Year: 2021

Spring Semester Blog #7 (March 18th, 2021):  Policy Intervention: Exigence And Audience

Aidan Maguire RCL

Addressing exigence and the rhetorical situation is essential for the policy intervention paper.  Exigence is very clear with a discussion about the opioid crisis as thousands and tens of thousands of people are dying within the United States each year.  This is also one of the leading causes of deaths in the country and therefore, it needs to be addressed immediately.  Intervention is necessary to reduce the risk of more people dying.  The rhetorical situation is also clear as many people throughout the country are calling for changes to big pharma.  Many big pharma companies are currently or have been brought to court over their improper distribution of opioids.

Audience is also important to consider when addressing this policy intervention.  The audience for this project is two-fold.  The first main audience is the citizens of the United States.  All citizens will want to read this policy intervention to not only learn more about the crisis but also enlighten themselves on a possible way this situation could be bettered.  The second audience that will want to read this policy intervention is the United States government.  The government is the ones who can institute the change and therefore listening to a possible way to deal with the situation could be beneficial.  Both audiences would benefit from reading this piece.

Spring Semester Blog #6 (March 16th, 2021):  Policy Intervention: The Opioid Crisis

Aidan Maguire RCL

The issue I would like to discuss in my policy intervention is a discussion on tighter controls on the opioid distribution.  The opioid crisis has become one of the most talked about issues facing the country today.  Thousands of people overdose each day, and it has become a seriously pressing issue especially within the United States.  In 2018, over 67,367 people alone died from overdose, the majority of these from opioids (cdc.gov).  It has become hotly debated over who is at fault for causing the crisis.  Many people point fingers at the big-name companies that produce these drugs as they say they have produced them in excess and are pursing doctors to prescribe them.  This entire process has created a network of kickbacks where doctors, big-pharma, and others profit and benefit.  The only people that are getting hurt are those who are prescribed opioids and become addicted.  Such a large issue calls for stricter regulations regarding opioid distribution.  Many policy makers have begun implementing policies to make it more difficult to prescribe opioids and this should be further investigated.

The opioid crisis was intentionally caused.  The epidemic/crisis was intentionally caused out of greed, primarily corporate greed.  Multiple big name pharma companies were recently brought to court and lost forcing them to shell out billions in reparations for pushing doctors to prescribe their medication.  For the doctors to be motivated to do this, big pharma was paying the doctors significant amounts of money.  This process intentionally increased opioid usage and dependency on the drug.  Therefore, this epidemic could have been avoided had opioids not been pushed so rapidly into the market.

The policy instrument I will most likely use when crafting this policy change is a system change.  A system change is necessary for this issue because the companies that are controlling the opioid distributions re extremely powerful.  They are so powerful and so influential that they influence polices that come from the United States government and out of the Supreme Court.  Therefore a significant largescale change is needed where the influence of big-pharma is reduced so they can be held responsible for their actions.

 

 

 

Works Cited:

“Drug Overdose Deaths.” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 19 Mar. 2020, www.cdc.gov/drugoverdose/data/statedeaths.html#:~:text=In%202018%2C%2067%2C367%20drug%20overdose,driver%20of%20drug%20overdose%20deaths.

Leslie E. Sekerka & Lauren Benishek. “Thick as Thieves? Big Pharma Wields Its Power with the Help of Government Regulation: Emory University School of Law: Atlanta, GA.” Emory University School of Law, law.emory.edu/ecgar/content/volume-5/issue-2/essays/thieves-pharma-power-help-government-regulation.html#:~:text=Given%20its%20mega%2Dprofits%2C%20Big,administrators%2C%20hospitals%2C%20and%20consumers.

Spring Semester Blog #2 (February 25th, 2021):  The United States And North Korea Relations

Aidan Maguire Civic Issues Blog

The country of North Korea is commonly seen and is a hot topic throughout the United States of America’s media.  The media coverage is almost always not positive whether talking about North Korea testing nuclear weapons or widespread starvation throughout the country.  A large part of why North Korea receives such negative press is due to the fact that the United States has never and continues to not hold diplomatic relations with the DPRK (Democratic People’s Republic of Korea).  An understanding of why the United States and North Korea continue to struggle to ease tensions and build relations stems from an analysis of the relatively short but complex history of North Korea.

