We Are Training Our Kids to Kill

         In the essay, “ We Are Training Our Kids to Kill” by Dave Grossman, he explores the world and searches for the meaning of the word murder.  He explains that there are two meaning of virus violence.  First, He describes the increasing in the imprisonment rate has cause our nation for less crimes. Then, he explains how our medical technology has advance far from the year 1945, where many military personnel had died from wounds. Today, medical advancement helps doctors able to render treatment for patients and able to save their life. Moreover, he explains that killing is unnatural because in order for us to kill someone is required great training. Most of people of the same race in the society try to live and get along with other.  Then, he explains the meaning of classical conditioning.  Any person can able to learn this method, if they were train, like the example he gives about how the Japanese soldiers murder Chinese prisoners in a cold blood technique by makes them on their knee and shoot them from behind. Later, he explains the operant conditioning method.  This method has been mainly use by the US military because this method requires great deal of stimulus response.  The military use this method to train their troops, so they can react fast in the time of war.  The method stamps into soldiers muscles memories because this is a very powerful repetitive procedure.

         After I read this essay I have a better understanding of our prison system and the killing of people in the world.  But, there is one thing that I do want to understand “ Why Can We live in Peace?”  Every part of the world is changing into the killing zone.  What about those people life that has to effect by the killing?  I never see anyone want to help or give them any opportunity. But, the killing still exit in our every day life.  I wish we all can live along with other people in the same nation or in different countries because we are all Human.

How Bingeing Became the New College Sport

            In the short essay,  “How Bingeing Became the New College Sport” by Barrett Seaman, he explores most of the top Colleges and Universities in the US to determine the causes of increasing death rate due to alcohol poisoning.  Then he introduced the words pre-gaming as people whom among 18,19, and 20 years old students who cannot legally buy or consume alcohol in the public.  These young students drink lot amount of alcohol at their private location and get hospitalize, for some even die from alcohol poisoning.  He also explains over the past 40 years, the US has taken different approaches to the age limits for various reasons. The people in the ‘60s in some States able to practices their rights and able to drink at the ages of 18.  Later, he meet up with president or deans at most major colleges and discusses the issue that students are facing.  Both the dean and president believe that bring 21 years old were also impacted most students drinking activity.  Furthermore, he visits one college that the students able to drink at the ages of 18 years old.  He finds out that those students are put drinking in practical place along with their school midterm priorities. Furthermore, Seaman explains our Colleges and Universities can be achievable without the Congress influences the law with their policy. While let those pre-gamer came out from their private place, so they can learn to handle the alcohol.

            After reading this essay, I agree with the author because those pre-gamers should be able to practice drinking and handling their alcohol.  I have served in both Iraq and Afghanistan war along with 18, 19, and 20 years old Marines.  What I found very irritating was, they not old enough to drink because of their ages.  Meanwhile these young Marines risk their life for our freedom.  After returned home to base in Camp Pendleton, CA, they unable to drink.  For some drinking can ease their pain and forget all those bad memories.  Unfortunately, some young Marines decided to take their own life due to the pain and suffer from post trauma stress disorder.  I hope one day, our governments can look into the problems and able to fix it.  

Our Unhealthy Obsession with Sickness

            In the short essay,  “Our Unhealthy Obsession with Sickness” by Frank Furedi, he addresses that there are four reasons about health and sickness that impacted our daily life.  First, Furedi explains the imperative of medicalization.  He describes that every sickness and our daily personal life has a tag with medical diagnose terminology.  This illness provides the opportunity for the pharmaceutical company to come up with some pills that can cure an illness. Second, Furedi talks about a presupposition that illness is as normal as health.  He details that being ill is part of our normal life and considers that we all are potentially ill.  Furedi also explains that in the past illness was the worst thing that people are facing, but today we can read the illness from the newspapers and magazines.  Third, Furedi describes how people use the word illness to explain the reasons for young generations to understand the meaning of certain disease.  Finally, he talks about how the politicization of health influences our daily life.  He explains that health issues had become the most focus of politician to address the citizens in order to gain their votes.  Furthermore, he explains that governments promote the value of health and make us think and feel ill. The answer to all our health problems not coming from the medicine or the producers, but the way peoples believe.

