When
natural disasters happen, it really gets me thinking, are we ever really
prepared for anything of that magnitude? Even though you have flood gates and
barriers, it proves to be pretty useless when floods actually happen. This was
like the same thing with the tsunami in Japan. The water and waves would simply
just wash over the walls and into the city. Is there even possible ways to
protect against these types of natural disasters? It’s weird to see because
even though Thailand is not considered to be a third-world country, the money
spent on preventing this sort of situation seems to not be working at all.
Also,
as stated in the video, government officials are overwhelmed with tasks to perform
since the flooding has occurred. Shouldn’t there have been some sort of plan in
case emergencies like this were to happen? I just feel like countries should be
more prepared for these types of occurrences, especially if they know there’s a
likelihood of it happening. Like California for example, shouldn’t there be
more reinforcement on the infrastructures of major buildings and reinforcements
to bridges if an earthquake were to happen. I mean, there has been numerous
predictions and warning that an enormous earthquake will strike California in
the nearby future. Instead of everybody trying to help when the emergency
already took place, why can’t people be supportive so we can stop the potential
damages from ever happening in the first place? Is there even a state-wide plan
that will take into effect when such a disaster would occur? The level of
preparedness we are scares me at times.
I guess I
was just in a dreamy state of mind until senior year when all the college,
graduating, and applications crashed down on me. That’s when reality started
sinking in. I hated myself for not being more studious. I hated that I didn’t
really give a shit about grades before and now it’s come back to haunt me. -Damien
This was pretty much an inevitable
outcome for me from the moment I entered high school. I never took into account
the magnitude that my grades would have on getting into college, or that it
would ever be this competitive. I guess the idea of it just never really sank
into my head until it was too late. I was never the real studious person
anyways.
No
matter how much I would tell myself to study, no matter how many New Year’s
resolutions that I would make to get better grades, in the end, nothing has
really changed. I still don’t study as much as I should. Instead, I spend my
time just lounging around, or hanging out and not really doing anything. The
idea of studying never really appealed to me, so I guess it just never became a
habit of mine. And what a pity that is.
If
I were to give advice to any incoming freshman, it would be to take school work
very seriously, even if it’s freshman year. Honestly, the work load isn’t bad,
you just have to be consistent about everything. Homework is pretty much the
most important thing. If you turn in every single homework assignment, it’s
basically a guaranteed C in the class, because no matter how bad you do on the
tests, you would still know the material from doing the homework so much and
having the repetition act embedded into your mind. So, now I’m just left with
regret and hope that I could make it into a good university.
I
feel like my writing is always inadequate or sub-par on this blog. Personally,
my best writing comes out when I have inspiration or motivation to base my
writings upon. Whenever I do posts on blogger, it just always feels so forced
and artificial. There’s never any real substance behind it, or any real emotion
even. It’s like I’m doing the assignment, just simply to get the credit, which
I sometimes do feel bad about. That’s why I don’t think I would ever want to
become a writer; I just can’t be pressured to produce good pieces of work when
I have a deadline, or I’m forced to write on a lab day.
This
is partially my fault because given the time frame of a whole week, it should
be reasonable and understandable to have some inclination to write about a
subject that I have an opinion about, and yet I don’t. I feel as if I’ve lost
part of my passion for writing. Before, I wrote because it was an easy way for
me to express myself and my emotions, but now it just feels different. Every
topic there is to be written about, has already been done. Everything that’s
been relative in my life has nothing worthy of being written about. What I’m
trying to get across is, I guess people shouldn’t read my blog or posts if they
are truly expecting some quality material or things to be inspired by. Truthfully,
if I ever do feel inclined to write, it probably won’t even be on blogspot.
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<3 Ha.
I hate college applications. Seriously, they take too much of a strain on my life. What's expected of a student in the present is pretty crazy compared to what it was life in the past. Honestly, we're taking out all this extra time, exerting all this extra effort just to be accepted into a world of debt. The thought in itself is enough to make me sit back and just dwell on the idea for a while. With college tuition and prices increasing annually, the average college student is just looking for a world of debt post-graduation. This is why our educational system is fucked up. I wonder if things are like this in other countries as well, because I'm sure as hell that there has got to be a better solution that what we have to settle for currently. Isn't the point of going to college to get a better job, to have a better opportunity at the pursuit of a higher salary occupation? What's the point of everything, if the salary is just going to all go back into the education? When are the students going to ever see the efforts of their work benefit them, not for another 3/7/10 years? It's too much for me to handle sometimes. It can be really overwhelming on a person if you sit and think of everything. I just can't wait for the stress to be over. Hello world of debt, here I come!
Successful. Isn't that what everyone wants to be? Well yeah of course,
but in this modern way of thinking the general definition of successful
is having a good paying job, a family, and overall stability. When your
life is set and all you have to do is take care of yourself and your
family without any troubles, you're successful. And if you're
successful, people are automatically going to assume that you have lots
of money. But my definition of successful is different. I believe that
being successful is basically being happy and being satisfied with where
you are. -France
I could not agree more. Many people relate the American Dream as the equivalent to being successful. The typical routine that everybody aims to achieve. This standard way of living has been driven into our minds for several generations having people think that in order to achieve success, one must follow these certain steps. Being successful is defined on your life. Everybody's life is different, just because you were born into wealth certainly does not mean that you are successful. Success for a person could mean being the first in their family to go to college, or another may be to ensure that their parents' can live comfortably in retirement. Success is a variable, it all depends on the person and their mindset. Success means reaching your dreams, making something out of yourself and feeling self-worth. See, my parents are stuck on this notion that in order to be successful, you need to have a high paying job, by working your ass off. I want to show them that I'll be happy with what I do, and I guarantee that I'll love it more than anybody who is earning twice my salary. Money does not define success, no matter how important it may seem in life. Happiness is something that money can never touch. The point in your life where you no longer need money to be a gateway to happiness is when you've reached that level of success. I aim to go there, for the pursuit of happiness is my ultimate goal.
