So in my courses lately, I've been studying a lot about Language. The way we use language, the way language influences what we do, the way language changes. I've found it very interesting, actually, much more so than learning about literature. These past few weeks we've been talking about internet languages. We read a couple of articles written on the pros and cons of socializing via new technology. One of them started to make me think. This article, which was written by Tamar Lewin in the New York Times in 2008 and can be found here, talks about the benefits of using social media sites. It talks about how using Social Media sites help kids learn the technological and social skills that are needed in the real world, like "how to manage a public identity". But what really caught my attention was when they talked about how new media is being used to "explore new romantic relationships". I started to think about this. Being an interconnected teen, I can say that this certainly rings true. Sites like Facebook and Twitter and Gchat have changed social relationships a lot. Not only that, they've changed the very way we use language a lot.

Think of it this way: In the real world, face-to-face communication, we have certain rules. You don't mumble when you're talking to somebody. You don't look at someone else while you talk to them. You generally face them and make eye contact. You use body language to communicate, like facial expressions and hand motions. The language and tone you use fits the occasion, whether that be respectful, patient, argumentative, accepting, or jovial. Face-to-face has its rules. Then we developed the telephone, and with it came a whole new set of rules. When you talk on the phone you generally start the conversation with "Hello?" the person that made the call then assures that they are talking to the right person. Once that is confirmed, they confirm who they are for the person on the other end. The conversation then can proceed. These are rules that we follow when using one form of communication that we don't follow using another. So it's only natural that, as more forms of communication have been created, the rules would also change. The rules, the mannerisms, and the structure of language that we use on a Facebook post is different from an email, which is different from a text message, and so forth. For example, if I had a lengthy idea that I wanted to put to my friends to discuss, Twitter would not be a good place to do that. Instead I would want to use my Facebook page, or if it was really lengthy, this blog, and then maybe I would link it to my Facebook or Twitter page. That's an unspoken rule of internet communication. If I had a little quip that I thought was funny or insightful, then Twitter or Facebook would be a good place to do that, and a blog would not be a good place for it. Commenting on other people's thoughts is also a totally different experience. On Twitter, a comment or reply is stated in the form of a new post, which minimizes the possibility of conversation or discussion. On a blog, you can actually post a comment that is directly connected to the post and able to be easily seen by everyone reading the original post. The same applies to Facebook, but we can also just press "Like" if we want to. This simple action of Liking a post or comment sends its own message and tone.

Tone is also a key aspect of online communication. Without the use of facial expressions, body language, and voice inflections, we've had to find new ways to create tone. Consider the great difference between these three phrases in an IM Conversation: "Okay then." "Okay then. :)" and "Okay then. :(" The first could be indifferent, agreeing, or accepting. The second could be agreeing or accepting, but it could also be an attempt to please. The third one is totally different, it sounds resigned. Things such as emoticons, action asterisks, ellipses, and acronyms can change the tone and mood of something completely when you're using internet languages. Also consider the difference between these two statements: "Idk when ur going 2b hre lol we r w8 ing 4u." As compared to "When are you going to be here? We're all waiting for you." Maybe it's just me, (being the kind of person who has to have capitalization, punctuation, and spelled out words) but I find the first message to make you sound more rudimentary and less intelligent then you might actually be. In my mind, the tone of the whole message can change dramatically just by using the word "u" instead of "you".

These new forms of communication and the rules and structures that go with them have changed the entire way that we conduct our relationships, just as Lewin said. People act differently online. People interact differently online. People communicate so differently online. And as new technology develops, that language and language structure will continue to change. Let's just hope that change doesn't involve a "Dislike" button.

I found this post on Pinterest. You find all sorts of these kinds of things on Pinterest. But I wanted the same thing from a guy's perspective. So I came up with this:

I hope that one day a girl like that will come along and see who I am.

  I remember a time a couple of months ago when I was sitting outside a bowling alley waiting for some friends. Next door was a skate shop, and for some reason or another a large crowd of teenagers were gathered outside. They were loud and obnoxious, yelling things and talking trash and being, well... Skaters (or is it Sk8ers?). And I thought about stereotypes, and how each stereotype really does have some kind of basis. But at the same time, there's always some kind of exception.

