I wish that I could say I would be able to live as Thoreau did.  However, I know that there is no way I would be able to live basically in a box in the woods by myself.  I would survive, but I am pretty sure I would be a miserable person.  I might be able to do it if I had a friend or two, I have just become so comfortable with my current lifestyle.  On a more positive note I would learn to appreciate nature, and look at the beauty in the natural world.  I would probably see the "real" things in life as opposed to watching television or stalking people on facebook.  There are so many beautiful things in life that many people do not get to see since they're so focused on what is going on in everyone else's life, and what the most hip fashions are. 

It seem like all the texts we have read so far point to the idea that us Americans are becoming more and more wrapped up in what seems like ridiculous things.  For example, I would rather read about Britney Spears and her life than what happened 200 years ago in America.  Second Skin is another example of people becoming wrapped up in silly things.  The people in this video were sacrificing their real lives for a fictional game.  If we put all of our electronics to the side and focused on socializing face to face, what would happen? Are we actually able to make friends like people did before facebook and texting?

I would probably have developed a lot more skills if I was not watching TV, texting, or spending time on facebook.  Maybe I would know how to knit, or maybe I would be a better cook.  Anderson's book points to a future that we may be heading in.  The people in Feed did not seem to have any hobbies, they were always focused on what the Feed was feeding them.  The characters seemed like they were always going to parties, or shopping, or m chatting their friends.  Is this what is happening to us?

We are not the dumbest generation.

I most certainly do not believe that we are the "dumbest" generation, but maybe that is just because I am part of it.  However, it does seem like there is a giant gap between those people that are considerated to be educated literate people and those that can not meet basic literacy standards.  As a generation we may not know the facts that Bauerlein claims to be important, but that is how we grew up.  In high school I was always encouraged by my parents and teachers to do what I was interested in.  I was interested in math and science, so I loaded my schedule up with those types of classes.  I may not know what the biggest lake in the United States is, but I know a lot of other information related to my interests.  Many schools have also fallen into a rut of simply trying to get the best test scores possible.  They focus less on teaching kids about what is going on currently and more on making sure their math and reading scores meet the state requirements.  In my school district they began eliminating "specials" classes like family and consumer science and tech ed. 
It seems like society is becoming more and more specialized, so people have less of a need to know minor facts about everything.  Many job fields are becoming more and more advanced, so employees need to become experts in their field.  This increasing expertese allows less space in the mind for information not vital to you.  To be honest, I do not even think my parents know music composers and other tid bits of information that Bauerlein said to be important to know. 

I agree with Bauerlein when he says our generation is more lazy than ever, and although there are some dumb people out there...hasn't there always been?  It is unfortunate, but the technology we have today has allowed us to become lazy people.  We can go to school online, we can read the news online (we do not even have to walk to the end of our driveway to get the newspaper), and we can go online shopping.  Almost anything we could ever need is at the ends of our fingertips.  On the other hand I think it is completely unfair for Bauerlein to apply a blanket statement to all of today's generation.  I do not know a single person that the all statistics he pointed out apply to.

I was really surprised when he mentioned companies finding the needing to provide remedial writing classes.  Isn't that the fault of the company for hiring somebody that is unable to adequately write?  It is virtually impossible to graduate from a university without writing skills.  As a senior I have written a countless amount of papers and I have received good grades on almost all of them.  If professors are providing passing grades for papers that are of failing quality then I believe it is not our generation that is the dumbest.

Who are you without your virtual identity?

I think a lot of things we find online need to be taken with a grain of salt.  Anyone can create a website, claim to be a professional on the topic and publish it.  As easily as someone can create a totally bogus website, they can create a totally false identity on a social networking site.  You can be whoever you want to be when you're behind a computer screen, and no one will know who the real you is.  When people participate in this type of behavior it makes me wonder if they even know who they really are.  This reminds of a country song called "I'm So Much Cooler Online".  The fake identities that can be created online have no meaning once you walk away from the computer.  Once you leave the keyboard behind you're back to being the real you, which is probably the better version.  It is sad that some individuals today think that they have to act a certain way or have a particular look to be considered "cool".  I think that the media has a major impact on these thoughts.  A quote from Culture Jam that stood out to me was on page 76, it says "She understands that the sum of her worth, at that moment, to these people, lies in the image she presents."  Perhaps this plays a role into why people want to create fake virutal identities.  However, I think these identities are different than those created on games.

