#3 Empathy and Acceptance

The Age of Enlightenment was a period of time that called rather rational thinking rather than superstition, and it called for the liberation of ignorance. The two Youtube videos are calling for a 21st century enlightenment as well as a reform in public education. Both of which are necessary in today's society. Each one presents their own unique ideas, and I would be thrilled to see them implemented. 

The 21st century enlightenment is calling for human empathy and acceptance. In this way we are able to observe how other people see the world, and get an insight into other human perspectives. If we as a society do not allow ourselves to become "universal" then we are doomed to repeat ourselves in the lack of progress. Empathy is the key element in the 21st century enlightenment.

In "Changing Education Paradigms" we see how the public school system has become too focused on standardized testing. The school system that is used today was implemented in the Age of Enlightenment, so therefore is out-of-date and ineffective in today's society with the available technologies. Children shouldn't be put through the school system according to their age, but rather by their interests and strengths. 

#2 Get Out of My Head

Douglas Rushkoff seems to tap into my subconscious in this excerpt. He manipulated my brain to believe my thoughts were my own, only to reveal it was all part of his plan. This is what the media does to us on a daily basis. I always knew advertisements attempted to appeal to my desire to be "cool" or get me to buy things through careful design of their store layout, but i had no idea their tactics were so much more sophisticated than that.

Concerning the media I've always felt as though maintaining a somewhat cynical point of view kept me guarded from their cheesy advertising. Little did i know they had taken my cynicism and made it their tool.  I had no idea they (the media) had taken my defense and made it their offense. It could easily make a fellow paranoid. 

While reading this I began to feel as though i could confide in Douglas. He was my shepherd, and he would protect me from the hungry wolves that we call the media. It completely blew my mind he was manipulating the way i was thinking the entire time i was reading. He even made it sound as though it was completely effortless. After reading this I will have an even harder time trusting corporate America.

#1 Identity Undefined

         I understand the purpose of the writing "Summary: Theory for Beginners" is to give the audience an insightful look into our society, and how it has shaped our way of perceiving the world around us. However, a pessimistic tone has been set which causes the reader to doubt whether their thoughts and actions are truly their own, or if it's an implementation of society's rules and expectations. I agree in some aspects that the knowledge of our world is limited to the sometimes perverted framing of information fed to us through media, but i feel in order to survive in this world we need to trust in one another at least to an extent. I've had strangers prepare my food in restaurants, and strangers have worked on my car. It's mutual trust that i'm going to get a safe service, and they're going to get paid. In the end it's all about survival. We trust in others because we have to. We follow societies rules and expectations because it makes survival much easier for us.