The Super Bowl

With Super Bowl XLIII coming up this Sunday, I thought I'd spend some time reflecting on how a simple football game has turned into a world event. When the first Super Bowl was playing in 1968, no one thought it was going to turn into anything more than another professional sports championship game. In fact, the first one was such a lopsided game, that no one even thought it was a good idea to continue playing these "championship" games. Over the years because of marketing and the rise in popularity of the NFL, the Super Bowl has become the summit of all American sporting events. No matter who is playing in the game, on "Super Sunday" everyone crowds around the tv to watch the game. It truly has become an American tradition of the past 43 years, with the great names playing in the games and the always entertaining halftime shows. The Super Bowl is just as much about the pageantry as it is about the actual game. A few weeks after the game hardly anyone knows who played in it, but everyone can tell you about the commercials and multi-million dollar ads. A big aspect for me is a ton of summer movie previews are always unveiled during the "Big Game", which allows me to start getting exciting for the coming months of movies. Overall, the Super Bowl is the final game and last glimpse of football until the next Fall, so many salivate every moment of it. It is truly incredible how a simple game played in January has become not only a world event, but an American tradition.

Facebook

When I first started reading the article I thought it was going to be the typical anti-Facebook and online networking site rant. After some reading I realized that the author had very good points as to the benefits and innovations of Facebook. He talked about how Facebook allows friends to be constantly in touch and through status updates, wall posts, etc; get to know their friends on a deeper level. The author compared Facebook to cellphones, in that when you have one you begin to notice all the little things in life it makes easier. A key to his argument was using real people as examples, such as the women who complained about Facebook to a magazine, but now has over 250 friends on the site. Overall, the author provides a new viewpoint on the Facebook/Myspace phenomena and tries to show why it can strengthen relationships and broaden ones views of friends and family. 

After reading over the article again, I begin to see huge gaps in the author’s logic. One of the main points of his argument is based off the fact that you can better connect with and meet new people on Facebook. My argument against this would be that you have no idea if your really talking with the person intended or if its a 500 pound man sitting in his mom's basement in Canada impersonating someone. Facebook and other social networking sites completely take the personality and intimateness out of relationships, by allowing people to communicate "virtually" instead of in person. On the site everyone knows what is going on in your life and the lives of others, one has no control to stop people from writing vulgar or offensive things on each other’s "walls". Overall, I would have to disagree with the author’s idea that Facebook allows you to get to know people better, by allowing you to constantly see what is going on in the lives of others. I, instead, would argue that it creates a “fantasy world” where you can be whoever you want and this completely takes the personal and intimate aspects out of relationships.

What is my Dream?

What is my definition or version of the American Dream? It's simple; when I think of America or the idea of an "American Dream", I think of opportunity. I truly believe that this is one of the few countries where background, race, or sex has no bearing on what one can do in their life. Only in America can someone from a poor or lower class background work and fight to become successful and proud. As our Founding Fathers once said,  "All people are created equal" and this is the motto behind the "American Dream".

My father grew up in a the typical middle class suburban neighborhood. Though he grew up in a good environment he always struggled in school and was constantly a behavioral problem. After barely graduating high school and college, my dad had no idea what he was going to do with his life. Years went by and he worked many different jobs, none giving him a sense of self fulfillment or satisfaction. Finally, after struggling for many years and with two kids at home, he opened his own business and has since seen amazing success, both financially and personally. Only in America could a C and D student slowly work and strive and eventually become immensely successful. I believe my dad has shown that America truly is the land of opportunity and that the "Dream" is still alive and well. 

Though my father is the most personal example of the "American Dream" i have, there have been millions of others effected by this ideal. During the late 19th and early 20th centuries, millions of immigrants came to this land in pursuit of this "Dream". They saw this as a land of opportunity and a place where even the lowest person on the social spectrum could make something of themselves. America has constantly shown that if you are willing to put in the work and make sacrifices, that you can become successful; both financially and personally. 

Over the past few years we as Americans have seen this "Dream" come under much scrutiny. Some skeptics say that the "American Dream" is dead and that it now is a figment of our own imaginations. I would counter these arguments by saying that if the American Dream is dead, then why do millions of people continue to come to this country; both legally and illegally. Those living in other countries still see this vision and this idea of opportunity and success. Immigrants see America as a fresh start and a place to find a sense of happiness and well being. 

Overall, I believe that ever since the founding of this great nation there has always been what literary minds refer to as the "American Dream". The "Dream" is opportunity, it is success, it is happiness, and it is pride. To some the "Dream" is material wealth, to others it is personal well being, and to some it is just a dream. Though the United States has constantly changed throughout the past 250 years, it has always been a land of an opportunity and a place of fresh starts. Whenever I think of doubting the existence of an American Dream, I look at people like my dad and others who have seized the opportunity of this land and taken the "Dream" and turned it into reality.