“Eating is an Agricultural Act?” The Ethics of Food and Eating
Personal Essay
Food Ethic
It was a cold sunday morning on the outskirts of ignacio. I was on my grandparents property trekking on the four by four looking for rabbits. I could see my breath and the feeling of the cold barrel of the gun against the palms of my hands made me anxious. I had never been hunting before or let alone killed an animal bigger than a fly. My grandparents property was chock full of wildlife that I had seen for the majority of my childhood. Everything from small hares to mountain lions, but we were focused on the small game. My grandpa and I drove the four by four down into a clearing with knee high grass, (perfect for hares). The ground was soft from the previous night's rain so it made it easier to be quiet. After a short lap around the clearing I spotted a hare. This being my first ever hunting excursion my grandpa encouraged me to take the shot. I placed the stock on my shoulder and looked through the neon green sights. At this point I didn’t remember a specific feeling, I just pulled the trigger. The sound of the gun scared me and I closed my eyes as I shot. The bitter cold of the gun had turned to warmth and the grey tall grass around the rabbit had turned red. I had killed my first animal. I immediately started to bawl. I didn’t have the rewarding feeling that my grandpa had spoken about, I felt guilty because I had taken the life of a beautiful animal.
Back at the house the whole family was waiting on us. My grandma had planned on making rabbit stew. After I killed my hare I sat back down in the four by four and I had never felt so guilty. As we continued hunting I stayed back in the four by four confused why my grandpa was killing these seemingly innocent animals. My grandpa could tell I was very upset and that I had felt guilty for my actions. He told me that we as humans play a vital role in the ecosystem and it’s our duty as the apex predator to keep the ecosystem in check. I was confused at first but he explained more, the hares that we were killing had recently exploded in numbers . Rabbits can have up to four litters a year, with each of those litter being anywhere from 6 to 10 rabbits per litter the population can explode very easily. With this new found understanding I went back to the house with a sense of purpose and accomplishment, we had helped the ecosystem. While eating the rabbit stew that my grandma had prepared I had my first thoughts about the food we eat everyday and the ethics that come in to play.
The bigger the better, that seems to be the american motto. With the number one obesity rates in america bigger is often the truth with people and meals. While researching this project I have been thinking about the effects that our global food system has on the planet. Greenhouse gas produced from condensed livestock is responsible for 14 percent of all carbon emissions. This problem is much bigger than we think. It's shocking to me how people can just turn a blind eye to the issues around our food but the ethics as well. The thought of a million chickens condensed into a warehouse is nearly impossible to imagine. Another thing that is impossible to imagine is feeding seven billion people. The sheer size of the human race is our biggest roadblock to food eudaimonia. We are cemented into our system of food and there seems to be no way out. If we were to change our large scale methods now everyone would have to change their eating habits, which is impossible for some people because they are living off low income. Where is the silver lining? How do we find the grey area between, quantity, quality, and ethics?
I feel that our main problem with food is the amount of livestock that is concentrated in huge farms. When you have millions of animals condescend in small spaces it creates a breeding ground for diseases. This is also dangerous for the workers at these plants because these infectious diseases can transfer to humans. It is believed that the H1N1 originated at a pig farm in north carolina. Disease just being one of the drawbacks with big farming it also produces animal cruelty and un healthy food. Looking into this has made me realize how important this issue is to nearly everyone on the planet. I feel the solution is to minimize farming and focus on community based farms that are much smaller and much more frequent. This has already been happening in places all across America and even in durango. Many of our local restaurants get all of their ingredients from our local farms. It makes me feel better personally about my food ethic when I know everything on my plate is coming from my hometown. This idea of small community based farming is easier in Durango but much more difficult in urban areas. It would be very difficult to run multiple community farms in an urban setting considering the lack of space. Another obstacle is price, Locally produced food is much more expensive than processed food from the grocery store. Smaller community based farms provide me with comfort in my food ethic, but still do not provide the silver lining that we need.
