Dennis Prager on Happiness

Here is a great talk from nationally syndicated talk show host Dennis Prager to a high school on how to actually be happy.

Are There Any More Men Out There?

When Anthony Hope wrote The Prisoner of Zenda in the 1890s there were some cultural understandings of men that had been around for a long time.

That's because people at that time knew what it meant when Rudolf said to Rupert, "Fight like a man!" or to his friends, "We have been men, eh, Sapt and Fritz, old friends?"

Beginning with the 1960's, though, men were
strongly criticized.  Today, because of those criticisms, in Western culture it is confusing to be a man.  What should he be like?  Tough or sensitive?  Competitive or relaxed?  Stoic or emotional?  Should he drink lots of beer?  Should he take responsibility or do what he wants?

This is not just a subject for guys to consider either.  It is in girls' best interest as well to comprehend what a man, an honorable man, looks like so we can recognize them and even, in some cases, raise future sons to be them. (Though, certainly, a worthy endeavor would also be to define what is a "lady")

These two articles argue that something about modern men is missing, and that it is hard to find many Rudolf Rassendyll's in America today.

Read either of the following articles:
"Is America Still Making Men?" by Dennis Prager in The National Review

 "Where Did My Cowboy Go?" by John W. Anderson in The Huffington Post

Then complete the Moodle quiz on your chose article and post an answer to the question on the blog post related to the article.

Is America Still Making Men?

Dennis Prager is a nationally syndicated radio host and columnist.  One of his radio shows is dedicated to exploring the differences between men and women called The Male Female Hour.  In fact, my wife and I listen to Prager often.

In this article he explores why America, once a place that prided itself on "making" good men, now has created a society that makes it hard to be one.

Read the article linked below and then answer one of the first three questions and the "Allplay" question in a comment.

"Is America Still Making Men?" by Dennis Prager in The National Review

1. Do you disagree with anything in the article?
2. Dennis Prager gives 9 reasons why America no longer creates men.  Which one have you experienced or seen?
3. Has feminism truly been bad for men, as #3 implies?

Allplay: Is Rassendyll a good example of what Prager thinks men should be like?

Where did my cowboy go?

Europeans sometimes joke that Americans are a bunch of cowboys.  For them, calling someone a cowboy is a negative term.  To Americans, it has long been instead a source of pride to be considered a trail blazing pioneer. 

• "Where did My Cowboy Go?" by John W. Anderson in The Huffington Post

Read the article linked above and then answer one of the first four questions and the "Allplay" question in a comment.

1. Do you know many men like Davy Bunyon?

2. Is the the author, John Anderson, right?

3. Why do you think there are so many "man/boys"?

4. Do we need more cowboys, as Anderson defines them?

Allplay: Is Rassendyll more like Davy Bunyon or a cowboy?

Prisoner of Zenda Audio tracks

For my students: You can listen to the audio tracks by clicking on the arrow.  If you would like to download it to put it on your ipod etc., click on the down-pointing arrow at the right of the file (next to the "Share" button).   After you have downloaded it, you can add it to your iTunes library.

Tech Trouble: FaKebook

By its nature, technology is a short-cut.  That’s why we love it.  It takes any number of tasks that once were laborious and makes them quick and easy.  But, much like fast-food, it’s convenient and tasty, but a fast-food-only diet robs you of the more valuable things in life. 

To me this issue becomes one of trust.  Will I trust what I read online because it’s easy to find?  For example, Steiner says, “Teens tell me about the hidden time they spend cultivating their identities on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, or school e-mail groups….It is tedious and time-consuming work and, they say half-joking, it presents ethical dilemmas about truth in packaging: do you tinker with truth…or brag about a party adventure that you weren’t really in on, or Photoshop your image?”

My Reaction:

I know someone whose daughter told everyone online she was pregnant.  That gossip got around to me via a neighbor.  It was just a joke, but we didn’t know that until much later.  Translate this outside of social media: Googling a question or going to ask.com is so easy.  Should I trust what they say?

I wonder: what will it be like for my daughters?  When my oldest starts using the web (which she does not yet), will she trust a website over my opinion, or Wikipedia over her Bible? 

Or are teens today more perceptive than we all think?  Maybe they aren’t obsessed with technology 24/7 and actually know what to use the Net for and what not to.  I don’t know.  What do you think?

Questions:

Do you or friends spend a lot of developing your online profiles?

What would happen if you didn’t keep up your profile?

Does social media tempt you to lie about yourself or others?

Tech Trouble: Talking or Teching

“I think [tech has] taken away, like, this generation’s ability to socialize like normal human beings.’” 

-a teen

Steiner’s research found many teens opting for communicating through text because “’it’s just too awkward for them to do it face-to-face.’”  Those teens say texting is easier and better because you can think about what to write and you don’t have to see the other person’s reaction.  However, Steiner, points out that, “Learning how to communicate is one of life’s greatest challenges and gifts.  The capacity to know and communicate what you are thinking and feeling, when someone else has their different thoughts and feelings and you both are upset, is a core life skill.”  What is missing from ‘teching’ is “the ability to see the impact of what you are saying on the other person, to listen to what the other person is feeling without losing touch with yourself, and to be able to figure out together how to move forward.”

Reaction:

Avoiding face-to-face contact is not that new.  Teens in my day often wrote notes when they had to say something tough.  Still, I think writing is different from ‘teching’ or texting.  You naturally take more time to compose your thoughts, which gives you more time to consider the impact your words could have.  When texting, I often write ‘too’ much because I want to make sure it’s received the way I mean. 

Recently, I’ve heard of people who have made commitments to themselves to never text concerning an emotional subject.  I know one dating couple that made a decision to stop texting and actually talk when they were upset or needed to work through something.  They didn’t give up texting; they just gave it some parameters.

Questions:

Is the opening quote by the teen true?

Do you feel teens are less good at communicating in person because of the prevalence of texting?

Have you or anyone you know made healthy parameters around texting for the sake of their friendship/relationship?