Texting Your Way to Love

This video pertains to some of what we did at the beginning of the unit in Mrs. Deerson's class. It mocks people in today's society who are only able to form relationships with other people through technology, such as cell phones. Texting and emailing have significantly lowered our ability to interact and have made people more awkward when it comes to dating because it is so much easier just to send a text. The video seems like it's just making fun, but it has a serious point to it.

destructive behavior

so does anyone think that society actually ENCOURAGES destructive behavior?
(such as drugs, sex, image issues, etc.?)
we see such examples all over the place and some feel they are expected to follow them.
what do you think?

Our Artifacts

After we are gone and the our society has declined, what will we be remembered for? What will we leave behind as a society?

Changing Societal Values

How do you think our society's values will change in the upcoming several decades? What do you think will lead to this change?

Changed Societal Values

How have our society's values changed in the past several decades? What do you think has caused this change?

Social Norms

A "social norm" is a rule that is socially enforced. What kinds of social norms are you subject to in your life?

One or Many

Who has more influence in a Society, an individual or the general public? For example, does one artist have more power than an entire town of people? How about a politician, a factory worker, or an electrician?

How Much Do We Value Art

To what extent should the government providing funding for arts & culture? Some comparisons: the city of Berlin spends 7 times more per citizen (approx. $250 per person) on arts & culture than the US does. The US Budget for the National Endowments for the Arts and the Humanities total approx. $300 million dollars; Dept. of Education--$58 billion; Defense--$639 billion; Labor--$52 billion; Health & Human Services--$699 billion; Transportation--$67 billion.

Do Great Nations Deserve Great Art

What do you make of the National Endowment for the Arts' slogan: "A Great Nation Deserves Great Art"? Do you agree...disagree? Explain.

Town and Country

Historically, there have been many types of societies: Hunter-Gatherer, Agricultural, Industrial or Civilizations (societies with complex government). Which would you rather live in: a village with little to no technology, a small farming town, or an industrialized city? Why? Follow-up question: Does where a society exists change the way in which its people interact?

Your Own Social Network

Describe your personal social network. What are the common interests and belief systems that create a society between you?

Twilight Zonal Societies

In light of our new unit on societal values, I found one of my favorite Twilight Zone episodes. It's called "The Eye of the Beholder" and it's totally awesome. A lot of old Twilight Zone episodes address social issues like values, etc., but this episode is my ultimate favorite. I tried to find the best short video that got the message across, but if you're really interested, they have whole episodes that you can watch online. I didn't want to post them because they're about 25 minutes long.

Anyway, this video raises a lot of questions about the societal norms and values of a culture. Feel free to comment on any issue it makes you think about or your opinion of the video, etc.

Just to establish what is happening, basically the woman just had an operation on her face (her eighth or ninth, I believe) to become beautiful, which is what she's always wanted more than anything. All the nurses and doctors pity her, but at the same time are disgusted by her. They don't know whether the operation will work since it hasn't every other time she's had one, but they're removing her bandages in this scene.