North Korea

The North Korean blogs were interesting because they were current and still fresh. 

In the first article by Reiss, he has a more non-violent approach to solving the North Korean nuclear testing threat. He wants to try to talk again with North Korea. He says to do this, however, the U.S. must gain a better relationship wit both South Korea and Japan. He says to do that we must invite South Korea to the PSI. This will bring three powerful nations to the table against North Korea.

In the article by Zelikow, he suggests a more hands on approach. He says that talk agreements have failed. Now it is time to get to work and give them an option. Stop or be attacked. The two articles coincide with the issue of international support. Both authors feel that the support from other nations is critical in stopping North Korea.

1984 #1

Party Mottos? What's Unusual?

War is Peace, Freedom is Slavery, & Ignorance is Strength

Ironic because the words paired together contradict each others meanings and are the opposite of today's views.

What is Newspeak? What is its purpose?

It is the official language of Oceania (starting in 2050). It is to remove even the possibility of rebellious thoughts.

Why is it essential for the Party to rid the language of synonyms and antonyms?

So that the party has complete control over the people with the big brother system. Basically, it eliminates the room for extra thought or comprehension, that way the government has control.

How does the party control history? Why?

They re-wrote it. This is just another control issue involving the government wanting complete control.

Who is Emmanuel Golstein and how is he presented to the people of Oceania?

former legendary leader. The Party describes him to the citizens as the most dangerous and treacherous man in Oceania

The Dumbest Generation? Don't Be Dumb

This was a very interesting article because much of it is true. Our generation is not dumb but I would agree that we pay less attention to current events and remembering facts than older generations but what do people expect. As time goes by and technology advances more and more time will be spent on games, phones and laptops. More time will be spent trying to put together the next best form of some technological device. Society is noticing that we can create faster and easier ways of doing everyday things and learning things. If we need to find a fact or know a fact we have computers to search and now people have internet on cell phones; when there isn't a computer there is always a cell phone in hand. Yes, so we aren't the memorizers of facts and information but we are future creators and inventors that will continue to make parts of life easier and faster giving more time to enjoy whats around us. And as they stated in the article, give our generation a chance to show the world what we are capable of before they begin to judge us.

Do Graduates Understand Citizenship?

I agree on many points Diane Cameron makes in her article. It seems as time goes on kids begin to take on more and more responsibilities in high school. Members of several organizations, advanced classes and holding a job to put gas in the tank that gets us around everywhere keeps students very busy. Not only is our society becoming too busy to watch the news, vote and participate but we are trying to take on too much in order to reach a successful position. It almost takes TOO much in order to reach a comfortable level. Everyone is reaching for top positions, high saleries and luxurious cars and homes. We are beginning to lose a sense of our countries foundation and the importance of participating in the society we live in. If only we could slow down and relax every once in awhile without feeling like we aren't keeping up with everyone else and their fast paced lifestyle; people would experience a greater appreciation of life and there would also be less speeding tickets to pay off.

Does Domestic Spying Help the United States?

It’s safe to say the U.S. has experienced an increase in domestic spying. Some argue that an increase in National security is violation of the Fourth Amendment giving citizens the right to be protected from unreasonable searches and seizures. While others argue that having high national security, including domestic spying, prevents situations such as 9/11 from occurring. In the packet Charles Krauthammer argues that domestic spying helps the U.S. and prevents terrorist events from happening. Charles states, “We have not been hit again because we’ve been capturing high-level operatives and getting them to talk in secret prisons, where they’re incommunicado and disoriented and desperate” (229). However he weakens his argument by stating in the first paragraphs how this tramples civil liberties and violates the Constitution, “jeopardizing the very idea of freedom and otherwise destroying all that is sacred in America” (229). And is our security stopping terrorists or are there really no more attacks like 9/11 in the works. The question then would be when is too much? Bob Barr states that domestic spying is snooping and damages our nation. Barr says, “Executive power that could easily be applied to virtually any other area of domestic activity as long as a link to a national security is asserted” (231). Spying or Security could extend to unreasonable amounts and by Executive power our government would be asserting our national security not spying. Everyone has the right under the Constitution to personal property and privacy; our civil liberties should not be taken. However, if we need to stand in line at an airport a few more minutes or place a finger on a scanner in order to clock in, a few minutes of inconvenience should not cause problems. If our National security is increasing in order to prevent events such as 9/11 from happening I believe every American should be more than willing to sacrifice a bit of privacy for their country.

Final Analysis 1984

Orwell wasn’t accurate in his vision of the future. The society in the book was more advanced then we are today not to mention 1984. The whole idea of the Party and rewriting history doesn’t happen today. Maybe it does to a small extent but people are aware of what happened in the past and aren’t brainwashed into believing lies. The telescreens in the novel are a good representation of today’s national security or spying. The government is developing security in order to prevent from a national crisis however; when does it become too much. When will the government start to know too much about our personal lives. Orwell could also be correct when he talks about family at the end. O’Brien explains how the party has cut the link between child and parent, man and man, woman and man. “No one dares trust a wife or a child or a friend any longer” (267). Orwell is on the right track with this frame of mind. If society continues to rely on technology, including cell phones, computers, emails, we will lose touch of each other. There will no longer be socialized friendships or relationships even between family members. If people aren’t aware of what could happen to future generations and the risk of moving forward too fast with technology and new ideas, it is very likely that society will lose family, friendships, trust. Everything will become a lie; even our history.

North Korea

Should the United States seek negotiations and engagement with North Korea?
Although Victor D. Cha seems like he would know more about the situation with North Korea, being in Asian Studies and Asia director, I believe David C. Kang makes a better argument. David Kang points out the facts. The U.S. and North Korea are in a relationship depending on suspicion. Kang makes the point that with the views the U.S. holds on North Korea it's no doubt they feel threatened. And as North Korea feels threatened they will remain on guard and unwilling to cooperate. "A North Korea that feels threatened and perceives the U.S. administration to be actively attempting to increase pressure on it is unlikely to trust the United States" (176). Both the United States and North Korea need to work and begin to trust each other by "building confidence in the other". No relationship works without trust; even a relationship between countries. Both countries need to work to fulfill responsibilities on the framework. "The United States and North Korea are still technically at war--the 1953 armistice was never replaced with a peace treaty" (179). So yes, the United States needs to seek negotiations with North Korea, not simply sit back or refuse because of our past with the country. Isolating and continuing to pressure North Korea will only heighten their threatened emotion and cause more conflict.