Perks of Being a Wallflower- Change

"But because things change. And friends leave. And life doesn’t stop for anybody."(145)
As I come to my last day of High School all that goes through my head is the change that is going to be made next year. All my friends get split up into different areas of the country and world, we move to places we don't know, and we study things we didn't even know about. This goes through every seniors mind as they enter the school. This is the last time I'm coming here as a student. What will next year be like? who will I keep in touch with?
However, throughout high school we see this too. It often causes mental issues, social issues, or no issues at all. A lot of people gain and loose friends throughout high school. People fight and are turned against each other. However, life goes on. No one around you stops. School keeps going and everyone's life goes on. This causes issues with people who are unstable and don't know how to handle the loss of friends or any issues in their life. As a seniors I have seen a countless number of times that someone has become depressed or suicidal because of losses of friends.
Leaving high school means there will be new people in my life and old friends being lost. However, life moves on and people need to make the best of every friend and every situation.

"Loners"

Despite the procrastination I did finish my philosophy paper. I also learned from writing it and researching about it. When I began to write my paper I said, I think if someone tried hard enough they could be completely without companionship. For instance, someone could be disowned by their family and never leave their room or wherever they were living. However, to be completely alone is very hard. Even in The Stranger, a man who doesn’t like other people still had people that he talked to and that cared for him. Companionship also doesn’t always have to be good; you could have a bad relationship with someone but it’s still something. Therefore, I really don’t see an instance where someone could be completely without companionship. However I started to talk to other people about it and read some quotes by Karl Marx and my view changed.

The quote that really changed my view on “loners” was, “Society does not consist of individuals but expresses the sum of interrelations, the relations within which these individuals stand.” –Karl Marx. This quote was from his  "Notebook 2," Grundrisse the “Notebook 2” which was written during 1857 and 1859 but wasn’t published until 1939. It was the draft for his final masterwork known as Das Kapital. Das Kapital was about Marx’s theory on capitalism. The quote talks about how everyone fits into society. This quote became what I now believe about the greater question, whether or not no one can be without companionship. They are always part of a larger thing. In this quote Karl Marx explains that thing is society. Each person is a part of our society therefore is apart of the “sum”. Each individual person can stand out in the society, however no one is really alone or without companionship. Everyone has relations with someone in society whether good or bad they have some kind of relation with someone. That makes them part of the “sum” of the “interrelations” of in society. “Interrelations” are relationships within society and makes up the “sum” or complete society. Without the interrelations or companionship we wouldn’t have a society. We would only have individuals. However, according to Marx and what I believe that isn’t possible. I agree with his idea. No matter how hard someone tries to be alone and away from society they are still apart of the bigger society. They have to have some kind of relationship with the people around them whether it is good or bad. It is truly impossible for someone to be alone. This also agrees with what I believe about my question. Companionship can both help us and hurt everyone and us has companionship with someone. However, it takes an interesting look at my question. It talks about how people can be individuals within the bigger society. Which means they can be uninfluenced by the people around them. However, I don’t agree with that. I think at some point we were all influenced by the people around us. Especially as younger kids when we looked up to our elders.

            After this paper I learned a lot about society and how the world works around us and how companionship can help and hurt everyone.

The Perks of Being a Wallflower- Whats wrong with me?

Teenage years are when a person tries to figure out who they are, who the want to me, and how to fit in. Some need more direction than others. There are a good amount of people who go to psychiatrists, some that go to their parents, and some that find their own way. However, everyone asks, who am I and how do i fit in but stand out at the same time? In the book, "The Perks of Being a Wallflower" the narrator says, "I just wish that God or my parents or Sam or my sister or someone would just tell me what's wrong with me. Just tell me how to be different in a way that makes sense. To make this all go away. And disappear. I know that's wrong because it's my responsibility, and I know that things get worse before they get better because that's what my psychiatrist says, but this is a worse that feels too big." (139)
When dealing with issues as a teenager we  don't always ask for help or know how to get through it but just wish that someone will tell us what to do and how to feel. However, a lot of the time that isn't the case and results in depression, a worse situation, or confusion. Teenagers get lost, do stupid things and mess up. It part of growing up but society doesn't help much. A lot of the time if a teenager does one stupid thing or messes up once, that is the only chance they get. For instance, if someone cheated on a test or drove drunk, that would stay with them for a very long time. They only get one chance. Society needs to make it easier for kids to learn how to live and make the mistakes that are necessary to learning that. Everyone has to make mistakes to learn from them. However, our society doesn't make that easy. For a lot of teens they don't want to get in trouble with their parents or schools so they try to do the right thing all the time. However, once something goes wrong they don't know what to do.
Society also puts a lot of pressure on teens to fit in. To be in the "in" crowd. That pressure can also result in depression if they aren't a part of that group and confusion if they don't want to be like that. Society doesn't give people sense or direction. It just tells people what to be and how they should look. However, a lot of teens get confused and need that direction to figure out who they are. Some people need a push in the right direction and society doesn't necessarily give them the push they need. That can make some teens feel like outcasts or helpless which can lead to issue such as depression and suicide. Society needs to do a better job of helping teenagers to make mistakes and figure out who they are and who they should become. 