As many of you should know about it by now, Occupy Wall Street has been going on for quite a while. With it's growing supporters from politicians and even Ben and Jerry's, the protests have grown into something much bigger than just a simple complaint from the people. This growing movement has spread throughout the country in several major cities.
However, I personally find several problems in movements and protests that are to this scale. First of all, there isn't really a clear and defined message that people are trying to get across. I mean, sure, people are mad about the distribution of wealth in our society, but it seems like people have more to say than just that. They talk about healthcare, the educational system, social security, etc. It's clearly become something more than just the 1% vs the 99%. Also, when you protest, people should act in a professional manner. This means demonstrating peacefully, and dressing up like a professional. The point of this is to get your message across to the people an build up supporters. I feel like a lot of people aren't giving the protestors support simply because they believe that they're just unemployed college graduates with nothing better to do. Wear a dress shirt and tie, slacks, look like you're actually there to be professional about your cause, not just because there's nothing better to do. Other than that, I have my full support towards this movement, and I am anxious to wait for what might become out of this nation wide phenomenon.
What
Marshal Cohen is talking about is a hiring tactic used by retails stores to
market their brand in a certain way. Popular brands such as American Apparel
and Abercrombie and Fitch have built up a reputation of hiring their employees
at their retail store based solely off their appearance instead of their actual
performance. This tactic presents the problem of discrimination against those
that do not necessarily fit the brand’s image. Often times, although these
people may be hired, they will be forced to work in the back of the store,
performing inventory and such instead of being on the floor. I believe that this act violates the terms for equal employment given throughout the United States.
Robert
L. Heilbroner in the article, “Don’t let stereotypes warp your judgment”
insists that the human mind uses stereotypes to simplify its world, helping
complex relations become understandable; therefore, it makes sense that
advertisement would take advantage of this habit. Instead of feeding the consumer with
multitudes of information such as prices, materials, and sizing, it is much
easier to just blatantly confront them with attractive people. Essentially, the people who work on the floor
become walking billboards for these companies.
Psychologically, this conveys the message to the customer, that if the
workers look so attractive wearing these clothes, it will make me look good as
well. There is no question about it, these types of hiring tactics are smart and
effective. However, just because hiring based off of attractive people is not
an illegal act, it does not mean it should be done.
I would have to disagree with Cohen’s quote. I think that
employees should be hired based off of their performance at the store and their
experience. In fact, I would even go as far out to say that it is more
important to hire people based off of their personality than their appearance.
Customers at stores love to be treated as nicely as possible, and even if you
look attractive, it certainly does not make your personality automatically
follow suit. Most of what an employer does at retail clothing chains involves
interactions with customers. I would think that a person with good people
skills, as well as working well under pressure would be a criteria that would
be beneficial, rather than focusing on the beauty.
Personally, I think customer satisfaction is the main goal
in retail. It ensures returning customers, who become loyal to your brand.
Their gender and race shouldn’t be an issue in this situation because it is
purely irrelevant. Although I do agree that good looking employees do capture
the attention of the consumer, I can not imagine how it would directly lead to
sales. For example, in Abercrombie and Fitch stores most of the male models are
dressed half naked and just stand around. How does this image derive people to
make them want to buy products? Simply because they saw somebody who was good looking
in a store doesn’t mean they would want to buy the clothes there. Simply by wearing the product will not cause
you to become instantaneously buff, or have curves. It will not automatically make
you shed those extra pounds, nor will it give you smooth skin. Simply saying,
buying clothes from stores with beautiful people will not make you beautiful.
When it comes down to it, the key to getting sales should be
through the product. Consumers care about basic and essential things: prices,
quality, and customer service. That is why I think brands like American Apparel
are selling their products wrongly, and it could be a major factor in why they
are basically bankrupt right now. Their clothes are very thinly made, and are
often simple colors with outrageous prices. A simple black jacket from them can
cost anything between $40-$60, where instead you can buy basically the same one
from a different store for $20. I always believed that the only appeal that
American Apparel had over other stores was that their clothing was actually
made in America. So buying the expensive clothing was somewhat justifiable
because it would be feeding our own economy. Through trying to market your brands with simply aesthetic appeal will not build success.
I can understand how others would feel discriminated against through these methods. It almost gives an edge to everyone who meets the criteria of 'beauty' to the brand. Like Abercrombie and Fitch or American Apparel models are mostly white, skinny, and tall. It is almost as if you don't look like them yourself, you would be put at a disadvantage trying to work for them. Nothing in the job description does it say that looks ever had to be a requirement in the retail industry, yet brands are quickly shifting to this marketed strategy towards the average consumer.
In conclusion, the general public consumer that meet the demograph to these sort of brands are plain stupid. The only reason that this method is still ongoing and even becoming a major issue is because it's working. People buy into the idea of beauty so easily, they are so easily manipulated into spending their money to achieve this set idea of beauty. They feed these corporations, who in turn are telling them to spend more to look better. This methodology would have died down quickly if people were more open minded about these types of things and could actually think for themselves and form their own opinions. As the famous saying goes, "Beauty is in the eye of the beholder." If people weren't so sucked into what the media feeds them, their perspectives on beauty would be much different. Companies are just simply exploiting the insecurities of the individual by hiring beautiful people in their retail stores. It's quite a cruel tactic, but since it works, it doesn't matter. Quite sad isn't it? In the end, it's the product that makes retail companies what they are, not its employers, no matter how attractive they may be.
