Last week I wanted to get another perspective on the whole steroids debate, so I started a long conversation with my German exchange student. He doesn't necessarily condone the usage of illegal steroids, but because he assumes that the majority of athletes use performance-enhancing drugs, we should just accept it and move on. He went on to say that there is going to be drug usage in sports whether we test or not, and plenty of athletes are just trying to keep up with the competition. Fans just want to see broken records, whether the athlete was juicing or not.
I have to admit, I disagree with almost all of this. First of all, though I don't deny some athletes uses illegal drugs, to say it's the majority is a brave assumption. To just accept it is as bad as the crime itself. We shouldn't just make exceptions and allow people to break the law; we need to take the best steps we can to prevent cheating in sports. Yes, athletes are trying to keep up with the competition, but that is all the more reason we need to crack down on drug usage. It'll prevent the pressure to juice up and feel the need to cheat to be able to keep your job. Fans do like to see record-breaking feats, but when they're accomplished through cheating, it completely destroys the excitement. When a record is broken honestly is when it's exciting and what the fans really want to see.
This week, we looked at growing up online, and what the pros and cons of living a life in front of a computer screen really are. With a large emphasis based in technology in today's society, lifestyle changes have been directly based on technological advancements. My parents' generation spent most of their childhood outside, interacting with others. When I look outside, 
all the front lawns in my neighborhood are typically empty. When I am outside, typically I'm isolated between a pair of iPod headphones as I enjoy nature, alone. Nowadays, most kids prefer all of their interactions to be anything but physical. Cyber relationships with God knows who is much easier than sparking conversation with someone face-to-face. And that's what society is constantly looking for, easier ways of doing things. I no longer have to call a friend from my house and hope he's at home to have a conversation. Instead, i can just shoot him a text while keeping up with five other simultaneous conversations. Want to see grandma but don't want to travel half way across the country? Teach her how to use Skype, problem solved. We used to look down on others for this addiction, citing them as nerds. Now it's the norm.
all the front lawns in my neighborhood are typically empty. When I am outside, typically I'm isolated between a pair of iPod headphones as I enjoy nature, alone. Nowadays, most kids prefer all of their interactions to be anything but physical. Cyber relationships with God knows who is much easier than sparking conversation with someone face-to-face. And that's what society is constantly looking for, easier ways of doing things. I no longer have to call a friend from my house and hope he's at home to have a conversation. Instead, i can just shoot him a text while keeping up with five other simultaneous conversations. Want to see grandma but don't want to travel half way across the country? Teach her how to use Skype, problem solved. We used to look down on others for this addiction, citing them as nerds. Now it's the norm.Most of us probably don't realize it, but there are certain important aspects of life that we miss out on when we choose to talk to a friend over AIM instead of meeting them at a coffeeshop to reconnect. I'm just as guilty as the next guy, but not a day goes by that I don't regret wasting my life in front of this stupid computer screen instead of goin
g out and interacting. Sure, the internet provides us with plenty of information that we most likely wouldn't have found without page surfing, but what's not completely false is typically pointless anyways. I used to be able to give up stuff like the internet for the Lenten season, now I see kids struggling to give up Facebook for more than a week. Hell, I couldn't even type this blog up without checking my Facebook. The internet is a terrible, terrible addicon that most of us in class wouldn't admit that they have fallen victim to, yet the majority of us have. I lied about how long I'm on the internet a day during the class discussion. There were some other kids in class that I know did too, because I see them online everyday.
g out and interacting. Sure, the internet provides us with plenty of information that we most likely wouldn't have found without page surfing, but what's not completely false is typically pointless anyways. I used to be able to give up stuff like the internet for the Lenten season, now I see kids struggling to give up Facebook for more than a week. Hell, I couldn't even type this blog up without checking my Facebook. The internet is a terrible, terrible addicon that most of us in class wouldn't admit that they have fallen victim to, yet the majority of us have. I lied about how long I'm on the internet a day during the class discussion. There were some other kids in class that I know did too, because I see them online everyday.Next week, the only time I'm going to be on the internet is for homework purposes. Let's see how well I do. Hopefully, I'll be able to limit myself to e-Mail and Edline, but I doubt it. It'll be a struggle, but I'm interested in seeing what I do instead in my free time...
Sources:
Juicin' Photograph. Dangers of Steroid Abuse. Web. http://www.freewebs.com/ronat007/steroids-in-baseball.jpg.
Nerd Alert. Photograph. MJ On the Move. Web. https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6yAtpK1cnUcTIPhgIU_hyphenhyphen46MKO0jUOoSg8PsHPqlwOnH6t26iCyn73XNLtIrMpToGtD5Nrlw2HpzDTnDkglYB_Yo8lBlSSEDDJwgGFLocZ4ntLltxJH9Nqarl9kCWBxQhKgVO6uXg7Gc/s400/nerd.GIF.
The Batcomputer. Photograph. Gamespot. Web. http://ui11.gamespot.com/1450/batcave_2.jpg.
It's such an interesting topic. Do you think students do not want to admit their amount of online usages as a form of denial, or is it more that they might not be aware of the amount of time spent?
ReplyDeleteGood luck! Let me know what you do with your tech free time.
-Mr. Couillard
I think it's more of a form of denial. Even though technology has become such a huge part of our lives, there is still the mentality that those of us that choose the computer over going outside are considered nerds. I know that I didn't speak up about my real amount of computer usage because it was so much more time than anyone else admitted.
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