Marquan Jackson in the House!

The typical stereotype of an Irish lassie would be a red head girl, with a quirky accent, wearing a green dress with shamrocks all over it.  She’d also be an avid religious follower and unfortunately a heavy drinker, or at least all the men in her family would surely be.  Behind her cottage atop a hill in the beautiful, sheep filled fields that make up the island of Ireland, would be lush farmland (a surplus of potatoes definitely), cows grazing in the grass, a field of clovers and shamrocks and perhaps even a little leprechaun friend with a pot of gold at the end of a rainbow near you.  Even if any of this is slightly true, there’s no pot of gold at the end of the rainbow for these people.

It’s no secret that there has been much tension between the people of the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland for many years.   After the War of Independence in 1922, Ireland was split into two parts: Northern Ireland (Protestant), which remained a part of Great Britain and the Irish Free State (Catholic).  The separation quickly led to an Irish Civil War and tension has never fully subsided since.  To this day, there are still violent acts between the two regions, especially as nationalism has increased amongst the two areas.  However, this conflict over the past few decades has not been about politics or land.  “It has, instead, been a struggle over identity: a long effort to find agreement over language and symbols, the terms of competing and complex definitions of what it means to be Irish”(www.newsweek.com).

This is not only an occurence in Ireland, but it is common  throughout the world.  Everyday the people of the world struggle to find identity.  These seems to be an increasing obsession with having an identity or at least being able to identity with something.  Whether it gang bangers struggling to identitfy with their gang or the Irish struggling to identify with the Free Irish State or Northern Ireland, there is an epidemic of identification and the yearn to be something and proud of it.  Tattoos are a perfect example of the way people attempt to achieve permanent identification.  Whether it be a last name or a heritage pun, its a way people wear their identity for everyone to see.  We are constantly paranoid that someone is going to take our identity away from us, or at least look down upon it.  Identity theft is one of the most dangerous and harmful crimes because your identity is who you are and without it you are nothing.  But where does this yearning to mean something and to have something to hold onto and identify with come from?

It seems as though the need to be identified with something comes from insecurities and the yearn for acceptance.  It is not uncommon in our society to see people identifying with something, whether it be their sex or their school mascot, and flaunting it.  The ability to identifty almost creates an ego boost.  Its soothing, as if you’re telling yourself that you are wanted and you have others that relate to you.  In extreme cases, when people are in desperate need of “finding themseleves” they may experience an identity crisis.  According to WebMd’s medical dictionary, “an identity crisis is a disorientation concerning one’s sense of self, values, and role in society, often of acute onset and related to a particular and significant event in one’s life”(http://dictionary.webmd.com).  It can become so severe that there is therapy available and self-help books to assist people in finding out who they truly are and what they are meant to be.  Identity crisis often reappears not early in life, but in adult life.  It is often referred to “Midlife Crisis” and it is a period of self-doubt and sensations of being lost after realizing that your youth is gone.  Its that feeling everyone gets on their 40th birthday when they blow out the candles and realize that the cake says, “Finally Over the Hill!”  Its that gut feeling that says, “I want my youth back.  I want to identify with being a reckless, care-free teenager who doesn’t have to pay the bills.”  Identity crisis seems to be a prolonged experience, and with a society such as ours, one that accepts only those who are up to date with the latest and best thing, the longing for acceptance is definitely increasing as will the need to identify.

Is it wrong to want to be accepted?  No, of course not.  But there is a limit.  Everyone has those days where they want to buy the overpriced pair of jeans because everyone has a pair, and you just want to be cool like the rest of the kids.  Everyone has those days where you have the urge to play a sport you’ve never even dreamed of playing before simply because you want to be part of a team and identify with and represent not only your school name, but also with your teammates.  However, identity is not important enough to create situations like the ones that exist in Ireland.  Tension is so bad and nationalism and pride is so high, that being in the wrong side of the country could lead to your dead.  Yes, over the years things have died down a little bit, but that doesn’t erase the past.  Identity is not as important as people make it out to be.  Every one should be happy to identify with one thing: yourself.  You are the only thing that matters and you should love you regardless if you can identify with a certain nationality or race or not.  Identity crisis?  Nope, not in my lifetime because I am who I am and thats all I can be.

-Marquan

To read more about the separation of Ireland, click HERE

Want to learn more about the history of Ireland? Watch this video: The War in Northern Ireland: The Truth

Citations

“Ireland.” Wikipedia. 24 Mar. 2009 <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ireland>.

