Digital Self

                      In my circle of influence, composed of English professors, college peers, internet grammar knights, and my merciless know-it-all brother, a war on crutch words is afoot. This war, as far as I can tell, began while I was in high school. Connecting my thoughts in conversation has been an ongoing struggle, leading to a reliance on words such as “like” and “um” to bridge the silences between words that others may take as a queue to speak. Over time, as I have tried to stop using these cliché crutches, my crutch words have developed into crutch phrases – not to be confused with and certainly not as fun as catch phrases such as Spock’s infamous “Live long and prosper” or the Eleventh Doctor’s “Bowties are cool.”                 Though we may use a crutch word or phrase as if it were a catch phrase – appearing at predictable moments...

 Rapid urbanization has transformed Macomb County for better or worse. No, actually just for worse. Throughout out my twenty-one years, more forests have been cleared than zits popped on my face. Houses and strip-malls paint the landscape in a different light compared to years bygone. I've seen this change and I'm disgusted.  When speaking with my dad, he tells me Macomb was all farmland going back to the eighties. Hall Road was only two lanes while Heydenreich was merely a dirt road. Now Hall Road reaches four lanes across each way and Heydenreich borders five schools. The turnaround is remarkable I can't disprove that. My problems lie elsewhere. For there is no balance when trees are ripped from the earth and buildings are erected in their place. Whenever a brick is laid there isn't a seed planted in fresh dirt. Urbanization is steamrolling the county and nothing is being done to offset the negative effects it produces.  I've grown up in a suburban development. In...

It hurts to walk along the streets of large cities to find homeless people sleeping on uncomfortable benches which were made to make their lives even harder. I have been on the verge of poverty and I know too well just how unnerving and depressing having no money makes one feel. You look around and watch people go about their daily activities and wonder if you told them your problems they would spare a dollar for you. At wits ends you call up a few friends to help you out. At least you have some people to call. Now imagine just how much harder it is for homeless people to survive without people they call on. I did not get to the point of homelessness but being between a rock and a hard place was depressing. Even on my comfortable bed, I could not get a wink of sleep. If this is how it felt, then a homeless person without a roof over their head is having it worse. Nobody wants to be homeless. Trust me! There is nothing dignifying about it. Then why do we walk along these streets and do ...

 Imagine starting your very first day at a new job. At this job however, every time you make a mistake, or you do something "wrong" you are physically hit by your boss. Clearly, you would not stay at this job even though you are getting paid, due to the amount of disrespect, the embarrassment, the abuse, etc. that you are receiving. Likewise, why would we raise a child under the same circumstances that we do not even allow our fellow adults to be paid to endure?  Half of the children in a 33-country survey by UNICEF reported having been physically punished by their parents. The question here, is why? Why would any adult choose to physically hurt their child? Is it in order to "teach them a lesson?" Is it because "that's how they were raised and they turned out okay?" Quite frankly, some children were raised without car seats and I'm sure that they would also claim that they "turned out okay", but the only people with this claim are the on...

 Have you ever considered what the world will be like in 5 years? 10 years? What will the younger generations be like? I wonder this all the time. Given the way the world is now, and the influence that social media has on people's appearance and overall everyday lives, I feel like we are in for an interesting time. The generations after us are going to grow up only ever knowing a world full of Instagram models and Snapchat filters. There will be children growing up believing that if you don't look like the girl in the Instagram post, then you are essentially worthless. The era of social media's unrealistic expectations needs to end, soon.  It's sad to think that our future daughters and sons will grow up in a world where altering your appearance to where you are nearly unrecognizable in real life is a normal thing. We need to be teaching ourselves and others that being unapologetically you is the best thing you can do. We need to, as a whole, go back to life before filt...

    Do you care? Like really, do you? When you see someone is it about you or is it about caring for them? When you encounter someone do you really want to make sure they are good, or  do you ensure your own safety first? Can you simply do both? I wonder sometimes when dealing with people on the daily basis. The nature of my job, as well as my personal life is to make sure everyone else is doing good, without much focus on myself. Is that healthy though? Should you give all of yourself for others or is it selfish to put yourself first? There are people in life who give so much of themselves that they don't have much left over at the end of the day. The person who comes to mind when I think of this is the icon, DMX who passed on from us April 9th, 2021.    It is well documented the struggles the superstar faced throughout his life. While carrying all that pain and struggle, he put the people first. X even took on other people's pain and made it his own. Earl Simm...