When I personally think about food I always have the idea of the future in the back of my head at the same time. From this project I have realized that those two things are very interconnected. The personal food ethic that I have shaped is one that finds comfort in sustainability, which is not present in our current system. For there to be a future we need to refine the food system with better ethics and sustainable ideas. As of now I feel very uncomfortable with the food ethics in this world and things need to change.
It was a cold sunday morning on the outskirts of ignacio. I was on my grandparents property trekking on the four by four looking for rabbits. I could see my breath and the feeling of the cold barrel of the gun against the palms of my hands made me anxious. I had never been hunting before or let alone killed an animal bigger than a fly. My grandparents property was chock full of wildlife that I had seen for the majority of my childhood. Everything from small hares to mountain lions, but we were focused on the small game. My grandpa and I drove the four by four down into a clearing with knee high grass, (perfect for hares). The ground was soft from the previous night's rain so it made it easier to be quiet. After a short lap around the clearing I spotted a hare. This being my first ever hunting excursion my grandpa encouraged me to take the shot. I placed the stock on my shoulder and looked through the neon green sights. At this point I didn’t remember a specific feeling, I just pulled the trigger. The sound of the gun scared me and I closed my eyes as I shot. The bitter cold of the gun had turned to warmth and the grey tall grass around the rabbit had turned red. I had killed my first animal. I immediately started to bawl. I didn’t have the rewarding feeling that my grandpa had spoken about, I felt guilty because I had taken the life of a beautiful animal.
Back at the house the whole family was waiting on us. My grandma had planned on making rabbit stew. After I killed my hare I sat back down in the four by four and I had never felt so guilty. As we continued hunting I stayed back in the four by four confused why my grandpa was killing these seemingly innocent animals. My grandpa could tell I was very upset and that I had felt guilty for my actions. He told me that we as humans play a vital role in the ecosystem and it’s our duty as the apex predator to keep the ecosystem in check. I was confused at first but he explained more, the hares that we were killing had recently exploded in numbers . Rabbits can have up to four litters a year, with each of those litter being anywhere from 6 to 10 rabbits per litter the population can explode very easily. With this new found understanding I went back to the house with a sense of purpose and accomplishment, we had helped the ecosystem. While eating the rabbit stew that my grandma had prepared I had my first thoughts about the food we eat everyday and the ethics that come in to play.
The bigger the better, that seems to be the american motto. With the number one obesity rates in america bigger is often the truth with people and meals. While researching this project I have been thinking about the effects that our global food system has on the planet. Greenhouse gas produced from condensed livestock is responsible for 14 percent of all carbon emissions. This problem is much bigger than we think. It's shocking to me how people can just turn a blind eye to the issues around our food but the ethics as well. The thought of a million chickens condensed into a warehouse is nearly impossible to imagine. Another thing that is impossible to imagine is feeding seven billion people. The sheer size of the human race is our biggest roadblock to food eudaimonia. We are cemented into our system of food and there seems to be no way out. If we were to change our large scale methods now everyone would have to change their eating habits, which is impossible for some people because they are living off low income. Where is the silver lining? How do we find the grey area between, quantity, quality, and ethics?
I feel that our main problem with food is the amount of livestock that is concentrated in huge farms. When you have millions of animals condescend in small spaces it creates a breeding ground for diseases. This is also dangerous for the workers at these plants because these infectious diseases can transfer to humans. It is believed that the H1N1 originated at a pig farm in north carolina. Disease just being one of the drawbacks with big farming it also produces animal cruelty and un healthy food. Looking into this has made me realize how important this issue is to nearly everyone on the planet. I feel the solution is to minimize farming and focus on community based farms that are much smaller and much more frequent. This has already been happening in places all across America and even in durango. Many of our local restaurants get all of their ingredients from our local farms. It makes me feel better personally about my food ethic when I know everything on my plate is coming from my hometown. This idea of small community based farming is easier in Durango but much more difficult in urban areas. It would be very difficult to run multiple community farms in an urban setting considering the lack of space. Another obstacle is price, Locally produced food is much more expensive than processed food from the grocery store. Smaller community based farms provide me with comfort in my food ethic, but still do not provide the silver lining that we need.
