The Coming Of John

Chimamanda Adichie argues that the potential danger of a single story is that it simplifies complicated, complex people into one-dimensional stereotypes. Insufficient understanding of a group of individuals is produced when only one story about them is given. This results in bias, misrepresentation, and a persistent lack of understanding for the variety and depth of experiences that exist within every group. The one tale ends up being the sole perspective used to evaluate people, which is damaging in addition to being untrue.

"Nkali" describes how power is used when one group dominates the discourse about another. Adichie offers the example of how Western media frequently presents Africa singularly, mostly in terms of poverty, conflict, and illness, which minimizes Africans to one-dimensional victims, to illustrate her point. According to Adichie, stereotypes have the problem of not only simplifying a culture or a group but also depriving it of its complexity by neglecting the diversity and depth of people's lives.

The most important idea I’ll take with me is Adichie’s call to tell multiple stories. The most important idea I’ll take with me is Adichie’s call to tell multiple stories. She stresses the value of hearing other viewpoints and life experiences in order to obtain a more complete and accurate picture of the world. She serves as a reminder that the complexity of human experience cannot ever be adequately conveyed by a single story. Every individual, every community, and every culture has a variety of tales to tell.

W.E.B. Du Bois introduces two individuals, both named John, who stand in for radically different experiences and life paths in Of the Coming of John. The white character, John Henderson, is raised in a wealthy, segregated world where his privilege and rank are upheld through education. However, while he attempts to get an education, the black character, John Jones, experiences racial injustice and discrimination. Jones's education signifies both a traumatic encounter with the harsh truths of racial discrimination and a personal emancipation, whereas Henderson's education serves as a means of validating his supremacy in society. 

I feel like in order to examine the wider ramifications of race, education, and inequality more universally and symbolically, W.E.B. DuBois may have decided to write Of the Coming of John as a fictional tale. Rather than merely narrating a situation from real life, Du Bois was able to illustrate the profound emotional and psychological impacts of racism through the use of fiction. By employing the lives of the two Johns as metaphors for the more significant structural problems of race and oppression that African Americans encountered, fiction also gave him the opportunity to craft a potent, emotionally stirring story. 

Education plays a transformative and painful role in the life of John Jones. As he becomes educated, he is forced to confront the harsh realities of the racial divide in his society. Preparing for a future career certainly has the potential to change a person. It can expand one's worldview, expose one to new ideas, and encourage critical thinking.

Despite his education, John Jones's potential is limited by the one narrative of racial inferiority that society has forced upon him. Similar to this, Adichie's talk discusses how a single narrative about Africa or any other group of people can minimize their diversity and humanity by reducing them to stereotypes. Both pieces emphasize how critical it is to challenge and go beyond these constricting views.

George Floyd, a Black man, was killed in May 2020 in Minneapolis, Minnesota, by a police officer who kneeled on his neck for more than nine minutes while making an arrest. This is one horrific example. The incident brought attention to the persistent problems of racial profiling, police brutality, and systematic racism in the US and led to significant protests and cries for racial justice. Even while there has been a lot of progress since the Jim Crow era, there are still large racial disparities, as demonstrated by Floyd's death and the protests that followed throughout the world.

Is My SmartPhone Hurting Me?

Twenge argues that smartphones are negatively impacting today’s youth, particularly Generation Z. She presents evidence showing a rise in mental health issues, such as depression and anxiety among teenagers, in relation to the increased use of smartphones and social media. One quote from Twenge’s article is: “The more time teens spend looking at screens, the more likely they are to report symptoms of depression.” This quote highlights her argument that excessive screen time is linked to a decline in mental well-being. She suggests that smartphones and social media platforms are replacing face-to-face interactions and contributing to loneliness and isolation among teens.  

On the other hand, Cavanagh challenges Twenge’s conclusions in her Psychology Today blog post. She argues that while there may be a correlation between smartphone use and mental health issues, it doesn’t necessarily mean that smartphones are the cause. Cavanagh points out that other factors may also contribute to the mental health issues seen in younger generations. She writes: “The studies she reviews largely ignore social contexts and how people differ, instead reporting only average effects and correlations. Emerging evidence indicates that like every other question psychologists can think to ask about human behavior, screen use and its association with psychological well-being varies based on a multitude of contextual and personal variables, such as how you use media, when you use it, and what else is going on in your life.”Cavanagh suggests that the focus should not be solely on the devices themselves, but on how they are integrated into people’s lives. 

