Wednesday, February 10, 2010

Tatted Up

Tattoos have become very socially accepted by my generation. I live with three other guys who are very similar to me, however out of the four of us I am the only one without at least one tattoo. I've been known to be easily influenced by my buddies, escpecially when you have four 19 year old college guys living in one apartment with the same interests and priorities in mind. Add a dash of boredom and the chance of a noise complaint or a police officer being close by is very high. As influental as my friends can be at times I can honestly say I will never have a tattoo. It's not that I don't like tattoos, I just don't like them on me. A lot of tatoos I see have a name or initials of a family member or friend that the person is trying to pay respect too. For me, the most influential reason for not getting a tattoo is my family and how negatively they view tattoos.

Sunday, February 7, 2010

Students' Right to Their Own Language

"We affirm the students’ right to their own patterns and varieties of language—the dialects of their nurture of whatever dialects in which they find their own identity and style. Language scholars have long ago denied that the myth of a standard American dialect has any validity. The claim that any one dialect is unacceptable amounts to an attempt of one social group to exert its dominance over another. Such a claim leads to false advice for speakers and writers, and immoral advice for humans. A nation proud of its heritage of its diverse heritage and its cultural and racial variety will preserve its heritage of dialects. We affirm strongly that teachers must have the experiences and training that will enable them to respect diversity and uphold the right of students to their own language."

I feel that a nation as culturaly diverse as the United States of America should embrace the idea of many dialects. America screams diversity and is the mother of all places that let you express yourself in ways not usually of the norm.