When people are playing these games it seems like they actually take the role of the character, they create the character and can control everything the character does.  Extreme gamers spend their entire day as this character - their identity is who they have created on the game.  The character is fictional, but in a sense it is not fake.  This identity is maintained through the duration of the game, and it is a reflection of who the gamer really is.  Unfortunately this character's identity has little significance in the real world.  On a job application you can't list the qualities of your character in World of War Craft, you need to list who you are and your capabilities.  The only positive thing I saw in the video was when the handicapped man was able to let his guard down and be himself during the game.  No one thought less of him because he was handicapped, he was just another player in the game.  It is sad that people have come to value such a fake thing, what happens during the game can not be applied to what is going on in your real world surroundings.  Maybe if people spent the time they put into gaming improving their lives, they would not need to go into this virtual world to escape the real one around them. 

Overall, I think the virtual world started as a wonderful thing.  Networking sites made it easy to meet people with similar hobbies, find a date, and just to talk.  It seems like some people took advantage of this, and started using it in a negative way.  Which is why there are issues like the Craig's List Killer.  Yikes.  Meeting people online is almost like ordering clothes offline ... you don't really know what you are going to get until you open the box (or meet them in person).  Getting involved in a virtual world is a risk you need to be willing to take.  Too much of a good thing is usually bad.  People are getting sucked into this virtual world and they can't get out.  Who are they?  Can they interact in a social environment? 

A Land of Plentitude

I found Culture Jam to be a total eye opener, I thought that the Kalle Lasn put into words exactly how many Americans behave, and it showed how much Americans value stuff and how we are constantly trying to keep up with our neighbors.  When I say that Americans value stuff I am talking about the chapter on plentitude.  Looking around my room I can see that I am guilty of committing plentitude.  I have atleast twenty pens sitting on my desk that I have accumulated throughout the school years, and I still bought new ones this year.  Why did I buy more?  To be honest I am really not sure, buying new school supplies is something I do every year before the start of the semester.  Another example of plentitude I found in my apartment was the three face wash bottles in my bathroom.  All three of them are half full, I bought them mostly because I saw them on commericals and thought "Hey, maybe this one will really clear up my skin".  However, deep down I knew they would work just the same as all of the other face washes I have ever bought.  On page 11 Lasne said "Most Americans have everything they could possibly want, and they still don't think  its nearly enough".  I found it sad how true this statement really is.  I have a closet full of clothes, shoes, purses, and coats.  I am thankful I have all of these items but, I still wake up every morning and say "Wow, I have nothing to wear."  I see what other people are wearing, and if I like it I am likely to go out and purchase something similar.  This continual spending is totally unnecessary, but I am probably not going to stop. 

Another passage that really spoke out to me was on page 18.  This passage is about how looking like a model will find you a mate, and how the media plays into this idea.  If we did not have all of these movie stars looking almost perfect, the standards we have for ourselves would probably not be so unrealistic.  One of the worst parts about stars being put in such a spotlight is that when they do look bad, or gain a few pounds magazines put it in their headlines.  In many occasions when movie stars gain a couple pounds they just look normal, and less fake.  I was watching Keeping Up With the Kardashians yesterday and one of the previews was for Kris (the mom) to get plastic surgery because she is looking "old".  This shows just how much Americans value looking good.  Aging is a totally natural process and plastic surgery takes away some of the natural beauty in life.  It gives average people false expectations of what they could look like.  There is no reason to volunteer to get dangerous unnecessary surgery.  In my opinion its ridiculous how many people are willing to take the risks that are associated with surgery just to look good. 

The poem we read - America, It's gotta Be the Cheese seemed to sum up a lot of the ideas in the book.  It mentioned how processed America and Americans are.  Plastic surgery is like processing a human, rather than a food item; it makes everyone look the same.  The statement "We manipulated the cheese until it suited our purposes" really stood out to me.  Scientists are creating genetically modified crops to meet our purposes.  The product may be either bigger, tastier, or grow better.  However, how do we know if these items are really safe and its hard to know when you're consuming them.  Overall, it seems like we are in a new age of consumerism and all we can do is try and keep up, or try and stop it.