The DPRK was formally founded in 1948 at the onset of the two military superpowers, the United States and Soviet Union divided the once united Korean peninsula after WWII.  Prior to this period the Korean Peninsula was considered a united territory.  Though the peninsula was united, the citizens of the country were not always granted the ability to rule themselves.  In 1910, the growing and ambitious superpower Japan decided to recognize it colonial ambitions by annexing the Korean Peninsula.  For the next 35 years, Japan ruled Korea with an iron fist often committing atrocities against the Korean people.  For example, during World War II while the Korean men were forced to fight at the front, at times against their will, the Korean women were raped and forced into prostitution.  In 1945, as the United States defeated Japan at the conclusion of WWII, the United States and Soviet Union took control of the Korean Peninsula and subsequently divided the territory along the infamous 38th parallel.  South Korea instituted a pro-U.S. government while North Korea instituted a pro-Soviet government.  Syngman Rhee led the anti-Communist regime in China while Kim II Sung led the pro-communist DPRK.  Neither leader wanted to admit that they did not rule the entire Peninsula therefore leading to a territorial dispute.

In 1950, with pro-communist support, North Korea invaded South Korea beginning what would become known as the Korean War.  The United States swiftly backed South Korea, sending a massive amount of U.N. troops to aid the South Korean army.  After 3 years and 2.5 million casualties (including both military and civilian), an armistice was signed.  The war resulted in little changes with the borders remaining the same for the most part and increasing the military presence along the 38th parallel on both sides.  A peace treaty was never formally signed which actually means that formally a war is continuing to occur (it isn’t) though no formal fighting is taking place.

Kim II Sung began to work to shape the country into the modern (as modern as North Korea gets) country that still stands and operates today (Ma).  Like the Soviet Union, North Korea had heavily controlled State media, control over the economy, collectivized agriculture, and control over private property.  Furthermore, travel was heavily restricted in and out of the state.  All of these efforts were attempts to create a self-reliant country that was fully independent of using its neighboring countries and pronounced “enemies” resources.  To do this, the new nation also heavily invested in mining and steel production to build its economy and bolster and support the growth of it’s military.  The Soviet’s also assisted the North Korean’s during this period by providing military supplies and the means to build nuclear weapons.  The Soviet’s did this by training North Korean scientists.  North Korea’s economy rapidly expanded, quickly surpassing the South Korean economy.  As mining became less important and other countries became less reliant on North Korean raw materials, economy sharply declined.  It was not long before the South Korean economy surpassed the North Korean economy.

In 1994, Kim Jon IL rose to the leadership role after his father died.  The new leader instituted new policies that bolstered the North Korean military.  During the 1990s the North Korean state was forced to allow some market-economy policies to come into play as a huge black market emerged to meet government shortages.  Flooding and poor agricultural and economic management led to hundreds of thousands of people dying from starvation and malnutrition.  Many people referred to this as the “Great Famine.”  Yet, citizens still revered their leader and the government (“North Korea Profile Timeline”).

During the early 2000s, North Korea began to open its doors slightly to foreign assistance and aid.  It allowed aid to flow specifically from South Korea.  In addition, the country began to ease hostiles with the United States.  The country went as far as to host Madeleine Albright, the U.S. Secretary of State in 2000.  These attempts at seeking peace and a movement towards greater openness quickly vanished as North Kore continued to and ramped up its nuclear programs in violation of the NPT or Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.  Underground research into nuclear weapons were reported in North Korea and flurried throughout U.S. news further heightening tensions.  Tensions came to front when North Korea withdrew from the NPT and pushed weapons inspectors out of the country in 2003.

