Choose one of the following prompts and respond in a 6-8 sentence paragraph.You should read all posts made by your classmates and must reply to at least two of your classmate's posts. Replies should be thoughtful, relevant, and at least three sentences. One of your replies must be to a topic that is different from the one about which you wrote. You might want to type your post as a Word document first and then copy and paste it to the blog. Proofread all posts before submitting!
1. Some people believe that " ... politicians must be concerned only with winning votes, not statesmanship or courage" (p. 2). Discuss how this statement is either true or false based on an example from recent history or news. What is your opinion?
2. Kennedy discusses three pressures faced by political leaders which make it difficult to follow a path of courage (pp. 4-11). Choose one of these pressures and explain it. Explain also why this pressure makes it difficult to act with political courage.
3. "Always do what is right, regardless of whether it is popular" (p. 11). Explain why this is easier said than done. Provide a specific example from history, the news, or from your own life.
1. Some people believe that " ... politicians must be concerned only with winning votes, not statesmanship or courage" (p. 2). Discuss how this statement is either true or false based on an example from recent history or news. What is your opinion?
2. Kennedy discusses three pressures faced by political leaders which make it difficult to follow a path of courage (pp. 4-11). Choose one of these pressures and explain it. Explain also why this pressure makes it difficult to act with political courage.
3. "Always do what is right, regardless of whether it is popular" (p. 11). Explain why this is easier said than done. Provide a specific example from history, the news, or from your own life.
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ReplyDeleteJohn F. Kennedy states in his book “ The first pressure to be mentioned is a form of pressure rarely recognized by the general public. Americans want to be liked – and Senators are no exception. They are by nature – and out of necessity – social animals.” This statement is true even to today. Humans’ crave attention we want the approval of our friends and our colleagues. This makes it hard for a person or Senator to step out of his comfort zone and use courage in making decisions. The Senator wants the approval of the public and his colleagues in Washington, but if he knows that a certain decision will change the nation for the better. The consequences of not being liked for a short period of time is something one must consider when making a decision in politics. A philosopher Niccolo Machiavelli once said “Whether it better to be loved more than feared or feared more than loved” this is a great quote and I chose it because it relates to this topic perfectly because one must choose to either make the hard decisions and have the people respect you or to get the approval of the people and your colleagues and not be able to make one’s own choices but have the choices made for you because we crave that approval of another.
ReplyDeleteKatherine, your writing is eloquent and your use of quotations helpful and witty. I like that you included the quote of another philosopher, taking reliable outside sources and using them to your advantage. Altogether I think you did a fantastic job.
DeleteKatherine, this is a very well-written response. I am impressed by the language you use, and how you make reference to another philosopher to get your point across.
DeleteKatherine, this is a very well thought out response. I totally agree with what you stated. The quote you chose related to this because Senators make decisions everyday and not all their decisions are going to be liked. Senator and people make decisions to please others, but we must think of ourselves. It is better to be respected for you are than to be respected for who you are not.
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ReplyDelete"The third and most significant source of pressure... is the pressure of his constituency, the interest groups, the organized letter writers, the economic blocs and even the average voter." Kennedy talks of how people will fall to cowardly acts for a vote. To stick your neck out for what you believe in is to possibly ruin your career; voters are insatiable and inconsistent and thus difficult to get the votes of. Courage is stifled by the desire to be re-elected, and voters just make that much more difficult by being erratic. Kennedy uses the example of two groups talking with him, one demanding that a business be shut down because they were too much competition, another consisting of workers from that same business that feared for their jobs. It is hard to be courageous when so many people look up to you, all expecting you to do something different.
ReplyDeleteI like what you wrote Dana ^_^ Do you think that this is where the compromising he spoke of comes in?
DeleteIt's a vicious cycle; people won't vote for you if you don't say or do the things that they want you to, but they don't want you to lie even if you believe these things. People, especially those running for any type of political position, must find some happy medium where they can express at least some of their thoughts as well as the crap that the people want so badly to be fed. We complain and complain about this, but we're the root of the problem. Open your eyes people!
