#gew101week4

[fletagew-blog]

Assertion: Evil acts are committed by those who submit blindly to authority. Therefore, under pressure, those who would not normally behave more aggressively or take a certain course action. Underlings are perpetrated to do and push boundaries farther than ordered to do so so under a system of hierarchy-- perhaps for fear of punishment. 

Example: Phillip Zimbardo, a social psychologist at Stanford University, conducted an controversial role-playing experiment among students. Students were screened for psychological soundness and overall health and randomly assigned to roles of prison ward or prisoner. Zimbardo, who played the role of prison superintendent,  in the experiment, did not expect the students to take on their roles as seriously and as readily as they did.

Explanation: Zimbardo halted the experiment after only six days once he realized the extreme amount of psychological pressure the students were subject to. Those assigned as prisoners accepted harassment passively from guards; and those who tried to halt the abuse were subject to more psychological torture such as solitary confinement. This displays how Zimbardo overlooked the effect of a hierarchy system on human behavior.

Significance: Submission to authority without question of motive can yield extremely dangerous circumstance. Throughout history humans have shown an incredulous capacity for evil. These are perpetuated by systems of power; subjects have even been reported  even commit atrocities beyond what they have been ordered to carry out by their leaders. The Abu Gharib US Prison Raid at a Middle Eastern Prison is a stark reminder of what can happen given the right circumstances of people and power.

[benchgew]

A: America and the whole world in general has become so consumed by materialistic things. We are all about what we own and that is how we judge people now.

X: An example of this in the video is when Macklemore says "Wanted to be him I wanted to be that guy, I wanted to touch the rim I wanted to be cool, and I wanted to fit in I wanted what he had, America, it begins"

E: Macklemore is saying that he thought by having these new basketball shoes that they were going to make him cool. When he says that he "wanted to be that guy" he is referring to all those athletes and people that he looked up to that wore those. Then he states that this is where it all begins, he means it starts out with one pair of shoes but eventually it is the American way to get bigger and better things.

S: When we ultimately judge people by what they have it is not fair because obviously someone who has more money than someone who grew up without that kind of money is going to be seen as better than that person without money. It is not fair to people who are not as well off financially because they will not be seen as equal as someone who is wealthy.

[milaugew-blog]

Assertion: Alcohol abuse is a serious problem throughout the world. In just the United States alone, 75,000 people die from alcohol abuse each year. Out of all the preventable deaths, alcohol is the third most prominent. 

Example: In this text, one can see multiple different people excessively drinking alcohol and starting to fight. It also shows a child that is sorrowful as her parent continues to consume. 

Explanation: These examples show us that alcohol doesn't just hurt the drinker, it also hurts the ones around them. Whether a drunken brawl breaks out and someone is seriously injured, or a parent's intoxication puts a child in harm's way, alcohol abuse inflicts damage on everyone. 

Significant: It's important when something as little as "a drink" kills more than 4% of the world's population (2.5 million people), more than violence, AIDS, and Tuberculosis. Everyone is affected by alcohol abuse, whether it be a family member, friend, neighbor, or the person who just crashed into you. 

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References: 

http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/02/11/us-alcohol-idUSTRE71A2FM20110211

http://www.nbcnews.com/id/6089353/ns/health-addictions/t/alcohol-linked-us-deaths-year/