After reading “Narrow Minded” by Virginia Heffernan, here are my thoughts.

     It is unfortunate that a healthy majority of female media glorifies an unhealthy ideal body image for the public eyes of many young women.   Thinsporation is nothing short of a severely harmful addiction.  Whether masked with pride or hidden with a smile, participating individuals of such destructive behavior remain full of pain, envy, and self-induced fear.  The concept of women rebelling against their own natural physiques, with a mind set to obtain thinness so dramatic that “dancing between raindrops in a downpour” becomes feasible, is not only disturbing but also very dangerous.  When considering how attached these women are to desires such as this, it becomes apparent that those hooked on Thinspo have similar mentalities of individuals suffering from many other forms of addiction, including narcotic abuse, and should be medically monitored as such.
 
                                        
More variation needs to be incorporated into and prominent throughout the media in regards to how external beauty is defined.  Something as simple as catching a glimpse of the latest Victoria Secret Model's protruding ribcage could instigate long-term battles that continue to attack young girls' self-body images. 

     Many marijuana addicts (who typically do not refer to themselves as “addicts”), for example, praise their habit by bragging about it to their peers, making it an anticipated part of their routine, and bashing all proposed negative effects that are likely to victimize them.  Thinsporation opens an opportunity for women (mostly teenagers and young adults), who are obsessed with the idea of becoming thin at all cost, to brag about their achievements in losing a substantial amount of weight, inspire those who have similar aspirations with pictures of skeletal women, and encourage one another that being clinically underweight is beyond worth any so called health risks that might arise.  Although I do believe that most attraction to Thinspo material is primarily a phase for the majority of involved females, it still raises me a great deal of concern.  I think that media influences need to strongly encourage healthy body images for young girls.  Parental influences can also help young girls significantly by repeatedly reminding daughters of their outer and inner beauty, as well as allowing them to develop healthy habits, such as those sports and other extracurricular activities. 

Child Exposure to Adult Reading Content-

     Personally, for the most part, I believe that children should be able to read whatever they choose.  Intellectual freedom opens up a great selection of novels for children to browse and read.   This is important to me, because it is more likely to attract young readers while encouraging the enhancement of their reading skills.  Having a wide variety of reading material also allows children to be more excited about everyday reading, which in turn gives them an opportunity to become more knowledgeable in certain subjects which hold their interests.  However, this does not meant that I support drastic scenarios, such as the idea of pornographic magazines being displayed at a public library.


                                  

 Just as movies and video games provide labels which advise a recommended level of maturity to their audience, books should follow some sort of rating method that suggests appropriate age groups for each article.  

     Knowing that they are children, it is completely up to parents to decide what restrictions need to be enforced within their personal household.  Some parents choose to raise their children in a liberal manner, while others remain fairly more conservative.  Deciding what reading material is ok for a child’s intellect, is not too much different from determining whether or not the new Grand Theft Auto game is appropriate for their entertainment.   For example, the novel Fifty Shades of Grey, is exposed to children in many public environments including Wal-Mart, libraries, book stores, etc.  I do not see any issue with this.  But, in the instance where a child asks to read this particular book, it would be up to the parent to determine whether or not this book is appropriate to be exposed to their child. 

Are digital databases replacing print material?

     It is evident that technology has provided us with multiple new ways to obtain information.  I think that print material is not as useful as it once one. While reading a good book is a favorite pass time to many of us, most people shift their focus to digital resources when assigned to research a topic or simply want answers to various questions.   Before so many digital databases became available to people, the primary way to learn about something was to find its general section the in the library or bookstore and browse through different books, newspapers or other print documents in hopes of finding useful information.  Today, a topic as complicated as trauma to the cerebral portion of a human brain can be researched through websites and search engines within just minutes! 

     Even though concrete documents, including our own constitution, prove that print material still thrives as an important part of society, the access and convenience to digital databases have replaced print material in many aspects.  For example, most students can agree that when presented with a research paper assignment in history class, it is nearly impossible to avoid the page requiring them to cite their sources.  Googling historical figures and events relevant to assigned time period has become so easy, that when students are required to use at least one print reference (besides the class textbook, of course), finding that particular source often seems to be a more inconvenient task than ever before. 

     Aside from books and important documents, digital databases have also overshadowed print material in another way, as recent as the past decade.  I remember as a child, my mother would take my siblings and I on several long road trips to visit our family in Ohio and many other distant states.  To accomplish this trip, she kept several maps and atlases in her purse and in our vehicle.  Reminiscing on this makes me realize how dependent many people are on new digital technology.  While my mother was able to rely on print material when traveling throughout America, I hesitate to travel outside my city without a digital GPS navigation system.  It seems that when presented with a printed map today, more and more people are becoming unfamiliar with how to interpret many of its common components. 

     I believe that many of the ways digital databases have replaced print material are for the best.  Time and economical products are both saved due to many technology breakthroughs.   Recordings, patterns and statistics also seem to be much easier to keep track of on digital databases.  As new discoveries are made, they are most often posted online before writers get around to publishing associated books.  Print material however, does possess more solid information.  While computers and websites risk losing unsaved information and being hacked, print material most often holds definite facts and documents that cannot be so easily altered.    

Get to know me. (:

Finally got this blog thing figured out! Now to introduce myself.

     My name is Sarah Martinez, and I am currently pursuing General Education courses at Black River Technical College.  Initially, I wanted to pursue some type of medical degree or certification.  However, recently, I decided that going after something business related might be a better choice for the time being due to current job opportunities.  As of right now, the highest degree I have obtained is my high school diploma.  

     I graduated from Pine Ridge High School in central Florida during the 2010-2011 academic year and have been enrolled as a student at BRTC since the Spring of 2012.  Although I was raised in Florida, where most of my family still resides, I have lived in Jonesboro, Arkansas for close to a year and a half.  Eventually, I do want to move back to my home state, because I miss having my younger siblings (in picture with me above) around.  They are my life.  However, going to school and only working part-time is far more financially manageable here in Arkansas than it is in Florida, where I would need to live with several roommates in order get by.        

     Currently, I am employed as a hostess at Chilis in Paragould.  I work with great people and that, to me, makes all the difference.  As far as hobbies go, I enjoy everything from traveling to new places, primarily anywhere with plenty of sunshine and sandy beaches, to lounging at home while watching my favorite television shows.  I also enjoy discovering and learning new things that interest me.  Although I am not a fan of working out at the gym, swimming and exploring nature trails are two things which I enjoy that me active.  

Hope you all have a great semester!