       The trails and tribulations that people of color have foreseen on this floating rock we like to call earth, some would describe as inhumane. POC is an acronym for People of Color, a term used to describe anyone who is not white. Though this acronym is used as a general description for those with many different ethic backgrounds, this term does not apply to African Americans and other POC’s have made this noticeably clear.       When discussing the barbaric conditions migrant children have been experiencing at the border TikTok user 2milly23 , decided she was tired of the media coverage of the DerekChauvin trail, the police officer on trail for the killing of George Floyd . She discussed on her TikTok, how she is tired of black people issues being blasting over the internet and not Hispanic hardships. The anti-blackness amongst POC’s affects African Americans greater than the anti-blackness of those who are white.      ...

     In today's world, social media has become an almost-required part of life, regardless of how the individual feels about the platforms. Many businesses now use social media to promote career opportunities, many schools use social media to make announcements to their faculty and students, and political leaders, including the U.S. President, use social media to speak to their constituents. Life has quickly evolved to center around technology, and social media has been no different. Currently about seven out of ten Americans use social media, demonstrating that growing reach of social media. While this is useful at times and allows for quick ways to make mass announcements and reach larger audiences, social media can also be a very harmful entity, especially for its most common demographic. Popular social media platforms such as Tiktok, Twitter and Youtube, are largely used by young adults and teenagers, groups that are very easily influenced.      Me...

 https://zenhabits.net/  The blog I found inspiring is zen habits by Leo Babauta. Covering a myriad of topics such as motivation, happiness, inspiration, and productivity - this blog has seen great growth. It's goal is to help everyone find their zen. In the latest post, Babauta utilizes pathos to send his message. He asks the reader relatable questions such as "Do you relate this guilt of simply stopping and resting?" If the reader relates, they've established an emotional connection with the writer because they're similar even in this miniscule way. Babauta also shares his guidelines when it comes to dealing with guilt and fear. He gives four points and describes them well;      1.  Recognize it when it’s happening. When it’s late in the day, and we could be wrapping things up and closing our work day … notice the urge to do more. Notice the guilt of stopping. Just bring awareness to the fear and guilt, without judging them or needing them to go away. ...

  Gladwell’s Revolution In one of the blog posts by Intermountain Moms written by Allison Bell she speaks against mom-shaming. Bell, asks people to refrain from the urge to tell mothers what to do. Mom shaming happens when other people criticize a mother’s choices for their kids. For instance, mothers who do not breastfeed their children for the first months of their lives shamed even without understanding the reason behind a choice. The author argues that mom shaming not only causes anxiety but it is also damaging for the parents. Mothers juggle between a lot of working, doing chores and taking care of their babies. Despite these duties, each mother seeks to give her children the best they can. Therefore, shaming mothers makes them feel inadequate and unappreciated while in real sense they are putting their best foot forward. Bell asks people that change their thinking, avoid judging others, support mothers and use disarming statement when talking to mothers. There is no one-f...

       A blog that motivates their readers to stand up and take action would definitely be the animal rights company PETA which means, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals. PETA over the years, have been known to become a bit extreme when protesting and bringing awareness to the rights of animals through various techniques. Over the years they have publicly callout celebrities for wearing fur/mink coats and their tactics have been to bombard them while during interviews, walking red carpets also crash meet-and-greets.       This blog and company really appeals to extreme animal activist who go to great lengths to protect the rights and an animal. Today they are able to still gain a lot of media coverage when certain tactics are pulled to bring awareness due to many social media platforms. While I am an animal activist, I do not agree with the tactics this company decides to use because there are other ways to get the good attention you ne...

 Link to blog: https://www.feedspot.com/infiniterss.php?_src=feed_title&followfeedid=4574684&q=site:https%3A%2F%2Fwww.skepticalscience.com%2Ffeed.xml Above is the link to a persuasive blog written about global warming and climate change. I really like this blog because it gives a huge variety of sources, and factual information regarding what is scientifically happening with the environment. In addition to providing all of this information as well as links to the resources, the blog goes on to explain the issues more in depth, and then provides the reader with many options of what they can personally do to try and stop global warming and climate change. In order to motivate and persuade its readers, the blog uses ethos by providing credible sources, as well as logos by providing logic and reason regarding the effects of these issues and why they are important. After reading about the issues, and understanding the effects of them on the Earth, it is obviously very motiv...

In recent years, mental health organization such as NAMI and NIMH have been working diligently to disseminate accurate mental health information in an effort to de-stigmatize mental illnesses. One such organization is 1 in 5 minds , an organization based in San Antonio, Texas. This not-for-profit organization is seeking to increase awareness of mental health care for and mental illness in children by informing the public about these concerns and taking donation to help children and their families. Their about page lists many important individuals such as congressman and other political officials as well as psychiatrists, professors, and counselors. At the bottom of each page "Fast Facts" about mental illness in children are displayed, tucked between a brief "About Us" section and the organization's contact information. Here, they address stigma head on in their post entitled "Stop the Stigma." Overall this organization seeks to educate parents and fam...