  Last Saturday, I was at the library. I put my stuff down on a chair in the study section, and at the nearby table sat a teenager. His face was riddled with acne, his hair was spiked, and his ears were studded. And maybe if I had seen him walking down the street or hanging out with other kids like him, I might have judged him a little harshly. But he sat at the table with his two little sisters, both much younger than he was, reading magazines to them. And something about the way his eyes looked, and the way he talked to the little girls, made me trust him. So I asked him to watch my laptop and my backpack while I went to the restroom. He looked a little surprised when I asked him, but nodded and said "Yeah, sure." I went to the restroom and then went to look at some books. He came and found me in the shelves, to tell me that he had to leave, but that my stuff was still there. I went back to my chair and finished my studying by myself.

  So where do we draw the line with stereotypes? There's no doubt that they can be very hurtful. I often feel like a victim to stereotype sometimes, and I hate it. But making judgements is necessary, sometimes. For example, not all Muslims are terrorists. I know several who are intelligent and sensible. And it's not fair to discriminate against them. But despite it's unfairness, is it perhaps reasonable to the common good? After all, Al-Qaeda is based on extreme Islamic values. Which, unfortunately, puts statistics against anyone who is a Muslim. So do we tighten our securities against Muslims, and discriminate the good with the bad? Or do we try to treat them fairly, and be more lenient to the bad as well as the good? Neither choice is ideal.

  The other question I've pondered about stereotypes is this: Do stereotypes affect people as much as people affect stereotypes? For example, let's say the stereotype is that male fashion artists, stylists, and hairdressers are gay. Let's even say that this stereotype has an original basis in that many stylists came out and said they were gay. But now that the stereotype has been established, do men that want to be hairdressers think they must be gay? Or do men who think they are gay feel like they should go into those fields? Are there people that are driven to certain beliefs about themselves because of what society thinks about the group they belong to? I think it happens all the time. But this only makes things worse, because then the number of people proving the stereotype only increases, which drives home the stereotypical belief. It's a continuous cycle that will never stop until the entire culture decides it wants to be different.

  So ponder on these things, but make sure that, if it is at all possible, you get to know how someone really is before you slap a stereotype on them.

Last week was the wedding of William, Prince of England, to Catherine "Kate" Middleton. It was a really big deal in the world, people have been making an excitement for weeks now. It's like a fairy tale, a commoner chosen by a handsome prince and getting married in a beautiful church.

Granted, I heard that the first time Prince William saw Kate was at a beauty pageant where she was wearing a see-through dress... XP

On Sunday, it was announced that Osama Bin Laden, the leader of the Al Queda terrorist organization and the man behind the attacks of 9/11, was killed in a compound raid by a United States Special Forces operation. Obama made the announcement to the American people.

God bless the United States of America!

Once there was a car. He was owned by a family with two little boys and a little girl. They liked to call him "The One Eyed Beast" because he was missing one headlight.

"But my name is Alfred!" The car would always complain. But nobody heard him, because as we all know, cars can't talk.

Every day, the oldest boy would stand outside his middle school, and when his mom pulled up, he would laugh and say to his friends, "Look! It's the One-Eyed Beast!"

"But my name is Alfred!" The car said. But nobody heard him, because as we all know, cars can't talk.

Then they would drive to the Elementary School, and the second boy would giggle and say to his little sister, "Lookie there, it's the One-Eyed Beast!"

"But my name is Alfred!" The car cried. But nobody heard him, because as we all know, cars can't talk.

One day, though, the little girl got into the car and said "Be nice to him! He's not a beast! He drives all of us to school, and to church, and to the grocery store, every day!"

The car's spirits lifted. It felt good to be appreciated.

The brothers didn't know what to say. Finally the older one said "You're right. We should give him a name!"

The little car felt so good, he wished his headlight worked so he could beam with both of them. "My name is Alfred!" he pronounced.

"Let's call him Georgie!" The little boy said. They all thought it was a wonderful name, and agreed to call him that forever.

"But my name is Alfred!!" The car wailed. But nobody heard him, because as we all know, cars can't talk.

Since I seem to be constantly wishing that I had more things to advance myself and wishing that we could afford such things, I thought I'd take a moment to reflect on some of the things I have...

I have good Picture and Video editing software in Photoshop and Premiere Elements 7.

I have a nice little camera, and it's BLUE.

I have a good Hard Drive that I can use for lots of things.

I have an acoustic guitar that I love.

So yeah. That's my short little post.