The Perks of Being a Wallflower- Finding the Right Person/People

"I just need to know that someone out there listens and understands and doesn't try to sleep with people even if they could have. I need to know that these people exist."(Chbosky 3) In the book "The Perks of Being a Wallflower" the main character says this quote at the very beginning. A lot of teenagers have this go through their head. They are trying to figure out life and the people around then yet all they see are the bad things. The news constantly tells them the and things going on around them. They have friends in bad high school relationships. Everything around them is negative, for the most part. They just want to know there are normal people out there.
When I first started to date I had a few bad relationships. I had a few that only cared about physical things, a few that cheated, and a few that all we did was fight. When I was going through all that I would say the same thing. Every teenager wants to know there are people out there that are good and just want to help others. It isn't easy going through high school as everyone experiences everything. Most things end badly.
For instance in my last post I talked about bad things that happen at parties. But there are also a lot of people that use other people, either for sexual favors or money or social status. Some people only get to meet those people and aren't lucky enough to see the larger world around them. They just want to know that there is someone out there that isn't just like everyone else. Someone that will be there for them. 
There are also people who look at others wishing they knew how they felt or that they could feel the same way. "I look at people holding hands in the hallways, and I try to think about how it all works. At the school dances, I sit in the background, and I tap my toe, and I wonder how many couples will dance to 'their song.' In the hallways, I see the girls wearing the guys’ jackets, and I think about the idea of property. And I wonder if anyone is really happy. I hope they are. I really hope they are." (24-25) In the beginning the narrator talks about how he needs to know there is someone out there to listen and understand him. Looking at other couples they can't help to think they have found that someone that is there for them and listens. There are people that sit there and wish they could find that someone that will listen and understand them. However, they feel the need to know if there is really someone out there for them. Most teenagers think they have to and will find that person by the time they graduate college. However, that is very rarely the case. They feel the need to find that person because they believe the people around them have found that. However, that isn't always the truth. From an outsiders perspective that how it seems though. Regardless, they ask the same question, is that person out there for me?
As teenagers that question is ringing in every teenager's head. The issue is when people get depressed and worried if they don't find that person while in high school. People need to notice there are more people out there than the few people in their high school and that they have so much to experience and people to meet. If they don't find that person in high school they will eventually. Maybe more than one person. However, some teenagers don't think that way. A lot of them get depressed and in a bad place because they don't see what the future holds. People need to be more open minded and see there is more to life than the people in high school trying to figure out who they are and the people they want to be.

Philosophy Essay

In my english class we have to write a philosophy paper that is about 23 pages long. My question is,

How does companionship help us and hurt us as humans? with the sub questions, whether or not we choose the people that we have companionships with, whether or not we allow people to influence us or does it just happen without control, Is it possible for someone to be without companionship? If so what position would they be in? Maybe this post should have been titled "Procrastination". Im usually pretty bad about procrasting but never as bad as I have been for this paper. Right now I'm in my English class and supposed to be working on this paper. However, I can't get myself to do it. It won't be hard once i get started, but with 7 days left of school a 23 page paper really isn't the first thing on my mind and doesn't sound too fun. Senior year is almost over yet it feels like i have another few month of school. I blame it all on this paper. If i just finished it I would feel better and like my year was complete. However, I just can't. I have now sat through 2 weeks in this class and only worked ont eh paper for 2 of those days. Granted I got 7 of the pages done, I still can't bring myself to finish it.

Part of the essay is to find a philosopher. I found the philosopher, Karl Marx. he is a history philosopher but has a lot of good quotes and ieas of companionship and people working together and against each other. I suggest everyone check him out.

Now back to looking at a blank screen for another 30 minutes telling myself I'm going to start now.

little food for thought to not be like me-  

"Know the true value of time; snatch, seize, and enjoy every moment of it. No idleness, no laziness, no procrastination: never put off till tomorrow what you can do today." Lord Chesterfield