In 2011, Kim Jong Il died and Kim Jong Un succeeded him.  The young leader worked to consolidate power and continue the countries race to expand its nuclear weapon capacity.  North Korea in 2017 went as far to launch its first intercontinental ballistic missile.  Such actions prompted harsh repercussions from the international community.  Kim Jong Un continues to rule the country today and tensions continue to run high (History.com Editors).

The North Korean’s hatred of the United States is made clear throughout its history.  The United States repeated interventions in the country along with the assisted killing of the North Korean citizens during the Korean War reveal why North Koreans have such malice towards the U.S.  It will be interesting in the coming years to see the attempts on an international level that countries make to repair these relations or if any attempts are made at all.  As North Korea Builds its nuclear arsenal, how will other Nations respond?

 

Works Cited

History.com Editors. “North Korea.” History.com, A&E Television Networks, 28 Sept. 2017, www.history.com/topics/korea/north-korea-history.

Ma, Alexandra. “Photos over 70 Years Show How North Korea’s Kim Family Went from Starving Guerilla Fighters to Going Toe-to-Toe with Trump.” Business Insider, Business Insider, 9 Sept. 2018, www.businessinsider.com/north-korea-history-in-photos-2018-8.

“North Korea Profile – Timeline.” BBC News, BBC, 26 Apr. 2019, www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-pacific-15278612.

Spring Semester Blog #5: Questions To Ponder: “Trump’s Incitement Of The Insurrection”

Aidan Maguire RCL

The capital riots that happened in late January 2021 were a demonstration of numerous things that the country is currently facing.  It demonstrates the buildup of tension and overflowing anger about the United States actions in dealing with racial issues, COVID-19, and an election process that was not transparent.  As President Trump officially lost the election and was project and planned to move out of White House in the ensuing weeks, rioters, most of whom touted pro-Trump memorabilia stormed the capital building.  Many cited that Trump’s speech at the “Save America” rally prompted the rioters while others disagree.  In order to determine if Trump’s speech truly can be tied to the incitement of the riots, a rhetorical analysis of the speech is necessary.

From the start of the speech, Trump calls out both the media and the radical left.  He asserts that the media unjustly crucified him during his presidency and during the election.  Throughout his speech he further delves into why the media was unjustly going after him and how they stole the election.  In addition, Trump claims that the left worked to “steal” the election.  Whether this statement is true or not, it is certainly a large assertation to make.  On top of this he justifies the ways in which the election was stolen including a discussion about mail in voting and computer-generated tallying.  For these reasons, Trump claims that he will not concede the election and that he will not stand down.  Trump then continues to lay out why it would have been impossible for Joe Biden to win this election.  Throughout Trumps over hour-long speech, he asserts the many injustices that he, citizens and his party has faced.  He commends himself for standing up against the media which he claims is tyrannical and controlled.

What many claim Trump said that incited the riots is when he told listeners to walk down Pennsylvania Avenue and demand change.  While it is true that this happened and that it likely caused rioters to move closer to the capital, yet, asserting that Trump instigated the riot would be a huge exaggeration and overstep.  Trump was simply stating his political beliefs on what happened during the election, why it was a rigged election, and why people should question the integrity of the voting process.  In doing so, he calls on his supporters to call for congressional change.  Nowhere does Trump directly call for a riot or tell his supporters to storm the capital.  Therefore, Trump is within his right to claim that he was not responsible at all for the capital riots.  It is the action of the masses that caused these actions not the words of Donald Trump.  Claiming that Trump incited the riots would also be infringing on the free speech amendment.

By no means did Trump instigate or cause the riot.

Spring Semester Blog #4: Questions To Ponder: “Biden’s Inaugural Addresses”

Aidan Maguire RCL

There is no debating that President Biden’s inauguration came at one of, if not the United States most trying and difficult times.  Racial injustice, full scale insurrections, along with the COVID-19 pandemic has put the country and its citizens through extremely trying times.  The economy has slumped and public trust and confidence and trust in the government is at an all time low.  In addition to all of this, the Presidential Election along with the controversies over the election results has and continues to cause citizens to question the true validity of the election itself.  Therefore, as Joe Biden comes into the presidency at such a pivotal time in American history, it is important that he attempts to sew the country back together.  This is what makes Joe Biden’s presidential speech so valuable and important.

