Blog Entry 4

hihi once more

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/18742305/

This article talks about the recent spate of gruesome crimes that have been occurring in Japan. On a more serious note, it highlights the gradual deterioration of Japanese societal values. Japan, as one of the more long standing monarchal societies, has been known to be a stickler for tradition. For some of these people to have turned into mindless life-takers raises a serious issue the current state of moral values in the world.
One factor that the article highlights to have had some effect on the loss of moral values is globalization. As we all know, globalization has had some very far-reaching effects. It has started an exchange of cultures around the world, and with it, some of the more negative aspects of certain cultures. Societal values, as highlighted in my previous entry, do not seem to be as strong or as important in the lives of the people in America. There are some American shows around that portray the American family as fragmented. We see children rebelling against their parents, parents being ruled by their children, parents fighting with each other. Japanese families, however, have mostly been portrayed as very tight-knit and traditional. It is not uncommon to see the basic values of filial piety and respect for elders in these shows. It basically shows a stark contrast in the values treasured in these two communities. With globalization, these two cultures are starting to mix. The current generation of Japan is being influenced by not only America, but every single part of the world. They are losing hold on the values and traditions laid down by their forefathers.
We have seen how Japan is slowing losing its grasp of its own heritage. What does that bode for the rest of the liberal world? Countries typically run by religion and traditions have generally strong if one-track-minded communities, as they all share one common vision, or are forced to. They hold fast to the values and traditions passed down from their fathers because it is their way of life. More liberal countries, on the other hand, leave room for people to find their own way of thinking, their own way of living their life. They don’t have any values to hold on too, nor is there any need for them to do so. The result – America. I fear that if Japan, a country of long-lasting history and a stickler for values and traditions, can fall prey to the ways of the world, we would fall even harder.
The world, not just Japan, is slowly letting itself slide away from the values and traditions that have for so long sustained our societies. In this time of even more turmoil and chaos, it is our job to ensure that we hold fast to these values, for if we fail, we fail the future of the world.

Blog Entry 3

hihi

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/7037721/site/newsweek/

This article talks about the use of steroids in teenagers in the sporting arena. The teenagers from Heritage High who used steroids were reported to have done so in hopes of becoming physically superior to their rival schools, thus ensuring an easier victory. This highlights a serious issue of how far a teenager is willing to risk his body to attain physical superiority and victory in the sporting arena.
As the article highlighted, in Texas kids are becoming more and more influenced by the sports culture of Texas, where sports legends are treated like kings and paid accordingly. This means that these kids treat these buff bodies as their idol, and as such try as much as possible to emulate their physicality. Some reasons why they are so hard-pressed to attain such a physical standard is probably because they see these sporting stars as the epitome of success and material well-being. This is definitely the dream of many kids, especially those who do not come from especially well-to-do families. They then try to emulate their idol’s success in their own school or at competitions. The thing is, not everybody is capable of attaining such a powerful physicality and strength and such an early age. Keep in mind that these teenagers are between the ages of 12-18, whereas the legends of Major League are in their 20-30s. They have had so much more time to train their bodies, not to mention that the whole life is training their bodies to physical perfection. Compare this to the high school student struggling to cope with their sporting activities with their invariably more important academic commitments. It is simply impossible to emulate the physical perfection of their idols. Because some teenagers find it impossible, they turn to body-damaging risks such as steroids to improve their chances of attaining physical superiority.
As said in the article steroids have many undesirable effects which teenagers don’t particularly pay attention to. In one article I read while doing some background research about steroids, it said that steroids are a sex hormone, much like testosterone. Piling hormones upon hormones upon your body’s already existing hormones causes your testicles to shut down. You suffer from severe emotional problems. Teenagers are not aware of these side effects, and so continue to take steroids. They are not aware that eventually steroids will stunt their height potential and create more strain on his tendons that have to support the disproportional growth of the muscle they support.
What needs to be done is to create awareness of these side effects and how they will ironically hinder them from achieving their dreams. The best way to do so is get their idols to explain how they shouldn’t try to achieve the currently impossible with steroids. The teenagers must understand how their idols got to their current position before they can understand the folly of their own actions.