Controlled

Government Control, Manipulation and Domination! The government takes away the rights and privacy from those that it serves. Today we as a people are limited to the tasks we want to accomplish and this as an issue is likely to expand In the future for there are no true set boundaries being set in place in order to prevent it. The control power that the government possesses connects with the domination power that the government establishes and those two power elements lead to its manipulation of the people it functions for.

 Basic controlling actions taken by the government over people include a few of the following areas: curfews or time limits, property restrictions, purchases, utilities, traveling, and luxuries that stem from the mentioned categories. When it comes to curfews or time limits the government outlines there is a varying form of restraint. Locally here in Turlock you must only do your watering on certain days of the week and at a certain time period according to your residence by zip code or a fine will be likely (City of Turlock). An example of the rights and privacy taken away here is if one wanted to fill up a newly purchased pool for a barbecue get together for the next day but one’s occupation does not allow one to be able to go home and do so during the set regulation hours then one must face a fine without true fault being present. The occupational situation previously mentioned also is suitable for debate when it comes to noise levels from construction or other activities which may be subject to fines without the proper permits or from the failing to follow city ordinances (City of Turlock). Property restrictions that are set in place have an effect on activities that can be considered a type of business, development, or miscellaneous action (City of Turlock). In Turlock If you sell a product or perform certain forms of skills for profit from your home you must have a permit from the city to do so (City of Turlock). My perception is that this takes away the freedom from an eight year old to set up a lemonade stand to buy himself some candy or toys with the money he makes. Development of property such as the building of stores, homes and redevelopment of homes, building facilities, etc. has to be consented with permission from the city (City of Turlock). Taken away here is right of doing what one seems fit with one’s land. What if one wanted to add an extra room for recreational activities to one’s home and the city restrictions do not allow this action? One must still pay property taxes even though one can’t indulge oneself with the luxury of extra space desired “?”. Purchases that are controlled are things such as alcohol, medicine, entertainment and even technology. Violent movies playing in theaters or violent video games sold at stores can only be bought by those who meet the set age limit which is given by a government regulation group (Federal Communications Commission). This type of age restriction also goes for medicines. One day I had a terrible sore throat and cough and I had to study for a test the next day so I went to the store and bought some tussin cough medicine. The problem I ran into was that they asked for my ID and even though I was of age I had forgotten my ID at home so I had to drive back and get it to make my purchase. I had the luxury of driving during the bad weather of that day. What if someone walked all the way to the store under the same conditions and made a second trip? Their state of health could become more severe and their ability to accomplish the studying could be unpromising. My point is more than just a purchase is restricted when these regulations are placed; peoples’ lives in the long term can be forced to negative alternatives. A Varying curfew regulation from state to state is when licensed minors are not allowed to be drive. Here in California after eleven o’ clock at night or before five o’ clock in the morning unless with adult supervision licensed minors cannot drive (Law.findlaw.com). The government restraint of traveling is that one has to have a passport to travel out of the country and one must state the reasons for doing so. One should be able to take part of common day to day life and actions without a type of potential repercussion.

Domination is the utilized government power that citizens grow accustom to and tend to overlook until the effect that it has upon them as citizens is pointed out. Domination as a power for the government is established by the actions of past history of control by the government. This domination ranges from laws and actions that have been put forth by the government that people have accepted and adapted to. Certain instances where the domination takes place consists the areas of government task forces such as police departments and hospitals as well as the laws that are incorporated from these institutions to the common day tasks of citizens. If one were to be driving to the store for the groceries and the traffic light turns red or there is a stop sign one is forced to stop the car for it is the law enforced by police even if there are no cars in sight for miles. Once upon arrival to the store one must find a parking spot and if one is not handicap then one cannot park in the space that is reserved for the handicap. If the parking lot is full and one parks on the side of the street then one must not park in the area that is painted red or block a fire hydrant for a ticket will be given to the driver and the car could be towed away. Speed limits, and other traffic signs or signals fall in the same domination category. Police cars and hospital ambulances have set traffic laws that when their vehicle sirens are on drivers must pull aside from the road and stop to let them pass whether one is returning home from the store or running late on the way to work. Daylight savings time is one of those events which the government enforces to its citizens lives that it becomes necessary event for its citizens. All time telling devices are to be adjusted twice a year to stay synchronized to the same time management plan as the rest of the country. Holidays and the forced closing of government related offices which prevents the payment of bills and other tasks is another form of dominating. However one gets use to these events and plans according to them in order to adapt.