            After I read this essay, I am agree with the author point of views because I came to realize that most of the illness the pharmaceutical company came up with a cure. By doing so, the company has earns large amount of profits. Also, I come to realize that the governments telling us all the health care benefits for their own benefits, which are our votes.  When I was little, there were number of times that I was sick, but my parents did not take me to the hospital because of the cost.  Therefore, I was treated at home with some old tradition styles treatment.  Luckily for me, I was able to recover from the illness.  I think the price for today medical coverage is too expensive for a normal working family.  My wife and I don’t have any medical insurance due the cost is too high for my budget.  How come the governments never take some of our medical issue into their consideration?  

Is Your Workplace Personality Out of (Birth) Order? by Ben Dattner

In the essay “ Is Your Workplace Personality Out of (Birth) Order? by Ben Dattner, the authors analyze the academic researches that show the predictions of personality can be base on the birth order.  Then the author go on describes the first-born child as strive to please their parents and that the first-born children are care for their young siblings.  And he also states that parents delegate responsibility to the first born-child in their absent. Moreover, he provided personality details a first-born child as to be more extraverted, confident, conformist, conservative, and academically inclined.  In addition, he gives couple example that currently successful such as Leonard Lauder of Estee Lauder, who took over a small business and turned into the world’s largest cosmetics companies.  Next, he described the second-born children are relative to their older siblings.  And the second-born child are more empathic, open to new experiences, more rebellious, and interested in foreign culture. And he also provided some examples of the second-born child. Then, he talked about the Middle siblings, who diplomatic and politically skilled, and a good negotiator. And he talked about the only child in the family and twins in the family. 

After I read this essay, is answering some of my questions that make whose I am today.  It also provides me with a clear understand of my siblings attitude.  I am the third child out of four children in the family.  I moved away from my parents when I turned nineteen years old.  Luckily, I have older brother and older sister that taking cares my parents for me, I am be able to move freely.  I love my family, but I don’t want to live close to them.  As I read this essay, it open my minds and provides me with a clear understand of being the child that wanted to live freely away from family.  I don’t know the main reason, but I think I do now.  I was searching for the right answers, but I never able to understand it. Until, I read this essay.  I am totally agree with the author that birth order have a great effects on people personality and work ethic.

Homeplace by Scott Russell Sanders

          In this short essay "Homeplace" by author, Scott Russell Sanders expressed his feeling painful experienced and how his family refusing to move after three tornadoes went through their home.  Not because they didn’t’ have a choice, but they didn’t want to give up all the time and money that they invested onto their lands.  So, they chose to stay and each time the tornadoes came through, they rebuilt what it was destroyed.  Then, the author described the reasons why people moved from their place of origin.  People moved mainly because of jobs.  Moreover, they migrated to foreign lands because of better opportunity for them.  And the author described how each of his family members viewed the lands since the birth.  And he began to fear that some of his family members or his neighbor could move to the city and abandon all these beautiful countryside.  The author described how he heard the snarl of the earth moving and the new construction of the new shopping markets is build.  He also mentions about how one grand mother has her land preserves for years and later one of her family member sold the lands, so the new owner can build a new construction project. 

           After I read this short essay it reminded of my country because I am an immigrant that migrated from Thailand to find a new home for myself.  I used to have a place where I called home, where everyone so friendly to their neighbor.  Now, I’m finding myself in the new place, new home, and new language.  If I have experienced some suffering from any disaster, like, tornadoes or hurricane, I will move my family to different place because disaster can take people life.  Yet, I will give up all my investment on any properties or lands because the price of my family is priceless.  I was frighten just to read how his family went through three tornadoes and still don’t want to move.  I guess, I never be able to understand his thinking.  Many people on this great nation came from different parts of the world like myself in searching for new home, new beginning, and new life.  Until, I find a good job to support my family, or I will not stop look for a new place to live.