The Perks of Being a Wall Flower- Drinking and Rape

In high school there are always stupid teenagers and bad decisions made. In the book, “The Perks of Being a Wallflower” by Stephen Chbosky the reader gets to see an insider view of a quiet and observant freshman in high school and their stories from high school and some from when they were younger and his siblings were in high school. A big part of high school for a good amount of people is partying. Of course the same goes for college but there are a lot in high school too. Most parties happen when parents go out of town and the kids want to be cool or rebel against their parents and have a party, “My parents went to Ohio… and they left my brother in charge of the house.. My brother used the opportunity to throw a big party with beer and everything.” (27) Even from my own high school experiences I have noticed that most of the parties that people throw are when their parents are out of town and don’t think they will find out. Some people say that if the cops did more to stop parties or catch them that more people would choose not to go or participate in the activities, such as drinking. However, this is not the case. A lot of people come over to the houses with parties and act without thinking. They get drunk or do drugs and it usually gets out of hand. In some cases people even get raped. In the book the main character, Charlie, witnesses a rape while hiding out in his room during his older brother’s party. The couple came stumbling in and asked if they could use his room. He agrees and then goes on to explain how the girl kept saying no, “the boy kept working up the girl’s shirt, and as much as she said no, he kept working it… He pulled his pants and underwear down to his knees “Please. Dave. No”… After a few minutes the boy pushed the girls head down… she was still crying.” (28) People drunk make bad decisions, especially high schoolers. They don’t think about what they are doing and don’t really care. They are also very impulsive which doesn’t help when a teenage boy is drunk and wants some from his girlfriend. The issue with rape when the people are in a relationship is it is hard to convince people that there was a rape that occurred. The issue with the situation in the book was that the couple was dating and still is and is very much in love. At least that is how it seems. Therefore, if anyone spoke up, especially the innocent 8^th grade bystander, they wouldn’t be listened to. This means the rapist never gets in trouble. They get away with everything with no consequence. Unfortunately this isn’t rare. There are a lot of people that get raped or sexually abused even by their loved ones because they are under the influence. This is another reason why they don’t speak up. They think that people will say that the person raped could have a messed up view of what happened that night because they were drunk or may have declined only because they were drunk. Either way they weren’t in their right mind. Parties in high school are common and a lot of the time they get out of hand and people get hurt. Most people will never speak up and the person that hurt them never get caught or given a consequence. Unfortunately that is how it is and probably will remain that way. There isn’t much anyone can do. When teenagers or really anyone is under the influence they make stupid decisions and in high school that happens a lot. There isn’t much the school, parents, or cops can do about it. It’s part of high school and can happen to anyone.

Crunchy

As you look at the green skin thinking of the delectable juiciness that will come shooting out of the nice sour apple. The smooth yet slightly gritty texture pressing against your tongue as the juice seeps out and you crunch on the skin. The apple has to be crunchy though. Otherwise that delectable taste isn't so great. That great texture changes to mushiness and make an amazing creation not so great. I really don't understand the people that only eat the mushy apples. My best friend only likes mushy apples and can't even sit next to someone eating a crunchy apple. He explains it as the equivalent to someone scratching their nails on a chalk board. He gets goose bumps all up and down his arm as his hairs stick up. To me the sound of the crunch is a nice relaxing sound of a delectable crunchy great apple, the sign of a snack not gone to waste. A sign that my stomach with be a happy stomach with a nice tasty, healthy snack. I guess everyone has their thing. If I ever don't like an apple or I think it has gone to waste I can just pass it onto my friend and then his stomach will be happy with a nasty mushy snack.

The New Type of Warfare

While researching for class I found the new type of warfare. This is warfare through technology. Most people think, “oh the war of robots.” However, this is much more dangerous and scary than that. This is a program that someone can carry on their USB and create tons of damage. For instance the first attack, Stuxnet attacked a penetrated an Iranian nuclear power plant making them remove 1000-2000 fuses that were malfunctioning. People have no proof that Stuxnet was the reason and aren’t able to find that proof. However, when they look at the code there is no other explanation for the malfunction. Part of Stuxnet that was alarming was that the malfunctions don’t show up right away. The Iranians weren’t able to figure out what was going on for a long time. The person that planted the worm in the system had to know the plant better than the Iranians. The code was highly sophisticated and hard to analyze. No one knows who made the worm but a lot of people think the worm should never have been planted. It now gives a lot of countries new ways to destroy each other. They can attack power plants, government computers and plans, or directly attack the citizens of each country. 60 Minute video on Stuxnet
There was another worm made after Stuxnet to gather information from every computer possible from, “a limited number of organizations for their specific assets.” (Researchers warn of new Stuxnet worm) The worm was gathering their information about the manufacturing of industrial control systems. This worm’s name was Duqu. This worm had parts of it that were identical to Stuxnet. Meaning that more worms are being made based off it and therefore creating a new type of warfare. It becomes easier for countries to get information about each other and destroy each other subtly from the inside. The affects can be huge and create more problems than we have ever had before. The issue is there isn’t much anyone can do about it. They are high sophisticated worms that show no trace and don’t allow the person being affected that they are being attacked. The worms prevent operators to see that the equipment was malfunctioning and gathers information without anyone knowing. Whoever made the original Stuxnet shouldn’t have actually used it. It has grown into something more and more dangerous than anything we have found before. However, people don’t believe the worm was meant to be publicized. It was just made to do damage and die. Once it was made public it became dangerous. If it weren’t made public by Symantec we wouldn’t have as much of an issue. We now need to somehow find a way to protect ourselves from any attack that is like this because it could potentially ruin a country more and faster than anything has before.
To learn more about Duqu read this article: BBC Article

