Wednesday, May 16, 2012

Vocabulary & Article of the Week- Period 1&4-Due Monday


*Review Vocabulary 1st!
http://quizlet.com/12155809/dysregulation-nation-flash-cards/

*3-5 Sentence Reaction
*Reference Article
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/20/magazine/20fFOB-WWLN-t.html




 

18 comments:

  1. It is interesting to note the relationship between our dysregulation and the fast-paced nature of our society. It seems that people are losing a sense of time overall because of instant gratification. As a result, people do careless things, such as overeating, and bring to themselves more problems. With this idea, I thought it was funny how the increase of nutrition labels appears to be making people more conscious of what they eat. They say you can't fight fire with fire, but if a simple label could wake up simple minds, then that just might be an exception.

    Sidney
    Period 1

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  2. After reading Dysregulation Nation, I wasn’t surprised at the way our nation is being categorized. Personally, I notice this so called, “Compulsive getting and spending” habit in my everyday life with the people around me. People are very naïve and stupid, and more often than not, they chose not to use their brains. For example, the credit-card payment is common sense. (Less money on the card after a payment=less interest) However, we as Americans, wait to be confronted with our problems before we try to solve our problems. It’s pathetic and this nation will not become “regulated” until people start using their brains.

    Pompeo
    Per. 4

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  3. Self regulation, in all honesty, seems like a near impossible task under the conditions our world is in today. Although efforts are being made to promote "self-regulation", I feel they will not be enough. For example, when I go to a fast food resteraunt, I am not concerned with the calories or amount of fat in the food I am eating. I'm aware of the consequences, yet I still eat at these places because it is simply acceptable. Most people are conscious of their actions, but each and every person in our world has the mindset, "That could never happen to me."

    Tyler King
    Period 1

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  4. It’s no surprise that Americans have spun out of control mentally and physically. We’ve reached this point of liberation and independence where we want to make our own decisions without anyone telling us what to do. Americans are breaking out of this social confinement, and no one wants to be told how to eat, spend, or live their lives. This country is known for being the land of the free, and this is certainly how Americans are going to act even if their actions are harmful to their health and economic situation. There’s no limit when we’re always asking for the next best thing. Implementing some regulations (i.e. posting calorie counts in fast food chains) may work somewhat, but it’s difficult to control everything without getting people angry. The American way of living can never be truly stopped or fixed, but little changes can be done to tame it.

    Kelly Du
    Period 1

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  5. I agree that having access to instant gratification causes people to want more and more, and that they cannot seem to control that urge. It seems that they don't really care to change this habit either, even if companies try to make adjustments to better their situation. The article says, "But after decades of never-before-seen levels of affluence and endless messages promoting instant gratification... this self-regulatory system has been knocked out of whack." While some companies try to make a positive effort to reverse instant gratification, there are other messages getting mixed in that tell people they should give in and compulsively buy what they want. This sets up people for high standards and disappointment when these standards cannot be met anymore. It's a tricky situation, especially when people don't particularly want to be helped.

    Alessandra M.
    Per. 4

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  6. This article was upsetting, but true. Americans have completely lost control of their lives, and they don't even know it. We spend uncontrollably and don't think anything of it. We abuse our resources around us. Another reason why we have reached the point of no control is because we think we are best. Most Americans have an arrogance to them, and it makes them think that they can do know wrong. We need to realize that what we are doing is both harmful mentally and physically. This practice of self regulation has led us no where, and we obviously need to do something to fix it.

    -Ashley Murphy
    Period 4

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  7. This article was very true. After reading through it, I realized everything that was stated is exactly how this is. Americans have no self control and it is way out of hand. When given all this freedom Americans don't know to contain themselves and go wild. We have a lot of technology and accessories that help us with hard things and problems in our life which make it all the easier for us to not contain ourselves.

    Kayleen Kessler
    Period 4

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  8. Americans cannot control their lives; everything we do is harmful to ourselves. We are supposed to be about freedom, and that is why we act the way we do, there is nothing stopping us. We are always looking for something more, or better. It is not like we're not aware of what's going on- we just think that it would never happen to ourselves, this mindset is what's bad for the US.

    Karlie Signor
    Period 1

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  9. This article really highlights the relative lack of order in American society and social behaviors; this country is glorified as the "Land of the Free" - the land where you are free to choose exactly how you wish to ruin your life. This society absolutely thrives off the idea of freedom in all aspects of life, whether that be in religion or simply everyday choices. Order and discipline, especially in the purely American household, have deteriorated to the point where, as the article mentioned, children at young ages are simply unable to make the right choices and suffer consequences that can be avoided with the proper amount of healthy and strict guidance. Instead of structuring a strict and disciplined ideal in the household, American parents spoil their children with unnecessary amounts of gifts and lessen the amount of punishment for transgressions; by this, American children grow up weak and unprepared for the life of an adult where their emotions and decision-making skills will truly be put to the test. If one is not conditioned properly in the earlier stages of life, then he or she is truly headed towards a life of struggle and psychological pain.