When I personally think about food I always have the idea of the future in the back of my head at the same time. From this project I have realized that those two things are very interconnected. The personal food ethic that I have shaped is one that finds comfort in sustainability, which is not present in our current system. For there to be a future we need to refine the food system with better ethics and sustainable ideas. As of now I feel very uncomfortable with the food ethics in this world and things need to change.
Project Reflection
Food project reflection
Going into this project I had an Idea of how disgusting and corrupted our global food system is, but the things that I learned throughout this project made me uncomfortable with some of the food in my own home. The mistreatment of animals and overpopulation seemed to be the tip of the iceberg. It’s sad to see how humans survive is going to be our downfall. One of the things that impacted me the most learning about the effect that livestock has on the climate. The fact that livestock producers 14% of all carbon emissions is mind Blowing. The unit has definitely unveiled another problem that we need to address that's right under our noses. Learning about the effort to change global food production was also very fascinating. Seeing the impact that smaller community based farms have gives me a lot of hope for the future of our food. Through this project I learned that every piece of food has value and meaning.
This final portion of junior year has been the strangest yet most challenging task. When we first began remote learning seemed kind of nice. Then I realized how much I rely on being at school to separate myself from distractions. The food project challenged me to be interdisciplinary. Focusing on the idea of food and where it all comes from was the idea in my head working on both chemistry and humanities. Being at school would have made this even more present. I really enjoyed being able to have thoughts and ideas connected to two separate subjects. While the content didn’t directly line up the experience pushed me to be aware of intertextuality and connection.
Through studying food academically I feel that I have gained a new appreciation for the food on my plate. I have realized that It takes both a miraculous grouping of atoms and lots of hard work and energy for food to get on to my plate. Looking into the food industry has provided me with a new outlook on health and processed food. Thankfully we live in a community where good diet and exercise is promoted, but in cities and other states the issue of bad health is very common. Researching the subject has taught me that this issue of obesity and bad health stems from the way we produce our food. With this newfound perspective on the way food is produced I hope to be more conscious about what's on my plate and how it affects the world around me.
Going into this project I had an Idea of how disgusting and corrupted our global food system is, but the things that I learned throughout this project made me uncomfortable with some of the food in my own home. The mistreatment of animals and overpopulation seemed to be the tip of the iceberg. It’s sad to see how humans survive is going to be our downfall. One of the things that impacted me the most learning about the effect that livestock has on the climate. The fact that livestock producers 14% of all carbon emissions is mind Blowing. The unit has definitely unveiled another problem that we need to address that's right under our noses. Learning about the effort to change global food production was also very fascinating. Seeing the impact that smaller community based farms have gives me a lot of hope for the future of our food. Through this project I learned that every piece of food has value and meaning.
This final portion of junior year has been the strangest yet most challenging task. When we first began remote learning seemed kind of nice. Then I realized how much I rely on being at school to separate myself from distractions. The food project challenged me to be interdisciplinary. Focusing on the idea of food and where it all comes from was the idea in my head working on both chemistry and humanities. Being at school would have made this even more present. I really enjoyed being able to have thoughts and ideas connected to two separate subjects. While the content didn’t directly line up the experience pushed me to be aware of intertextuality and connection.
Through studying food academically I feel that I have gained a new appreciation for the food on my plate. I have realized that It takes both a miraculous grouping of atoms and lots of hard work and energy for food to get on to my plate. Looking into the food industry has provided me with a new outlook on health and processed food. Thankfully we live in a community where good diet and exercise is promoted, but in cities and other states the issue of bad health is very common. Researching the subject has taught me that this issue of obesity and bad health stems from the way we produce our food. With this newfound perspective on the way food is produced I hope to be more conscious about what's on my plate and how it affects the world around me.