I Am Always Responsible for My Actions

I am always responsible for my actions. No one else makes me do something. Just because I am pressured by the people around me doesn't mean they MADE me do it. I never give into peer pressure however some people do. I have a friend that gave into peer pressure and got in trouble and blamed it on peer pressure. They got the same response as I would give them. No one held a gun to your head and said do it. Acceptance is not an excuse to not take responsibility for your actions. You did the action on your our just take responsibility for your mistakes. Mistakes also help us grow as people so if you come to reality and take responsibility for your mistakes you can grow more as a person. Some other people use the excuse that they were under the influence and didn't know what they were doing. However, they need to take the responsibility for being under the influence and therefore take responsibility for their actions while under the influence. People are always responsible for their actions. Only they can make do those actions and only they can be held responsible for doing those actions. Actions aren't always bad though. Some people are modest when they are rewarded for something good that they did. However, they shouldn’t be too modest. They did the good dead/action and should take responsibility for them and be rewarded.

Neo-Nazi Group is a Civil Rights Group?

Fox News did a story on a Neo-Nazi group being in Sandford, Florida where Tryvon Martin was killed by a "neighborhood watchman", George Zimmerman. The main issue in this case became gun control and the Florida law, Stand You Ground. This law states that anyone that feels like their life is threatened can use deathly force on the person they feel threatened by. However, The Neo-Nazi Group, National Socialist Movement, one of the biggest Neo-Nazi groups, found the need to come and "patrol the area". They call themselves and Fox News calls them a "civil rights group".

After this story was published the editor put out a not saying, "The report originally published Saturday inadvertently referred to the National Socialist Movement as a civil rights group. We intended to refer to them as a “self-proclaimed” civil rights group." However, they still see themselves as a civil rights group. What kind of civil rights groups' ideology is, "Neo-Nazi; NSM calls for a “greater America” that would deny citizenship to Jews, non-whites, and homosexuals."(The National Socialist Movement)? This group is affiliated with multiple clan groups and are anything but a peaceful civil rights group. They believe that they are fighting for the white race's rights because no one else does so. However, there are plenty of white Jews and homosexuals. They are the exact vision on the Third Reich and should not be called a civil rights group. They do nothing but go to places and have rallies to promote the Fascist's views and to try and create a "better America". They aren't fighting for people's rights. Some people may say they are violent but they don't use violence unless they are acted upon violently first.I don't agree with what they have to say or what they do but in that sense I have to stick up for them. However, I don't believe that a group who strongly believes in the Third Reich like in Germany during World War Two and what they stand for can not be considered a civil rights group. Especially in a place with so many people effected by it and with so many people that escaped from and live through it. I don't think that a group that's goal is to purify an area by ridding it of certain groups of people can be called a civil rights group.

"Everyone Loves a Good Train Wreck"

While I was looking through books on my nook for a social issue book for class i fell upon a book called "Everyone Loves a Good Train Wreck: Why We Can't Look Away" by, Eric G. Wilson. Although I unfortunately don't think I can use it as a social issue book it brings a lot of things to my attention I wouldn't have thought of otherwise. The book brings light to morbid or pessimistic ways to view things that happen in this world. For instance, in chapter three it talks about death. Death used to be a relationship between people and reality. People would die in their houses in piece and the families would grieve in the house. Now a days, people go to the hospital. The author talks about how hospitals are a way of hope when people are desperate. "...The good doctor at any cost will keep you alive" (20) as he puts it. He also talks about how death is now, ".. a failure, a 'business lost.' this is... the attitude of the doctor, who claims control of death as his mission in life... When death arrives, it is regarded as an accident, a sign of helplessness and clumsiness that must be put out of mind." (20) So he is saying that in general death has changed. Now a days we see death differently than in the centuries before us. The author also goes into why we look at bad things even know we know they are bad. Why we force our selvves to look at the bad things such as, the Twin Towers crashing down, or a car crash on the high way. The book brings a whole new light to the world around us and ourselves that we never even thought about. It is a well written book that is a very interesting perspective on life. eveyone should read a least a little of this book and they will better understand why the world is changing so much around us and why "why we cant look away".