 Manipulation that the government utilizes is derived from both of the control and domination that are set amongst its people. An embedded scare tactic or adaptation is what the manipulation power provides the government over its people. The reason that one does not break the speed limit or pass a stop sign even if there are no witnesses in sight is that there is a fear that someone is watching. This fear is something like the one that George Orwell mentioned in his book 1984, a fear that the government will punish what they considered as wrongs committed (Orwell). Acts such as robbery or some type of misbehavior such as vandalism are what people in today’s world do not risk in most cases for they fear the repercussions. An example of this paranoia is the way Marcus Tallow in Cory Doctorow’s Little Brother acted after he was held captive by the government and told not to mention anything he experienced during his captivity by homeland security (Doctorow). The experience lead to his insecure feeling that gave him the urge of looking over his shoulder when he committed mischievous acts which could put him back in the same predicament he was in before. Basic control is involved with manipulation, for people fear that if they break regulations put in place by the government they will get caught and disciplined for their actions. This manipulation power the government uses over the people is present in what could be considered common actions and possessed items. License plates on vehicles are considered normal but they can be used to track people down if needed. The government sets up its office work hours from the morning and at calls it a day in the evening. Citizens are manipulated to go by the same time schedule as the government for it has been set as the normal base schedule for daily life. One senses this when shopping at the store and leaving it until it closes at nine o’ clock at night, there is a feeling of obligation to head home for it is considered to be past the normal time frame that is the base schedule. This is  why I think it makes sense that the government sets up this type of base time schedule for it gives a routine to its citizens and prevents them from being unbalanced or in need of services. However one could feel manipulated to the point where any routine can become normal. If one worked late night shifts and called it a day in the morning one would grow accustom to it as well. There is some vulnerability present when it comes to the people the government rules over. That is that the government possesses a potentially exploitable power since they can take the action to control the daily schedule that everyone arranges their day by and make it appear as a normal dominance.

Local is the part of the government that should be closely monitored for it represents the roots that hold the metaphorical tree of government at the base. An invisible scale of power that presents two sides, the role of the citizens and the roots of government, tends to tip its way more to one side bit by bit. The unseen scale will eventually present more power to the government which can be overlooked till the day comes when it is too late to balance things out. By then perhaps we will be living in a world that is depicted as that of which was in Cory Doctorow Little Brother, or as an alternative a “Big Brother style of government system” as George Orwell described in his book 1984 or perhaps somewhere in between.  

Works Cited

1984. George-orwell.org. Google.com, 2003. Web. 05 Dec. 2009. <http://www.george-orwell.org/1984/index.html>.

Cityofturlock.org. City of Turlock. Web. 05 Dec. 2009. <http://www.ci.turlock.ca.us/citydepartments/developmentservices/planning/applicationforms/homeoccupationpermits.asp>.

Cityofturlock.org. City of Turlock. Web. 05 Dec. 2009. <http://www.ci.turlock.ca.us/citydepartments/policedepartment/activitylog/index.asp?date=10/29/2009>.

Cityofturlock.org. City of Turlock. Web. 05 Dec. 2009. <http://www.ci.turlock.ca.us/citydepartments/policedepartment/specialoperations/neighborhoodservices/noise.asp>.

             Federal Communications Commission. Broadband.gov. Web. 05 Dec. 2009. <http://www.fcc.gov/>.

Law.findlaw.com. Thomson Reuters, 2009. Web. 05 Dec. 2009. <http://law.findlaw.com/state-laws/california/?DCMP=KNC-General-Law&HBX_PK=California+Law&HBX_OU=50>.

Little Brother. Kdevries.net/teaching/. WordPress. Web. 05 Dec. 2009. <http://kdevries.net/teaching/wp-content/uploads/2009/07/Cory_Doctorow_-_Little_Brother.pdf>.

2. We as members of democracy have the obligation to be informed about what is going on with our government. We must also consider the long term effects of the said actions we take such as voting, petitions., etc.

The content was related to my competitive nature and persona.

I decided on this for the vodcast for it is one of my personal traits that I take pride in and that I express as an emotion.

The technology of audio on ustream allowed me to  take time to write down my ideas and concepts that dealt with my competitive nature  and talk about them afterwards without being at a loss of words.

Go to the weblink above to listen to my remix. 

I’m a competitive individual.

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Works Cited

Hunter, Ivan. Canada, British Columbia, Whistler. Photograph. Www.jupiterimages.com. Jupiter Images, 2009. Web. 27 Oct. 2009. <http://www.jupiterimages.com/Image/royaltyFree/sb10066872as-001>.

Jupiterimages. Relaxed businessman watching TV in hotel room. Photograph. Www.jupiterimages.com. Jupiter Images, 2009. Web. 27 Oct. 2009. <http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://cache3.asset-cache.net/xc/87782753.jpg%3Fv%3D1%26c%3DIWSAsset%26k%3D2%26d%3D910C62E22B9F47AAAF363F9FD5B9709E0B601B8DA1F939F9C14AAD99C203FF0CE30A760B0D811297&imgrefurl=http://www.jupiterimages.com/Image/royaltyFree/87782753&usg=__ODJH-UmzveR0_rqxRzaMlnwD-cw=&h=338&w=506&sz=34&hl=en&start=16&um=1&tbnid=N_26adgNB8dTTM:&tbnh=88&tbnw=131&prev=/images%3Fq%3Drelaxed%2Bwatching%2Btv%26hl%3Den%26um%3D1>.

