Author: Samantha

Extra Credit #2 Blog

Samantha on

This blog is about the second extra credit opportunity I attended, the Zoom session with Andrew Yang.

This links back to the other blog I wrote, specifically about minorities in leadership positions. To start off, no matter the political affiliation, I was happy to see an Asian representative running for a Presidential position. While I think America has a long way to go until it votes for an Asian president, if it does ever, it is still encouraging to see people trying. Yang was also a really funny presenter. I found myself occasionally smiling or laughing when he was talking.

I agree with what he said in that the two party system is driving us towards a “civil war”. This creates an us vs. them system, and especially in the past few elections, people are more divided than ever, and are less willing to listen to each other. It already has caused so much disruption and violence in our country. Especially with the election of 2020, I feel like we got pushed to the extremes. It is so sad how much people have been directed to hate people of the other party, regardless of whether they may or may not actually agree with them and if they want to vote for a bipartisan bill. Diversity is important within a political party! I am interested to see when my generation makes up the majority of the voting body how that will impact the Democrat vs. Republican party dynamics. There has been a surplus of hate in the past 5 year towards people of color, and having both parties divided instead of unified did not help anyone. I feel like we are a more progressive generation, which I am proud of, and I would like to believe that some of the policies that have been passed lately and the mindsets that have been apparent lately would not stand right with us.

I also agree that social media is not always the best when it comes to politics. On one hand, it spreads information quickly, which can be good, but on the other hand it spreads information quickly, which can be bad. I know I pay attention to the news, but not as much as my parents might. On TikTok or Twitter, I’ll see something trending politically, and that is a quick and efficient way for me to get my information, as long as it is from credible sources. Also, with cancel culture, specifically from my generation which may not be the majority of the current voting body, if a politician says one wrong thing it can wreck them and/or their career.

Some other things he talked about that I agree with…it is sad that our standard of living has gone down, while our standing of living has gone up economically. Especially with the worldwide pandemic, so much is changing rapidly and not everyone can adjust quickly. I also believe in terms limits, that our country is governed by fear, and that we need change.

Extra Credit #1 Blog

Samantha on

This blog is about the first extra credit opportunity I attended, the panel.

I have never been to a political panel like this before, so it was something new. Granted, I did not speak but it was interesting to hear other people speak, especially local people from the area. Sometimes it is easy to forget that there are active communities here that are not just made of college students. I wonder how our community impacts their community, or if it has an impact at all on their political community. I know when we were being informed in class on it, Hastings Hall in East was its own thing or something like that? It would make sense for State College to be grouped as one district; while I do not live here and I voted for my home county, I see the validity of keeping this area together. I was surprised that many of the speakers had a script as well, but they sounded very professional and informed.

I agree that densely populated areas should be kept together. That would make sense for any city, like Philadelphia or New York City. Now the question is if different areas of the city have clear political divides, but that was the whole point of the panel, to decide how areas should be split. I think if you grouped areas together by majority, it may pressure people of the opposite political affiliation to move, but if every area was on the fence about majority, that would be tough for politicians to campaign everywhere. Also, depending on the population, if it is like 500 people compared to 5,000, obviously there may be a difference.

I also agree that minorities should be represented more. I say this not just in terms of politics but in all terms of leadership. Just like in a movie when the director is a person of color, they can tell stories their way, and have more peoples’ stories be told. Obviously everyone’s story is different, but especially when it comes to policies that may affect minorities more severely, having representation in political leadership positions is critical. Also in terms of gender, women should be represented more, as well as the LGBTQ+ community, but I think we are definitely moving in the right direction. Politics affect everyone, but they affect everyone differently. However, only having one narrative be told ignores everyone else.

I wish that students would be more educated on things like this; while some people may not be interested, we are developing young citizens, and I feel like we will be expected to know this when we graduate, how the political system works, how our area is organized, etc. Our generation needs to know the importance of voting, and how to actually vote. Especially with the past few elections, each vote counts. While I do not think I would go to another panel necessarily, I thought it was very informative about general political processes and it was a good opportunity to attend.

 

TED Talk and Controversy Project

Samantha on

This speech was a lot of fun to do! I always love doing something related to my identity as an Asian woman, and this was really fun to research. It was hard condensing what I wrote in my essay to a short TED Talk, but I believe I hit all of the points I wanted to make. Acknowledging the pioneers of Asian representation in film was very important to me, because no one talks about them in history (or at least the history classes I have taken). Stereotypes were another important aspect I wanted to talk about, as those are prevalent in every film. I also really wanted to touch on the importance of the two full-Asian cast movies as those are very significant, as well as the 2 recent Marvel movies, especially because they reflect rapid change just during this year.