Wrongful Convictions

Today in class we had a speaker come in. The man’s name was, Terrill Swift, picture shown above. He is a man that was wrongfully convicted of a rape and murder when he was 17 years old. All the DNA testing said that he and four others were not a part of it. However, they had signed confessions given to them by the police. According to Swift the police didn’t arrest him until he got to the police station and once he was he was interrogated for hours. They showed him pictures of people and asked if he knew that and he denied knowing them. He was threatened with 100 years in jail and took in a lot of verbal abuse. Finally after hours the police told him they believed him and if he signed a piece of paper he could go home. However, he soon learned that what he had signed was a confession. When he was taken to court the courts decided that the confession over ruled the DNA and that he was guilty. He spent 15 years in jail until the Northwestern Center of Wrongful Convictions became interested in his case. After he was put on parole and forced to register as a sex offender he fought against it with the people from Northwestern and after eight long months was found innocent. However, he was sent to jail a few times before that because of parole. One day he went to Popeye’s after work to get something to eat and was thrown in jail for eight days because he violated parole. It still wasn’t easy for him. He wasn’t even allowed to see his family members unless they were over the age of 17. The whole issue just took over his life and drastically changed it. It wasn’t easy and he never did anything wrong. The person who was really responsible for the crime was a serial killer and rapist.
To think that there were four men that were sent to jail for 15 years for this rape and murder on a false confession while the real rapist and murderer was running around killing and raping more people disgusts me. There are a very large number of people that are wrong convicted. A lot of the prisoners who are innocent are never found innocent. There is something wrong with our justice system if this can keep happening. There is something that needs to be done. If people are going to be sent to jail and punished for something they did then people need to make sure it is the right person. If not then a innocent person is being punished for something they didn’t do. Their lives get ruined while the people really responsible get to run free and keep doing what they do. When Swift was talking he said that the police that got the false confessions from all of them also did it to about 12 other people. There is something seriously wrong with that and they need to be punished as well. They ruined multiple people’s lives, including the victims of the murderers they actually let go free so their lives would be easier. Not only did they ruin the victim’s lives, the wrongfully convicted’s lives, but they also ruin all their family’s lives. This kind of thing is not easy on any family that has to go through it and they shouldn’t go through it if the person was innocent or if the person was caught so they didn’t have a chance to hurt the next victim. Something needs to change and fast. There are way too many people being wrongfully convicted and way too many people getting away with serious crimes they shouldn’t get away with. There are also way too many lives being ruined and someone needs to do something about it.

Affirmative Action

I think that affirmative action is okay when someone isn’t purposefully trying to use it. For instance in Florida, Texas and California there were public universities, “Whose “race-neutral” admissions policies were applauded by President Bush… for their efforts to achieve the goals of affirmative action.. Without actually using affirmative action.” (Time Staff Writers) In these policies they say that the schools will accept, “the top students in every high school, including those that are predominantly or entirely minority.” (Times Staff Writers) This is how it should be. If a student works hard and makes the grades to get into a good school then they should be accepted no matter what their skin color is. However, some people can see that as affirmative action but in reality it is being fair. What I don’t like is when people try to fight for affirmative action. When people fight for affirmative action they are basically asking someone to favor them. In their argument the people fighting for it will say they want to be treated equally. However, affirmative action isn’t being treated equally. That is creating a way in because of your race, sex, or ethnicity. It is asking to be accepted over someone else because of your race, ethnicity, or sex which in turn makes decision making unequal.
However, there needs to be a middle ground. There should be diversity within a college or private school. After all, “Students educated in a diverse university are better prepared for a diverse work force and for helping bring about… “One nation, indivisible.”” (One Nation, Indivisible) I think for schools that are post high school or private schools they shouldn’t even ask for race. This way they aren’t making their decisions based on race. All they are basing the person on is who they are in school and out. They will be judged on their hard work and dedication, or lack of, in and out of school rather than getting a different treatment because of the color of their skin, their ethnicity, or their sex. They won’t be accepted or declined because of their color, ethnicity, or sex. It shouldn’t matter what they are or where their family comes from. I understand that people think if there is a mixture of different races, ethnicity, or sex in a classroom there might be better discussions and that there will be a wider range of ideas. However, I’m not so sure that is true. If there are two people from the same area raised the same way they are going to have similar views on things. Just because they are black or white doesn’t change that they were raised around the same people with the same view points in the same area. If anything they should try to have people coming in from all different areas to their school in order to have better discussions rather than trying to get people of different color. However, there are schools that allow people with the top 10th percent of the high school will be accepted right away. I don’t agree with this either. Although the school could be doing all they can the student might not be prepared for the school that is accepting them and won’t succeed in the school. “While Top 10 plans successfully increase minority enrollment, some high school don’t prepare students well to meet the requirements of the more demanding majors in the university.” (One Nation, Indivisible) Therefore they should look at the schools they are coming from and their curriculum to make sure the students would succeed in the school. The reason people don’t get accepted to college is because they won’t be able to succeed and the college wants everyone to have an equal chance in succeeding. However, if they didn’t have to knowledge to succeed the college shouldn’t accept them and set them up for failure. I don’t believe affirmative action is always fair and when people are asking for it so they will be treated equally they are actually asking to be given a privilege over other people and be treated as and looked at more highly because of their race, ethnicity, or sex and I don’t think that is right either.