Philosophy Project Video Reflection
Rhetoric and Ideology Project
Main essay
How Social Media Politically Divided Us
Cole House
We live in a world where our character, our demeanor, looks, social class, and many more things are judged by random strangers online. We are living in the heat of the social media age. Many people seek one thing from social media: validation. The simple press of a “like” sends the user into a sea of self-validating dopamine. It’s a dangerous tool that can be abused and warped into different intentions. Some people believe that social media is the reason for the inclining rate of teen depression and suicide. The reason is, seeking that validation is terrible for your mental health and your personal well being. The hate that is thrown around on social media is also one of the major downfalls of this medium.
Within the last four years, our country’s political climate has devolved into something that our leaders years ago greatly feared. The line of respect between our two main political parties has faded. The political discourse of our current day is very shocking opposed to the political discourse that happened even eight years ago. During the 2008 election, there was a controversy where it was rumored that Barack Obama was not born an American, thus meaning he can’t be president. During one of the debates, a panelist asked Obama about the legitimacy of his birth certificate, Obama’s opponent (Senator John Mcain) shot down the question immediately defending Obama. This shows the base level of respect that was held between the two parties.
Many people are wondering what is causing the political division in our country. Many believe that the rise of extremism is causing this divide. The rise in far alt-left and alt-right has caused a demonization of the other side, making our political enemies our real enemies. Now in our current day and age, nearly everybody over the age of ten has some way to get online and communicate with other people. I feel like one of the main culprits of this political division is social media. The irresponsible rhetoric that is thrown around on social media sites is truly shocking.The way that political ideology and social media have clashed has resulted in the devolution of our political climate. This issue of political discourse online has been present for the last four years especially. Our current president Donald Trump abuses his political power daily with his Twitter account. The curtain of a screen allows our president to say whatever comes to his mind directly from the source. With this veil protecting him what is he able to? Anything, some things he would never get away with saying in person. The most recent tweet that stood out was Trump comparing the impeachment inquiry to a lynching. In the past, political leaders such as JFK and President Eisenhower set the standard for political discourse. When the standard is tweeting your ideals and beliefs I truly become worried about our two-party system.
Twitter is a social media platform where people can express their thoughts in a small text box. When making a tweet you are restricted to being able to use only 140 characters, forcing people to be concise with their thoughts. I don’t want to focus on how Donald Trump abuses his power on Twitter; I want to focus on how the bar of discourse has been lowered in general and numerous political figures are guilty of this crime. On August 10th of 2016 two presidential candidates at the time got into a politically charged argument on Twitter. Hillary Clinton’s twitter posted a picture that read, “1.2 trillion dollars, the amount that 40 million Americans owe in student debt.” Jeb Bush’s Campaign replied, “ 100 %, the increase in student debt under this democratic white house”. These two tweets seem common enough, two political leaders pushing their ideals through rhetoric. After these two tweets, the political discussion takes a turn. To summarise the event quickly, the argument ended in Jeb Bush ( or whoever runs his twitter) editing the Hillary campaign logo and flipping it sideways with a caption reading, “ Taxes if Clinton is elected”. When the sometimes closed-minded ideology of a politician meets Twitter, the outcome is never pretty.
I feel the format of twitter has crept its way into the real world. Anytime I see a video of a political discussion, it feels like I’m watching a twitter argument unfold in front of me. Statements and points have been replaced with concise statements just to villainize their political counterparts.