This talk took me a few hours to record because I would mess up one tiny thing, and then I would want to restart. I know that my final product has some small mistakes as well, but for the amount of effort that I put into the talk before and my end product, I was pretty pleased with it. My one friend watched my talk and gave me positive feedback as well, which was really encouraging. I was pretty proud of this project.

For my History of a Public Controversy Project, I want to do something unique but I am not sure what a unique controversy is. There are the ones on capital punishment, abortion, gun control, etc., vaccine requirements, freedom of speech and its limitations, climate change, artificial intelligence and the growing role of technology in our lives, and police brutality. I will keep trying to think of some unique topics, but those are some to start off with. I feel like the gun control and freedom of speech topics could be interesting and very applicable to today.

Gratefulness!

Samantha on

This week’s blog is going to deal with the self-care or self-love aspect of my blog…I am not really sure which category this would go under. Maybe just self-appreciation or self-reflection?

This week’s blog is about writing down what you are grateful for. I started writing down, or rather typing down, what I am grateful for for the New Year, and I have found it very nice to keep track of little joys. Now one thing to know about me is that I am not a huge journaler, at least a physical one. I would get stressed out if I missed a page or a day or misspelled something. I instead keep track of what I am grateful for in my phone. I have been doing 1 Second a Day since the first day of my junior year, but I just started this year writing down what I am grateful for in my little journal feature.

I was actually with my friends this weekend and I was showing them my little journal entries, and the majority of them said I was grateful for spending time with them. It made me reflect on how much I am truly grateful to have found good friends here. I also had written down other things, and I realized some days I had more I was grateful for than others, or at least new things. I usually never write down things I am always grateful for but sometimes forget about, like my ability to get an education, my health, my family and friends, etc. I am excited to look back on my journal entries at the end of the year and see what some of my best memories were, or even the simplest of joys, like a sunny day.

There is research behind this as well. According to NPR, “Studies have found that giving thanks and counting blessings can help people sleep better, lower stress and improve interpersonal relationships.” This is especially relevant as this is the week before Thanksgiving break, and we have much to be thankful for, especially this year. We are grateful to have graduated high school, made it to college, and for the memories we have made so far, whether it be going to a football game or going out to dinner with your friends. Laurie Santos is a psychologist who teaches at Yale a course on the science of well-being, and I actually took the Coursera course over quarantine. I found many of her teachings to be easy in theory to practice, but sometimes actually hard to follow. It’s hard every day, especially when you have had a bad day, to reflect and find something good that happened. However, I can promise you, you can find at least one thing to be grateful for. I love the power of positive thinking, and I always try to remain positive.

So this week I want you to not even necessarily write down what you are grateful for, but maybe just think about it. Not only may it offer some health benefits, but it has also helped me become more confident and happier, and it is a good practice just in general. I highly recommend it, even though it is something small and simple. Sometimes those are the best things.

Spontaneity!

Samantha on

This week’s blog is going to deal with the self-care aspect of my blog.

Spontaneity is something that I have been learning to accept and appreciate, especially in college. I am someone who usually has a plan for the week or a day, with a checklist of tasks to complete. However, some of my favorite memories in college so far have been spontaneous decisions, or just unusual ones.

This week I decided I really needed a break from schoolwork, so while I had a short break I invited a friend to go with me to Barnes and Noble. This seems like something small but a) I really wanted to get a book and b) I really wanted to hang out with my friend. It turned out to be a beautiful day, and I was thrilled I got to get off campus and have a little mid-day adventure.

I got the book, How to Stop Time by Matt Haig, and I cannot wait to read it. I have been really sad I have not had the chance to read as much as I did when I was younger, so I really want to make an effort to read more every now and then. We sat at the cute little Starbucks café and I got a rustic apple tart with a strawberry acai lemonade, and we just sat and talked for an hour or so which was so nice. I got a book, food, and time with my friend out of my little adventure.

