Shocker: The News is Depressing

So, I'm not going to go into detail but I read an article in my journalism class about a girl who was called a "feral child." Basically, her mother left her in a basement alone for 7 years with no human interaction, sunlight, nurturing, schooling or anything and as a result she can't interact with people and has a hard time handling day-to-day activities like tying her shoes, eating, walking, etc. This article made me want to vomit, and the worst part is that this woman had 2 kids!! Besides this girl! Like, I'm sorry, could you just not handle the 3rd kid that you chose to have? Maybe don't have kids then. I don't want to discuss this in detail because I might cry, like I almost did in class reading this article. But this is yet another reason why 1- reading the news ruins my day, and 2- there are some sick and pathetic excuses for human beings in this world. I hope the girl's mother rots in prison for the rest of her life. Just thought I'd share that. If you have time to read the entire article, which is really long but very well-written, visit this link: http://www.tampabay.com/features/humaninterest/article750838.ece

Don't worry, it kind of has a happy ending, thankfully a nice couple adopted her and attempted to give her the love and nurturing she should've received in the first 7 years of her life.

Cheshire Killings

So, I know I’m very far behind, but I’ve been reading up on news lately. I’ve decided that it’s super lame of me to be a Communication major and a Journalism minor and never watch or read the news. It’s not that I don’t like to be informed…I find that other people tell me the important stuff. It’s that I don’t find a lot of stuff in the newspaper interesting, and the news can also be really depressing. If you’re a Comm major, you’ve most likely heard the term “mean world syndrome” a million times. Basically, it means that the more we hear about bad things happening in the world through the media, the more we believe that the world is a horrible, violent place. I’ve always been the kind of person to think bad things don’t happen that often, and that people watch too much CSI or Law & Order. This is partially true, but some truly awful things do happen everyday. It’s depressing to hear about, but I guess it’s good to be informed about it so that we can prepare ourselves.
        (hey, i’ve discovered paragraphs!) Anyway, last week I made a pact with myself that in between my Facebook and Twitter stalking, I will read news articles that interest me and become a more educated pupil! As a result, I’ve started reading up on the Cheshire home invasion. I know I just said that I don’t like depressing stories, but consider me a masochist. It’s people like this, that hurt people for their own gain, that really make me feel like this world is messed up. I really don’t want to be cynical, but how can I not be? Anyway, I heard about the case a while back, but I never really read into the details. I was pretty much ready to vomit when I read that, allegedly, the “suspects” (which, I get that you need to be technical in the news, but come on, we know they did it) tied the daughters up, put pillow cases on their heads and lit the house on fire…not to mention one of the daughters and the mother were raped. For what? So those men could steal some of their money and valuables? That is so disgusting, I don’t even understand how people like this walk our earth. I literally feel sick to my stomach thinking that there are a lot of messed up people like this…like a good percentage. I probably went to school with someone who would commit a crime like this. There has to be a lot of them out there if things like this keep happening. We probably just overlook the John Wayne Gacys and Jeffrey Dahmers of this world and call them “troubled.”
          Sooo, the question becomes…what do we do about these people? I am completely for the death penalty. Hayes, one of the men convicted of the Cheshire killings, has already been convicted on 16 counts and will atleast serve life in jail, according to HartfordCourant.com. I agree with what William Petit, the only survivor in the family of 4, said about the death penalty. The Hartford Courant’s article Jury Finds Steven Hayes Guilty, Now Must Decide If He Lives Or Dies stated, “In a May 31, 2009, opinion piece in The Courant in support of the death penalty, Petit called the ultimate punishment “the appropriate societal response to the brutal and willful act of capital felony murder.”

He said he supports execution “because it is just and because it prevents murderers from ever harming again. By intentionally, unlawfully taking the life of another, a murderer breaks a sacrosanct law of society and forfeits his own right to live.”’

          I don’t know if agreeing with this makes me some kind of heartless person who doesn’t appreciate human life, or whatever people on the other side would say, but frankly, I don’t care. Don’t get me wrong, I’d be open to hear why people are against the death penalty. But in the end, how I feel is how I feel. And I feel that if you commit such heinous and disgusting crimes on another human being, knowingly and willingly, then you have no regard for human life, and therefore must be punished for that in the same way. An eye for an eye. Also, I think many people who disagree with the death penalty don’t have a full grasp on the law. I’m no expert, but I have taken some criminal justice classes. There are certain crimes that must be committed in order for someone to receive the death penalty, and aggravating/mitigating factors are weighed. It’s not like, boom, you killed someone, you die. To be considered for the death penalty for murder, you must kill a police officer or someone under the age of 16 I believe. Then other aggravating factors are looked at in addition, like if you rape and kill someone, or if you slaughter them in a completely heinous way. It varies from state to state, but overall, to get the death penalty you have to be a pretty nasty person. And to be honest, some people just deserve it…life in prison isn’t always enough. It may be more expensive to execute someone, which is what Hayes’ attorney wanted to argue, but who cares? I’ll pay a few extra taxes (not that I pay serious taxes yet…) if it means that these disgusting men will truly pay for what they did. Any thoughts?

