Moolah

Money. Without enough of it, we live with struggles; with enough of it, we still live with struggles. In an ironic statement from the man featured on the 100 dollar bill, Benjamin Franklin says "Money has never made man happy, nor will it, there is nothing in its nature to produce happiness. The more of it one has the more one wants."

It is human nature to desire something we don't have. Whether this is a better computer or a new phone, these desires are transient; they only satisfy us for a short time but eventually, we grow steadily in lust for more. Money is no exception. In society today and throughout history, money has been a symbol of power. For instance, the Nacirema people have a "hierarchy of magical practitioners" with the "medicine men" near the top. Since Nacirema actually represents the American people, the medicine men represent doctors. Since doctors generally earn a large salary, the medicine men are naturally higher in the feigned hierarchy. Even with money and power, however, there is never enough.

If we cannot be happy with money, then how do we become happy? Logically, we assume that the only way to obtain happiness is "to be in want of it" or in other words lacking it (Hazlitt 2). In an excerpt from William Hazlitt's "On the Want of Money,"he asserts, "Literally and truly, one cannot get on well in the world without money" (1-2). To elaborate, he states that even without money, one cannot succeed. So the final question is, how does money relate to happiness? If we cannot succeed with it and without it, how do we solve this paradoxical question?

My Humble Proposition

In "A Measure of Restraint" by Chet Raymo, he warns society of the potential dangers that come from technological advancements. Here is my response-- my humble proposition.

For Preventing the People in the World

from Ultimately causing a real world Terminator

and for Forestalling the Zombie Apocalypse in I Am Legend

The need for new technology is simply preposterous. With the latest and greatest products out today, the more advancements that are introduced means the more consumers will waste their money for a new product that is inevitably going to be thrown into the trash within the following years. In addition, the idea of new technology seems to be converging towards a few simple ideals-- Artificial Intelligence and Health Research.

I propose that we stop all research teams from continuing the advancement of science, for the benefit of society. We wouldn't want Skynet to actually turn out to be real now, do we? For those who don't know, Skynet is the self-aware artificial intelligence defense network in the Terminator movie series whose sole purpose was "to remove the possibility of human error and slow reaction time to guarantee a fast, efficient response to enemy attack." This creation backfired and Skynet basically initiated a nuclear holocaust of mankind in order to fulfill its original purpose. 

Along with artificial intelligence, the movie I Am Legend has reassuring evidence as well. In searching for a cure for cancer, humans accidentally created their very own zombies after the vaccine mutated, killing 5.4 billion worldwide. These zombies would later attempt to kill all remaining humans who were resistant to virus' lethal and mutagenic effects. 

Basically what I'm saying is that scientific development will surely lead to our demise. With my proposal, humans would slowly return to their primitive states-- Cavemen. Cavemen are basically the perfect human beings; we all should strive to become like them in the future. They are not materialistic, which technology has made us become, and they are not fat because they are forced to do physical labor to survive. 

For the benefit of society, stop all scientific research and development. Make Raymo proud.

Fat Chicken

Throughout human history, one could say science is a relatively new subject. For the thousands of years we, as humans, have been on this planet, science only recently emerged a few hundred years ago. With this rapid increase in scientific development, when will it be too much?

In Chet Raymo's essay "A Measure of Restraint," he warns us about the potential dangers of scientific discovery. His first two examples are from the past; both cesium-137 and radium caused multiple injuries because of their radiation emissions. His final example, however, is the most relevant to our lives today. Genetic engineering is like a baby in science; it's only been around for about 30 years. In Raymo's other examples, the initial discovery of the elements were initially cherished with joy, only to have severe consequences later on. Could this also hold true for genetic engineering? 

Today, genetic engineering has been used for countless means. For example, the food industry has genetically modified their chickens to grow fatter, leaving them too heavy to stand. These chickens live lives of despair as they are born to die.

When will science cross the fine line between ethics and the thirst for advancement? In Raymo's final sentence he warms, "The unexamined quest for knowledge is hemmed with peril" (11). We may not know that we have gone too far until it's too late.

The Word Puzzle

Throughout American history, African Americans have been subject to racial profiling. Not only did this occur before the abolishment of slavery, but it also occurs even now; perhaps the fate of the minority is to always be discriminated against to a certain degree.

In Brent Staple's essay "Black Men and Public Space," he discusses how African Americans control their environment purely because of their race and appearance. For example, he provides a personal anecdote explaining this phenomenon. Staples describes himself as "a mugger, rapist, or worse" in a woman's eyes who was "worried" because an African American, himself, was walking behind her. While others might say that this woman is clearly racist, the majority of people, however, would most likely react in a similar way, given similar conditions.

Sadly, trying to fully terminate discrimination is vain as lighting a fire in the depths of outerspace. Both are impossible. Despite this, one can still accomplish great things even though he is part of the minority. The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame regards Jimi Hendrix, a black musician, as "arguably the greatest instrumentalist in the history of rock music."Although he is black, he still succeeded in becoming an inspirational role model to many minorities. 

Overall, whether one is discriminated on based on race or even wealth, she can still end up successful. Jeannette Walls, for instance, grew up impoverished and went through many struggles because of it. Now, she's an established novelist. One day, everyone will be able to coexist. The fight for equality isn't over. In fact, it's barely begun. 

Space for Public

Controlling public space all comes down to how far away one is from assimilating to the culture. The more one assimilates, the less power he has to control this space. On the other hand, being idiosyncratic will most definitely give one power to alter public areas. Race, gender, appearance, and actions all contribute to the difficulty in assimilating. For Brent Staples, his race and gender make it extremely challenging to fit in. Just because he is black and male, his attire and actions need to be overly proper to make him seem unlike the stereotypical black criminal. In his essay "Black Men and Public Space," he writes, "Virtually everybody seems to sense that a mugger wouldn't be warbling bright, sunny selections from Vivaldi's Four Seasons" (12). This is an example of how Staples uses actions to assimilate to the rich, white, and proper standard in America. Since he hums famous classical songs, others would view him as not a criminal, but a normal, law-abiding citizen. Interestingly, Staples has to act in a genteel manner in order to be viewed as normal, but if he were to merely act normal, he would still be viewed as a hazardous threat.

For me, I can manipulate a crowd through my unusual noises and voices. Sometimes I have the urge to spout random, cacophonous sounds and then talk in a high-pitched, indian accent. When this happens, I often receive creeped-out glances from strangers and small smirks from friends. All of this, however, is in good fun and I believe that if no one is hurt, I can abuse my freedom of speech. As can be seen, there are many ways to control public space. How do you do it?