These political issues online haven’t gone unnoticed. Facebook has been forced into court again based on the company’s lack of regulation of hate speech, intellectual property, copyright laws, personal privacy, and fake news. Mark Zuckerberg was brought up to the stand to testify for Facebook. Congress tried to pull numerous things from Mark Zuckerberg, but he did not satisfy their questions. Fake campaign ads and fake campaign stories were one of the main focuses during the hearing. During the 2016 election, Facebook was a breeding ground for deep fakes, fake campaign ads, and fake articles slandering political figures. These, of course, had their effects on the uneducated and uninformed American populace. In the heat of the last election, it is estimated that nearly 1500 fake political articles would go on the site daily. These articles were made to disenfranchise liberal and democratic candidates, some people believe this is why Trump was able to win the 2016 election. When these fake news articles are distributed to a populace that believes the internet is as credible as a newspaper, terrible things happen to our political climate. To solve this problem Mark Zuckerberg came up with a brilliant solution: to allow political leaders to lie and spread false media, but if the media is from a non-verifiable source it will be flagged. If an article is flagged it won’t make it to the main Facebook media page. The reason this rule doesn’t have stricter guidelines is that facebook is a free-speech platform. Zuckerberg believes that people should have all their constitutional rights even online. While I feel the solution is not going to help the problem I do agree that every American should have their constitutional rights even if they are political leaders.
In 1775 our founding fathers sat in a hot, humid room for 166 days to draft our current constitution. They forged this political document out of ideals that they saw fit for the time. Some of these political ideals still hold strong in our current democracy such as free speech and the right to bear arms. I think it’s amazing that our country was able to hold on to these beliefs for more than two hundred years.
When our founding fathers were forming our country they were quite reluctant to forming a bipartisan government. This is because they had seen the division and civil war in Britain years prior. George Washington, when he was a young boy, was forced into the life of a refugee by this civil war. Fearing that history would repeat itself in America. Our founding fathers greatly feared our nation dividing into factions. They believed when the nation is divided into two or more political parties, people constantly fight and oppose their own countrymen, when this happens we as a country begin to unravel. The reason I bring this up is that I see this in my own country. You see conservative and liberals at political war with each other. Dividing themselves into factions, locking themselves in their political buckers and preparing for ideological war.
Cole House
We live in a world where our character, our demeanor, looks, social class, and many more things are judged by random strangers online. We are living in the heat of the social media age. Many people seek one thing from social media: validation. The simple press of a “like” sends the user into a sea of self-validating dopamine. It’s a dangerous tool that can be abused and warped into different intentions. Some people believe that social media is the reason for the inclining rate of teen depression and suicide. The reason is, seeking that validation is terrible for your mental health and your personal well being. The hate that is thrown around on social media is also one of the major downfalls of this medium.
Within the last four years, our country’s political climate has devolved into something that our leaders years ago greatly feared. The line of respect between our two main political parties has faded. The political discourse of our current day is very shocking opposed to the political discourse that happened even eight years ago. During the 2008 election, there was a controversy where it was rumored that Barack Obama was not born an American, thus meaning he can’t be president. During one of the debates, a panelist asked Obama about the legitimacy of his birth certificate, Obama’s opponent (Senator John Mcain) shot down the question immediately defending Obama. This shows the base level of respect that was held between the two parties.
Many people are wondering what is causing the political division in our country. Many believe that the rise of extremism is causing this divide. The rise in far alt-left and alt-right has caused a demonization of the other side, making our political enemies our real enemies. Now in our current day and age, nearly everybody over the age of ten has some way to get online and communicate with other people. I feel like one of the main culprits of this political division is social media. The irresponsible rhetoric that is thrown around on social media sites is truly shocking.The way that political ideology and social media have clashed has resulted in the devolution of our political climate. This issue of political discourse online has been present for the last four years especially. Our current president Donald Trump abuses his political power daily with his Twitter account. The curtain of a screen allows our president to say whatever comes to his mind directly from the source. With this veil protecting him what is he able to? Anything, some things he would never get away with saying in person. The most recent tweet that stood out was Trump comparing the impeachment inquiry to a lynching. In the past, political leaders such as JFK and President Eisenhower set the standard for political discourse. When the standard is tweeting your ideals and beliefs I truly become worried about our two-party system.