DeleteVery well written Dana. I like how you added your quote at the beginning. The way you mention courage is great.
DeleteThis is a very well written Dana. I like how you incorporate examples into your paragraph. It is so very true of what Senators have to go through and what choice they have to make. Whether to be courageous or be the same...
DeleteVery well written. You provide examples and you're choice of words is great!
DeleteJust to clarify: I chose the second question.
ReplyDelete"Always fo what is right, regardless of whether it is popular" is way easier said than done because when you are around your friends or peers and they are all smoking and drinking at a party you sometimes may get pressured to do it to. When the new freshman sits alone in the hallway and everyone picks on him/her you may lose some friends if you go sit with them, or get called names because you did what was right instead of picking on them. A specific example would be last year when I was walking down senior hall, I found a fifty dollar bill on the ground and picked it up and told Mr. Steinsland. A few people asked me why I had turned it in instead of keeping it, and I said because it is the right thing to do. Later that month i got called to the office and they gave me the fifty dollars because no one had came to claim it. -*Moral of the story, always do what is right, it will help you out in the long run.*-
ReplyDeleteBeautiful story Kaitlin, you are a good person. I like the way you described what you find to be right and gave specific examples; one of which was a personal story. That adds a very nice personal touch to your point.
Delete"Always do what is right, regardless of whether it is popular". This saying is true, because it doesn't matter if your popular or not. Being popular isn't going to get you threw life, it isn't going to help you threw finical needs, and it really isn't going to help you when you're laying on you're bed crying all alone. Yes having friends to gossip to is fun and all, but you dont need 100's of them. Honestly those people aren't even your friends. There people who want to fit in. So helping someone out when they are being picked on is better than being the person that is helping bully. Its also better to be the one to stand up and don't do drugs when your "friends" are because their the ones that are going to get in trouble, not you. My best-friend is home with a baby that is her's because she wanted to fit in and not be the only one who hasn't "lost it".
ReplyDeleteYour story is great and very meaningful.
DeleteI choose Subject 3.
ReplyDeleteIndeed, this is much easier said than done. If your opinions stray from that of the majority, you need to act as though you were walking on egg shells. With the way our political system works, watchdogs will jump over any ideological deviation from America's centrist and rightist norms, and, because most Americans are ignorant of things besides the norms of the U.S.'s center and right, they fear these things that deviate, and your political career may as well be over. This is obviously not universally true, and can vary between geographic regions, but it holds consistent for most Americans. If we're talking Highschool level, saying certain things in given situations can result in ostracization and social isolation.
These atmospheres can make expressing too much deviations an iffy proposition.
DeleteWade once again you amaze me with your dizzying intellect. Also i'm now proud of myself because I finally got to use that in a sentence! WOOT! Now onto business, as i'm going to try and refrain from losing control like that again. As you said, this quote becomes especially moot at the high school level, because acting against the grain basically makes you three things instantly, 1. An outcast, 2. An oddity, and 3. Everyone quickly learns your name for all the wrong reasons. I'd also like to say that when you bring politics into it this statement may as well be ignored, because all politics is is going with the grain and garnishing support from those who share the same ideals as you.
DeleteI chose subject 3
ReplyDeleteEveryone wants to be liked. This statement is mentioned several times throughout the first passage. That statement, "Everyone wants to be liked.", is the sole reason why it is so difficult to do what is right. If you do what is right, then you will not be like, so we decided to remain silents and let bad things happen. A perfect example of this is bullying. Students let it happen because they are afraid that if they stand and stop what is going on, then they will be shunned. However, if you stay silent and let it go one you keep your status. This is a very hard decision to make for anyone in school or out of school, and this is something people deal with every day.
This is very true :) I didn't even think about it like that :p Even though everyone wants to be liked, you can never completely please the masses of society. But I think that we should at least strive to do what it is right in this crazy world anyway :)
DeleteVery well-written Jared. I like how you referenced "keeping status". It seems to me that teenage society will do anything to be cool amongst their peers.