 

 

Joe Biden’s first order of business when creating and writing the inaugural address is to perform the ceremonial function.  From the get-go, Biden’s speech works to convey that he will attempt and work to unify the country.  He addresses that his role and movement to becoming president should not be looked at as if they voted in one person but rather voted in democracy.  He tries to instill in the people, the ideas that he will bring the country back together.  He states, “…we come together as one nation…”.  Such assertion are essential to address the nation so that he can get the entire country, not just one political party or small group behind him.  In addition, Biden discusses pivotal figures in American history such as Abraham Lincoln in order to add an element of the discussion about the great things this country has achieved, yet how much it still has to achieve.  These types of discussions lead to another discussion about how rhetorically effective the speech is.

President Biden attempts to answer and at a minimum discuss the many issues that are currently plaguing the country.  Biden addresses from the start the issues that the pandemic has created.  He addresses how widespread the implications of the pandemic are, asserting that the pandemic has caused jobs to be lost and forced business to close. In addition, to addressing the pandemic he also addresses racial divides and issues in this country.  Specifically, Biden asserts that now is the time to address white supremacy and domestic terrorism.  He also discusses making schools safer for children which is a reference to recent gun violence in school.  While Biden obviously cannot and does not have the time to address every issue the country is facing, he does effectively lay out all the issues the country is currently facing and how he will work hard to bring the country back together to address these issues.

Overall, Biden’s speech rhetorically and from a ceremonial aspect is effective at addressing the current issues that face the country.  Yet, his speech is ineffective in that he paints an overexaggerated bleak picture of the country.  His focus on so many of the issues and not on the positives demonstrate a seemingly negative take on the country, not a positive one.  This is one of the few elements that detract from his overall speech which all-in-all is rhetorically effective.

Spring Semester Blog #2 (February 18th, 2021): Skiing In Utah-The Difference

Aidan Maguire Passion Blog

Image of Snowbird:  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Snowbird,_Utah#/media/File:Snowbird_Tram_at_Hidden_Peak.jpg

I have been born and raised on the East coast for my entire life.  If you have ever skied or possibly have even heard people talking about skiing, chances are you have heard the expression, “ski the East.”

Skiing on the East coast is known for two things, icy slopes and lack of natural snow.  At most mountains it’s probably true that the majority of snow is man-made because there is not enough snowfall.  This lack of snowfall also makes skiing conditions icy because people ski off any natural or man-made snow early in the day leaving only packed down and icy conditions.  These packed down and icy conditions make skiing difficult for even some of the best skiers and it’s not uncommon to see some nasty wipeouts.

All of this talk about skiing on the East coast was done just to demonstrate what usual skiing conditions were during my normal ski trips which normally took place in East coast states like Vermont, New York, Canada, and Pennsylvania.  Now I am going to switch gears and talk about skiing on the West coast.  Skiing on the West coast (it’s ironic cause most skiing on the West coast actually takes place on states that I would consider more middle America) is known for great conditions and always having fresh powder.  Such conditions are unheard of on the East coast and are sought after by every skier on the East Coast.  Therefore, when I was given the opportunity to ski out West for my 16th birthday, I was elated at this opportunity.

Prior to my 16th birthday, I never skied out West and had only heard stories about how amazing it was.  For my trip out West, I went to Utah and skied at Park City and at Snowbird.  Park City was the first mountain I skied at and it completely changed the way I viewed skiing.  I had to use special powder skies which were longer and wider, making them easier to glide over powder as opposed to skies back home which were smaller and narrower and did well with ice.  In addition, out West, the mountains are typically much larger and much higher resulting in the usage of gondolas as opposed to traditional lifts.  My runs at Park City were incredible.  They each lasted upwards of thirty minutes and each time I was graced with trails full of fresh powder.  When I skied at Snowbird, the conditions were even better.  There was even more fresh powder and the runs were even longer.  Snowbird is famous for getting the most snowfall in the entire country, and this was proven true when I was there.  At times, I was skiing through a half foot of powder, something that would be unheard of on the East coast mountains.