Lexington Completes Its Eighth HD Studio for ESPN, as ESPN SportsCenter Los Angeles Goes Live. 2009. Photograph. Los Angeles, CA. Www.crsportsnews.com. CSRN, 13 Apr. 2009. Web. 27 Oct. 2009. <http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.crsportsnews.com/primages/ESPN-LA-w-cast-3.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.crsportsnews.com/%3Fid%3D786345&usg=__m-BwBATrfR4482kumwpzYToFwaQ=&h=300&w=300&sz=35&hl=en&start=87&um=1&tbnid=Q6ngYrjnULxKkM:&tbnh=116&tbnw=116&prev=/images%3Fq%3Despn%26ndsp%3D18%26hl%3Den%26sa%3DN%26start%3D72%26um%3D1>.

Living Room. Photograph. KenRockwell.com. 2006. Web. 27 Oct. 2009. <http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.kenrockwell.com/nikon/d50/images/ir/600/DSC_0238-pd-living-room.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.kenrockwell.com/nikon/d50ir.htm&usg=__ivlxMyTH1uzPLPjBMT8iBcF-8qY=&h=362&w=600&sz=41&hl=en&start=1&um=1&tbnid=QyO_T3jB3qFbDM:&tbnh=81&tbnw=135&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dliving%2Broom%26hl%3Den%26um%3D1>.

Los Angeles Lakers’ Kobe Bryant holds the championship trophy and finals MVP trophy after the Lakers beat the Orlando Magic 99-86 in Game 5 of the NBA basketball finals on Sunday in Orlando, Fla. Photograph. Www.accessnorthga.com. Associated Press, 15 June 2009. Web. 27 Oct. 2009. <http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.accessnorthga.com/img/stories/221111/kobe_bryant_trophies_6.15_medium.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.accessnorthga.com/detail.php%3Fn%3D221111&usg=__6Sx3HqBDEh1PDdxCklAzbiZyu4M=&h=288&w=306&sz=74&hl=en&start=28&um=1&tbnid=qirh3-erCe6ksM:&tbnh=110&tbnw=117&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dkobe%2Bbryant%2Bwith%2Bchampionship%2Btrophy%26ndsp%3D18%26hl%3Den%26sa%3DN%26start%3D18%26um%3D1>.

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Teijeiro, Maria. Sport, Colours. Photograph. Www.jupiterimages.com. Jupiter Images, 2009. Web. 27 Oct. 2009. <http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://cache4.asset-cache.net/xc/81868178.jpg%3Fv%3D1%26c%3DIWSAsset%26k%3D2%26d%3D91F5CCEF208281FD20C974D177CC6BC2E85A3D1C345DB90E4B1B08D5B180D8E8&imgrefurl=http://www.jupiterimages.com/Image/royaltyFree/81868178&usg=__OtxhSobzm_GuEvO-zvEykREvzpw=&h=346&w=493&sz=31&hl=en&start=18&um=1&tbnid=IF0OmVS6rPXXmM:&tbnh=91&tbnw=130&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dbrothers%2Bwatching%2Bthe%2Bgame%2Bin%2Bliving%2Broom%26hl%3Den%26um%3D1>.

The USC Trojans football team. Photograph. Los Angeles, CA. Www.usclegends.org/. Web. 27 Oct. 2009. <http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.usclegends.org/images/trojans-one-and-all.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.usclegends.org/&usg=__yXvZKZTbS7pvORmF92zVNOCAO9U=&h=198&w=220&sz=50&hl=en&start=17&um=1&tbnid=5Iv48JAnZU_oEM:&tbnh=96&tbnw=107&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dusc%2Btrojans%2Bfootball%2Bteam%26hl%3Den%26um%3D1>.

            Once I get home from school either I go to work or stay home. If I am not going to work then I usually begin my class assignments unless I have something urgent to take care of. Paying bills, organizing my finances, and checking my bank statements online are some of the variables that delay my educational studying. When I am able to hit the books so to speak I set myself a timer on my cell phone. The timer I set is usually thirty minutes and I consecutively reset the timer every time it sounds off. Setting the timer allows me to be aware of my time management thus preventing me from investing an excessive amount of time upon just one course or subject which results in negligence towards the other areas in my field of study (I apply the timer technique to my exercise workouts as well.). It also allows for my mental focus to not be tired and drained as fast. When I am backed up with many assignments the timer serves as a cycle rotation signal to switch from the subject I am working on to the next.