“Identity Crisis.” WebMd. 24 Mar. 2009 <http://dictionary.webmd.com/terms/identity-crisis>.

Toibin, Colm. “What Does It Mean to Be Irish?” Newsweek 21 Mar. 2009: 39.

Toibin, Colm. “What Does It Mean to Be Irish?” 21 Mar. 2009. Newsweek. 24 Mar. 2009 <http://www.newsweek.com/id/76825>.

With the economy in utter despair, the question many Americans are facing is “Should I save or spend?”  to most people the answer is easy, SAVE.  The gut instinct when something goes wrong is to put up your defenses.  After the brutal economic downturn leading to many foreclosures and unemployment, Americans put up their defense and started to save their money.  The mentality is to save up so you’ll be safe next time from a crucial economic failing.  But is that the best solution to save our economy?  The answer is easy, NO.  What is good for the individual is not necessarily good for the national economy.  Personally, saving your money might help your own problems but the best thing for the economy right now is for every single person to go out there and spend, spend, spend.  It is okay to cut back on frivolous purchases but going out and treating yourself to ice cream once a week will help you more than it will hurt you.

A hoarding mentality is sweeping quickly across the nation as deposit rates into banks have jumped nearly 5% over a year.  “When investors were asked what they would do with their new income, 32% said that they’d save it, and only 16% said they would invest in stocks”(www.newsweek.com).  This shows a gradual increase in savings and a gradual decrease in spending.  What the economy really needs right now is a boost from the consumers, who create 70 percent of the economic activity.  Think of it like this: In order for your car to continue running, you must fill your tank with gas when you get close to empty.  If you simply decided to not put gas into your car, then eventually, your car would not be able to run anymore.  The economy is the same way.  In order for it to restore itself and start functioning properly and efficiently, we must “fill it” with consumer spending, especially during a time like this when we are very close to empty.

If consumers continue to save more and spend less, then we will eventually fall into the “paradox of thrift.”  This idea was formed by economist, John Maynard Keynes, who studied the economy during the Great Depression in the early 1930’s.  He claimed that if everyone starts to save during a recession, then economic activity will decrease and the nation will continue to become poorer.  During the Great Depression, his ideas were initially rejected by FDR but after many years of economic decrease in productivity, his ideas were accepted and the economy experienced a great boost.  Is the paradox of thrift our destiny?  It will be the future of our nation’s economy if we fail to take some risks and start spending our money and investing it into companies and stocks that need it the most.  “For our $14 trillion economy to recover, hoarders must open their wallets and become consumers, and businesses must once again be willing to roll the dice”(www.newsweek.com).  It will take a group effort to survive and overcome the stress of the current economic woes but if everyone chips in a little, then the economy is bound is thrive once again. However, spending isn’t the only saving grace.  Government officials must also cut taxes and create policies that allow opportunities for the unemployed.  By creating more jobs, more people work, which leads to more people getting paid, which leads to an increase in consumer spending due to an increase in financial stability.  It is as simple as this: more jobs = more people working = more money flow into a household = more spending = a successful and thriving economy.  Simply creating economic stimulus packages is not going to do anything.  So far, the trillions of dollars being thrown into the economy has not created any immediate resolution, which is what the people want and need.  Printing money that we don’t have and borrowing from other countries is not only hurting us now, it is hurting us for generations to come.  Not only will I be paying for the stimulus package in taxes for the rest of my life, so will my grandchildren.  We are creating a vicious circle phenomenon of eternal debt by using money we don’t have to boost an economy that won’t budge.

But don’t fret!  There is a light at the end of the tunnel.  As much as many people many think that the current economic status is frighteningly similar to the Great Depression of the 1930’s, there is one prime difference between the 20th and the 21st century: jobs.  The unemployment rate during the Great Depression was over 25% and now it is at roughly 7%.  Although it seems like everyone is losing their jobs, we are in a great position compared to the Depression in the 1930’s.  Is there hope?  Indeed, there is.  We come from a nation that has been through multiple wars with other countries and plenty of wars and skirmishes with the people within our own borders, and we have survived it all.  We as a nation have experienced disease, famine, and mass murders and we have survived it all.  We as a nation have been through one of the biggest Depressions in the history of the world and here’s a newsflash: WE SURVIVED.  If we can survive the hardships of the past, then you best believe we can survive this, and we will.  The turnaround toward survival all starts with opening your wallet and spending a little bit of cash.  A dollar a day keeps depression away.

