Video games and children

Video games were always present in my house growing up with many siblings. Perhaps because I was the youngest and most definitely did not get seniority over the remote I grew to despise video games in general. I would see how they would suck the life out of my siblings and I found myself preferring to run around outside and play with friends. My sister had always somehow managed to sneak a remote, whether it was after all of the boys had passed out or through her stubborn negotiation skills. Reflecting back on our personalities I am aware that my sister and I have had and always will have vastly different personalities. I have always been more social and active, she has always been more quiet and reserved. She would stay up all night playing games and reading and I would wake up super early and go out and play until I passed out at night. I wonder, though, if the fact that she grew up with video games had an influence on what her reality was as a child. Had she not gotten the chance to play would she have spent more time out making friends and being active? I remember at one point my Dad started to play some sort of video game. He was curious what all the hype was and decided to give it a shot. It was not long before he became addicted! My dad, who has always been a self motivated and disciplined person was addicted to these life suckers! It was a few weeks where he would come home from work and play these games. My mom and I were baffled and disgusted over his desire to play so often. Thankfully, it was not long before my dad came to the realization how much time he had dedicated to this false reality and he was able to pull himself out. However, he was a grown man with a lot of experience. He did not grow up playing these games. He had stepped in at mature point in his life where he was able to be self-reflective. I do not think children that grow up playing these games have an opportunity to do so...they do not know what it is like without them. That to me is a very scary picture.

Fame: Response

I have to agree that fame no longer equals talent. I think one of the first "famous" people to become well known around the globe for doing absolutely nothing would have to be Paris Hilton. Other than being filthy rich and having a great agent she really did nothing significant to gather so much attention. It was this image that she was able to portray that caught the media by firestorm. Youtube is another perfect example of the modern average person being capable of achieving fame if they put in enough effort and gather enough attention from a large audience. Kim Kardashian is arguably one of the most famous current women in social media hollywood. Her claim to fame originated with a sex video and a combination of good publicity and gathering enough attention to spin off into an entire brand. Her family now is making millions because they were able to take advantage of a situation that otherwise should/could have been a disgrace and flip it on its head. Reality shows are another example of how anyone can take a concept or idea that they know will gather attention and run with it. Some individuals are better at captivating an audience for a longer period of time. As a society we must remember those people who are getting famous based off of talentless claims to fame are achieving it based off of viewers such as ourselves! Social media has brought out new avenues for people to attain fame, is there any way to reclaim what should or does constitute someone worthy of fame?

How to talk to little girls: response

As I have mentioned before, I come from a large family of males. I am the youngest of seven (five older brothers) and have ten nieces and nephews. Seven of which are boys. Because there are so many boys it is sometimes important to spend time with just the girls. We like to let them decide what they want to do. I have found that one of my older brothers in particular has really made an effort to mentally stimulate his daughter. He focuses on letting Kayla pick what she wants to do and make decisions, while also ensuring she is behaving and learning. Kayla loves to read books (she is not quite two), and enjoys the details around her. She can count to twenty and she is one and a half! Instead of saying things like "You are so cute!" or "Look how pretty you look!" I make sure to say things like "You are so smart!" and we are constantly challenging her intellect. One of my other nieces Kylie is always dressed down to her laces in the most glamorous glitzy outfits. And yet, her mother and father have made it crucial that in order to have those things she must be first doing her best in her classes. I take it upon myself to always compliment her first on something she has done in school. I then will ask how she picked out her outfit and why she likes it so much. It is interesting to note that just as we should be aware of how we talk to our little girls, I think it is also crucial to be aware of how we are talking to our little boys. It is not fair to always expect our little boys to be tough and to not be able to talk about how they are feeling. With my nephews I find talking to them about the decisions they make and why they do so allows them to open up more. Instead of just letting them throw a tantrum we go through and discuss a lesson learned on what can be done differently the next time. It is important to understand no kid wants to sit for twenty minutes and discuss lessons, these are things that may only take a minute or two but I find in the long run truly does have an impact on their own perception of their position in society as a male or female.

Five older brothers. Princess?

After our princess discussion I left class feeling conflicted about the way our discussion had gone. Growing up, I had five older brothers and one older sister. My brothers were into sports like crazy and our lives revolved around going from one sporting even to the next. My sister was a bit of a town boy and I enjoyed having five protective brothers around most times. Neither of my parents were the type to sit and talk about feelings. My family was tough, and known for being that way in the sporting world growing up. I was never into TV and had always hated cartoons! I enjoyed running and riding my bike and just hanging out with the guys. People always say "Oh you must be the princess!" and "I am sure you were spoiled being the baby girl." I maintain my identity and have always stayed true to what I like. My mother never pushed "princess like" items on my sister or me. However, I always was different than my older brothers and sister. I knew that and was never scared to be myself. I have always found myself enjoying art and creative projects. I swear I was born during the wrong time period and idolize woman like Audrey Hepburn and Grace Kelly. For me I have always found joy in expressing myself through my style and personality. Do my tendencies towards things that are sometimes flashy and pink make me a societal morphed "princess?" I think not. I was raised with strong morals and an appreciation for hard work and determination. I place my family first and understand that the frills come later and though are enjoyable are rather unnecessary. I think that just as society has produced this mass market of "princesses" there are markets for every type of person you could possibly think of! The people that are trying to go against the norms and become a part of this counter culture are then buying from only specific stores or brands. Have they not bought into a different culture? I think reality for some can be skewed if they buy into anything too much. I find it hypocritical for some to be so critical on others when at the end of the day people just want to feel good about themselves. After I change out of my clothes (which I NEVER pay full price for) I am happy with who I am as a person. If people want to continue to judge me because I appreciate the detail of items and piecing together outfits before I go about my day, then go right ahead!

Man Gets Dumped, Buys Full Suit of Halo Armour

http://www.shortlist.com/entertainment/gaming/man-gets-dumped-buys-full-suit-of-halo-armour#image-rotator-1

After aimlessly scrolling through my facebook homepage, I stumbled across this article. A man had planned on proposing to his girlfriend and he went out and had a ring custom made for her down to every last detail she had desired. Before proposing, his now ex-girlfriend told him she was leaving him for another guy. What to do with the ring? After selling the ring on ebay, the decision seemed to be clear to this fellow. What better to do than to have an authentic Halo costume custom made to fit his body! Where does the line between reality and games come into play? We had discussed in class that games to many are an escape from reality. A place where you can go and get out your frustrations and be seperate from lifes stressors. This man brought that "escape" and had it literally brought to him through a costume. Has his sense of escape and reality started to morph as his love life went up in smokes? It appears as if his balance in life got thrown off when his relationship went south. What is the next step for this gamer? Is it all fun and games? Or something we should be concerned about... After all he took all of the money that would have been dedicated to someone he was going to spend the REST of his life with and simply had a custom halo costume made...I think scary. As a society should we be concerned what comes after the costume? I think the level of normalcy is pushed just a step further and that brings concern for the future.