Your spontaneous or unusual decision for the week obviously does not have to be a trip to Barnes and Noble. I also went to the movies this weekend to see Eternals, which I highly recommend seeing. While I did plan the trip a few days before, I encourage you to take a trip (when you can obviously, like when you have lighter homework that night), and just go see a movie. There have been a slow but steady release of movies being released, especially for Marvel’s Phase 4. Personally, if you do go see a movie I recommend watching Eternals. Little side panel, I am irritated by the critics’ reviews of the film; it was absolutely beautiful, with more emotionality than most Marvel films. I think people are reluctant to change, and this was definitely a change from the usual MCU movies. However, I don’t think this is necessary a bad thing. We had the superhero phase, and while this is still a superhero movie, it is not like Iron Man or Captain America. Also, kudos for the diverse cast. I know this was another thing people were critiquing, but if people are making these comments I feel like they probably never felt the need to be represented. I also love Gemma Chan! Overall, highly recommend seeing!

Whether it is a trip to a bookstore or seeing a movie or doing something else, I encourage you to do something small but spontaneous this week to make you just a little happier. Catch up with a friend over coffee, try out a new restaurant, whatever it is, just allow yourself to take a break every now and then and do something small for yourself. Life is short, and so is college. Do something once a day, or at least once a week, that you can look back and say I am so happy I did that.

Unit 2 Sources

Samantha on

My subject is Asian Portrayals in Film Throughout History, and my outline for this subject is as follows:

I would go over the history, stereotypical roles of men vs. women, critiques, well-known films, and recent films and their reactions.

For history, one source I would refer to is this Washington Post article. This article talks about significant Asian actors and actresses in the past century, and the struggles that they faced, from being casted in stereotypical roles to being whitewashed.

For stereotypical roles of men vs. women, I found this thesis that someone wrote that touches on this area. Asian women are generally sexualized in media, while Asian men are sometimes portrayed as nerdy and undesirable. I am not a princess person, but I always liked the strong, smart princesses, especially Mulan. It was one thing to see a Disney princess who looked like me, but it was another to see her lead an army and save China. There are too many films however that portray Asian women as damsels who need to be saved.

For critiques, I forget where I saw it but I saw someone critique Awkwafina in Shang-Chi for being an Asian actress that is “in everything” and that her role did not suit her. This angered me, because no one says this about a white actor or actress. Many white celebrities star in many movies and franchises, and yet their roles are never questioned due to their race. (I need to find this source.)

Well-known films/recent films I want to touch on are the Joy Luck Club for its significance, Disney portrayals such as Mulan vs. the Aristocrats (even though they are cats, the way the Simese cats are portrayed is downright offensive), Crazy Rich Asians, and most recently, Shang-Chi, the first Asian superhero. Also, I have to note I was thoroughly dissapointed in Marvel at how they failed to promote the movie because the superhero is a person of color. However, I am proud to say it blew the box office out of the water, and I contributed to it. (I posted links to articles on the significance of some of these movies as a hyperlink).

 

Sun!

Samantha on

This week’s blog is going to deal with the self-care aspect of my blog.

I don’t know about you all, but I am someone who goes to every class and gets everything done early or on time. In high school, I was not someone who “skipped” class; in fact, I got perfect attendance for cross country 4 years in a row. If I was sick, my mom would offer to let me stay home, but I always refused, insisting I needed to go to school. Even when Covid hit, I missed being in school, with my friends, as well as learning in-person. While being taught online definitely had its benefits, I missed being in school. Reflecting back on then, I could have probably taken advantage of being at home to sit outside in the beautiful spring weather more. According to SelectHealth, there are a plethora of benefits to being in the sun. These include: improving sleep, reducing stress, and strengthening your immune system, not to mention much more.

My friends and I have been asking my one professor to take us outside for class for a while. The issue is that she needs the projector, and she also logs onto Zoom. After weeks of talking about it, we decided last week that the next class we would sit outside and take class from there. After all, attendance doesn’t count as a grade in our class, so it would not harm us. While I was wondering if it was the right idea initially, it definitely was. I am not saying skip classes to sit outside, but when an opportunity like this comes up, I advise you take it every now and then. My friends and I sat 10 feet away from the building, just on the grass, logged onto the zoom, and took our notes from there. It was very pleasant, and I felt much less stressed. Especially with the winter coming, and the more than often brisker days now, pleasant, sunny days are a rare find.

