Amanda Chan

"The Story of My Body" review

2005-11-21T15:05:00.000-08:00

1. Identify moments in Cofer's examination that explore her personal context.
2. How does she reveal these moments (use examples from the text)? How do these realizations shape her attitude toward the world/philosophy of life?
3. What is Cofer's personal philosophy? How is her voice as a writer influenced by such a philosophy?

1) As Cofer relates her experiences growing up as a Puerto Rican girl in a white-dominated part of the United States, she shares a lot of insight into her feelings, emotions, and trials that she faced during school, in her family, etc. By using the narrative form, she is able to truly relate to her readers and be on their level in a "personal" manner. By labelling each separate story "Skin," "Color," "Size," and "Looks," Cofer is able to differentiate the different experiences she had and the emotions she felt. Context being a Puerto Rican girl growing up in a white area of town, she talks about how she was considered "beautiful" and "white" by her mother and relatives back in Puerto Rico, and the difficulties she had fitting into a different stereotype once in the States. She also recalls always being picked last for the team in gym class, because of her small size (as compared to "American" standards). Finally, another moment of her self realization is when her date to a dance cancelled on her because of his racist father.

2) One specific incident in which Cofer discovered herself is when she was dumped by her date because of his racist father. Although this came really to no fault of her own, she had to suffer the consequences of another's ignorance. Through this, she learned the meaning of the common quote, "Those that mind, don't matter, and those that matter, don't mind." She put on the world view to make the most out of every situation, and that through her gifts as an academic and especially a writer, she would be able to look upon life with an optimistic, although not unrealistic, view.
Another incident is when Cofer compared herself to the "Jackies" with her high school friends, wishing that she could have the same body as the two "filled out" Caucasian girls. Through this experience, Cofer learned to appreciate her body ,as well as the bodies of her relatives, "people", and her mother. She learned to be content with the body she has, as well as not to compare herself to such people.

3) Cofer's personal philosophy is to not let anyone get her down, that she can make the best out of every situation life throws her way, and to be proud of her roots. She has learned to appreciate her heritage in a way that only life experiences can teach. In the last paragraph or so of her story, Cofer explains that her self-worth comes from her self-appreciation of her unique beauty, as well as her talents as a writer. THrough this, can one find self-worth, as well as a feeling of accomplishment and no regrets.

hate mail

2005-11-14T16:05:00.000-08:00

1. the word "gluteus" - Any of the three large muscles of each buttock, especially the gluteus maximus, that extend, abduct, and rotate the thigh.

2. two clichés, used in a new way - under the weather, in the nick of time

3. a list of ingredients to some kind of food -
Chocolate chip cookies: all-purpose flour, baking soda, salt, unsalted butter, brown sugar, white sugar, vanilla extract, egg yolk, semisweet chocolate chips
---

Dear Stephanie,

You know, it's about time I gave you a piece of my mind. You are so arrogant, it's no wonder you didn't let that incident bother you. And yes, you know perfectly well what incident I am referring to- you know, the one with the milk. You probably thought it was SOOO funny to put molasses in my milk, so that when I took a sip, I would drop it on my chair, and make everything STICKY!!! You are such a horrible person, in an under the weather sort of way. Why would anyone do something like that? It's so childish. It makes all of me just shake with anger, even my gluteus muscles!! And that's sayin' something. By switching out the milk with the molasses, you inadvertently made my hands go up to my ears in terror. You firing off that bullhorn right in my ear, that definitely made all of the all-purpose flour, baking soda, unsalted butter, brown sugar, white sugar, vanilla extract, egg yolk, and semisweet chocolate chips go everywhere!! I was almost done making the batter for the cookies, and you just HAD to ruin it ALL. In the nick of time slapping you in the face, that really showed some guts on my part, you know? How could you do that to me?! The principal put me on probation, and I'm still on it to this day. My perfect record-- ruined!! Now I'll never get into Stanford!!

Your #1 hater,
Amanda

The baby does not keep its brain. We keep finding it on the floor by the baby's crib.

