I am from films,
Apr25
Apr23
Mi casa es su casa
Stomping Grounds
What more is there to Oklahoma? Once you’ve seen the bombing memorial you’ve seen it all right? Wrong. Though don’t get me wrong, the bombing is a crucial part of our history, even more specifically mine, but this tragedy is not the only thing to shape Oklahoma into what it is today.
I cannot begin to express how refreshing it was to meet student scholars with open minds, and the patience to listen to me ramble. I could go on about the information shared between everyone about Alabama and Oklahoma, but what meant the most to me was creating friendships and getting to experience my old stomping grounds with others. We spun and climbed on the playground at the Myriad gardens, chowed down on frozen yogurt at Peachwave, and topped it off by experiencing the giant bronze statues that commemorate the land run. My favorite though, had to be our Peachwave trip. There we shared delicious frozen treats and I learned about everyone. It was a very meaningful experience and I honestly wouldn’t go back and change a thing.
But there is one small thing I would change about the class as a whole. Something I learned from my experience is that one singular class and optional lunch is by far not enough time to get to know a group of people. True we have been following each other’s blogs all year but all that made me want to do was to get to know the AUM students better. I wished that my other classmates would’ve done an interactive map as well. The extra time devoted to getting to know the other students was just so phenomenal and I feel like many missed out.
But in all, I regret nothing! I came, I saw, I cultivated friendships! Now just time to make it facebook official.
-Devin
Apr16
Whatever happened to the Good Samaritan?
Today my friend Esteban walked into the lobby of my dorm building and the first things out of his mouth were “I just threw up.” When I asked him why he said that they showed a video in his psychology class of a 2 year old girl, in the Chinese city of Foshan, getting run over by a van, passed by many people who didn’t help, and then ran over by a SECOND van! This kind of behavior is sickening. Once he told me this I fully understood why he and many of his classmates felt the need to vomit.
I had never heard of this story before so I did a little online research of my own over the subject (see my sources below). I REFUSE to watch the video, I cannot bring myself to witness the event which ultimately led to the death of an innocent child and caused excruciating pain in the process. But I did manage to find out some interesting pieces of information. But the one I really want to rant about is the “reason” why 18 people passed this child dying and did absolutely nothing! Apparently in 2006 there was a case where a woman in Nanjing fell and the man who bothered to take her to the hospital was then accused (by the same woman) with the act of pushing her. The judge made his decision based off of the thought that “common sense dictates that the man who pushed her would be the one to take her to the hospital.” Therefore the man was found guilty of the charges. This case has swayed the way many people choose to act when confronted with helping strangers. Not stopping there, the Ministry of Health even went so far as to issuing guidelines on how to help fallen elderly individuals.
The woman who did eventually make an effort to help the poor girl from the road was an old “garbage scavenger.” The lady even went and retrieved the child’s parents, who had not been around for any of tragedy.
Whatever happened to the good Samaritan? The person who puts others in front of themselves and will do what is right and suffer the consequences? To sacrifice one’s self to ensure another’s happiness and well being? It makes me sick. I can actually look at the world and still have faith in it but moments like these kill me on the inside and shakes my foundation.
Sources:
Mar28
Map(ple)
Mar7
What if you had to choose between an individual and a group to let live…who would you choose?
Feb22
Oh the irony!
When one drives they drive on a parkway, yet when one park their car they park in a driveway.
When a good is delivered by a car it is called a shipment, but when it is delivered by a ship it is then referred to as cargo.
Why are there drive up ATM machines in brail?
I think its an injustice that we sell cigarettes at the front of stores yet we make the sick customers walk all the way to the back to get their medicine.
Politics: poly meaning many and tics being horrible blood sucking creatures.
These are just a couple of forms of ironic situations. One of my favorite pictures of irony that I have seen throughout my lifetime is: (see post below)
I found this picture to be incredibly ironic, and I think one can see why for obvious reasons. For this post I looked for many pictures of irony, from profound pictures of a door with a sign that says do not enter, to strange ones where people drew ice cream cones licking human children (demented I know)…but eventually I decided that funny irony is so much better, but not only that, a funny picture with a message.
I am one who is fairly intolerant of intolerance, and I’m not a fan of hippocracy either, often I’m just one big walking contradiction, but I still think that this picture is incredibly ironic and I like the message that it has to send. If someone wishes to get in shape, obviously taking the escalator to the gym is not taking the right step.
Feb22
Irony
Feb19
Media…you’re going down!