            Days when I do go to work and come back home my body is sometimes physically tired and my mental mindset has school on the back burner. Following work I am in a physical state of fatigue and sluggishness that prevents me from being truly productive when it comes to my educational responsibilities. However I am able to set school work to top priority with my time management discipline and put forth a notable effort. The negative aspect that I am concerned about though when referring to the role of technology in my daily life is the well known device of television. Television for me serves as an escape from my life to sports, comedy, dramas, and music. My problem with Television is that it sets itself as the main distraction to my accomplishing of educational, financial, or household tasks, etc.

            Main reasons why television presents itself as a set back to me is that there is a television in every room of my house with cable TV viewing capabilities. My study space has a television and a video game counsel equipped with the video games that I play which consist of football, basketball, baseball and soccer themes. Situations that arise from television are usually similar whether it is a school day, workday or both. I arrive at my home for example and begin to watch the Los Angeles Lakers play a basketball game against a league opponent and I am no longer able to begin my assignments from school for I prefer to work on the assignments during commercials, half time or after the game. The side effects that follow from this course of action are that I don’t finish my work most of the time and if I do it is not my best effort put forth. If the Los Angeles Lakers lose, I lose some of my inner motivation and I feel depressed. Thus I do not have the energy that is needed to concentrate on course assignments. The impact of watching or being informed that my favorite sport’s teams have lost a game share the same influence upon me every single time. Losses by the Lakers, Oakland Raiders, USC Trojans, San Francisco Giants, or the Mexico national soccer team affect me emotionally and mentally especially if it’s in the playoffs, against a rival foe or for the championship. My appreciation for the sports of football, basketball, baseball and soccer as a spectator and competitive person only amounts more to the building distraction of television. I invest time watching the events even when it is not one of my preferred teams that are participating in the game.

             On occasion I may take a ten minute break from studying or doing course work and drink some water and watch what should only be eight minutes of a football game but instead prolongs itself to forty minutes of football and fifteen minutes of ESPN Sports Center (A sports update and broadcasting TV station). What really sets me back is when it is playoff time for football, basketball or baseball or if its cup season for international soccer. Since I like to stay informed on all the series and match ups I end up watching all the games and prevent myself from getting started on my errands. When I get home after work the tasks needed to be taken into action and completed fall to the distraction of television. My committing of procrastination due to television results from television being capable of branching out to other time variable set backs. Movies and video games are some of the branches of distraction that connect with television. Movies I have already seen in the past are televised or one of my family’s home movies is being viewed by my relatives, either way I somehow manage to be drawn by the film or home movie end up watching them with disregard to my previous knowledge of what is going to occur in both. Another distraction is when I am well aware that I have to finish a task at hand such as writing assignment for a course and stop to play a bit of MADDEN NFL, FIFA, NBA or MLB video games with my little brother. The distraction of playing video games on television sometimes causes me to go to sleep later at night since I end up having to finish the tasks I prolonged.

            Television also gets in the way of my household errands. I could be told by my mother to vacuum the house, clean my room, take out the garbage, wash the dishes or sweep and mop the kitchen but the game on TV went into overtime and the next game was too good for me to miss the action. Instead of me finishing all the chores I probably only finish one or two but get the friendly reminder from my mother later on in the day. Television causes me to be what I consider lazy to an extent. I could have just one thing to do all day and if there is nothing on television I just channel surf until enough time passes so I can watch something that interests me. My actions while I watch television usually involve eating or drinking something which is why I only drink water and have healthy snacks when I watch television to prevent couch potato issues on days that I feel out of it.

            One more negative aspect that is derived from my use of television is that it causes me to waste time watching reruns of sports center or other sports related shows which lead to me channel surfing late at night with no true channel destination in mind. By staying up late from watching television I prevent myself from getting what should be a full eight hours rest of sleep. I provide myself instead with the common six or seven hours of sleep if not less. Watching television is a way to forget about what problems are going on within the United States and the world as a whole. However, I fall to the temptation of what television is able to provide. From sports events and news to television shows, video games and movies I allow myself to be distracted for it is easier to put forth less effort in one’s daily life. My competitive ego is what prevents my settling for mediocrity and what allows me to have the form of discipline and organization to be successful. Even though I am somewhat discipline I cannot prevent television’s role of distraction in my life but only avoid it as much as I can. If I were able to I would like to not deal with the technology of television at all and thus only elevate the level of success in life by taking care of the tasks at hand with thorough attentiveness. The problem with permanently removing television from my life is that I do not have the mindset needed to undertake that course of action which is what concerns me.

                   A.     What makes this important is that this course of action becomes the premise of the book, the youth not taken seriously by adults and it leading to a young generation versus old generation conflict.

     2.         The scene on page 137 through 138 where the news only covered the negative effects that the concert had on the city represents the ignorance by the elder generation towards the younger generation which builds to the predicament of the presented conflict.