2005-11-10T11:37:00.000-08:00

The baby does not keep its brain. We keep finding it on the floor by the baby's crib. The baby keeps dropping it over the side railing, and he just won't take it back. He must think that he doesn't have to think, as a baby, he can just cry and wail and wait for someone to pass on by and help him. But perhaps this baby is in a secluded room, hidden away from the rest of civilization. What then? Well, the rescuers would just have to follow the isanemone to the location of this little baby with the missing brain, and perhaps they can help him to take it back and put it back inside his head. But firstly, they will probably want to stop by the store to buy some sodium stearoyl, as that is the first step in purchasing tools and ingredients to successfully put a brain back in a baby. The baby could be located anywhere in the world, as there are numerous babies all across the globe who are dropping their brains over the side of the crib, and onto the floor. A phenomenon, perhaps. There was once a baby found in Xigaze, and its rescuers had to climb a great mountain to find it in a little hut by a natural spring. Of course, though, this was in the wintertime, and snow was abounding, so by the time they found the baby, its brain was frozen and ready for shipping. As it turns out, the baby was taken to Chicago where it's brain was thawed out from its frozen state and returned to its original place-- the baby's head.

Phrase: The baby does not keep its brain. We keep finding it on the floor by the baby's crib.
Tibetan city: Xigaze
Ingredient in a Twinkie: sodium stearoyl
isanemone: . line on map connecting all places with same wind velocity

letter with VOICE

2005-11-08T15:48:00.000-08:00

Dear friend,

Yesterday, I received my very first 0 on an assignment. Don't get me wrong, it was not that the assignment was hard, or that I was careless and absentminded and forgot to do it. Oh no, I wrote the darn one-page, single spaced, 1-inch margin-ed online journal review. But the problem is...it was the wrong journal. You see, when my teacher assigned this assignment a week ago, she showed us how to find our journal article to review. She logged onto the ASU Libraries website, showed us how to search for "Journal", and then "Journal of American History", and then to plug in a certain term that she gave us. So I plugged in "US Imperialism." Okay, fine, good, dandy. A number of selections come up; she reminds us not to click on any link that start with "Review", as they are book reviews. Okay, fine. I click on a nice one that says "Pan-Americanism and Imperialism." The next night, I write my journal review on it. I follow all the directions, and I turn it in the next day, expecting full credit. Then yesterday (Monday), she passed back our online journal reviews. Expecting full credit, I took back my paper. It had a big "0" on it. Really really confused, I went up to the front of the class to ask her why she gave me a 0. She asked me to sit down and that she would address the class as a whole. As it turns out, on that search engine for the library website, we were only supposed to choose articles that were from the "Mississippi Valley Journal" or the "Journal of American History." Okay, we all knew that. But apparently, there were other journals included in that search engine, so we should've known not to choose those. Now, when she showed us the example in class, she just said to choose one of the journal articles that came up in the search engine. So because of this misunderstanding on my part, as well as half the class's part, we all have 0's on our papers now. Fortunately, she is letting us rewrite the article review for half credit.
Luckily though, even with a 0, I still have a 93% in the class. If I do the article for the half credit, I can raise it to a 97%. So either way, I will have an A.

bibliography + annotations

2005-10-25T18:31:00.000-07:00

1) Kompare, Derek. Reality TV: Remaking Television Culture. Ed. Susan Murray and Laurie Ouellette. New York and London: New York UP, 2004. 97-116.
In Kompare's essay on the Osbournes as a "typical American family," titled "Extraordinarily Ordinary," he touches on the way that the public views the Osbournes, as compared and contrasted to the ways American families run today. He compares the Osbournes to "An American Family," a reality sitcom from an earlier decade. This proves that the idea of family reality television is not completely unique; it has been around for awhile, but it has just now started to become a craze rather than a shock and surprise. Also, the Osbournes have led a new idea of raising family based on freedom and free thought, as opposed to the more traditional methods of raising a family. The Osbournes are a family that the typical American family can watch and laugh at their crazy antics, and perhaps learn a thing or two.
2)Hill, Annette. Reality TV: Audiencess and Popular Factual Television. New York: Routledge, 2005.
In Annette Hill's book, she discusses the different realms of reality television. In her views of the rise of reality television, she delves deeper in to the reasons why reality TV is so popular today-- mainly because of the driving demand for people wanting to watch "themselves" on television, from the safety of their own living room. She also mentions the authenticity of such programs, mentioning the fact that most of these shows are scripted, rather than not. Her candid and blatant form of writing appeals to the reader, making it easy to read and driving home her points. Her comments on reality television are well thought out and professional, provoking thought.

