Psych the Movie

Back in October, in my blog post titled Truth I wrote about how I am never going to get over Psych being removed off of Netflix. It's that important to me. The only bit of hope I've had in this dark, Psychless time is "Psych: The Movie" which airs this Thursday, December 7. Of course it has to air the night before the last day of classes when I have an assignment due in every class. Hopefully, I can use it as motivation to finish my work early. If I can't get everything done, it'll be a reward for finishing out the semester. Either way, it's giving me something to look forward to.

Exploratory Writing Struggles

I did not expect to struggle as much as I have with the exploratory paper. Part of my problem has been keeping my bias at bay. When I picked bilingual education, I was ready to find somewhat solid research that was straightforward. Instead, I started finding articles and journals that were relatively biased in their language and not objective.
Another problem I had was that I have become so used to writing with a thesis and finding support for my own argument. With this project, I had to restrain myself from using those key words that would give me just the information I wanted.
The problem that has ended up being the greatest for me is the narrative glue which I thought I wouldn't have trouble with. That's partly because I've had to work hard to keep my bias away. I am starting to see where I can work in my own voice more which should really improve the choppy flow that my paper has now.

How Do You Feel?

How do you feel?
What's your condition?
You are alive but are you living?
Give me your voice and I'll give it a listen
Are you complete or is something missing?

The Maine has been one of the few bands that have stayed in music library since I started listening to them in middle school. Somehow, their songs always come on when I most need them. This song off of their latest album, "Lovely Little Lonely", serves as a reminder for myself to ask and listen when people are telling me how they are. More importantly, it's a reminder to listen to how I'm doing and what I need. Can I truly listen to others when I haven't learned how to listen to my own voice first?

Sorry for the Late Response (Microtheme/ Multimodal)

Sorry for the Late Response

I cannot stand the pressure of being rushed to reply to electronic correspondence. One of my greatest peeves is to have to start a text or e-mail with, “Sorry for the late response!” Nevertheless, I do it every single time I do not provide an almost instant response. Why does this pressure of having to provide immediate responses exist?

A possible reason for the pressure of immediately responding may be because it is expected that the recipient will see the message within moments of it being sent. With read-receipts, there is proof that a message has already been seen which could lead to more pressure. If the sender needs something that is particularly urgent to them, it is possible that they may be persistent with several follow up messages, adding to the pressure. Possibly, something that is high priority for the sender may be at the bottom of the recipient’s priority list. This could lead to an increase in pressure on the recipient’s end because they may have to match that level of urgency for something that is not important to them.

If we could begin to consider the reasons behind the pressure of providing immediate responses, then we may be able to determine if that pressure is absolutely necessary. Understanding the reasons could possibly lead to a reevaluation of how we interact with one another through electronic communications. By thinking about the pressure that is felt as a recipient, it may lead to a change in behavior when one is the sender.

Microtheme Rough Draft

I cannot stand the pressure of being rushed to reply to electronic correspondence. It is one of my peeves to have to start a text or e-mail with, “Sorry for the late response!” Nevertheless, I do it every single time I take more than what I believe is an appropriate amount of time to provide a response. Why does this pressure of having to provide immediate responses exist?

A possible reason for the pressure of immediately responding may be that it is expected that the recipient will see the message within moments of it being sent. With read-receipts, that pressure of responding as soon as the message is seen can become even greater. If the sender needs something that is particularly urgent to them, it is possible they be persistent with several follow up messages. However, something that is high priority for the sender may be at the bottom of the recipient’s priority list. In that case, the added pressure of several follow ups could potentially be justified.

If we could begin to consider the reasons behind the pressure of providing immediate responses, then we may be able to determine if that pressure is absolutely necessary. Understanding the reasons could possibly lead to a reevaluation of how we interact with one another through electronic communications. By thinking about the pressure that is felt as a recipient, it may lead to a change in behavior when one is the sender.

Writing Center Visit

This past week I made my first visit to the Writing Center as part of my revision process for my rhetoricity narrative. The main reason I went was because I wasn't really understanding how to incorporate quotes from a video into my essay so that it was in correct MLA format. I was caught off guard for a little because I had completely forgotten that I was going to have to read my essay aloud to the tutor. However, I immediately noticed that it was crucial because we both caught a few things that didn't quite sound right in my essay. A few of examples were a word I didn't change from past to present tense, a typo that auto correct didn't catch, or words that were redundant.
My tutor admitted that she was more experienced working with APA than MLA but we walked through the resources that were available together. If there something she wasn't sure of, she would check various written sources and with her supervisor to know that she was giving me the correct information.
Overall, I felt comfortable there in a way I normally don’t feel when I’m sharing my writing. This was definitely  the first of many, many visits.

Truth

I was first shown Sarah Kay perform "B" (0:00-3:35) during eighth grade by my sixth grade language arts teacher. Since that first time, I have gone back to this poem countless times. I go back when everything's falling apart. I go back when I need a reality check. Sometimes, I just need to remind myself that I need to have hope and faith in this world. 