    - Zhanneta.
    Period 1.

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  10. If everyone is say the article is true and that Americas are completely out of control, spend uncontrollably and don't think anything of it because they have freedom and technology to back them up. So after reading the article how to you gets people to start using their brains without unsetting them or making them feel they are sheep that are mean to be lead; or is anyone willing to give up the freedom in exchange for self control?

    sandrine amin

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  11. This article definitely reflects the way of American culture. Thinking about all the obese children in our country is a perfect example of why its true. Its sad that we have little self control. We have also been addicted to getting and spending, making our country very materialistic. We need to change these ways for our nation in some way. We cant even control ourselves, the media does.

    Emily McColl
    period 4

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  12. The reader learns early on in the text that our problem as a nation is not of regulation, but a problem of excess. Living in a soceity that prohibits narcissism externally, and within a body that can be swayed inwardly, it is not difficult to see how people lose constraint and common sense. Given our status as American's we are given a choice as to how we want to live out our lives, and more times than not, this independence and lack of authority allows individuals to pursue their desires without regulation. But is it possible for one to regulate their behaviors and thoughts without incentive or higher morals? The answer is invariably no. From the text one can see that actions develope habits and rituals. These rituals become dependencies of the individual and become engrained in his or her psyche as necessary and beneficial action. We look to satisfy our "pathologically intense drives" and if provided the environment that allows for these motives to be met there is no foreseeable solution to America's problem of self-regulation.

    Alexander Borkowski Period 1

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  13. This article shows that as a society, America is spiraling out of control. A major part of this problem is the fact that people will do anything that they want simply if they can find a way to make it happen. They have no regard for others or the environment. Basically, everyone just wants to get ahead in today's world. Therefore, people no longer posses the self control and restraint that they once had. Also, people no longer feel the need to make decisions for themselves, they just allow themselves to be led by others. I think we often look for the easy way out due to the fact that today everything is made so simple for us with technology and other devices. It takes the complications out of life, therefore, we look for our lives to be simplified overall. Prior to the creation of these devices people thought more freely and were overall more independent.
    Jessica Teulings
    Period 4

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  14. Complete self-regulation is an ideal that I personally feel we cannot perfectly achieve. As humans we are innately flawed to not think about negative long-term consequences versus short-term rewards. This tendency towards the short-term is hardwired into our emotions through various mechanisms of evolution. However initiatives mentioned in the article such as additional labels on food products and a complete overview of the cost of paying minimum payments on your debt will allow Americans to fully adjust their plan to strike a balance between their short-term gain and long-term pain. It is in this way that we can overcome the "faulty wiring" in our brain as the article states it. That wiring may have been ideal 3,000 years ago; however in today's modern world of over-consumption we must learn to ration ourselves through programs that allow self-regulation to be achieved.

    Stephen Perrotti
    Period 4

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  15. I think that the issue is that people in America tend to only care about themselves and then the people that they like. So when they do things for themselves they could end up making it harder on everyone else.
    I also agree with what Jess said, I do think that people look for the easy way out and just need someone or something to tell them what to do. So, if people just become more independent then maybe there will be less issues in the world.

    Kathryn Collins
    Period 4

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  16. First let me start off with that I find this article to be very interesting because there are many parts I agree with, and many parts that I don't agree with. First, I do not like the idea of regulation on anything by means of the government, call me conservative or whatever you will, but I believe government is best when it governs least. I don't think that government should have a say in much of our personals lives, because I believe it is the individual that should shape his/her own path. Thats just how I see it, if he/she gets knocked off the beaten path, then there should be a little help to get he/she back on it, but very little. But like I said, there is also much I agree with. I would believe that we as Americans maybe are a little to lenient with our children, and I see it all the time with my little brothers. But then again, I am not a parent, and I have no right to judge how others are raised until I raise children that are my own. I think that although our society maybe too lenient with a lot of things, it's ok because thats really the way we want to raise our kids and the way we raise our kids should be reserved to how parents want to do it. For those that believe that my policy is "unfair" to the children, I disagree and the reason is because my parents while raising me gave me the opportunity to choose the kind of person that I wanted to be. Would I rather slack on the academics, but have a great social life, or would I isolate my self to academics and remove my self from society. I was given these choices and many, many more, but I choose to be the person who I am to be and that was with my parents regulations. I believe that it really comes down to what that individual wants, and what their parents put into their child's head.

    Sorry for posting it so late, I thought I sent it Monday, but I guess it didn't go through. I just saw the big fat 0 on grade book.

    Edgar Ortiz
    Period 1

    Sorry to comment so late!!! I thought I posted it

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