3) Glynn, Kevin. Tabloid Culture. Ed. Lynn Spigel. Durham and London: Duke UP, 2000.
Not just about reality television, Kevin Glynn's book covers a wide array of topics, from tabloid magazines, to TV shows, to movies, to advertisements. As far as "tabloid" is concerned, he is intereted in exposing the "tabloids" of today's society-- mainly in the things we watch, hear, and read. As a book from the Duke University Press, the credibility of this source should be trusted, mainly because it is a scholarly publication. Also, the research and in-depth analyses that Glynn gives to back up his arguments, is only enhanced through his many examples of television shows and publications. His real life examples (for example, one is taken from the TV show, "America's Most Wanted") also make his arguments plausible.

4) Clissold, Bradley D. Understanding Reality Television. Ed. Su Holmes and Deborah Jermyn. London and New York: Routledge, 2004. 33-53.
Clissold's essay "Candid Camera and the Origins of Reality TV" really does set a precedent for the advent of reality television shows in today's pop culture. Candid Camera, the very first "reality TV" show, was focused around surprising and tricking normal, average, everyday people into scenarios and problems that wouldnt normally arise. These scenarios were filmed and shown on national television. Clissold explains how this led to future reality television shows, such as the famous "Survivor" and "Big Brother." He examines, as well, the "cultural resistance to surveillance," going through human tendencies to not want to be watched and monitored 24/7. This also backs up his points, giving him a greater source of credibility. An added note: This book, which contains these essays, also contains an essay written by a Justice Studies professor at ASU!

5) Barnfield, Graham. "Big Brother- Why bother?" Spiked: Culture. 17 June 2003. Contributor to the book "Reality TV: How real is real?". 25 Oct. 2005 .
In this witty article, Graham Barnfield uses the example of the "Big Brother" television show to prove that point that people are trying to live their lives extraneously through the characters in the show. He talks about there being people from all walks of life as characters on the show (people of different races, cultures, ages, sexual orientations, religions, etc.), to show the fusion/melting pot that is American society. Although the essay is based purely on Barnfield's opinion, it is still credible from the numerous examples that he uses, directly from reality television shows. Although a bit meaty in that department (as far as citing shows and episodes), it still proves for an interesting read.

MLA- Skeleton People

2005-10-20T12:54:00.000-07:00

1.) Scholarly Journal- Online
"Archaeological Dig Uncovers Ancient Race Of Skeleton People." The Onion 35 (1999). 20 Oct. 2005 http://www.theonion.com/content/node/29976.

Scholarly Journal- In Print
"Archaeological Dig Uncovers Ancient Race Of Skeleton People." The Onion 35 (1999).

2.) Paraphrasing
In Al Jizah, Egypt, an extraordinary discovery of "skeleton people" was uncovered by Egyptian and British archaeologists. These "skeleton people" had no skin or organs, and are thought to have chosen the Nile River area as their habit about 6,000 years ago. The head of the team that made this discovery, Dr. Christian Hutchins of Oxford University, said, "This is an incredible find... imagine: At one time, this entire area was filled with spooky, bony, walking skeletons." He then went on to add that this very discovery created implications that were quite staggering.

3.) Summary
In the news article put out by "The Onion," there was a report of discoveries of an ancient race- the "skeleton people." Discovered by archaeologists from Egypt and Great Britain, these skeleton people were thought to have existed some 6,000 years ago in the Nile River area. These skeletons are thought to be the originators of the "haunted house," residing in small huts that were probably haunted. They were also suspected to jump out at unsuspecting humans to scare them. However, they probably could not have taken food because it would just fall out from under them, as they contain no internal organs to process the said food. As to where they are now, it is suspected that an ancient Egyptian priest may have cast them out with a spell, or perhaps defeated the head "skeleton man." All of these discoveries lead scientists to believe that humans may have evolved from the "skeleton people," as both "species" contain opposable thumbs and walk(ed) upright.

4.) Pick a passage, and quote smoothly
An important thought to keep in mind, however, is that the skeleton people may in fact be relatives of today's humankind. This can be inferred by Sir Edmund-White, as he says, "These and many other similarities lend credence to the theory that hundreds of thousands of years ago, human development passed through a skeletal stage. These skeletons may, in fact, be ancestors of us all."

