What bra like tro?

First I felt disgusted by people trying to talk like mokes. I hear people talking like that all the time at my school. Why would they try to talk like that when they could speak proper English? Do they feel proud of themselves talking like loco braddahs and stuff? Anyways, i came to the realization that they talked like that because thats who they were. I don't talk like that because I choose not to and that isn't who I am. Being someone I'm not isn't how I live my life. The people that talk like this define themselves by sounding like something they are not. I should welcome them with open arms because in the process of being themselves and doing what they want, they are being others, but this is a way of being themselves. This probably makes no sense at all to anyone who is reading this but it made a lot of sense to me. If you have questions about what I mean, leave a comment and i'll try and change the post up into mo betta English.

Rap listener = gangsta.

People tend to judge others by the type of music they listen to. I find myself constantly stereotyping others based on the genres of music on their i-pods. I do believe that music is a way of expressing who you are as a person, but it doesn't mean that they fit all the stereotypes associated with that certain type of music. As you may have noticed in the title, the term rap in a modern viewpoint is almost always pointed towards African-American listeners, gangsters, THUG life, hate crimes, etc. I know a lot of people who listen to this type of music yet fit none of the stereotypes above. (Some are pretty extreme but work with me here). Why do people stereotype, and to what point is stereotyping alright? People shouldn't feel like they are being posers by listening to music which wasn't produced by people of their same ethnic background because music is a universal language. How messed up of a world would this be if you were only allowed to listen to music made by people of your ethnic background. Unfortunately I would be forced to listen to WHO KNOWS WHAT MUSIC JAPANESE PEOPLE MAKE. Anyway, to make a long story short, don't judge people by the type of music they listen to, because music helps define people, but not always to the extent of following stereotypes.

Do youTUBE?

I have recently discovered my fascination with the site everyone around the world knows as youtube. This site is open to anyone who wishes to post videos which they want to share with others. If you visit the link above, you will start to understand who I am so fascinated with this site. I find 80% of the videos I view to be a complete waste of my time, yet that other 20% consist of people who create awesome videos. Youtube.com's logo is "broadcast yourself," and I feel this tells a great deal about people growing up in the 21st century. Without the internet, there are not many ways to get nation wide publicity or people from random islands in the middle of the ocean such as Hawaii to view your videos. Of course you could get immediate nation wide publicity by streaking in front of the White House, being a kid who goes to Michael Jackson's Neverland Rance, etc. you get my drift. But most people are not as courageous as this and would rather just post their videos for the public to view. Some amateur videos on youtube such as "this one" have received over 5 million hits. A feat. that would be unachievable if there were no internet. Of course I visit youtube to get some entertainment for my sometimes boring life, but I also take for granted how much we all are blessed with in this day and age. If I were living say 100 years ago, if I got bored, I would probably go outside and read a book or something. Now, people can search the internet and enjoy others works of expression. Videos on youtube help define the people who make them, and I realized you shouldn't dis videos even though they're bad because the people who made them must have cared enough about the video to put it on the internet.

I guess I'm RACIST.

In Identity and Culture class around two weeks ago, my teacher discussed a site where it tested your preferences towards different races. I decided to try it out, and below are my results. There were quite alarming. Just thought I would share them. By the way if you want to try the test yourself, you can go to the link below

Implicit Association Test

Your Result

Your data suggest a strong automatic preference for European American compared to African American.

When I took this test, I answered each question honestly, because I simply wanted to get the most accurate answer. I find this result to be accurate about me, though this is not what I want. After taking the test, I was given this cumulative breakdown of the results of test takers in the past.


I found myself to not be alone in the "strong automatic preference for White people" category, but this didn't make me feel any better about myself. I am not sure if i can consciously make myself neutral to both races. What exactly influenced my results? I find the influential aspects of my life to be outside influences such as movies, school, and t.v. I see my results to be adapted instinct in that now unknowingly I lean more towards European people than Black people. Through my influences, I have obtained a preference that I would rather not have. I am going to try and consciously think about each group of people as equal, though I don't know if this is possible. Do other people want to be in a neutral position towards both races but find it incredibly hard to do so?