Hidden Biases Test

In my Issues class I just took a race IAT test. It said that I slightly preferred Eastern European people over African Americans. Above is the averages of everyone who takes the test. I was very surprised by my results and I don’t think that it is very accurate. I personally have never felt a bias when I’m with the two different races and have always treated everyone the same. I have always felt that I was neutral and I still do. I really don’t think this test is very accurate. Some issues with it are, I forgot which key to press for correct or not and at first I didn’t understand what to do it took me two rounds to figure everything out and I still messed up which keys are which. I also think the order in which they show the pictures and words effects which one you press and sometimes accidentally hit the wrong one. I also felt like I should go quickly and felt rushed and didn’t really think things through. I wonder how the results work. I don’t understand how from clicking on random keys and matching words and pictures to what the words say at the top really accurately show what you are thinking. I personally don’t think you subconsciously hit the keys. You think about it and I kept messing up which keys were which.
After reading the FAQs I still don’t think this test is accurate. There is no way it can be. Although it can probably detect the extreme sides I really don’t think this test can in any way be accurate. I definitely think there are stereotypes and one of the FAQs does answer that. Someone had asked “why are there pictures of faces instead of names?” which creates a stereotype that shouldn’t be created about the different races. As bad and annoying and wrong as it is there are stereo types. There are definitely biases and some people are biased and don’t know it like saying a certain name goes with a certain race. But, I don’t think that putting random good words and bad words mixed with pictures of people from a different race and pressing a button to put them into categories is an accurate way to measure those biases.

They Poured Fire on Us From the Sky- Book in its Entirety

The book They Poured Fire on Us From the Sky by Judy A. Bernstein is a very controversial and disturbing book. It gives outsiders a first-hand look at the terrible 26 year and counting war in Sudan. People get to see the war through children’s eyes and in two different areas of Sudan that people tried to escape to. It is really touching and gross. The fact that people from the clans can go against the clan and slaughter their former neighbors and clans because they decided to be Islamic and part of the Murahiliin, “some of the Muslims are traitors from the Dinka tribes; they speak the way we do. They may call to you, ‘come back we are Dinka… But when people come out of their hiding places, the traitors laugh and say “You are called by your death!’ and kill those people.” (Bernstein 53) In the US we are very lucky to get schools. In Sudan not all of the clans even had a school. In the beginning of the war the Murahiliin went to different clans and burned down their school houses so very few if any clans had a school houses, “the government planes dropped bombs from the sky and the school houses are all burned down. The SPLA was there to protect them but there was nothing they could do. You will not be going back to school.” (Bernstein 57) The people that live through the massacres still have to deal with the journey ahead and their loss and for a lot of people that wasn’t possible and for everyone it wasn’t easy. As one of the kids go back to their best friends house after a raid they find that they were killed, “Burned alive in their house. These were my lovely friends. Achol was my best friend ever… My eyes were fixed on the sight of death in front of me. I smelled it, tasted it and felt it. I hurt so much I could not live with it.” (Bernstein 60). People that lived didn’t have it easy as well as the people that died. Either way no one wanted to be in the situation they ended up in. The journey for the people was very long and hard and many people died. However, they were told where they were going was safe and had everything they needed. However, when the people finally got to the sites or camps they would be staying at for the war to “stay safe” the living conditions were gross and dangerous. One of the kids, Benson, was taken to a camp with a group of others that had escaped and after days of walking across a desert with little food or water, to the point where they even had to drink their own urine sometimes. The camp they came to was described as, “there were thousands of people but only a few shelters made of sticks and branches for protection from sun. Not one school.” (Bernstein 85) Benson also says, “I stared at this ugly place where no boy seemed safe.” (Bernstein 86) They are all infested with bugs. Through all the traveling the villagers picked up a lot of insects such as lice. They are everywhere in their hair and pants. The problem is they don’t have anything to shave their hair off with so they weren’t able to solve their problem. A lot of people, kids and adults, got sick and depressed which lead to their death. Most people didn’t even reach the camps before they died and once the others got there many died from lack of resources and hygiene there too. The whole war is gross and barbaric. The fact that a group of people can ruin multiple villages and families in such a dehumanizing barbaric way is very bothersome. They don’t only do that but also make all these kids and families suffer to try to find safety and even when they do it really isn’t safe. There is no safe place for them and people have had to live in fear for 26 years and it needs to end.

They Pour Fire on Us From the Sky- raid vs massacre

It is one thing to raid a village and it’s another thing to massacre a village. Some of the attacks the Murahiliin would come into villages on foot and separate the men women and children and kill them in different very inhumane ways. In They Poured Fire on Us From the Sky the narrator tell us, “The Murahiliin… captured many civilians and shot dead those who tried to run away. The captives were separated into two groups. The women and children were locked inside the huts and burned to death. The men were tied up, lead to the river-side, killed with a machete and dropped into the river.” (Bernstein 52) they would also come and randomly start shooting the first people they saw. At first they would just raid the villages for their cattle and some resources, but then it turned into a massacre. They would burn crops, steal more cattle and food, and even nail babies to tress like Jesus on a cross. Later they started to drop bombs on the villages and shoot them with helicopters and it became a daily routine. “… The Murahiliin had attacked their villages with shooting helicopters… the war was coming to southern Sudan.” (Bernstein 51) The war was expanding and it was just getting worse. They had never used helicopters or any aircrafts to kill people in random villages with no warning and no reason. They also would bomb some of the villages daily where they knew there would be a lot of people. The villages had to dig trenches to hide in randomly during the day if they could get to them on time. Even when they did thought not everyone always survived in the trench. The things that these soldiers did to the villagers for no reason, isn’t acceptable. It is dehumanizing and barbaric. The villagers couldn’t even defend themselves. “The men tried fighting the invaders with spears but they were all killed in a few minutes. “There was a plane standing above trees pouring fire on them”” (Bernstein 55) Even when the SPLA came and tried to protect the villages there is only so much they could do on the ground and they had no way of protecting people from the Murahiliin that were attacking with helicopters and aircrafts. Someone needs to end this war and bring peace back to Africa before it destroys itself.