5.) My opinion
What's puzzling about this," Cambridge University archaeologist Sir Ian Edmund-White said, "is that skeletons would not benefit from harvested crops, as any food taken orally would immediately fall through the hole behind the jaw and down through the rib cage, eventually hitting the ground..."

I, in fact, do not believe that humans are evolved from the skeleton people. Although there are a few similarities, such as the opposable thumbs, this does not prove a clear enough case to say that humans are in fact descendants of this species. As demonstated by the passage above, it is shown that skeleton people do not have internal organs, thereby making it impossible for them to receive any nutrition or sustenance at all. Humans, however, are completely dependent on their internal organs- the heart, the stomach, the lungs, etc. Therefore, since humans must take food, and the ancient skeleton people did not, you would think that this would be going BACKWARDS, evolutionarily, rather than forwards. Evolution does not work backwards, as it supposedly improves human existence, through the process of natural selection . However, to add the previously-unnecessary act of eating and nutrition through evolution, it completely proves the case wrong.

audience analysis

2005-10-18T13:26:00.000-07:00

In my text "Spudding Out" by Barbara Ehrenreich, the intended audience is that of the couch potatoes, and the people who are in constant contact with the couch potatoes. This text is very appropriate for the target I want to reach, considering both essays will, in the end, be reaching the normal, tv- watching general public. I will be trying to persuade my audience that couch potatoism is a growing trend in today's society, where kids come home from school, sit themselves on the couch, and watch TV, and where the idea of quality family time is spent around the tube. The publication I will choose will most likely be an entertainment publication, such as TV Guide, or Entertainment Weekly. Such publications include articles on the latest celebrities, as well as information regarding television programs. This sort of publication, however, won't contain articles on how the television is starting to control our lives. The sorts of companies that advertise in these publications are those of any and everything-- from Venus shavers, to Dove chocolate, to Tide detergent, to ads for The Gap. This spectrumof advertisements reflects the broad readership. By looking at these details, I can cater my essay to the general public, one that would usually not think of watching TV as bad, but rather as simply a source of entertainment; an audience that would not look at TV as a growing trend, but rather what is going on in the latest Survivor's life.

FOR EXPLORATION-- couch potatoes

2005-10-13T12:41:00.000-07:00

WORD: Couch potato

http://www.spiked-online.com/Articles/0000000CA70C.htm

The first online article is from an organization called "Spike Essays," and contains essays on politics, technology, science, culture, and health. Based in London, the site seems full of scholarly and intellectual journals and essays, with learned people who obviously know what they're talking about writing them. The quality of the writing on the website is very up-to-par, with nearly no grammar or spelling mistakes. The website itself is clean and well-kept, with no cheap advertisements, and a handy table of contents bar on the left side. The biases of the website are solely those of the authors; if the author is more liberal or more conservative, then his/her essay will lean that way. The website itself seems quite scholarly and something that aficionados would often visit to hear different opinions on current events. The way the website keeps its maintenance is through the subscriptions of readers and supporters. The timeliness is very good, with archives of stories kept and dated. The purpose of the website is for people to go and read the opinions of others concerning certain issues and topics that are especially of interest in today's society. The intent of the essays is seemingly honorable, although there might possibly be a hidden agenda of the makers of the website. They could, for example, choose to only let extreme leftist writers write for the website, as well as the other way around. It is all dependent on the audience.

http://www.authorsden.com/visit/viewarticle.asp?AuthorID=10045&id=12690
The second online article is from a website called "Author's Den." It seems that this "Author's Den" website is just a host for amateur writers from any and all backgrounds to come together and share their writing. Because of this, the credibility is not as strong as the "Spike Essays" website, because there is no gatekeeping as far as the correctness of the essays. There is even an essay written by a 9-year old on this site! This leads to another point, which is that the writing quality differs with each essay. Obviously a 40-year old aspiring author is going to write a more grammatically correct essay than the 9-year old, as well as (hopefully) an essay with deeper meaning and insight. There is almost no corporate or organization that is directly influencing all of the writers on this "Author's Den" website; all of the writing is private, and written by their respective authors out of want or need. The timeliness is not relevant with most of the essays on this website. Some essay titles include, "If I were a baseball," "What is a good friend?," "Tipping," and "Behavior Disorders." These essays don't need to be timely to be okay to read. Timeliness is not even an issue here. In context of its intended audience, the writers of this website probably just thought of topics that would be of general interest to today's America. As demonstrated by the given titles above, it can be assumed that none of these essays are of extreme literary value (although maybe of personal value).