Skiing on these mountains made me appreciate skiing slow, taking my time, and enjoying each run.  While I am not often graced with such incredible conditions when skiing in the East, it makes me grateful for the times I do get to ski in more than an inch of fresh snow.

Spring Blog #1 (February 11th, 2021):  The United States And China Relations

Aidan Maguire Civic Issues Blog

Two major players at the center of both politics and economics, both of which are strongly intertwined, is the United States and China.  The United States for approximately the last decade has been at the forefront of economic, political and social policy.  This has allowed the United States to become the most prosperous and wealthiest nation in the world.  Increasingly in recent years, the United States global dominance has come into question and is even being challenged as another world player, China, has rapidly increased its own economic and political power.  Understanding the similarities and differences between the United States and Chinese government and economic systems, allows one to better understand why each country makes its respective decisions and why the U.S. and China are at odds.

China has a distinctly different form of government than the United States.  China refers to itself as a republic, often denoted as the Republic of China, although the majority of the rest of the world recognizes that China operates under a one-party communist system (“China: Government”).  Such a system of government stands in stark contrast to the United States which operates under a federal republic (“U.S. Government”).  The U.S. system of government allows the people to hold power whereas in the Chinese government, large government figures such as the current leader, Xi Jingping hold the majority of power.  As a result of this system of government, the Chinese government has much greater power and a greater ability to exert this power over its citizens.  The Chinese government, for example, is notorious for its censorship laws which limit free speech and the freedom of expression.  The United States denounces these policies and establishes the contrary inherently promotes its free speech policies.  These policies are also, protected by law and formally written in the Constitution.  In the First Amendment, it is written that congress cannot make a law limiting the freedom whether it be in regard to speech, organization, press, petition, etc., of the people (“The 1st Amendment of the U.S. Constitution).  In addition to free speech laws, and lack thereof in China, the country also has different judicial laws/policies.  In China, the judicial system is a pseudo judicial system in that the reigning parties political and Legal Affairs Commission has direct control over the court system.  This allows the government to unjustly punish political prisoners, political opposition, and citizens who speak out against the government (“China Justice Observer”).  The so called, “false promise of fair trials,” has become a focal point in modern day news as ethnic minorities such as the Uighur Muslims are presently being persecuted and forced into labor camps (“What Is Happening With…”).  The lack of a central justice system within the country is a primary reason that such injustices against these ethnic minority groups are allowed to continue.  In the United States on the other hand, a centralized justice system is in place and the United States appears at least in writing to pride itself upon using the justice system to uphold the law and maintain order within the U.S.  While the United States itself is not free from its own crimes against humanity, take for example for the forced concentration of Japanese citizens after the Bombing of Pearl Harbor, the country has continuingly worked to improve, rectify, and uphold law.  The same cannot be said for China.

While the previous paragraph has focused primarily on the shortcomings of the Chinese system of government, there are numerous benefits as well.  Take for example, the current COVID-19 crisis.  The Chinese government, although at first having reported the first outbreak of the novel virus, was able to quickly eradicate the virus.  This was due to widespread lockdowns and laws against leaving one’s residence.  In the United States however, the lack of a such power allowed for states to make their own decisions, with some remaining open while others shutting down completely to contain the spread of the virus.  Such inability has allowed the virus to continue to spread throughout the United States whereas in China, the virus has been largely contained.  Another benefit to this system of government is the rate at which infrastructure is built and implemented.  The Chinese government is the largest investor in the entire world in infrastructure, spending more than 8% of its annual GDP on these projects (“How China Uses Infrastructure…”).  Such state-controlled projects and finance allows these projects to happen at a rapid rate and has allowed the country to construct an interconnected country in only a matter of years.  This is a large part of why China has so rapidly economically grown and caught up with the rest of the Western world.