As Hippocratic as this may sound, seeing as I’m posting this on a form of media, so let me clarify, I simply want to send a message urging the average person to cut back on the time that they spend on the internet. So often I see this, a friend on their computer looking at stumble upon, pintrest, tumblr, wanelo, etc. or watching the television and seeing something or some character and saying to themselves or out loud “I want to go there” or “I want to make that” or even “I want to do that” but no matter what they always refer to it as “cool”. I have no problem with these statements, heck the internet is a wonderful tool for discovery and sharing, but because of the countless hours my friends log on these sites they never have the time or motivation to go to any of these places, or make any of these things, or do any of these activities! Instead they are seeing life through the eyes of others, vicariously living through their computer screen some other person’s life instead of their own. I will admit to having a stumble upon account and frequenting wanelo as well as being a fervent ‘How I met your mother’ watcher, but the difference is I actually do what I see! (within reason of course) Do not get me wrong, it has taken years of conscious actions for me to even be able to shut down my laptop and consider trying something new. Media has inspired me to do an experience so many new things and because I have control over myself and how many hours I choose to log on my computer and television set, I have a healthy balance between media and living life. I guess I’ve failed to mention my intention; if I can do it then so can you!
But were I ever to actually find the cajones and start a vendetta against media my symbol would probably be a mirror. In place of a t.v. or computer screen there would be a mirror with the words ‘to do’. This is to represent self concentration, that instead of looking at someone else’s life, the viewers sees themselves and their incomplete to-do list. My mask would be a face with a television as one eye and a laptop as the other so to symbolize the wearer as seeing and experiencing life through the media. The mouth of the mask will be slightly open in a hypnotized gape so as to show the power of fascination that the internet has over oneself. Ideally I would seek for there to be at least two hours a day that the internet shuts down all sites that are not strictly credited educational sites and research databases, and that televisions would only show educational programming, that way if the person is still unwilling to get off the computer or television, at least he/she is learning something.
Feb7
#20 my small thoughts
‘one two three four tell me that you love me more’
‘wanelo.com is my achilles heel’
‘gee I love childrens movies’
‘my children WILL be raised on classic disney movies’
‘so tired…can’t keep eyes open…OOH COOKIES! They would make this moment so much better’
‘I’m a banana look at me move’
‘Danna Devotchka The Winner Is…devotchka like a Clockwork orange? Beehtoven?…yes.’
‘I am such an odd person…I can dig it’
‘My mom is awesome…dad too!’
‘The world should declare a vendetta on media…It’s not evil but it is over used. People now live their lives vicariously through those they follow on Tumblr. How many times have my friends seen something really cool they want to do but never do because their time is taken up by Tubmlr…yup time for vendetta.’
Feb6
I cannot look at a Ryder van and not flinch…
I cannot look at a Ryder van and not flinch
Everytime I see it I am brought to silence
Anger swells inside me
As I’m reminded of the violence
I cannot look at a Ryder van and not flinch
Everytime I glance, I must turn away
Like the statue of Jesus
I still weep for this day
I cannot look at a Ryder van and not flinch
Thoughts of loss come to mind
Of family friends
And how it was not yet their time
I cannot look at a Ryder van and not flinch
When I think about McVeigh the monster, the man
Of the terror he brought
With that yellow Ryder van
The bombing was a terrible happening. I was far to young to remember it but without it was an event that shook my world and is a part of my history. How many years in school did we have a two minute moment of silence (on the anniversary) between 9:01 and 9:03. How many pennies had I collected for my schools to give to the relief efforts? Even as a child, when what had happened was beyond my comprehension, the bombing was a part of my life. It wasn’t until I got much older did I even begin to notice what a strong part of my life it was.
Two of my best childhood friends are bombing survivors. On the day of the bombing my mother was at work (approximately two blocks away) when she felt the explosion. My two friends, Donquay and Ryan were two of the children at the YMCA that day. Growing up I have heard time and time again the stories from my mom when she and Donquay and Ryan’s mom searched all day for them. It took them from almost sun down to find them in the chaos, the entire time not knowing if the boys were alive, and if they were what condition they would be in. They are two of the youngest survivors of the bombing, but not the youngest victims. I cannot imagine how different my life would be had they not survived and been a part of my life.
But Donquay and Ryan are not the only victims of the bombing attatched to my life. In fact two of the 168 victims are as well. For discretion sake I won’t give any names but one man was the father of my babysitter, and one woman, the mother of an elementary school friend.
Even later in my life the bombing has found a way to still find me. When I went to High School I made a friend who I later found out to also be a bombing survivor. He has long term breathing issues as a symptom of the bombing from when he was a child.
But that’s just it! The bombing left scars on survivors, families, Oklahomans, the world…that is what I think the Museum commemorates. It is a place for those to mourn, it is a place for those to remember, and it is a place for those to share their scars and learn of everyone else’s scars…physical and emotional. Constantly throughout the museum you can read people’s testimonies, hear survivor stories, and look at world-wide condolences. from the beautiful 100o golden cranes, to the penny walkway, and the chunk of fence with trinkets and letters on it one can clearly see that there was something about the bombing that touched everyone, and in some way provided a link for unity. The museum is for everyone, so come and be prepared.
Adorable Angst 