DeleteJared, it isn't necessarily true that you won't be liked for doing the right thing. I know from experience that if you stand up for someone being bullied, they will treasure what you have done greatly. Yes, this may mean that the bully will dislike you, but they'll get over it. As long as you like yourself, nothing else really matters.
DeleteNicely stated response to the question, and great example from a current issue.
DeleteThis is true because it is so much easier to do something the immoral way and take the easy way out than to do something the hard and right way. "Focus on your heart, not your performance. If your heart is right, your performance will catch up."
DeleteJared well stated, it is always easy to do something the wrong way than to do the right thing. It is always easy for us to do something that is wrong than to do what is right.It is true if you chose to do the right thing than you will not be liked and people will hold that against you. But i will also agree with Amelia not everybody will hold it against you, there are a few people who will like what you did.
DeleteAgreed. People are scared to be bullied or shunned as you say for being adjacent to the crowd. Good reply Jared!
DeleteI agree, but i don't think its so much that we want to be liked as much as it's were afraid to stand up, which is where our courage should jump in.
DeleteThis is very true Jared, and the bullying example was a great, although very common, example.
DeleteI chose subject 3:
ReplyDelete“Always do what is right, regardless of whether it is popular”, this is easier said than done because when you see others do something that you know is wrong, you just want to join them and act like the cool kid. We should never try to be someone we are not, even though temptation might be there persuading us to do something, we must choose the right path. It is easier said than done because not everybody wants their friends to down grade them only because they did something that was right. For example when a new foreign exchange student is sitting alone at lunch and your friends are talking very disrespectfully about them, you should ignore what your friends are saying and talk to them, you should make them feel welcome. We must always put ourselves in that certain person shoe and see how we would feel if we were them, and what we would like others to do so that we wouldn’t feel miserable and unwelcomed. Being nice to others and doing what is right will lead you in the right direction.
This is very truthful. I did enjoy the part about being in their shoes, for this is always what we are told to do. The problem is that few do it, and you are correct in saying that it will lead you in the right direction.
DeleteSubject 1, I Choose You! x)
ReplyDeleteI believe that of course anyone can win an election if they have enough votes but that only shows that you had the ability to win. Everyone has the ability to do everything, what makes the difference is weather or not you truly deserve to win. In my opinion, generality goes much farther than glittering your appearance. Usually in times of elections we constantly see commercials of candidates practically begging or trying to brainwash you into giving them your vote. Personally I feel that it is best to research candidates so that your decisions are not based on merely what you have been told or lead to believe. Challenge your own parents, maybe you have different political views then they do and that’s no problem as long as you are true to yourself. Although it does pay to get your name out there in a race, it doesn’t carry as much weight as your history, unless the people voting for you in your district are like I said before, completely oblivious and lightly believe everything that they are told. So I declare that this statement is false although I rambled a little. Sorry :p
Alrighty... first and foremost, love how you decided on your subject there. Pokemon references are way too underrated these days. Secondly, I have to agree with what you said, especially when you used the word, "brainwash." That, you see, is JUST what it is at this point. I also agree with another statement you made... " Challenge your own parents, maybe you have different political views then they do and that’s no problem as long as you are true to yourself." In my opinion the only way to see JUST how you feel about politics is to get into an argument with someone. You learn quite quickly just how important some things are to you, and just how unimportant others are.
DeleteQuite true :) I argue with people about this kind of stuff all the time x) haha and so many children believe the ideas of their parents without even finding out things for themselves. No one knows everything, although we do possess the ability to try and learn all that we can :)
DeleteI Chose Subject 3.
ReplyDeleteJohn F. Kennedy's quote, "Always do what is right, regardless of whether it is popular", is way easier said then done. When in relation to my personal life, people, particularly of teenage years, always fall in with the crowd. Just because your friends or whatever group you may be associated with, do something wrong, does not mean you have to do it. Because in reality, you know what the difference between right and wrong is. You, as an individual have to trust in yourself follow your heart, and have the courage to just say no. The same thing goes for bullying, which is the most common harassment amongst high-school kids today. Just because your group of people may be insulting or degrading another student, doesn't mean you have too. Be that person who stands up for what is right, and serve as a leader, be an example. Just simple words of kindness to that person who is being bullied can alter their whole lives. Kindness, may save that persons life. Be that person who leads by example, in all aspect of life.