Twitter is a social media platform where people can express their thoughts in a small text box. When making a tweet you are restricted to being able to use only 140 characters, forcing people to be concise with their thoughts. I don’t want to focus on how Donald Trump abuses his power on Twitter; I want to focus on how the bar of discourse has been lowered in general and numerous political figures are guilty of this crime. On August 10th of 2016 two presidential candidates at the time got into a politically charged argument on Twitter. Hillary Clinton’s twitter posted a picture that read, “1.2 trillion dollars, the amount that 40 million Americans owe in student debt.” Jeb Bush’s Campaign replied, “ 100 %, the increase in student debt under this democratic white house”. These two tweets seem common enough, two political leaders pushing their ideals through rhetoric. After these two tweets, the political discussion takes a turn. To summarise the event quickly, the argument ended in Jeb Bush ( or whoever runs his twitter) editing the Hillary campaign logo and flipping it sideways with a caption reading, “ Taxes if Clinton is elected”. When the sometimes closed-minded ideology of a politician meets Twitter, the outcome is never pretty.
I feel the format of twitter has crept its way into the real world. Anytime I see a video of a political discussion, it feels like I’m watching a twitter argument unfold in front of me. Statements and points have been replaced with concise statements just to villainize their political counterparts.
These political issues online haven’t gone unnoticed. Facebook has been forced into court again based on the company’s lack of regulation of hate speech, intellectual property, copyright laws, personal privacy, and fake news. Mark Zuckerberg was brought up to the stand to testify for Facebook. Congress tried to pull numerous things from Mark Zuckerberg, but he did not satisfy their questions. Fake campaign ads and fake campaign stories were one of the main focuses during the hearing. During the 2016 election, Facebook was a breeding ground for deep fakes, fake campaign ads, and fake articles slandering political figures. These, of course, had their effects on the uneducated and uninformed American populace. In the heat of the last election, it is estimated that nearly 1500 fake political articles would go on the site daily. These articles were made to disenfranchise liberal and democratic candidates, some people believe this is why Trump was able to win the 2016 election. When these fake news articles are distributed to a populace that believes the internet is as credible as a newspaper, terrible things happen to our political climate. To solve this problem Mark Zuckerberg came up with a brilliant solution: to allow political leaders to lie and spread false media, but if the media is from a non-verifiable source it will be flagged. If an article is flagged it won’t make it to the main Facebook media page. The reason this rule doesn’t have stricter guidelines is that facebook is a free-speech platform. Zuckerberg believes that people should have all their constitutional rights even online. While I feel the solution is not going to help the problem I do agree that every American should have their constitutional rights even if they are political leaders.
In 1775 our founding fathers sat in a hot, humid room for 166 days to draft our current constitution. They forged this political document out of ideals that they saw fit for the time. Some of these political ideals still hold strong in our current democracy such as free speech and the right to bear arms. I think it’s amazing that our country was able to hold on to these beliefs for more than two hundred years.
When our founding fathers were forming our country they were quite reluctant to forming a bipartisan government. This is because they had seen the division and civil war in Britain years prior. George Washington, when he was a young boy, was forced into the life of a refugee by this civil war. Fearing that history would repeat itself in America. Our founding fathers greatly feared our nation dividing into factions. They believed when the nation is divided into two or more political parties, people constantly fight and oppose their own countrymen, when this happens we as a country begin to unravel. The reason I bring this up is that I see this in my own country. You see conservative and liberals at political war with each other. Dividing themselves into factions, locking themselves in their political buckers and preparing for ideological war.
Visual Component
Reflection
Project reflection
For my project I decided to research how social media has affected our political climate. I looked at how the way political ideology and social media have collided and the policies that soon came into place after to solve these issues. I focused on this because it’s a very current issue in our democracy especially with the 2020 election coming. I also looked at how our political climate as a whole has changed within the last ten years. Our political climate has been slowly devolving over the course of the last ten years. As a country we lock ourselves in an ideological box closing ourselves off from political counterparts. We surround ourselves with people who have similar political ideology to avoid conflict and opposition. At the exhibition, I had a lot of interesting conversations with different people. I introduced a lot of people to this concept and they seemed to agree with me. They found my thesis very interesting and feel they are partially responsible for locking themselves in and ideological box. I was met with some pushback when I spoke about the fake news spread around facebook. A few parents were reluctant to believe that politicians are able to lie on social media. I feel this is because some people still believe that the internet is a newspaper.
