Ever since science advanced to the point of being able to correct "imperfections" in the human body, man has debated amongst itself the morality of changing God's creation, even if it is to improve it. In recent years, science and medicine has discovered a way to give hearing to those who have been born without it. Sound and Fury explores two different situations in order to determine the ethical issues involved with changing the human body. Two children, cousins, both born deaf, are faced with the issue of whether or not to go through a cochlear implant. The documentary focuses on the different occasions when it is appropriate to do the procedure, and when it is inappropriate. Just as all ethics must, it comes down to individual situations.
Discourse is a huge part of many viewpoints on this issue. I feel that as an outsider, with no experience one way or the other, I can provide an unbiased assessment of the morality of a cochlear implant. I am not a part of the deaf Discourse, but I don't have a deaf relative or friend. I am able to speak as a person who can view both sides; because, I have no emotional attachment to either.
Peter and Nita Artinian were both born deaf. They haven't known the "hearing world" as they refer to it, and that was not their choice. In Heather's case, I feel that it should be up to Heather. It is only natural that Heather, being a five year old, would ask her parents for help deciding one way or the other. Her parents decided that an implant was not right for Heather. I agree. Heather was born into a deaf family, as a member of a deaf society, and deeply entrenched in "deaf culture." If she would have had the implant, she would be an outcast, just as Peter was when he was a child. Peter's mom, unfortunately, is wrong. She is also being very selfish, very selfish. She wants to be able to converse with her granddaughter, but that is not the whole story. She is afraid that other people will look at her family and condemn them for the choice they made. She wants Heather to have the implant for her own reasons, not in Heather's best interest, as she claims. Peter and Nita made the right choice for Heather. They gave her acceptance into the culture of which she was born, they did not strip it away.
Now if Heather had wanted the implant, even at that young age, it would be wrong for the parents to deny her. But she didn't want it. She may have had an infatuation with the thought of being able to hear, but in the end she really didn't want to change the way God made her. So it was right for the parents not to force it on her.
Chris and Mari Artinian are hearing, their first born is hearing. When they had twins, one was hearing and one wasn't. This situation is much easier to assess than the last one. Peter, the deaf twin, would be an outcast from the family. Maybe not a direct outcast, but he would be different. He would have had to wait a long, long, long time to come up with a reason that he was born deaf and his twin brother wasn't. He was determined to be an ideal candidate for the implant, but he definitely wasn't old enough to decide for himself. His parents decided that he should have an implant. It is unclear in the documentary if it is for selfish reasons, but it is irrelevant. He will now be accepted into the culture that he was born into, instead of being different. If he was born deaf, his opportunities would have been limited; because, both of his parents were hearing, and his school is hearing. His parents don't know the best way to teach a deaf child, they won't be able to teach him fluent sign language right from the start. This is not because they aren't intelligent, it is because they are not a part of the deaf Discourse. Peter will now have just as much opportunity as his brother to succeed.
Now if Peter had been born into a completely deaf family, it would have been right for the family to leave him the way he was, unless he wanted it when he was older. If the parents felt that they could afford to give him the best speech education available and send him to the best schools, and both the parents were deaf, then it would have been appropriate to give him the implant.
It all comes down to Discourse.
Wednesday, December 12, 2012
Tuesday, November 27, 2012
Fear of Flying
I slowly walk into the plane, a big aluminum tube, nothing more than a thin sheet of metal between the atmosphere and helpless passengers. The captains are already locked in their cockpit, immune to influence. Warily, I glance around, looking for a weakness, looking for a failure. Carefully I sit, choosing to locate myself closest to the emergency exit. The door closes; a stewardess locks it in place. Now it is the worst, I need out, I need control. Trust needs to be placed in the pilots, and I cannot. I cannot fasten the seat belt, sealing my certain doom. Fear, like a monster in the deep, clawing to get to the surface, I suppress it, with difficulty. I fail. Fear takes control, for I cannot.
They say flying is safer than driving, but I will always prefer to grasp the future with two hands, steering myself through every obstacle. They say flying is romantic, but I prefer roses and wine. They say flying is faster, easier, cheaper, but I prefer to gaze at the gauges of my own machine, fill the fuel tank myself, tilt the throttle body ever so slightly to speed up. I will not listen to Them, even though They may be right. I fear flying. I fear giving up control to a couple of complacent captains who have never met me. It is not death I fear, it is dying because of someone else's hand. If I am the one to make the final, fatal mistake, so be it. I can assume responsibility, but I cannot trust the responsibility to anyone else.