Great response to the question, and how you inputed what is a good quality of a leader.
DeleteKindness is the key. Aspire to do great, and provide a remarkable example to others while doing so.
DeleteOn another note, shawty you fine. Gimme dem digits. ;)
Good response. I like how you ties in leadership, kindness and how it plays in our teen years.
DeleteThis is a great response I like how you compared it to everyday life, like stuff in school. Kindness is a good thing, so very true.
DeleteThis is very touchy, and i think that we should do this. The thing is we see this, and we know this, but we don't do this.
DeleteTOPIC THREE!
ReplyDeleteAs far as what he said goes, while true it's not always easy. To give a counter argument, it may not even be WISE to do what is different in all aspects of life. Indeed, it can and would most likely be highly dangerous. Allow me to give example, one that many people probably have made and/or will make, I don't know, I haven't read the comments and probably won't until after I send this in. Let us take a look at World War Two era Germany, if I may be allowed to go full on stereotype. Speaking out against the nazi regime would instantly earn you two things: An evil glare from your neighbors, and a late-night visit from the secret police. Fun, right? But, you say, Matt, that is just what JFK is saying here! Do what's right no matter what! But I say, WOULD you? WOULD you do it? WOULD you risk yourself, your family, and your entire social circle for the simple ability to say that you did what was right? Indeed, if you want a true example of why it is easier said than done, just look at yourself during my next hypothetical. Say that somehow another dictator takes over the US, and starts another halocaust. Would you fight it, or would your survival instinct take over and make you refuse? That's what I thought. Easier said than done.
That seriously just altered my entire mood. This is why I love you Matt. You're going far, kid. <3
DeleteD'awww... thanks Jessica. Makes me feel all smart and stuffs.
DeleteAs far as altering moods, i'm just glad I can help. If I can present a good enough argument to make someone consider the other side... I think i've accomplished what it was I set out to do, non?
Subject three :D
ReplyDeleteToo often we confuse the right thing with what seems to be common opinion. Is something right simply because others around you say so? Many people make decisions based on what their peers, family members, or even people the may not be fond of believe; this comes from the undying, unsatisfied need to feel accepted and supported. It's so much easier to stand for something when you aren't doing it alone, but that really doesn't make it right. It's so inhuman, in my opinion, to do something that feels wrong to you. Our instincts should be what we focus on, but this is rarely the case anymore. I've been faced with many pressures in life, this is inevitable for us all. You have to keep looking up, you have to keep doing what's right regardless of what's thrown your way. Only when you do things right, for the right reason, will the right things happen to and for you; if you try to underhand life, do things the easy way by taking short cuts and using cheats, you will get stuck in a loop. Life doesn't work like this. It's a game. One that you must play by the rules. Of course, there is no handbook provided at birth telling you which path to take, but this is why mistakes are so important! You learn from them, and create your own guide, one that you can pass on to your kids, one that they can pass on to their kids and so on and so forth. The right thing may not always be easy to obtain, nothing worth having is, but it's ALWAYS for the best in the long wrong.
This isn't the best example, but I'm not going to get too personal with you guys.
My older sister was seventeen when she was given an ultimatum: get a job, or move out. Being the hard-headed young child she was, she decided to move out... She moved in with her boyfriend. Shortly after, she discovered she was pregnant. Now, as you can imagine, my parents were extremely disappointed and upset. They talked about her in horrible ways, said terrible things about her, and, even worse, allowed others to say bad things about her. We all know that negativity only brings more negativity, so one day I decided that someone needed to look at the bright side. (At the time, I didn't see one, so I polished the dull side. Whatever works, right?) I began mentioning the good things about her; she's very caring, loving, dedicated, and hard working, when she wants to be. I knew she would be a great mother, and I was right. This upset my parents, because I wasn't on their "side," whatever that's meant to mean. The only side I was taking was my own. Why speak badly of something you can't change? Sure, it hurts. But speaking about it only makes it worse. You have to live. You have to let it go. Otherwise the weight of the world you have created will weigh you down, causing you to drown in the misery that you caused yourself. There's only one person responsible for how you feel: you.
