my handicaps would be is a strange thought. First off, as a musician I would probably be given handicaps while playing. Probably something that makes it harder for my fingers to move, or make it harder to breath while playing. I've always considered myself as "rebel rouser" you know that person who really fights for an opinion? I would probably have an ear piece for that, to keep my rebellious thoughts away. As well as a voice inhibitor of some sort to keep me from voicing my opinions. Assuming that they pose ice skating as similar to dancing, I'd be weighted when I skate. Beyond that who knows what kind of madness Diane Moon Glomper would come up with.

Keep calm, a late post is better than no post!

"OH GOOD LORD! My blog was due Friday and it is now Saturday! Oh the atrocities! " I yell angry to myself. I begin to hyperventiale until I look up to see the most beautiful poster of all time convenientaly hanging from my basement wall "KEEP CALM AND CARRY ON" it says. "But no! I've clearly failed! My chances of success in life are miserable at best now!" I look to it again as it hangs there in majesty. "What should I DO?!" Once more, it hangs there. "I see now! I must carry on! Perhaps write it later! Once I've assured my emotional stability!" I say to myself, it is clear now. All I must do is write. I shall carry on.

Now don't you see? This life changing moment could only have happened thanks to one of the most well know pieces of propaganda of all time, if you still don't recall it click here. This piece of propaganda came into being thanks to the British government during WWII. It was the most clear and articulate message tot the people. It told them what to do and how to do it. Keep calm, and carry on. This message was pertinent to the Britian. If the people hulled up in their homes the conuntry could be in greater risk than the impending Germans. They could face economic downturn. they needed their people to go out, to spend money, and carry on. It did exactly that.

In this case propaganda was used for good. It was used during wartime to bring a country together. This is a benefit to propaganda. Not in all cases will you find this, but in many cases in modern history this is what I've seen. We see Uncle Sam who really does want "YOU" for the army. As well as the "We Can Do It!" woman. I think this is the best time for propaganda. In times of need a country needs their people to feel strong and patriotic. They do need them, and advertising with motivational sayings can do it. In wartime when a country needs support propaganda is the way to go, or when you need a little encouragement to post a late blog it can do some good as well.

Kay-Topia

Yes, my title is Kay-Topia also known as Katie's Utopia. My idea of a perfect world is one much like our country today. 

I'd hope in a perfect world politics would attract people best for the job and not who just want power. I'd also hope we'd get rid of party lines in the hope of finding the best person beyond who our party is promoting. In school students would attend school for free with the intent to better our nation with educated contributors to society. Sports and other activities wouldn't be involved in the school, only academics. There would be no poverty or greed Everyone pays taxes based on their income. The arts is highly promoted in society. We would call astronauts, scientists, artists, and architects celebrities. Promoting heath and well being is very high on important things in society. Smoking is illegal along with narcotics, alcohol is allowed at 18.  The court system is much like today, but lawyers work strictly for the government and a lawsuit's intention is to find the truth. No criminal should get off because they have a better paid lawyer. 

I've always seen in utopia's portrayed on TV or in books the problem is of the over controlling government. In this society the government is there to help keep you safe above all else.  The intention is for people to feel happy in their society.No mind control or drugs to wipe compromising memories. It'd be a lot like today. Go to work, go to school, have a family, a pet, a house and just live knowing the government is keeping you safe. Wars would only be initiated if the society was at risk. No invasions, we would keep to ourselves. Like Canada. Who messes with them? Also, nation wide heath care from trained medical professionals. Homeless shelters can be funded by the government to make sure no one goes hungry. The homeless will also be put through job training and their kids kept in school. Our constitution would be very similar. Although no right to bear arms. Guns will be strictly mandated, and only issued to the police and the military. An equal rights amendment will be added so that no one can be discriminated against by sex, and will makes the sexes equal on all fronts. 

This is awfully elaborate to frame my own society in a few paragraphs.... although this is the basis. No hormone drugs like in The Giver. No book burning or censorship as in Fahrenheit 451. No government tapping your phones or watching you day and night like in 1984. No malicious government set out to seek revenge for revolutions as in The Hunger Games. No arranged marriages, forbidden books, paintings, or poems as in Matched. Just a society that is slightly more civil and organized.