The United States and Chinese government also operate on different economic systems.  The United States operates on a mixed economy, incorporating elements of both capitalism and socialism to efficiently run while the Chinese government runs on a socialist market economy.  While the United States does have socialist elements to its economy, such as Medicare and Medicaid, the extent to which the economy is socialist is miniscule in comparison to how much state control there is in the Chinese economic system.   The major reason China’s economic system is referred to as a socialist economy is due to the governments control over the countries industrial development (Seth).

There are innumerable reasons why the United States and China are at such odds.  Both countries are trying to assert their dominance in the economic and political sphere.  This scares the United States who has become accustomed to being the “top-dog” politically and economically.  In addition, economic growth and superiority also helps to power the militaries of each countries.  As China grows economically, so does its military.  This puts the traditional balance of political power in question where the United States may no longer hold militaristic superiority.  Understanding how each government’s political and economic system work is becoming increasingly important as both of these countries respectively vie for global dominance.  Whichever country becomes the dominant one in the years to come could have an unimaginable impact on the world as a whole.

 

Works Cited:

“The 1st Amendment of the U.S. Constitution.” National Constitution Center – The 1st Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, constitutioncenter.org/interactive-constitution/amendment/amendment-i.

“China Justice Observer.” What Is the Court System Like in China – China Legal Research Guide – China Justice Observer, www.chinajusticeobserver.com/a/what-is%20the-court-system-like-in-china.

“China: Government.” >> GlobalEDGE: Your Source for Global Business Knowledge, globaledge.msu.edu/countries/china/government.

“How China Uses Infrastructure as a Means of Control.” World Finance, www.worldfinance.com/featured/how-china-uses-infrastructure-as-a-means-of-control#:~:text=China%20is%20the%20world’s%20largest,according%20to%20data%20from%20McKinsey.

Seth, Shobhit. “Socialist Economies: How China, Cuba, and North Korea Work.” Investopedia, Investopedia, 22 Jan. 2021, www.investopedia.com/articles/investing/081514/socialist-economies-how-china-cuba-and-north-korea-work.asp.

“U.S. Government.” U.S. Embassy in Argentina, 10 Nov. 2016, ar.usembassy.gov/education-culture/irc/u-s-government/.

“What Is Happening with the Uighurs in China?” PBS, Public Broadcasting Service, www.pbs.org/newshour/features/uighurs/.

Spring Semester Blog #1 (February 4th, 2021): An Introduction To Skiing-The Learning Years

Aidan Maguire Passion Blog

In changing my blog topic this semester, making a full 180-degree turn, moving from the speech to the slopes, I believe that it is important to first tell you, the reader, why I chose this topic.  I chose to talk about skiing for the same reason I wrote about the beach, I hold the activity and place, respectively, very close to me.  Skiing is something I have done since I was a little kid.  I honestly don’t know if I can think of a time or year in my life when I have not skied at least once.  For this I am very fortunate.

I’ve noticed over the years that most people who are taught to ski from a young age have parents who also learned to ski at a young age or at least skied during their youth.  It’s these youth years, I believe, that people get hooked on skiing.  With that, they want to pass it down to their kids and that’s what they do.  But, unlike many of my friends who ski and have parents are big skiers, I do not.

My parents during their childhood years skied very little.  My Mom recounts only skiing once while my Dad claims that he only skied a few times.  As a result of their lack of skiing experience, they were never super inclined to bring my siblings and I skiing.  When we did go skiing my Dad would come skiing with us for only a little while my Mom would wait and watch from the bottom of the mountain.

Now you’re probably wondering how I learned to ski or got into the sport so much.  The answer: my friends.  Even from a young age, during elementary school and middle school, my friends were very involved in skiing.  Their involvement in the sport made me want to get more involved in it because I wanted to go to different mountains skiing with them and whenever they talked about it, it sounded fun.  Therefore, I began to make an effort to go skiing with them more.  Anytime I was offered to go skiing with them I did.   This allowed me from a young age to learn the ins and outs of skiing along with skiing on many different mountains and traveling all over the East Coast to ski.