May I personally say that using a personal story was personally the best way to get your point across in my personal opinion, personally?
DeleteThere, now that i've abused that word horribly... I enjoy how much detail you went into with your reply. I think that you managed to touch base on several good points.
Jessica, this is absolutely amazing and everyone can tell you wrote it from your heart. You have been through so much and keep your head held high making everyone happy around you because you are just so happy. I love your definition of what is right and what is wrong and your example was very well written and true.
DeleteJessica, you write so beautifully and fluently! Your use of language is amazing. I loved your example, you can tell you took a lot of time on this.
DeleteThis is an amazingly written blog. It shows the person you are through your writing. You emotionally grab anyone who reads this. So beautiful Jess!
DeleteJessica oh my goodness. This is so well written. I think adding a personal story really did get your point across. Very well written!
DeleteQuestion 3.
ReplyDelete"Always do what is right, regardless of whether it is popular" why this is easier said than done? This is easier to be said then done, because by yourself you have no one else to judge you; but when in public you think of the way you want to be looked at. People everywhere judge you in either a good or bad way. For some it is easier to do what is wrong when everyone else expects it. An example of this is group bullying. One time when I was in middle school we all would be in a group and pick on the one that is the most "different". One person will start the insults and then the next and next until everyone in the group has said something. Now before it was easy to say you would do the right thing and stop the bullying, but now that you are in the situation you feel pressured. One reason no one stands up for the one kid is because they are scared to be looked down to themselves. It is harder to do what is right, when others are doing what is wrong.That is because you do not want to be judged badly by others.
Joey i respect you very much for this. You are just right this applies very much to group bullying more then anything because this is when you truly get looked down on if you try to stop it.
DeleteI agree this makes group bully extremely hard to stand up for, even if it is the right thing to do. Also, good example.
"Always do what is right, regardless of whether it is popular."(page 11)
ReplyDeleteThis is a statement we will always here in life. Doing what is right is a great philosophy to have. It is so much easier to say we will do the right thing then actually doing it. In today's society, many people have good intensions, but get distracted by what the world wants them to do. When we are with others we tend to want to do what they do even if it isn't right, which is very wrong. All the time in high school you will see people get bullied. Do you think it is a good thing to just set there and watch them? No, not at all! For example, Mr. Stensland said two people left in our grade because they were being bullied and didn't feel like they belonged. One was someone who I considered a good friend, and I didn't even realize what was going on. That's the problem with us today, we get so caught up in something that we can't establish the difference between right and wrong and we follow the path most traveled which leads to a lot of troubles in life.
“Always do what is right, regardless of whether it is popular.” This is easier said than done because it’s natural to want to “fit in” with the crowd even when you know that whatever the “in” crowd is doing may not be the right thing. It’s hard to have good morals during certain situations, but you should always think everything through thoroughly before you go through with it. A good example would be a group of kids are partying and drinking and you may think that you want to do it too because it’s the “cool” thing. Ask yourself, “Is this really the right thing to do? Will I regret it later?” It may be hard to resist and you may be made fun in the process, but you’ll have the pleasure of knowing that you did the right thing.
ReplyDeleteI agree with your evaluation of the given statement. It is easier to follow the crowd even if that involves making bad decisions. We need to follow our morals and do what is right.
DeleteI love love love all the thought, creativity, and humor that each of you puts into your blog comments and replies. Keep up the good work!!
ReplyDelete#2
ReplyDeleteSenators are no exception to the desire to be liked by your colleagues. The challenge senators face in this respect is being made to compromise. If many of a senator's colleagues and fellow party members are agreeing on compromise for a bill, and the senator has concealed feelings of disdain for said bill, he or she would likely not have the courage to take a stand against it. The second principle of politics is "all politics is collective action." Politicians must work together and collectively to solve problems, and once a common ground is found, he or she who stands against that would more than likely be ostracized. There was one member of Congress who voted against President Roosevelt's plea to enter a state of war against Japan, a young Representative from Montana named Jeanette Rankin. Jeanette later gained the moniker 'Japanette'.