-Marquan

To read the Newsweek article, go to this url:

http://www.newsweek.com/id/189232

Citations

Gross, Daniel. “Stop Saving Now!” Newsweek. 14 Mar. 2009. 17 Mar. 2009 <http://www.newsweek.com/id/189232>.

“John Maynard Keynes.” 17 Mar. 2009 <http://cepa.newschool.edu/het/profiles/keynes.htm>.

Schifferes, Steve. “The Paradox of Thrift.” BBC News. 24 Nov. 2008. 17 Mar. 2008 <http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/7745858.stm>.

I’m a Republican.  What exactly does that mean?  According to the stereotype, I’m very anti-gay, pro-life, yet pro-war and I am part of the 30% approval of President Bush.  Also,  I have an inner hatred toward anyone with political beliefs remotely left-wing liberal and i despise democratic “jackasses” (no pun intended) like Michael Moore, Al Gore, and Hilary Clinton.  I should wear cowboy boots, have a slight Western accent and be very hard-core with my beliefs.  Mm..its true more or less but I do not fall appropriately under the classic Conservative stereotype, most importantly, because of my beliefs.  Yes, I have more conservative views when it comes to political issues such as economics and war, but I am more on the moderate side, no where near right wing conservative.  I do not entirely despise liberal politicians, such as Al Gore, (although I despise his view points and would rather throw them out the window than waste a single second of my life listening to his rambling non-sense) and I do not always agree with Conservative icons, the classic example being, Rush Limbaugh.  I have a Party Pride t-shirt that I do wear with pride and a “Proud to be Republican” key chain that i ironically bought in Washington, D.C. in a little shop after the inauguration (yes I actually found something republican in the most liberal district in the entire country during the most liberal day of the year, shocking I know) and it goes with me everywhere.  I want people to know that I am not ashamed to be Republican, and I am not ashamed of my beliefs.  Being trapped in a state that has become increasingly liberal since the Regan era, might bring people to believe that my beliefs would crack and crumble from the pressure of the blabbing idiots that surround me, especially with the results of the last election, but my beliefs stay strong.  I am not against the war in Iraq and I do not agree with the current stimulus packages being presented by the Obama Administration and I am ready with my reasons why if you ask.  However, the hope I had for the Republican party slowly diminishes as each day passes.

The last election was a blow to the heart.  Did i expect McCain to win? Of course not.  Barack Obama had the momentum from the start.  With approval ratings of the president the lowest they’ve been in a long time, how could any Republican have won the election?  Obama had it made, by simply focusing on all the things the people didn’t like about Bush and making them believe that McCain would bring the same concepts and ideas to the Oval Office for at least four more years.  I highly doubt that was the truth, but if McCain gad won, one thing is certain: America would have woken up on November 5 with sadness in their heart and gloom on their faces for fear of repetition of failed politics for the next four years.  Did i want Barack Obama to win the presidency?  Of course not, even I’m not that moderate.  But I’m glad he did because he brought hope into the mind of young Americans, even if hope wasn’t plausible.  Being the first African American president, he was the face of change and he arrived at the perfect time.  He promised that he would turn America around, that he would be the flame to fire-up the weak, crashing economy and that he would be the man to erase party lines and bring to America  universal, bi-partisan leadership in Washington.  But with big promise comes big disappointments.  Obama’s inspiring, calming demeanor and voice won him a quick seat to the Oval Office, but is he simply all talk and no walk?  So far he’s been extremely aggressive, but that may not be a good thing.  He’s passed a stimulus plan of almost $1 trillion, and the fun has just begun kids.  “Barack Obama’s $787-billion (U.S.) stimulus plan, which critics derided as wasteful and excessive, may in fact have been fatally modest, compared to his $3.6 trillion budget proposed 2 weeks previously”(globeandmail.com).  Spending enormous amounts of money is not the way to go, unless you are enthused about paying it all back in taxes until the day you die.  Unfortunately, there is no easy way to solve our corrupted and failing economy and any plan proposed will have its failures.  This is exactly where Obama’s inexperience shines through.  Does more experience equal better choices though?  You decide.  Obama just isn’t the heroic figure everyone thought he’d be.  Behind the pretty, reassuring smile is a dirty, lying, slime-ball politician, just like the rest of Washington.  I could have told you this would happen six months ago, but back then no one would have believed me.  It was an Obama-crazed nation at the time.  But hey, it’s only been two months right?  Hard to judge him yet.  I simply hope the future brings brighter and more frugal ideas from the Obama administration.