They Poured Fire on Us From the Sky- Slavery

Slavery is in the past and people don’t have to worry about it anymore right? Wrong! Especially in Sudan in the first part of their now 26 year war. During some of the raids of the villages some villagers would be dragged on the back of horses and be sold as slaves. In the book, They Poured Fire on Us From the Sky, during one of the raids of the village a man named Deng was taken from the villages, “The Murahliiin had thrown him on the back of a horse and took him to a faraway place where he was sold as a slave.” (Bernstein 44) He goes on to tell the village about his experiences and the masters that owned him. He told them about the hard life that he had lived in the past few years while living as a slave. He told them under his first master, “Any person caught escaping is killed in the presence of all eyes as an example.” (Bernstein 44) The work was hard and there was very little food for each of them to eat. They also were severely punished, “The slightest mistake provoked a severe whipping.” (Bernstein 44) He wasn’t even called by his real name. One of the girls in the family that fell in love with Deng, which was against Muslim law, would call him by his real name and her father would say, “Why do you call him by his name? He is Kadam asuwat ‘black slave’” (Bernstein 44) even though he bathed everyone, cleaned their house, cooked for them, cleaned their clothes, and herded their cattle all day every day he was treated poorly, obviously not paid, and whipped if he didn’t do something just right. Through all the hard work he grew weak and still had to work. When he tried to escape he was beaten almost to death by the whole family except for one person and had to go a few days without any food. This made him even weaker.
A lot of people think that there slavery is gone and has been gone for a while. However, it obviously isn’t. Even in the US there is still slavery and it is a major issue that needs to be solved. I don’t think that it can ever be solved and it will always be an issue. However, the problem in Sudan is that the people that are trading the villagers as slaves are associated with the government. Therefore, the government obviously doesn’t care and if they don’t care then the issue will never be solved or at least get better. At least the government in the US has made laws against slavery. In Sudan they are telling people to abduct the villagers.

They Poured Fire on Us From the Sky- Disease

When people think of Africa they think of death, lack of food, scary animals, and AIDs. However, not very many people think of the other diseases that we don’t get or have to worry about they many people in Africa die from because they don’t have the technology or resources to cure or prevent these diseases. For instance, in the US we don’t have to worry about Yellow Fever. However, in Africa, especially in Sudan in the remote villages, they do. In the book The Poured Fire on Us From the Sky during the journey to the “safe camp” one of the characters meets a man name Monyde. During the Journey he got sick, “They said it was yellow fever. Kuany did everything he could to help Monyde but he died in only two days.” (84) Here in the US we don’t have to worry about things like yellow fever. However, in Sudan in the villages they don’t have the medicine to get rid of the diseases especially when they are going through the desert going from one village to another. Another issue was when the UN tried to come and help the people in the camps to get them food and supplies. However, “Un made boys more likely to sicken and die from yellow fever.” (90) The boys weren’t used to the food and ingredients in the food that they were being given and ended up getting sick with no way to cure them. A lot of the boys got sick and went crazy because they were thinking about their home and family. They have no time to grieve or get over anything they are just told to suck it up and keep moving. In the US we have major loses and we usually have time to get over it. The things they saw and see almost every day are so horrid. They see both their family and friends and people they don’t know be burned alive, or shot dead, or drowned, or their friends that they were just talking to minutes earlier drop dead next to them while walking. They have no time to take any of it in and think about everything they have to get over it within seconds and keep moving. This killed a lot of kids from getting sick and not wanting to fight and move on. Disease is a daily struggle for the people in Sudan that are fighting for their lives. They have to worry about things that the people in the US never have to.