16 QUESTIONS

2005-10-10T16:01:00.000-07:00

1) Who was the fifteenth president of the United States? Where was he born? James Buchanan; he was born in Pennsylvania
2) Who was the victor in the battle of Vera Cruz during the Mexican War (Guerra de Estados Unidos a Mexico)? The United States of America was the victor.
3) Translate the following sentence: "C'est de l'homme que j'ai à parler, et la question que j'examine m'apprend que je vais parler à des hommes; car on n'en propose point de semblables quand on craint d'honorer la vérité. Je défendrai donc avec confiance la cause de l'humanité devant les sages qui m'y invitent, et je ne serai pas mécontent de moi-même si je me rends digne de mon sujet et de mes juges." "It is of the man that I have to speak, and the question which I examine learns that I will speak to men; because one does not propose the similar ones when one fears to honour the truth. I will thus defend with confidence the cause of the humanity in front of the wise ones which invite me there, and I will not be dissatisfied with myself if I make myself worthy of my subject and my judges."
4) What are the dimensions of Noah's Ark (according to the book of Genesis)? 300 cubits long, 50 cubits wide, 30 cubits high
5) How many times does Dickens use the name "David" in David Copperfield? 83
6) What is Botticelli's Venus wearing in the famous painting of her being borne on a conch shell? Nothing
7) In what poem is the following line found?: "Do I dare to eat a peach?" and "silent upon a peak in Darien." The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock, by T.S. Eliot, and On First Looking into Chapman's Homer by John Keats
8) Speaking of Darien, what is the last MetroNorth train daily during the work week from Grand Central Station in New York to Darien, Connecticut? How much does a one-way ticket cost? Grand Central to Darien, last train at 1:50 AM on a Monday. A one way peak time ticket is $17 for an adult; off peak is $14.00
9) What is the official plagiarism policy of the Hugh Downs School of Human Communication at Arizona State University? Can be found at http://www.asu.edu/clas/communication/acadintpol/ Contains definitions of academic evaluation, cheating, fabrication, plagiarism, and a list of student obligations.
10) What was Nicholas Copernicus' Polish name? Mikolaj Kopernik
11) What was Darwin's wife's name? Emma
12) What was the first disease conquered by vaccination? Why was the procedure called "vaccination"? Smallpox; the procedure's called "vaccination" because it comes from the latin word for "cow", or vaccinus, and the vaccine was made using the cow pox virus.
13) How many years did Galileo spend under house arrest? 8 years
14) Who founded MS. Magazine? When? Gloria Steinem, in 1972
15) What is the front page headline of today's LeMonde? Earthquake left millions without homes, UN says OR Séisme au Cachemire : plus de 30 000 morts, l'aide internationale afflue--10/10/2005
16) If you were concerned that the budgetary stinginess of the Arizona State Legislature was responsible for damaging the academic reputation of the university you attend, how would you find out the number of the legislative district in which you reside and the names and email addresses of your House and Senate representative so that you could register a firm protest? You can either call or e-mail them, and look online for the legislative district number. http://www.ci.gilbert.az.us/townmanager/govrelations.cfm

my identity crisis-- and yours

2005-10-06T13:20:00.000-07:00

In "My Identity Crisis--and Yours" Stevon Roberts strategically places his thesis statement in the third paragraph to avoid sounding like a formal essay. His thesis is, "This experience convinced me that there are some businesses I couldn't trust to protect my privacy and identity. I had to take a more active role in protecting myself, and I hope I can convince you to do the same." Here, he establishes the main points of his essay- that there are businesses you cannot trust with your private information, and that we need to take further steps to protect ourselves in such cases. Claims that support this thesis include mentions of spyware, P2P (peer to peer) software, spamming, and identity theft through hacking.
Particular strengths in Stevon's essay include his use of specific examples and details related to the topic. He mentions, by name, certain companies, techniques, and spy/ad/soft-ware that identity theft criminals use, as well as how we can prevent ourselves from being subjected to such things. Strengths of the article include being specific and credible, as well as an interesting introduction to draw the reader into the essay. A major weakness in the essay, however, is that the interest level tends to go down after the first page or so, due to all of the technicalities-- it would have been good if he could have kept up the desirability to finish reading the essay.