Referring again to the election and failure of the Republican party, who is to blame for the recent downturn in popularity of Conservatives? Its easy to pick a disease and eliminate the problem and start fresh, but unfortunately that’s nearly impossible, and not to mention stupid.  Could it be the failings of George Bush the last couple years?  Could it honestly be core Conservative beliefs?  I believe its a mixture of two things: right-winged Conservatives speaking aimlessly to a liberal news media without thinking and the turn of a new generation.  Voting trends were shifting in a negative way for the Republican party.  Republicans never really got the Latino or immigrant vote, but they were losing key voters, especially the younger generations.  “Republicans have owned the college-graduate vote. But in 1992 Ross Perot led an exodus of the college-educated out of the GOP, and they never fully returned. In 2008 Obama beat John McCain among college graduates by 8 points, the first Democratic win among B.A. holders since exit polling began” (newsweek.com).  California is the most important state to win in an election because of its plethora of electoral votes and Republicans notoriously won this state, until 1992, from which California has never returned to the “right” side (once again, no pun intended), a key blow.  “Since that 1988, the Democrats have won the under-30 vote in five consecutive presidential elections. Voters who turned 20 between 2000 and 2005 are the most lopsidedly Democratic age cohort in the electorate” (newsweek.com).  With key states and important voters swinging left, is there any hope for the Republican party?  Not in this generation.  Especially because of the way Conservative politics are portrayed in a liberal media.

It is sad but true that the media is extremely biased.  Almost every media outlet sways left, with exceptions like Fox News, which is blatantly conservative.  When you have people like Rush Limbaugh bashing the ideas of the Liberal Messiah and Idol, Barack Obama, how do you think Conservatives are going to look to America?  Heartless and pessimistic, which is the opposite of what Americans are yearning to feel right now.  The first amendment gives everyone the right to speak their own opinion to the whole world, but the important thing is knowing when to keep your mouth shut and when to speak professionally and respectfully.  A liberal media will take everything a 110% Conservative speaker says out of context.  But is Rush Limbaugh really the poison of my party?  Not entirely, but some of the things he does do not help.  I’m not going to unite with fellow Republicans and have a battle royal between the conservative party, led by Rush Limbaugh, and the liberal party, led by Barack Obama but I’m not going to stand by and watch my party crumble due to ignorance and absentmindedness.  Do I support Rush Limbaugh?  I have no answer to that because I haven’t listened to his talk show enough times to know what his views and values are.  Is the answer to my prayers?  The one who will lead the Republican party back to the top?  Definitely not.  Too many people hate him, especially young voters and women, which are key groups to appeal to if you want to win an election.  The Republican party needs a rebirth and transformation.  It must evolve to current society or else it will soon disappear.  The Republican party needs to push away the stereotype and public image of a hard-core, straight-talking force, and needs to reassure the public that it cares about things like health care and not so much oil.  We must adapt to new ideas and ways of thinking to keep up with the new generation.  In order to win back young voters, we must appeal to there tastes instead of pushing them away.  Old-time Republicans must realize that it is not the Reagan era anymore and it is a new day and age and we must accept that and push onward. ” Our party seems to be running to govern a country that no longer exists” (newsweek.com).  I have hope and I believe in change…change for the Republican party.  If we want to regain power after these next four to eight years, then we must silence the harmful right-winged politicians and adapt to the new society and new ways of thinking.  We must become an optimistic party that realizes a new America is in the making.  If we want to be a part of the new era of America, then we must be pro-active and challenge old ideas.  Despite the recent shortcomings and failures of my beloved party, I still wear my “Party Pride” with lots of dignity and plenty of pride.  The rise of the Republicans will come again, and expect to see me right there, front and center.

-Marquan

Go to this website to read the Newsweek article: http://www.newsweek.com/id/188279/page/1

Citations

Frum, David. “Why Rush is Wrong.” Newsweek. 7 Mar. 2009. 10 Mar. 2009 <http://www.newsweek.com/id/188279/page/1>.

Ibbitson, John. “Obama’s Stimulus Plan Lagging Behind Economic Crisis.” America: The GLobal Recession. 10 Mar. 2009. National. 10 Mar. 2009 <http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/LAC.20090310.IBBITSON10/TPStory/National>.