Fast-forward to present day where all summer my friends and I talk about is the upcoming ski season, how much snow we think (or hope!) we might get for the following winter, and everything skiing.  One of the best things that happened was when all of my friends and I got our licenses.  This allowed us the ability to drive ourselves to the mountains and made it much easier for us to go skiing.  Anytime we heard it was going to snow, you best believe that we had our ski bags packed and the car ready for a 4am trip to the mountain.

The slopes have provided me with some of the greatest and most unique experiences of my life and I want to share some of them with you.

Spring Semester Blog #3 (January 28th, 2021): “This I Believe” Script

Aidan Maguire RCL

I’m a firm believer that people come in and go out of one’s life for a reason.  Whether it’s a girlfriend or boyfriend, friend, relative, or just about anyone, there is a purpose to their presence.  This is something I will stand by.

My belief proved stronger than ever when I met Victor, an immigrant worker from Mexico.  Now, I think it’s important to preface my discussion with a bit of a backstory.  I live in a town of white-collar workers, many of whom commute to New York City to work high level corporate jobs.  I have been provided a life that I am very fortunate to live, where I do not worry about food security, where I might sleep, or how I might have to get to work or school.  The towns that surround where I live are not as fortunate.  These towns, many of which are considered the slums and outskirts of the New York City metro area are some of the most impoverished areas in the entire country.  There is high drug usage, high crime rate, food insecurity, and widespread homelessness.  But, for myself and people in my town these were the areas that were avoided.  These were the areas that were cast off as areas that were too forgone to be fixed up.  Growing up I lived in what I would consider a bubble.  It was a bubble compromised of families who were like mine, kids who were given anything and everything they might need, people of similar skin color, and people who had similar religious beliefs.

Until maybe 15-16 I never really got to experience anything outside of this bubble.  Of course, I drove through these areas and saw the people that lived in the towns that had been cast off, but I never truly go to experience life outside the bubble.  When I was 15, I began working my first job as a floral assistant.  This job was really unique as I got to work with flowers, go to weddings, and drive all across New Jersey and New York to go to various wedding venues.  I learned the names of flowers I had never heard of and got to see some really unique places.  After a few months of working this job, I met Victor, who would now also be accompanying me on my flower deliveries and working alongside me.  Victor, as I came to learn was an immigrant from Mexico who lived in the cast-off towns.  Through our numerous conversations during our drives, I learned and discovered many things about him.  In Victor’s self-taught broken English, I learned that Victor had come across the border into the United States and had to pay his way across the border after being caught by criminals who extorted people who were crossing the border to seek a better life.  Victor also taught me and even let me try some of the food his wife prepared for me.  In addition, Victor would talk on and on about his two little boys who he adored.  They were really cute kids and he explained to me that a large part of his reasoning for coming to this country was so that one day he could give his kids not just a better life but a better education so that they would have the opportunity to high level employment.

Victor came into my life to break me out of my bubble and I am grateful that he did.  He showed me that this cast-off area was in fact really great people who were hardworking individuals, worthy of every opportunity.  People have come in and out of my life for every reason and Victor is no exception proving once again that there is a reason behind everyone’s presence.

Spring Semester Blog #2 (January 28th, 2021): Passion Blog Topic And Civic Issues Topic

Aidan Maguire RCL

In regard to the topic of my passion blogs I have decided that I will write about skiing and my experiences when I am skiing.  While I really enjoyed writing about the beach, I think I have exhausted the majority of what I could write about.  I think writing about skiing will help to bring a new level of energy to my passion blog.  Therefore, this is the topic I will continue with.

The topic I will be writing about for my civic issues blog is U.S. foreign policy with other countries.  I think that this topic will be very interesting and insightful to write about. I believe that this topic is also very open ended so I will have a lot to write about which will help to always keep my blogs engaging.

These two topics will allow my blogs to keep readers invested in what I am writing and wanting to come back to read more.