(written 10/17/10)

The Mp3 Experiment

So I guess in this blog I’m not only supposed to rant about my over-emotional feelings, but actually talk about real life issues and events. Some interesting things happen to me…some worth writing about and some not…but The Mp3 Experiment is definitely one of those notable experiences. Randomly my boyfriend, Greg and two of his friends (another couple) asked me if I wanted to go to the Mp3 Experiment on October 2nd. I had no idea what it was, but I agreed to go anyway because it piqued my interest. What it is is an event that is put on by Improv Everywhere each year. This was the 7th experiement. Each person who decided to go to NYC for the event was told to bring several items including 2 pieces of computer paper (each one with a single letter on it, one a consonant and one a vowel); a wrapped gift, can be something in your house that you don’t want anymore but think someone else would like; a marker, a roll of toilet paper and of course, an mp3 player. Before the event we had to sync up our clocks to a clock on the website, and download an mp3 and put it on our mp3 player without listening to it. On the day of the event, we were all supposed to be in a mapped out section of the city near Grand Central Station, and at exactly 6 pm we were supposed to play the mp3 so that everyone would be listening at the same time. The instructions told us to start in a retail store, so me, Greg, Jess and Cole started in a Halloween store. There were about 15 other people there who were also part of the experiment. We were all giggling, excited to all be part of something so big…it was like our own inside joke. The mp3 told us to do all kinds of awkward things in the store like pick up an item and dance with it, straighten up the store, look at items on the shelves adoringly, etc. Needless to say, the sales people thought we were crazy. They kept trying to ask us if we needed help with anything, I was honestly a little worried they were going to throw us out. Then, the mp3 told us to walk outside of the store and walk down the street. It told us that we had to freeze in place at the same time, which was hilarious. People walking on the street were so freaked out to see hundreds of people everywhere just not moving. In NYC! The place where people are always moving. Plus, it gave us a chance to look around and see exactly how many people were part of this thing, which was also pretty incredible. We played other jokes on the people, like following strangers around and high-fiving them. However, the couple that we followed were less than thrilled…the guy actually flipped on us a little and yelled, “Are you guys following us????” Angering New Yorkers is pretty frightening. Eventually we all met up in a park and saw the other hundreds of people that were also playing along. We played games together…with our letters we had to form words with strangers, then sentences. We exchanged gifts, took turns drawing the continents of the world and wrapped each other up in toilet paper because we were supposed to be mummies. It was all a little silly, but it was fun! It was also really funny to see how people react to having their quiet chess game in the park interrupted by a bunch of kids jumping up and down with headphones on. I saw quite a lot of video and pictures being taken, I might have to see if I’m on YouTube! Overall, it was a fun day and it was exciting to see how many people chose to participate in this experiment. It’s also one of those things everyone wants to do…I think all of us have wondered what people would do if we did something really random in public…like break out into song as if life is a musical (which I’m told Improv Everywhere actually did one year). So yeah, it was a good time. The whole thing took about an hour, so we all went out to eat and then caught a train back home. My only regret is not being able to stay in the city for longer! I love NYC, hopefully I’ll go back soon. Anyone can be involved in these experiements, it’s completely free except for any transportation you need to get there…just find out when the next experiment is on the Improv Everywhere website and go!

(written 10/17/10)

Mixed Feelings

I feel like it gets harder and harder for me to trust people. I hate saying that because I’ve always been the kind of person to trust everyone until they betray my trust. So, for me to have a hard time trusting people, it must mean that people I know have screwed up a lot, right? And that just sucks. I try to have faith in people but half the time they just let me down. There’s a very small group of people in my life that I can trust no matter what, but I still always worry that they’re not going to come through. It’s sad that my default response when someone says they’re going to do something is to plan out what I’m going to when they screw me over. I don’t want to be cynical and I try to always think about the positives in my life. But it’s sad when I feel like I put 100% into my friendships and relationships and I feel like most people only put in 50% for me. What can I do about that, though? Stop being friends with them? I have a hard time cutting people out of my life. Yell at them about it? I have a hard time with confrontation. Stop trying? I believe that I should always be a good person and put effort into all of my relationships. I guess I have to think of a solution soon. I fully appreciate my life and I know that I’m so lucky to love so many people and to have so many people love me. But sometimes, on days like this, I feel so alone.

(written on 10/17/10)

First Post!

So, I’m kinda new to this whole blogging thing. I used to have a Xanga, but that was more filled with my high school banter than anything else. I used Xanga in 9th/10th grade as a means of telling everyone every single thing I was doing…kinda like I do with my Twitter now. That’s not what my Tumblr will be for. I feel like I’ve changed a lot since high school. Not that I didn’t have opinions before, but now I feel like I’ve experienced a lot more and I have a lot more to say as a result. I also think it’d be interesting for me to have a place to express myself in a more “big girl” way…I will be a college graduate soon afterall. So, I’m going to use this blogging site to share my opinions on my experiences as well as events that are happening worldwide. Feel free to comment, I love feedback. I’m going to be 100% honest on this thing, and for once in my life I don’t care if anyone agrees or disagrees with me. However, I am definitely open to other viewpoints. Please share your ideas with me!

(written on 10/16/10- I switched blogs!)