They say flying is safer than driving, but I will always prefer to grasp the future with two hands, steering myself through every obstacle. They say flying is romantic, but I prefer roses and wine. They say flying is faster, easier, cheaper, but I prefer to gaze at the gauges of my own machine, fill the fuel tank myself, tilt the throttle body ever so slightly to speed up. I will not listen to Them, even though They may be right. I fear flying. I fear giving up control to a couple of complacent captains who have never met me. It is not death I fear, it is dying because of someone else's hand. If I am the one to make the final, fatal mistake, so be it. I can assume responsibility, but I cannot trust the responsibility to anyone else.
Thursday, November 8, 2012
Wikileaks: Julian Assange
Wikileaks is a controversial website started by Julian Assange. Its mission is to release otherwise classified documents to the public. Currently Julian Assange is running from multiple governments because he is wanted for conspiracy and other similar crimes of treason. His site raises difficult questions about the legality and moral justification of the release of this type of information to the general public.
Much of the world is divided on this issue: is Julian Assange a hero or a villain? It is hard for the informed individual to take a stance on this; because, publishing the documents isn't strictly illegal, but the process taking to procure them is. I believe that he is a hero, of sorts. He isn't breaking any laws in the United States, he is just working around them. But the people who submit these documents to him are villains. My argument is based in the legality of it all. Those who steal are criminals, but those who end up with a stolen good are also criminals. Information is different. The copyright laws that protect certain items are very foggy in their nature. For example: Person A illegally copies a DVD and defiles the copyright protection on it. He/she then gives it to Person B. Person B isn't guilty of a crime, but Person A is. This is because owning a copied DVD isn't a crime but distributing it is. Now say Person A sells the pirated DVD to Person B. In this example both persons are guilty of buying and selling illegal goods.
Because the information was given to Julian Assange, and not paid for, he isn't at fault for holding stolen/classified information. When he releases it, he also doesn't charge for the right to view the files. This, however, doesn't protect him, it protects the reader. For releasing them he is guilty, unless he can claim that he didn't know they were stolen. He makes this claim very well by using anonymous sources to get the information. If he doesn't know where it came from, then he can't possibly know if it was stolen or not. Therefore he isn't guilty of any crime, at least in the United States, but the people who got the information for him are. He claims to not be a hacker, and this, in fact, is true.
I believe Julian Assange is a hero, but he needs to be careful not to overstep the boundary into crime. The world needs to feel as though someone is watching the public's collective back, even if the information he releases isn't as relevant as some believe it is. This is why the world needs Wikileaks. However, Julian Assange will end up in prison in America if he actually steals a document himself or pays for the rights to it. He will also end up in jail if the property he publishes is reported stolen and he refuses to turn it in/take it off of the world wide web. I sincerely hope he continues to evade the authorities and be the common man's savior from the tyranny of more powerful figures.
Much of the world is divided on this issue: is Julian Assange a hero or a villain? It is hard for the informed individual to take a stance on this; because, publishing the documents isn't strictly illegal, but the process taking to procure them is. I believe that he is a hero, of sorts. He isn't breaking any laws in the United States, he is just working around them. But the people who submit these documents to him are villains. My argument is based in the legality of it all. Those who steal are criminals, but those who end up with a stolen good are also criminals. Information is different. The copyright laws that protect certain items are very foggy in their nature. For example: Person A illegally copies a DVD and defiles the copyright protection on it. He/she then gives it to Person B. Person B isn't guilty of a crime, but Person A is. This is because owning a copied DVD isn't a crime but distributing it is. Now say Person A sells the pirated DVD to Person B. In this example both persons are guilty of buying and selling illegal goods.
Because the information was given to Julian Assange, and not paid for, he isn't at fault for holding stolen/classified information. When he releases it, he also doesn't charge for the right to view the files. This, however, doesn't protect him, it protects the reader. For releasing them he is guilty, unless he can claim that he didn't know they were stolen. He makes this claim very well by using anonymous sources to get the information. If he doesn't know where it came from, then he can't possibly know if it was stolen or not. Therefore he isn't guilty of any crime, at least in the United States, but the people who got the information for him are. He claims to not be a hacker, and this, in fact, is true.