Homeplace by Scott Russell Sanders

          In this short essay "Homeplace" by author, Scott Russell Sanders expressed his feeling painful experienced and how his family refusing to move after three tornadoes went through their home.  Not because they didn’t’ have a choice, but they didn’t want to give up all the time and money that they invested onto their lands.  So, they chose to stay and each time the tornadoes came through, they rebuilt what it was destroyed.  Then, the author described the reasons why people moved from their place of origin.  People moved mainly because of jobs.  Moreover, they migrated to foreign lands because of better opportunity for them.  And the author described how each of his family members viewed the lands since the birth.  And he began to fear that some of his family members or his neighbor could move to the city and abandon all these beautiful countryside.  The author described how he heard the snarl of the earth moving and the new construction of the new shopping markets is build.  He also mentions about how one grand mother has her land preserves for years and later one of her family member sold the lands, so the new owner can build a new construction project. 

           After I read this short essay it reminded of my country because I am an immigrant that migrated from Thailand to find a new home for myself.  I used to have a place where I called home, where everyone so friendly to their neighbor.  Now, I’m finding myself in the new place, new home, and new language.  If I have experienced some suffering from any disaster, like, tornadoes or hurricane, I will move my family to different place because disaster can take people life.  Yet, I will give up all my investment on any properties or lands because the price of my family is priceless.  I was frighten just to read how his family went through three tornadoes and still don’t want to move.  I guess, I never be able to understand his thinking.

Multi-colored Families by Tamara Edwards

In the essay, “Multi-Colored Families” by Tamala Edwards, she addressed her problems as being one of the parents of adoption children.  She adopt a beautiful daughter from Guatemala, she tried to move into a neighborhood where her daughter can fit in most.  As her daughter, Lena, got older; she began to questions herself about her dark skins.  Is just too hard for a young child to understand the world, so Lena cried for bring different from her parents. The author also expresses herself, each year; more and more people adopt kids from a different country, like, Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie.  They adopt kids from different countries, and the kids all look different in general.  Also, the author talked about the laws and regulations out there that help and protect adoption children, but as they get older in the communities.  Many people started to questions these young adopt children, and the outcome is not always a positive answers.  Later, the author talked about how these adopt children faced the negative comments from people around them.  For the past 10 years, number people adopt children from different race, there always going to be some kinds of problems in their life.  She also found a way to help out children that grew up in an interracial family.  She talked about have the children jointed a community of the same race, learned the culture and studied the language. Moreover, she talked about have the children visited their homeland and spent time with them and understand them.

After, I read this essay is making me think about our daily life and the issue that most of us are facing.  I don’t know much about child adoption, but I do feel the pain that each children or parents are encounter in their daily life.  I really agree with the author about spend more time with the children and have them joint the community that they seem fit in.  Every time, I heard the words racism or any type of negative comments on other person, it just makes me sick.  We currently live in the 21^st century not back into the stone ages.  I think negative comments will be in our life as long as this world still evolves around the sun. And I do think that, education is the keys to minimize some of the issues.  We just have to educate each person in our family, and hopefully it can impact on other people life.

The Barrio by Robert Ramirez

In the essay, “The Barrio” by Robert Ramirez, he described about his hometown and the way people lived.  First, he described the trained stop at one of the stations, while the whole city is deeply asleep and he also described the way the city was far different from other city.  The way he narrated this essay provided us a hardship image of the town and painted an image people living in a difficulty conditions, but they still refuse to move.  In winter, the bread company provided the steams that could warmth up the whole town. Moreover, he described the barrio is very close family because everyone in the barrio treated everyone as a families of their own, like the grocery owner provided credits to people that unable to pay for their foods.  Furthermore, each family member contributes their working money to the head of the family in order to support their family.  For some of the poorer family, they living conditions was difficulties and their house was about to fall apart. And with the unable to pay for city taxes, most of the road in the city of barrio was remain rough and when it rain, the water remains there for couple days.  The poorer citizen of barrio also face health issues, lack of food, lack of time because they unable to make enough money to support their family.

After I read this essay, my memories bring me back to the time when I was in Iraq.  I recalled, the some of the wooden house that made of muds, the living conditions that most of Iraqi is facing.  Especially, the time I visited the hospital in a Fallujah; the hospital was empty, lack of medical supplies, and most of the entire doctor are flee the country.  I saw three years old kid helping their parents by taking cares of their sibling.  Moreover, I saw kids walked around the town barefoot.  Every time, when I facing problems in life I always think of other people that have less opportunity then me, I think about their daily life and how they overcome their obstacle. Please don’t misunderstand me, I think of their obstacles because I can use it to overcome my own problems in life, so I can flight for tomorrow.