          The blog that I chose to explore was "What the Hell is the Deal with the Oakland County Child Killer Investigation?" by Catherine Broad. Her blog is about her brother's death at the hands of the Oakland County Child Killer, a case which has remained unsolved for over 40 years. She uses her blog to go over case details, discuss theories, and advocate for her late brother and the other victims. She also discusses other cases and issues related to the Oakland County Child Killer, such as child abuse, sexual assault, and child trafficking. The main goal of the blog is to raise awareness and fight for changes and greater attention on cases such as these.      This blog appeals to both the public, those in law enforcement, and law makers. She is fighting both for her brother's case to finally be given the attention it needs and deserves and for other children like him. She is appealing to the public to get people to do what she does,...

  This week, find a blog that is doing just this - gathering information, sharing it with readers, and persuading or motivating readers to take action.  Add your own post, a link to the site, and a summary of the content and motivational strategies the readers use to engage readers. Who do you think this blog appeals to and why? The blog that I chose that I feel is gathering information and sharing it with readers is called "Victoria's Blog". It is a blog about parenting, children and teaching. Victoria, the author of the blog, is an occupational therapist and she teaches people how to teach and help their children. I was intrigued by this blog since I am going into social work, and a lot of her ideas to help children learn through her occupational therapy background can be very helpful. When it comes to teaching children and beginning at a young age, many parents can be lost on where to even start or what is right for them and their child(ren). I found that this blog off...

   This week, find a blog that is doing just this - gathering information, sharing it with readers, and persuading or motivating readers to take action.  Add your own post, a link to the site, and a summary of the content and motivational strategies the readers use to engage readers. Who do you think this blog appeals to and why?   The blog that I found that is  gathering information, sharing it with readers, and persuading or motivating readers to take action is from  Jeff who works with the NYC Department of Education. Jeff is a humanitarian that is committed to community  development, and the way he creates is through media arts platforms to inform, build, and create sustainable circumstances in urban environments. Through Jeff's blog post he highlights   the need for innovative business and synergy in urban communities. Jeff doesn't just blog to promote a cause that he sees necessary for the community, he also records music to have an aud...

         Quarantine for me felt like a really lonely time.     There were ten weeks at the start of it all where I was laid off of work and I was pretty much stuck at home. I live alone so there was really no contact with my friends or family. I sat at home watching tv and eating a lot which of course meant I did nothing but gain weight for those two and a half months. I spent my 24th birthday at home alone. No party to celebrate and no friends to celebrate with. Finally it was announced that we were required to return to work and I thought that meant that COVID was pretty much over and that the world had opened back up again. Obviously I was wrong I went back to work but majority of my friends who didn’t have to go into an office were too scared to leave their homes. I guess their fears were justified but that didn’t mean it didn’t suck.        I couldn’t go anywhere but home and work, I couldn’t see anyone outside of my coworkers....

  September 11 “Summer has come and passed The innocent can never last Wake me up when September ends ” On September 11 th , 2001, the world changed. Average Americans were stopped in their tracks by a catastrophe that sent waves of pain and terror across the nation. The moment we found out that the towers had fallen was burned into our mind, a snapshot from a Polaroid that we each step into when we think about that day. In the background of my memories, I hear an Alan Jackson song eternally asking us all “where were you when the world stopped turning on that September day?” My mom and dad were making the twenty-minute drive into town to do some grocery shopping when they heard the radio announcer telling them the northern tower was hit. Half-way to town, they decided the groceries could wait. They turned the car around immediately to come back home to watch the news. My brother and his girlfriend skipped school that day to celebrate her birthday. She turned 18 on September...

My Escape          Free. That was the first thing I felt when I stepped out of the car onto the fresh grass and began to walk through the hard crunchy gravel that led up the drive. I could feel the fresh air gently caress my face as the wind blew lightly. The air was warm and thick as it wrapped itself around me, feeling like an embrace from an old friend. I felt serene for the first time in what felt like forever as I heard the bees buzz by and the wind chimes tinkle in the distance. In the quiet of that town, I felt a deeper connection to myself. It may have taken three hours in a small cramped car bursting at the seams with luggage, but I was home. I was finally home.        The air was clean, the sun was bright, and the sky was a warm blue. Instead of concrete and pavement being the main surface, grass overtook the entire area as far as the eye could see. Flowers bloomed in all colors, making the grass appear a grounded rainbow. It w...