Whether it is taking a Zoom class outside, reading, doing homework, playing a sport, or simply walking, I definitely recommend taking advantage of our sunny days. Go for a run, walk with a friend, or eat a picnic in the arboretum. I just wish that with all of the alternatives to learning now, that professors would find more opportunities to take us outside. As elementary school kids, we needed to go outside to burn off our energy and learn how to socialize with others during recess. I believe now just simply being outside is needed for our mental health. Feeling the sun on your face is such an endorphin releasing feeling, at least for me. I know that if I were to take my midterms outside, during the day when it is sunny, I would feel less stressed than being inside with cold, stale air. So this week, find time for yourself to sit outside, even if just for half an hour, and soak in some sun.

TV Shows!

Samantha on

This week’s blog is going to deal with the self-care aspect of my blog. If you are anything like me, after a long day of school I just feel like climbing into my bed, snuggling under the blankets, and watching my phone. I know it isn’t the best for me, that maybe I should go to the gym or read, (which is also good for you but in different ways), but when I am brain dead it is sometimes nice to just watch a show.

Recently, there hasn’t been much coming out that I have been interested in. However, I did recently watch Squid Games. That was my intense show, but I also have the Great British Baking Show as my serotonin show. However, for the purpose of this blog I will be talking about Squid Games. While it was an extremely dark show, there was something to be said for the brilliance behind each directorial decision. I haven’t been able to really watch any shows since I have gotten here, so I thought every time I wanted to take a break and watch the show, when reasonable, I would. I am not saying find a show and put it before everything, but when you need a brain break it is okay to take one.

The show passed the viewing statistics of Bridgerton, which is incredible with the access we have to our media. In a rough summary, the show is about the main character who enters a contest where the players play childhood games to win money. All of the players are millions or billions of won in debt, which is Korean currency.This opportunity allows the players to pay off of their debts and enjoy some of the luxuries of life. However, there is a catch: when the game managers say they will be “eliminated”, none of the players initially know that that means to get shot. Over the course of the episodes, the players play a variety of childhood games that are popular in Korea, and the number of players dwindles episode by episode. I highly recommend watching it if you have not already…it is a bit gory, since there is blood every time someone gets shot, but you get highly invested into each character and their life story, so while it was a bit darker than I usually like, it was my brainless entertainment break.

Over Covid, apart from our daily family walks, we did not have much to do apart from watch shows and play games. Even coming out of quarantine, people have been quick to jump on new entertainment as soon as it comes out because it has been so slow for the past year and a half. Recently, season 3 of You has come out, and by no surprise it is number one on Netflix as of right now.

Whatever your preference is, it is important to take time to just absorb some entertainment and give yourself a break. I know we are all busy, but it is important to just relax and take time for yourself every now and then. So watch a new (or old!) show, whether for 10 minutes, 30 minutes, or an hour. You can decide your own break time too, so take one!

TED Talks and Unit 2 Topics

Samantha on

The TED Talk I chose to watch was Getting Stuck in the Negatives (and How to Get Unstuck). I love the power of positive thinking, and it is always something that I can work on. I found it also fitting due to the choice of my blog.

I like that the speaker tried to be humorous at appropriate times, she gestured the right amount to get her point across but it wasn’t obnoxious, and I also liked that her visuals were simple and easy for a viewer like me to understand. I think she brought in the right amount of personal experience, and I also liked that it was clear when she was explaining the significance of the study. It was a light, positive talk that left me with a few cute takeaways.

For my Unit 2 Topic, I was thinking of either writing about the raising of children in the past few decades, specifically the approaches towards motherhood and babies. For example, there have been so many different viewpoints on the journey of motherhood, what vitamins to take, what food to eat, what is the right amount of physical activity to do. Then when you have the baby, there are so many safety regulations that come out each year, it seems hazardous to have a baby. plus the tasks of being a mother, such as breastfeeding vs. bottle feeding. I would probably organize it into stages of getting pregnant, getting ready to have the baby (hospital vs. home births), having the baby (an epidural vs. a natural birth), and raising the baby (the right crib, clothing material, etc.).

Another topic I was thinking of was the portrayal of Asians throughout film, including the history decade by decade from the 1920’s, stereotypes of men vs. women, critiques (Awkwafina was criticized for being in Shang Chi as an Asian actress that is “cast in everything”, but white actors never face the same criticisms)/requirements (being too “Asian” or not “Asian enough” like Jessie Mei Li in Shadow and Bone), well-known films (Karate Kid, emphasis on Joy Luck Club significance) and recent films (Crazy Rich Asians, Shang Chi).

Both topics have changed drastically in the past few decades, so it would probably be an observation of the past century or so.