"Always do what is right, regardless of whether it is popular." This statement is easier said than done. The reason is because it is human nature to conform to society. Therefor, this can lead to the making of poor decisions. We humans will veer away from our morals for the purpose of fitting in to what is considered the “popular crowd.” For example, some teenagers have been pursuing the use of drugs. Society considers this to be “cool” and “fun.” The teenagers avoid their morals to fit in with the popular crowd. Wrongful decisions have bad results. People need to stand up for what is appropriate and morally right, even if that involves doing what is not considered to be “popular.”
ReplyDeleteThis is a great analysis. I especially like the part where you say teenagers "avoid" their morals, saying that they have them, they just choose not to show them.
DeleteQuestion 3.
ReplyDeleteThe quote given in question 3 is easier said than done because now a days in the society we live in, everyone goes for the "popular" thing. What is popular anyway? What is BEING popular? I mean if you really think about it the best thing you can get is something everyone does. People these days need to do their own thing instead of being a follower to other people. Doing what is popular is such a drag, you copy someone else because you think, "oh it's cool."...No it isn't, simple as that. Especially in the world we live in today bullying is a big thing! This world makes right seem wrong and wrong seem right. This warps our minds into believing whatever we do is okay when we know if we do the right thing we will be the ones people look at differently. So what if someone looks at you differently? At least in your future and or in your mind you wont be regretting a decision you made when you was younger to as simply skipping a meeting, to bullying someone, to committing a crime. All will lead you to have your mind set of doing what is right or what is wrong. Common sense plays a big role in this as well. Most people have the common sense to know right and wrong, some people have to learn it. This is a life thing everyone needs to go through so it is best to learn early, do what is right as soon as you can.
"This world makes right seem wrong and wrong seem right." This quote comes right from the Bird Cage skit with Jesus and the Devil. I think your overall message was well written and though provoking. Also, I like how you mention that this is life and everyone has to experience it one way or the other.
DeleteQuestion 3
ReplyDelete“Always do what is right, regardless of whether it is popular.” This quote is way easier said than done. I think a lot of people do the things they do just to fit in. People are scared that others want except them if they don't do whatever everyone else is doing. I know there have been situations in my life were I've just went along with the crowd instead of doing what was right. I think everyone struggles with this. Everyone feels that need to be "accepted."
Subject 3:
ReplyDelete"Always do what is what is right, regardless of whether it is popular"
I think everyone would believe that this is easier said then done because no one wants to be known as the one who didn't do something like everyone else, and then be put down for it. I know from previous experiences that you have your friends at the time and maybe then they seem great but they get to talking and they will want to do something and in the back of your mind you will know it is wrong but of course you will want to do it to be "normal" and fit in. this is why doing the right thing is always harder said than done. But all in all you just need to to what you know is right and good things will come to you.
"Always do what is right, regardless of whether it is popular." this statement couldnt be more true, likewise, its easier said than done. when you have to make the right decision and you REALLY want to choose that way, but you know its against popular belief.. yet if you make the other decision everyone will love it. you have to choose between doing right, or what is popular.
ReplyDeleteQuestion 3:
ReplyDeleteI believe always doing what is right rather than what is popular is very, very difficult in many situations. For example, if your friends are cheating on a quiz that the teacher gave you little to no preparation for it can be very tempting to cheat and if you don't cheat there is a possibility they will give you a hard time about not cheating too, but in the end you did what was right and because you know that you can feel better about yourself as a person. It's very easy for anyone to say what is right and what is wrong but it is much harder to do what is right. We face an unimaginable amount of decisions every day from the time we wake up till the time we go to bed again. It would be much easier and less stressful for us to just say okay and do what is popular and easier so that we wouldn't have to fight the lash of doing something unpopular that may be right but doesn't look it at first glance.