They Poured Fire on Us From the Sky

Most people know the second part of the war in Africa and assume it started when Joseph Kony “became possessed”. However, that is not when it began. It actually began way before that and the LRA wasn’t even established. There was however a rebel group called the SPLA, Sudan’s People Liberation Army. Actually the people that really started attacking the villages were the government and at first the rebel groups were the ones protecting the villages and the survivors. When Islam became a prominent religion in Africa the government wanted it to be spread throughout Sudan. The main reason for this was to gain land. However, the government had the northern Islamic tribes believe they should own cattle like the Dinka and Nuer, the two major tribes in the central area that lived on the land the government wanted because the land was the most fertile in all of Sudan. This made problems because the northern tribes started to attack the central tribes for their cattle. But, wealth in those tribes depended on how many cattle you owned. The government made laws to try and make the central tribes convert. In the book They poured Fire on Us From the Sky: The True Story of Three Lost Boys from Sudan by Judy A. Bernstein, The elders in the tribes said, “..there is no time to pray five times a day… the cannot force us to do this thing to our women. We love our women. We will not cut them like the castrated calf.” (Bernstein 37) and this is when the government got mad and started attacking villages. Villages were destroyed, families torn apart, and villagers thrown into slavery. “… During one of the attacks by the Murahiliin, people were killed and cattle stolen; Deng was taken away…. Murahiliin had thrown him on the back of a horse and took him to a faraway place where he was sold as a slave”. (Bernstein 37) Murahiliin are the northerners that were attacking the central tribes for the land since they weren’t converting and they wanted the land. Being a slave wasn’t easy. But, either was being back home. It got to the point that the attacks were just massacres. They killed everyone in sight and burned down the whole village. To escape people would run into the bush and hide in the tall grass infested with snakes, scorpions, hyenas, and lions. They would lose everyone they knew and had to trust the people they met to help them get from one village to the next. The soldiers that because apart of the rebel group found these groups of stranded people and helped lead them from one village to the next. However, no village was safe. The government would bomb the villages daily and there were little resources for everyone and some villages even attacked the groups of people so they would stay away from their villages because they didn’t want to give away the few resources they had. Many people died in the deserts going from one village to the next and the ones that didn’t became sick and weak. Some days the adults would have to drink their own urine due to lack of water. Their feet would get cut up, there were cannibals in the brush right by them along with many other dangerous animals, and they had nothing for warmth during the night. Even when they reached villages they rarely got something to eat and/or drink. When they reached their final destinations there wasn’t anything special about them, one area had chiggers, bugs that crawl into the cracks on your skin, bury in them and suck your blood. The more someone scratches at them the bigger the wound gets. The other area was poor and run down with very little resources. No matter what happened to you, being enslaved, killed, or living and trying to find safety it wasn't easy. There was no safe place and very few people actually found family. But the war most definitley didn't start because of Joseph Kony. The whole war is terrible. However, if people are going to learn about it they should really know the whole story.

Make the Inivisble Children Visible

Invisible Children is an organization set up in by kids for kids. The organization was started by three boys,jason, Laren, and Bobby went to Africa in the spring of 2003. They thought they were going to see the terrible things that they heard about Afica but at first they really didn't see anything. Until they went to Sudan. In Sudan there was a war. Africa's longest running war to be exact. This war had be going on for about twenty years at the time and is still going on. It was started because,a man named Joseph Koney got the idea of abducting children to be in an army to take over the government. He believed that children were the "perfect soldiers". They were old and big enough to hold and use a gun but young enough to control and brainwash. He has these kids slaughter their families and then are told their community won't accept them anymore and are forced into his army where they are not treated well. In the different areas there are kids called "night commuters". The kids of the villages are too scared to stay in their villages in fear they will be abducted. Therefore they commute to the city where they beleive they will be more safe.
Inivisible Children is a non-profit orginization that helps support the people affected by the war and stop the war. They do work in both the United States and in Central Africa.

In the United States they try to spread awarness by showing movies and going on road trips with people that work with Invisible Children. These people are called "Roadies". Roadies go through the US showing the documentaries and videos Inivisble Children has shot from their trips to the areas affected by the war. They also sometimes have some of the people they know from these areas to come to the US and explain to people what it is like and what they go through because of the war. They also have made moves within the government. They recently had Obama send troop to Africa to help try and stop the war as well.

In Central Africa Invisible Children has been and did work on a project called "The Protection Plan". This plan involved them building roadio towers for the abducted soldiers to hear the kids that escaped the army and others to help them come out and let them know they will be okay and accepted. It is also so "no massacure will go unseen". Before there was no communication between the different areas because there was no way to communicate. They could go weeks without knowing the places around them had been attacked. Now they are able to quickly communicate and let it be known they LRA are coming. They also set up something called the "LRA crisis tracker". This is something that tracks all the movements of the LRA and posts it for everyone to see. For instance, one of the posts were, "•Dec 31st, 2011
Dungu-Faradje Road Suspected LRA abducted two civilians near Nagero, DRC. Two other civilians managed to flee before abduction". Here is the link to that website to check out more. http://www.lracrisistracker.com/ The organization also sends people to Central Africa to do something like Community Service. They help to rebuild communities, schools, and stability (both financially and with the tribes). They have also set up a scholarship fund for the kids in the affected areas to get the right education because education is one of the most important things. These kids are the future of Africa and need to be educated.

As for me, I do the best i can to spread awareness and raise money. I would love to be a roady but I have the issue of not being able to miss a semester of school. However, I do the most I can to help out. For instance, I recently designed this shit that I am still selling for $15 and all the prceeds are going to Inivisible Children and then after i sell some the design will go to them too.