From a personal standpoint, my experience with smartphones was very different. I got my first smartphone in middle school, and it significantly impacted how I interacted with the world. On one hand, having constant access to information, friends, and entertainment was incredibly convenient and helped me stay connected. However, I also recognize how much time I spent scrolling through social media or mindlessly checking my phone, which could make me feel disconnected from the present moment. If I left my phone in a drawer for a day, I would definitely miss it at least at first. I’d likely feel disconnected from certain social circles, but I’d also appreciate the freedom from constant notifications and the ability to focus more on tasks or personal reflection.

The lesson I think we can learn about smartphones from these articles is that their impact depends on how they’re used. Smartphones can be both beneficial and harmful, and the key lies in finding a balance. They can help us stay connected, learn, and access resources, but they also have the potential to cause distraction, isolation, and mental health issues when used excessively. The challenge is being intentional with how we use them, setting boundaries, and making conscious choices about when and how to engage with our devices.

Blog Deep Dive

Things I Want: A new laptop, I want to take a vacation, I want a personal library, I want a walk-in closet, I want a new car, I want to learn how to paint, I want to live abroad.

The Jury Is Still On: How effective are dieting methods, Is social media really good for mental health, is working from home more effective than going to the office, is taking cold showers better than hot ones, how well is the skincare routine effective on my skin or should I invest in more expensive brands for skincare.

My Media and Obsessions: The Office, Modern Family, Spotify, Instagram, TikTok, YouTube murder mysteries, Travel Vlogs, Fantasy novels, Podcasts on true crime Stephanie Soo specifically. 

Things that Bother Me:  When people don't say excuse me, when I don't get personal space, people interrupt me when I'm talking, ads on a website or YouTube, when someone bumps into you and doesn't say sorry, people talking loud in a library, slow walkers, loud chewing, people cutting in line.

Both shows, The Office and Modern Family, are sitcoms that use a style of mockumentary-style filming. Creating scenes where characters talk about their feelings and reactions to different scenarios. Both shows use humor to make the audience intrigued, they also often exaggerate the characters' personalities, showing different types of scenarios that viewers can relate to. Both shows have group relationships that are the main focus of the show and how their everyday lifestyle and work environment end up going at the end of the day. Additionally, the two shows showcase humor and heartfelt moments, bringing comedy and emotional feelings to the show. 

While both shows are set in mockumentary-style filming, the two take place in different scenes and environments, The Office takes place in a workplace corporate environment focusing on the lives of the employees in the company. Often, they use humor that is deemed cringeworthy, dry, and awkward. The main character, Micheal Scott, does most of the comedy in The Office. On the other hand, Modern Family revolves around the lives of three families and is focused on family dynamics and family relationships. The humor in Modern Family is a traditional sitcom tone, and the family members, particularly characters like Phil Dunphy, are often portrayed as well-meaning but goofy in a way that creates an endearing vibe. Additionally, Modern Family has a lighter tone, illustrating the complexities of family life while lovingly and acceptingly embracing each character's flaws, in contrast to The Office, which has a tendency to be more cynical and frequently features characters making commentary on the ridiculousness of corporate life. 

Deep Dive with Sherlock Holmes, Fairies, and the Devil Baby of Hull House

Conan Doyle failed to be a good detective himself, he had heard that two girls had photographed fairies and convinced himself that they were real. He failed to confirm its authenticity by not investigating and considering other ways the fairies were photographed, including the possibility of them being fraudulent pictures. He placed all his trust in these girls rather than a believable explanation. 

The author discovers that many of these women have some things in common like motherhood and its struggles. They explain that these mothers look for a probable explanation for their hardships in order to find an explanation for their own hardships. One of these women had birthed a baby with a deformed face and had gone to spirituality linking her baby with the one in the story. many of these stories highlight the sense of meaning, especially with women or other humans who are going through a sense of powerlessness in their lives. 

I do particularly agree with Doyle whether it is all the superficial being that stems out of his story.  Most of the time it would come out from a deep emotional or psychological need. going deep into these beliefs are ways people can cope with not knowing where these answers could lead. 

The Chupacabra is a creature believed to lurk in Latin America, especially in Mexico and Puerto Rico, and is one of the most terrifying creatures. Although they have differing descriptions of the creature, it is most typically portrayed as a reptilian beast with glowing eyes, spines on its back, and bloodlust. The word "Chupacabra" translates to "goat sucker" in Spanish. Portraying the animal to attack and drain the blood of its livestock, especially goats. The locals in Puerto Rico discovered livestock with wounds on its necks with their blood drained in the 1990s. Numerous other accounts have surfaced throughout the Americas, igniting the legend once more. I believe there would be other creatures that may or may not do this, hence why I'm in the middle of believing this and not. Even though I have not heard of any other animal draining the blood of goats, it's unexplainable how this could have occurred, making me believe there could be a "Chupacabra" out there making these events more believable.