Reaction to Patriot Act Readings

The excerpt from the "USA Patriot Act: How to be Response Ready" article showed how difficult it is for schools to provide protection and privacy from the Patriot Act. With the great length of the Patriot Act, 342 pages, and how unclear it is, schools are having difficult where to begin with no existing models. The Patriot Act centers around avoiding terrorism and monitoring terrorist activity. However, what comes into question is the definition of terrorism. Also school administrators struggle with helping the war on terrorism while at the same time maintaining the civil liberties of the institution, faculty, staff, and students.

Although I understood that the Patriot Act compromised many of our rights, I didn't realize how it affected me as a college student. Reading the article written by the American Civil Liberties Union of Utah really surprise me. I would have never thought that as college students I would be on the radar as a potential terrorists. I had heard previously that the government could seize our library records and understood that the government would probably have access to our student records. In fact I know that in my hometown library the librarians have begun to shred library records to avoid these records from being seized by the government. I never imagined the scope of the actions the government could take.

Monitoring our Internet and E-mail seems very invasive and makes a person wonder what they might have mentioned or discussed in E-mails or searched on the web that could cause them to be a victim of government investigation. I was also stunned that campus security was permitted, due to rights granted by the FBI and CIA, to gather information from religions and political meetings on campus. This could then lead to these groups being deemed potential terrorists threats

After reading that article it was a relief to read the fact sheet provided by Student Peace Action Network. In this article the author provides students with a list of things they can do to protect their civil liberties. I would have never guessed that you would have to ask the Registrar's Office not to release information about your student records. I assumed that would already be the case given the amount of information colleges collect on students. I also liked the idea of posting signs in the library warning students of the Patriot Act.

Reaction to V for Vendetta (first half)

In the movie V for Vendetta social order is maintained through the use of fear. The fascist government control of the society was established based on the threats of disease and war. The chancellor was given the power of control when people surrendered to him, instead of facing what they feared. The chancellor, knowing that the society was motivated by fear to follow him, enforced strict regulations and censoring to avoid defiance. The military and law enforcement was used to maintain order and make sure people didn't disobey the laws of the chancellor. The chancellor desired silent obedient consent from the society.

An important concept for the chancellor and the government was to avoid doubt. They believed that doubt in the government would cause chaos among the citizens. The chancellor and government insisted on stricter regulations and censorship to avoid any possibility of doubt that the government was not working properly. When a famous news anchor was killed by V the government insisted on covering up the true death. This would keep people feeling safe under the control of the government. The less doubt there was, the less people questioned the motives and overbearing control of the government.

One of the slogans the chancellor and government was "Strength through unity, unity through faith." This was very fitting for the society in V for Vendetta. The chancellor stressed that through obedience the community would work for the better good of everybody. The strength they received through unity was based of faith that what the chancellor was doing was for the best. If the community maintained their faith that the chancellor would protect them and keep them safe from what they feared, the chancellor would be able to maintain power. By asking for the society's faith, the chancellor was ensuring that he would remain in power with obedient citizens. It was only until a deviant, who could not be silenced or stopped, questioned the authority and rallied the society that the government fell.

Reaction to Brave New World (first half)

In the novel Brave New World social order is maintained through the use of cloning. Individuals no longer are given birth to and raised by mothers and fathers. Embryos are divided multiple times to produce almost one hundred separate eggs. These eggs produce identical human beings. Each group of eggs is treated different based on what they are to become in society.

There are alphas, betas, deltas, gammas, and epsilons, which each have a different social order. Alphas are the elite members of society and are responsible for more work than others. Epsilons are the lower class and are created to become drones who are taught to preform mindless tasks.

People are taught their place within the society when they are young through hypnosis and shock therapy. This teaches them what they are supposed to like and how they are supposed to respond to things.

It was difficult to read this novel and understand how everyone accepted the ideals of the society. As I was reading the beginning as the director taught the students about how the reproduction process was conducted, I felt like the student that kept questioning the procedure. There was one student that asked what the advantages of the new reproduction process were, and I was asking myself the same question. It seems to create a mundane life where many people just live day to day preforming the same task with no hope of change.

I also was shocked at the lengths the society went to to prevent natural births. It was a horrible thing to become a mother, so women were taught to use contraceptives ritually. Giving birth to a baby was wrong and unheard of. Many younger children didn't understand the concept of birth or parents.

Also the idea of sex and relationships seemed very skewed to me. Everyone was for everyone, a motto of the society, was used with sex and relationships too. You didn't just have one partner, you could have limitless partners. Promiscuity was seen as the norm and monogamy was feared.

Reaction to "Skinheads USA: Soldiers of the Race War" Video

The Skinheads video was extremely disturbing. I think the most disturbing part for me was the brainwashing of the youth. Many of the people involved were so young it is hard to believe that they have their own opinions on this topic. Instead these kids are cared for and allowed to deviate from the norms of society, a wish that every child possesses, and in turn are told to hate all other races.

The children shown in the video, no nothing more than to agree with people that support them. I'm sure when you were little you looked up to some, maybe a parent, guardian or another adult. We admired the people that took care of us and hoped to be like them someday. Many of the children in the movie had been abused or disowned by their own parents. When Bill Riccio offered to take them in and provide for them, these children become easy targets for deception.

Bill Riccio also was a rebel, which many children admire. Many children want to deviate from the rules they are told to obey. Riccio, as a deviant, who believes that the one true race for America is the white race, goes against the common views and norms on race. Children are taught to respect all races, yet when they begin to admire someone like Riccio you can see why this concept goes awry.

As stated, one of the goals of White Supremacy is to allow people to be proud of their race. This is a concept that many individuals could agree with. Who isn't proud of who they are and their background. However, White Supremacy takes this concept to a whole new level by suggesting that there should be separation between races and that ultimately there will be a war among races. It is this attitude that stumps the possible of a country free of racism.