I believe Julian Assange is a hero, but he needs to be careful not to overstep the boundary into crime. The world needs to feel as though someone is watching the public's collective back, even if the information he releases isn't as relevant as some believe it is. This is why the world needs Wikileaks. However, Julian Assange will end up in prison in America if he actually steals a document himself or pays for the rights to it. He will also end up in jail if the property he publishes is reported stolen and he refuses to turn it in/take it off of the world wide web. I sincerely hope he continues to evade the authorities and be the common man's savior from the tyranny of more powerful figures.
Friday, July 20, 2012
"Talk of the Town" Updike, Sontag
This reading had an effect on me that I did not expect at first. I have read many pieces about the attacks on September 11th, but none touched me as much as John Updike's. His personal recollection of the attacks, and his first person account, are similar to many other's accounts of that horrendous day. But his last three paragraphs really touched me. I had never before read an article that found a bright side to that day.
When thinking about 9/11, my thoughts always tend to drift in the direction that Susan Sontag's beliefs have. I blame the government for the reactions that followed that day, forever living in infamy, and before I had read Updike's article, I would have agreed fully with Sontag. Politicians rarely feel the need to tell the public the whole truth. This can be good in some cases, but with the attacks, the public needed to know the whole story. America needed action, not reassurance.
My previous views were altered, even if only slightly, by Updike's recollection. It made me think about the attacks in a different way than I had before, and that is a good thing. Reading Sontag's article was one of those things that gets my blood pressure up. I agree with everything she wrote about and it made me want to go take action if the politicians can't do it themselves.
When thinking about 9/11, my thoughts always tend to drift in the direction that Susan Sontag's beliefs have. I blame the government for the reactions that followed that day, forever living in infamy, and before I had read Updike's article, I would have agreed fully with Sontag. Politicians rarely feel the need to tell the public the whole truth. This can be good in some cases, but with the attacks, the public needed to know the whole story. America needed action, not reassurance.
My previous views were altered, even if only slightly, by Updike's recollection. It made me think about the attacks in a different way than I had before, and that is a good thing. Reading Sontag's article was one of those things that gets my blood pressure up. I agree with everything she wrote about and it made me want to go take action if the politicians can't do it themselves.
Wednesday, July 18, 2012
About Me
I am a very ambitious and determined individual. Attempting to partake in every event and activity is just my nature. Although I have tried everything from football to entrepreneurship, I am trying to limit my involvement from as many things as I can to just a few. Currently the three hobbies that take up most of my time are cars, music, and Boy Scouts.
My true love is my car, I have told many people this and they look at me funny, but it is true. Anyone who has met me has also met my car. I love the problem solving that goes along with driving an 18 year old car with 212,000 miles that my family bought in 1994 right off the lot. To a normal person the extra time required to go the one and half miles to school every morning is enough to drive anyone insane. But it is different for me, I really enjoy cranking away on the engine or reworking the suspension. The breakdowns are the fun part; they are frustrating, humiliating, and time consuming, but they allow me to test my skills as an automotive technician. Although my favorite car is my own, I also enjoy just about every car made before OBDII was introduced, so long as I could see myself driving it. Rat rods, hot rods, muscle cars, true classics, and every other car that draws attention driving down the road.
Besides cars I have had another passion throughout my whole life: music. Many people would say this is a passion of theirs as well; however, I don't think they understand what it means to be truly passionate about music. When I was four years old, my father made me start piano lessons, and made me continue them until I was eight. By that time I had found a love for the piano and so I didn't stop there. I sought out an instructor, who would then go on to instruct me until I was 14. By that time I was a better pianist than he, and he just went away. I was self taught for a couple of years and in the meantime I took up the drum set. I have been taking private lessons on set for three years now and at the school of music where I take lessons I met a new piano teacher. I have been taking lessons from her for about two years. I hope to continue my music career, and with all the instruments I play it shouldn't be all that hard. I play: piano, drum set, trumpet, synth, and a little bit of guitar.