What is Love?

I see love for someone to be during college or after college. All of those highschool relationships that people feel they need to have, seem like a waste of time, or a way to feel grown up. I eman, sometimes driving in Manoa, I see little 6th and 7th grade Filipino couples (not to be racist) holding hands, and that just seems like such a fake picture of love. I am not sure what their main motivation is, unless they are planning like many public school relationships to start families at the age of 17 (stereotypical). I feel love isn't something you should be rushing into like some girls who feel obligated to always have a boyfriend. Whats up with that? I mean, enjoy life in highschool, and wait till you are ready for a relationship. I'm not jealous of those couples who start in 7th grade though it may sound like it because I'm talking pretty low of them. I feel love is more than just being with a person, its understanding them. I feel you you should wait until you understand yourself before you try and understand someone else. This is my own opinion, and I am not jealous of those high school relationships, I just feel personally I need more time before I try to understand what love is all about.

Tyler Durden Attempt

Right after reading the book titled "Fight Club," I felt inspired to make an attempt in duplicating the type of language that Tyler Durden used. His words were very meaningful because they asked an pointed out personal observations. If his voice were not in the manner which was heard in the movie, I feel a lot of the potential meaning would have been lost.
Find a mirror and take a look at yourself. Make sure the lighting is adequate and look yourself right in the eyes. How do you appear to yourself, are you proud of the person looking back at you? What makes you...you? Is this the way God put you on this earth or have you been shaped over the years into something you're not? Is the person looking back at you really you or is it someone with an attempt to be accepted by others? How has that person tried to fit into society, or have the always tried to be themselves? If the person looking back from that mirror seems false, well he probably is false. At what extent has the man in the mirror changed due to influences? Each day, the people you once knew may not have your back, or be there to talk/listen to you/ Just know that the person in the mirror will be there, change as you change, fit into the latest trends, etc. Just know that once the person in the mirror starts to seem unfamiliar then you've lost an important part of you...you.

Death

I'm confused, everyone is going to die sooner or later so what is life all about? Is our life set in stone or does it change by our actions. Do we determine our future and whats going to happen to us or is every move destiny? I constantly ponder the question, "Why do good people die and why are bad people given life?" I don't mean to say that bad people don't deserve to live, i just cannot figure out why God put people such as Hitler or Saddam on this planet. Maybe there are special purposes for these people, I just cannot seem to understand them. Even though Jeremiah Johnson's death was a couple weeks ago, I cannot seem to get the fact that he will never again take a breath of fresh air. His life was cut short in a freak diving accident, and thinking about it makes me feel horrible. I never actually had him as a teacher, but seeing the faces of those who he impacted, I knew he was a great man. The suddenness of his death opened my eyes that ANYONE could die at any moment. I should take every moment and breath as well as interactions with people as if they could be my last. I wouldn't ever want to regret anything I said or did if a person were to leave my life.
I don't fear death because it happens. The reality of life and how precious it is leads me to understand it more. Never regret anything you do, just live the life you want to live and enjoy every second of it.

18th

So last week Thursday i turned the big 18 years old. 18 is supposedly the year which you become an adult, or at least can make more decisions. I actually don't feel like I am ready for this type of transition. For the last 18 years of my life, I have been a kid, I have a question which I am not really sure what he answer is, "When does a kid become an adult?" One day I was a kid and the next I became an adult? I feel an individual decides when they become an adult, it doesn't just come with age. A certain level of maturity is required to be an adult, and this level of maturity needs to be maintained. I don't really want to make a commitment to being all goody two shoes at this moment, and want to make the transition when I feel that I am ready. Adults are faced with the same decisions as kids, but the only difference seems to be the consequences. I remember my court date last year for my speeding ticket, and i was one of the only people under 18 in the room. I was able to go up to the judge with my mother rather than by myself. Things are different now and if I go to court again, I will not only have to go up to the judge by myself, but the consequences could be harsher, maybe even including jail time. The decisions I make at this point in my life could either make it or break it. Being aware that I am now 18, I am more conscientious of my actions, and the possible consequences.