Rhetorical analysis strategies for "Spudding Out"

2005-09-19T13:44:00.000-07:00

I have chosen to rhetorically analyze the essay "Spudding Out" by Barbara Ehrenreich. In this text, Ehrenreich addresses the issues of "couch potato-ism" and the effects and reasons for this phenomenon. In my analysis, I have summarized her main points, her most dominating point being that society has replaced the "tv life" for their own life. As for the rhetoric, I pointed out her audience, being to the general television-viewing public, and I also noted her use of humor in the essay to get her point across. I also pointed out that the basis of her argument is her own observations from her family, and the way that they view television.

Three Aristotilian Ideals

2005-09-15T12:17:00.000-07:00

The Three Aristotilian Ideals are Logos, Pathos, and Ethos. Logos is all about human reasoning on a higher level- thinking beyond mortality, but rather divinely and cosmically. Logic and religion, although two seemingly different topics, are both located in the "Logos" category. Pathos, on the other hand, is the ideal of sympathy, and even empathy. We naturally feel emotions toward each other, and towards things that we are passionate about. Pathos is the thing that controls how much emotion we show, and how we show it (in what ways). Ethos, on the other hand, is the ideal of personality- we are each unique and have a culture and heritage that is specific to our person. No one is exactly the same. Ethos is the thing that differentiates us all and creates personal history and memories. I think that human nature, although it definitely cannot be categorized, or even sub categorized, best falls under these three ideals, for lack of a better way to explain them in a logical manner.

A Hanging

2005-09-10T21:33:00.000-07:00

Throughout “The Hanging”, George Orwell tries to make a statement regarding death and the casualness and complacency in which it occurs. The text itself describes a typical execution in Burma, where prisoners are locked up with no regard to treatment or reason, and hangings are a common thing. The story is about a Hindu man who is hung, and the things that occurred on the way to and after the completion of his execution. Orwell subtly puts his own commentary into the piece, depicting his disgust that he harbors toward any execution, as well as the nonchalant feelings that are implied by the guards and onlookers in the story. Both of these feelings are displayed by seemingly simplistic descriptions, as well as innocent images that make the reader think, at first, nothing of the occurrence at all. Numerous passages from the story shows this, “They crowded very close about him, with their hands always on him in a careful, caressing grip, as though all the while feeling him to make sure he was there. It was like men handling a fish which is still alive and may jump back into the water.” Another such passage is, “We looked at the lashed, hooded man on the drop, and listened to his cries—each cry another second of life; the same thought was in all our minds: oh kill him quickly, get it over, stop that abominable noise!” Orwell is trying to expose the true nature of mankind- the unfeeling, ungenerous, un-empathetic side that we all have. It is only with an issue as startling as death that we can fully grasp what he is trying to tell us.

Merchants of Cool Analysis

2005-09-08T13:03:00.000-07:00

Amanda Chan
ENG105 TTH 12:15-1:30
8/30 Assignment on “The Merchants of Cool”

In “The Merchants of Cool,” Douglas Rushkoff investigates the rising fascination with teen pop culture. Teenagers are constantly vying for attention, causing them to imitate popular celebrities. Major corporations try to capitalize off this, showing productions and advertisements to influence them further. The era of family friendly programming has no longer any place in primetime television; shows such as Dawson’s Creek and Cruel Intentions have completely infiltrated the TV schedule to reflect teens’ all-consuming fascination with sexuality. One of the major networks responsible for influencing pop culture is MTV, telling kids what’s cool. On the flipside, the rise of rage metal is becoming popular, as the need to rebel appeals to teenagers. However, even these metal bands become mainstream…and soon, they are taken over by the corporate bosses. The cycle is never-ending.

This analysis of teen pop culture seems to cover all bases. Through the casual tone of Rushkoff, he develops a story-like quality in the program which engages its viewers. The program itself entertains as it informs- the material presented seems geared toward parents of teens, although teens would also find the program stimulating in that it is an in-depth study of their world. The information presented in the program lends itself more to a discovery- it provokes interest in the viewer because the topics can be seen everywhere in today’s culture. This film is particularly important in exposing the media’s influence over the way we think and act, which needs to be examined before America’s teens goes for a loop- in the wrong direction.