As if those two hobbies weren't enough to take up all of my time, I am also active in Troop 53 here in McFarland. I have been a Scout for 5 years and I will soon reach the rank of Eagle. My favorite part of Scouting is the places it takes me. I just returned last Sunday from a backpacking trip on Isle Royale. We spent 7 days and 6 nights on the island, and backpacked a total of 66 miles. I was away from home for 10 days due to the drive up and back taking 8 and a half hours each way. That was my second favorite trip so far as a Scout, and sadly it will be my last big trip as a Scout because I am aging out in February. My favorite trip was in 2009. We traveled to Philmont Scout Ranch in Cimarron New Mexico for a backpacking trip. In a total of two weeks away from home we spend 10 days on the trail, and backpacked roughly 109 miles. We also climbed the second tallest mountain in the Rockies (Baldy Mountain) at 12,441 feet above sea level.
My plans for the future are very complex. I am planning on going to UW Madison and dual majoring in mechanical engineering and piano performance. I am going to become an Assistant Scout Master in our troop and stay active in Troop 53 for as long as possible until I have to move on and find another troop. I am also planning on rebuilding my car and turning it into a hot rod/bandit race car starting soon and continuing for the next five to seven years. I will definitely stay busy as my life progresses, far in the future I plan on working as an automotive engineer and performing piano on the side.
I am looking forward to my senior year of high school, I just got my acceptance letter from UW Madison as a special student so I will have lots to keep me busy as always. AP Comp has been a class I have wanted to take for a long time and I hope it lives up to my expectations.
My true love is my car, I have told many people this and they look at me funny, but it is true. Anyone who has met me has also met my car. I love the problem solving that goes along with driving an 18 year old car with 212,000 miles that my family bought in 1994 right off the lot. To a normal person the extra time required to go the one and half miles to school every morning is enough to drive anyone insane. But it is different for me, I really enjoy cranking away on the engine or reworking the suspension. The breakdowns are the fun part; they are frustrating, humiliating, and time consuming, but they allow me to test my skills as an automotive technician. Although my favorite car is my own, I also enjoy just about every car made before OBDII was introduced, so long as I could see myself driving it. Rat rods, hot rods, muscle cars, true classics, and every other car that draws attention driving down the road.
Besides cars I have had another passion throughout my whole life: music. Many people would say this is a passion of theirs as well; however, I don't think they understand what it means to be truly passionate about music. When I was four years old, my father made me start piano lessons, and made me continue them until I was eight. By that time I had found a love for the piano and so I didn't stop there. I sought out an instructor, who would then go on to instruct me until I was 14. By that time I was a better pianist than he, and he just went away. I was self taught for a couple of years and in the meantime I took up the drum set. I have been taking private lessons on set for three years now and at the school of music where I take lessons I met a new piano teacher. I have been taking lessons from her for about two years. I hope to continue my music career, and with all the instruments I play it shouldn't be all that hard. I play: piano, drum set, trumpet, synth, and a little bit of guitar.
As if those two hobbies weren't enough to take up all of my time, I am also active in Troop 53 here in McFarland. I have been a Scout for 5 years and I will soon reach the rank of Eagle. My favorite part of Scouting is the places it takes me. I just returned last Sunday from a backpacking trip on Isle Royale. We spent 7 days and 6 nights on the island, and backpacked a total of 66 miles. I was away from home for 10 days due to the drive up and back taking 8 and a half hours each way. That was my second favorite trip so far as a Scout, and sadly it will be my last big trip as a Scout because I am aging out in February. My favorite trip was in 2009. We traveled to Philmont Scout Ranch in Cimarron New Mexico for a backpacking trip. In a total of two weeks away from home we spend 10 days on the trail, and backpacked roughly 109 miles. We also climbed the second tallest mountain in the Rockies (Baldy Mountain) at 12,441 feet above sea level.
My plans for the future are very complex. I am planning on going to UW Madison and dual majoring in mechanical engineering and piano performance. I am going to become an Assistant Scout Master in our troop and stay active in Troop 53 for as long as possible until I have to move on and find another troop. I am also planning on rebuilding my car and turning it into a hot rod/bandit race car starting soon and continuing for the next five to seven years. I will definitely stay busy as my life progresses, far in the future I plan on working as an automotive engineer and performing piano on the side.
I am looking forward to my senior year of high school, I just got my acceptance letter from UW Madison as a special student so I will have lots to keep me busy as always. AP Comp has been a class I have wanted to take for a long time and I hope it lives up to my expectations.
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