At 9:18, Kay introduces a list she uses in her classes: 10 Things I Know To Be True. I vaguely remember writing my own list in 8th grade. 

Here's my list of a few things I know to be true as of October 10, 2017:

1. I love fictional worlds a little too much,
2. Chocolate can always make me feel better.
3. I always carry too much in my backpacks.
4. I will not get over Psych being removed from Netflix.
5. I have a lot more truths to discover.

What's something (or a few things) you know to be true?

"Holy Hell" Review

http://variety.com/2016/film/reviews/holy-hell-review-cult-sundance-1201784316/

The Variety review that I read is much more analytical about what went on in the film. While I tried to restrain myself from including my personal opinion of Michel, the author of the article doesn't have to do that necessarily. They are also able to include more analysis of Allen as the director and not just what he said in his voice over narration. What made this review stand out the most was the comparisons to horror films that the author of the review made. I thought that Holy Hell was a very disturbing documentary and it seemed fit that it be compared to horror films.

"Holy Hell"

I watched the documentary "Holy Hell" directed by Will Allen. Will Allen was a member of a cult named the Buddhafield for about 20 years of his life. While he was in the group he filmed their experiences.

1. The scene that got to me the most was the one about the "Knowing" ceremony that took place after 1989. The leader of the cult, Michel, set himself up on a makeshift throne in the middle of the forest. The members came to him one by one to ask him if they were ready for receive the "Knowing." He promised those that were ready a personal encounter with God. Those that weren't ready were simply sent away. The ones who he did perform the ceremony with were transformed. The way he was able to manipulate these people was unbelievable. That was when I fully understood that the Buddhafield was a cult. I also got past the point of considering Michel to be a joke to despising him. It was extremely disturbing to see the power he had over the group.

2. I was surprised by how long it took members of the group to realize that Michel was orchestrating all of this for his ego and personal benefit. Michel seemed like he had good intentions while the group was in West Hollywood but, he started to lose it even more when the group received attention from the Cult Awareness Network. I figured that many of the members would leave the group after Michel left them for months to find a new place for them to live. I couldn't believe that once he decided their new place was going to be Austin, Texas so many of them just dropped everything to follow him. Andres, as he was called then, was forcing people to basically be his servants and they even built him his own theatre for his ballets. The members of the group that were interviewed in the film all described in one way or another that they knew this group wasn't what they had signed up. Despite that, many of them stayed with Andres until they fell apart around 2006.

3. I am still questioning how Michel/Andres was able to manipulate them without using drugs. The members believed they were having divine experiences that they could only have if they were with Michel. To me it was obvious that Michel was a fraud but he had such an intense way of controlling the members. The people that were interviewed all noted that they weren't drinking alcohol or using hallucinogens.

I was left uneasy by how Michel forced women in the group to get abortions if they got pregnant. Despite that he was discouraging the members' sexuality, from the very early years Michel was practically raping several of the men during weekly therapy sessions that they paid $50 a week for. A lot of the members came in to the Buddhafield because they were trying to overcome things that they lived through. Under Michel's guidance they suffered even more psychological trauma.

Edit:

• Is there any legal action that can be taken against cult leaders? 
• Were there any members that didn't have any friends or family willing to help them after they left the Buddhafield? How successful were they at functioning without the group?
• Allen included original footage that he shot while he was in the Buddhafield. Did Michel or other members (not the ones interviewed in the film) get a say in what was shown?
• I would like to find out more about the Cult Awareness Network. If Michel was so sure that they weren't a cult, why was he so fearful of them?
• How were there members that decided to stay after all the allegations about Michel were confirmed? There were multiple men that came forward about Michel forcing them to have sex and his pornography films were found. How were they able to ignore that enough to stay?

The Good Fight

Image Source

I began today with a heavy heart. This morning, Attorney General Sessions made the official announcement that the DACA program has been rescinded. I was at work and knew that this was coming but, I still felt like I had been sucker punched. When I gathered my thoughts they all came back to one thing - my privilege.

My life will not be turned upside-down by this decision. I am privileged to be a U.S. Citizen. I started my first job the summer after I turned 16. I took Drivers Ed and got my license that same year. I applied for colleges last Fall without a problem. I finished my first week of college with my only concern being how many chapters I had to read for my speech class. These are all privileges that I take for granted.

I cannot allow myself the privilege of being silent. My friends, colleagues, and mentors are DREAMers. They are students, workers, parents, spouses, and leaders. Over everything and anything else, they are people. 

I have gotten to know these people through my volunteer work with immigrant advocacy works. I have seen how intense the vetting process is during the past two years I've worked at an immigration law firm. My workload this next month will mostly consist of preparing renewal application for those that will be allowed to apply before October 5th. I will have to start closing out the files for the clients who will be without status as soon as March 6, 2018. I will attend protests and community meetings. I will contact my elected officials and continue to be an ally. 

My community will not be silenced and neither will I.