Post# 5

I think most of us can agree that stereotypes are usually more harmful than helpful and can definitley make a difference about how we percieve different people. But is considering Asian Americans the "model minority" necessarily a bad thing? When Asians are called the model minority, they are given the image that they strive and are able to achieve a higher degree of success than the population average. According to Gordon H. Chang, "The reference to Asian Americans as model minorities has to do with the work ethic, respect for elders, and high valuation of family and elders present in their culture." These are all good qualities that individuals and communities should have and value, right? So what's wrong with calling Asians the model minority?
However, this overgeneralized label can socially and psychologically limit Asian Americans to this one-dimensional role. Many times, Asians are stereotyped and percieved as having these limited qualities and no other human traits, such as vocal leadership, negative emotions, or intolerance towards oppression. Through complimenting Asian Americans as the model minority, society treats them like they are not much of a threat and supresses their potential political activism.
Many Asian Americans also resent the model minority stereotype, especially if it does not apply to them whatsoever. They are expected to occupy certain jobs (the doctor, computer scientist, etc) and certain roles (the nerd, or the straight A student) in society.

Post #4

So I think the topic again is that of free choice?? I sure hope so.
The debate Wednesday on how the internet is killing the newspaper really got me thinking about our generation. We've been raised in an age that expects to find the answer to anything with a single click. Instead of buying culture, we remix it and make it something of our own. Communication is instantaneous through hundreds of different mediums. youtube, google, facebook, AIM are some of the most commonly used terms. Facebook determines how many friends you have, Ipods and cell phones are carried at all times, video games are now played by using your entire body. camera phones, TVo, blackberries, all of these things have emerged in our society within only the past few years, and now they are everywhere we look. I feel like technology and information will keep speeding up and being released at an exponential level. Will we ever slow down?

Prompt 3

So I guess we are just supposed to post about anything.... I'm not quite sure.
I actually left for a conference Friday morning after class and didn't get back until
just recently. So I apologize if this post is a little late, but since our essays were postponed, I decided to go on this conference last minute. It was called the Love and Influence Conference, put on by Intervarsity Trojan Christian Fellowship. I really enjoyed it, and it was nice to get away from campus for awhile. But now I'm back, and ready to finish my essay! So please excuse me while I go and work on it.

Prompt 2

Knowledge is everywhere. From the day we are born until the day we die we are absorbing information through our surroundings, our interactions, and our experiences. Although not all of it sticks in our brain, the knowledge that does is inherently valuable.

Even if it’s not entirely relevant to practical life, random knowledge can come in handy when least expected. For example, my roommate knows everything there is to know about Saved by the Bell. Although this show has long been off the air and is not needed for everyday conversation, she recently was able to use her knowledge about a specific episode concerning Native Americans in her American Studies essay.


Throughout middle school and high school, many students found parts of the required curriculum to be pointless. I remember a classmate of mine asking the teacher during algebra class one day, “When will we ever use this in the real world?” Honestly, I can hardly remember anything I learned in that class, and I probably won’t ever have to use trigonometry for my communication major. However, the knowledge that I did retain may very well make a huge difference sometime in my life. When it comes to trivia games, academic contests, debates, essays and countless other activities, being able to draw knowledge from outside sources and personal experiences puts someone at a great advantage.