I have absolutely no idea.  If he did, that was definitely the least of his problems.  It should say, “Edgar Allan Poe had a really..terrible and depressing life and just hearing his name breaks my little heart.”  At the tender age of three, he had already watched his mother painfully die of tuberculosis and had been abandoned by his father.  He was then separated from his two siblings but was luckily adopted by the loving Allan family, or so he thought.  He instantly connected with his mom, but unfortunately he was forced to watch another mom die of tuberculosis.  Then he was cast away by his step father to college, a great gift right? Wrong.  His father gave him no money so he was eventually forced to join the army under a fake name to avoid being arrested by the government for all of his debts.  When his foster father got sick and died, Edgar was left out of the will with nothing to call his own.  He then moved in with his aunt and fell in love with his cousin Virginia (who was thirteen years old) and they later wed.  Happy couple? Most definitely…until they were ripped away from each other when she also died of tuberculosis.  Poe was an avid drinker who used alcohol to escape from his terrible life filled with pain and debt and due to his life tragedies, probably suffered from some kind of mental illness.  He was a genius, but was never able to be successful in life because he let his pain take control of his life.  “With a love that the winged seraphs of heaven Coveted her and me. And this was the reason that, long ago, In this kingdom by the sea, A wind blew out of a cloud, chilling My beautiful Annabel Lee; So that her highborn kinsman came And bore her away from me, To shut her up in a sepulcher In this kingdom by the sea”(Poe, Annabelle Lee).  A perfect example of this is in the poem “Annabelle Lee.” It is very clear that Poe suffers from immense amounts of pain and the loss of all his loved ones and the suffering he feels from the loss is quite evident.  If I was in his position, I certainly wouldn’t have been able to hold up as long as he did.  Many people would say that they are lucky that they cannot relate to Poe’s life experiences, but the reality is, many people can.

Edgar Allan Poe definitely suffered from depression from losing so many loved ones, which most likely led to his demise mentally and physically.  Similar to Poe, many people in the world suffer from all kinds of depression for all kinds of reasons and let this depression ruin their lives. According to recently acquired statistics by “Uplift Program,” everyone at some point in their life with experience depression, whether it be by their own problems or experiences or through the problems of someone else.  Also, preschoolers are the fastest growing market for antidepressants.  Even more depressing (no pun intended) is the fact that 15% of the population is depressed and 80% of depressed people are not receiving treatment.  Of those people not receiving treatment, 15% of them will commit suicide.  With statistics like this, our world is headed to a very dark and scary place.

There are many different types of depression, including manic depression, postpartum depression, atypical depression, and chronic depression.  Depression can be caused by many things but the main causes of depression tend to be genetics, traumatizing personal life experiences, serious illness, and even certain medications.  Chemically, depression is caused by a lack of serotonin (chemicals that make you happy) in the brain.  Emotionally, depression is usually caused by life-changing experiences, such as physical abuse and death.  Depression has no specific victim and can attack any person at any time.  The important thing is to get help right away if depression hits you.  There are various forms of antidotes, including therapy and antidepressants and being depressed is nothing to be ashamed of.  Edgar Allan Poe lacked the resources he needed to escape depression and don’t fall victim to the same circumstance.  Poe was a genius writer who had a terrible, agonizing life, and unfortunately, he was lost in a crazy world that he could not escape.  Unfortunately, many people suffer from the same problem.

If you’re a genius but are lost within your mind,

keep your chin up, you’ll do just fine.

Edgar Allan Poe went through a lot of pain,

But don’t be like him, that would be pretty lame.

Unless you can write poems that are pretty rad,

then I guess being like him, isn’t so bad.

Especially if you have a gigantic toe,

that’s what Edgar had going on, you already know!

-Marquan

Citations

Poe, Edgar. “Annabelle Lee.” 3 Mar. 2009 <http://www.romantic-lyrics.com/pa12.shtml>.

Murray, Bob, and Alicia Fortinberry. “Depression Facts and Stats.” Depression Fact Sheet. 3 Mar. 2009 <http://www.upliftprogram.com/depression_stats.html>.

Interesting Websites for further Information:

http://www.upliftprogram.com/depression_stats.html

http://www.romantic-lyrics.com/pa12.shtml

http://www.medicinenet.com/depression/article.htm

http://www.poestories.com/biography.php