Looking at both sides of the political spectrum during this project was very fascinating. It seemed that the issue that I covered only seemed to be getting attention from left wing news sources. Right wing news sourced just turned their back to the situation. I feel this is because our current president is a social media super villain. The issue of lowering the bar via social media is from all sides of the political spectrum. The issue of political discourse is a bipartisan issue was my biggest takeaway from this project. This project shifted my own values the most I feel. From this project I realized how much I valued the truth in our democratic society. It also made me realize how valuable truth is to a functioning democracy.
From this project I learned how fragile our democracy is in this state of time. This project taught me that our country is in a very divided state. We let our political ideologies form a box around us that is very dangerous for our democracy. American can no longer unifi themselves as americans. We instead chose to divide ourselves with our ideologies. Our democracy is one of the longest lasting democracies ever. Our democracy won’t fall from political division but it has been weakened.
This project was politically very heavy. I had to shift through a lot of negative and disturbing political content during this project. This project didn’t change my political view at all really it just reinforced my beliefs. From this project I learned how valuable it is to have at least a bipartisan system. When you only have one political outlet a democracy has a lot of angst. I never really valued our bipartisan before this project.
I feel for a democratic society to prosper the people have to have a willingness to be distubed and accept other political views. For a democracy to work there has to be some ideological compromise. If there is no compromise then you have a dysfunctional democracy or no democracy.
For my project I decided to research how social media has affected our political climate. I looked at how the way political ideology and social media have collided and the policies that soon came into place after to solve these issues. I focused on this because it’s a very current issue in our democracy especially with the 2020 election coming. I also looked at how our political climate as a whole has changed within the last ten years. Our political climate has been slowly devolving over the course of the last ten years. As a country we lock ourselves in an ideological box closing ourselves off from political counterparts. We surround ourselves with people who have similar political ideology to avoid conflict and opposition. At the exhibition, I had a lot of interesting conversations with different people. I introduced a lot of people to this concept and they seemed to agree with me. They found my thesis very interesting and feel they are partially responsible for locking themselves in and ideological box. I was met with some pushback when I spoke about the fake news spread around facebook. A few parents were reluctant to believe that politicians are able to lie on social media. I feel this is because some people still believe that the internet is a newspaper.
Looking at both sides of the political spectrum during this project was very fascinating. It seemed that the issue that I covered only seemed to be getting attention from left wing news sources. Right wing news sourced just turned their back to the situation. I feel this is because our current president is a social media super villain. The issue of lowering the bar via social media is from all sides of the political spectrum. The issue of political discourse is a bipartisan issue was my biggest takeaway from this project. This project shifted my own values the most I feel. From this project I realized how much I valued the truth in our democratic society. It also made me realize how valuable truth is to a functioning democracy.
From this project I learned how fragile our democracy is in this state of time. This project taught me that our country is in a very divided state. We let our political ideologies form a box around us that is very dangerous for our democracy. American can no longer unifi themselves as americans. We instead chose to divide ourselves with our ideologies. Our democracy is one of the longest lasting democracies ever. Our democracy won’t fall from political division but it has been weakened.
This project was politically very heavy. I had to shift through a lot of negative and disturbing political content during this project. This project didn’t change my political view at all really it just reinforced my beliefs. From this project I learned how valuable it is to have at least a bipartisan system. When you only have one political outlet a democracy has a lot of angst. I never really valued our bipartisan before this project.
I feel for a democratic society to prosper the people have to have a willingness to be distubed and accept other political views. For a democracy to work there has to be some ideological compromise. If there is no compromise then you have a dysfunctional democracy or no democracy.