Me At The End

I had meant to write this blog on time for symbolic purposes, but that didn't work. I am happy I waited. The wait allowed me to be more thoughtful about the topic. I am a good thinker, but not a good writer. I will not be able to fully express my feelings in the way that I had hoped, but I am quite excited to write this  blog.  This topic  is the best thing that I could write about at this time in my life. I am leaving Whitney Young High School and headed to the Ohio State University. It is an end of an era, but also a beginning. It is a bittersweet feeling. I love Whitney Young for everything that it has given me and would not trade my experiences for anything on Earth.

The best way for me to think about me at the end is the thing about how I was at the beginning. I have never been one to completely put my feelings out there, and that will not change now. I would like to keep the past in the past and continue to look forward as I go on in my life. I can say though that Whitney Young taught me a great deal about people. I think that the thing that I will value the most is the diversity. I met some of the coolest, most driven, beautiful people over the course of my four years. Words can not begin to express what I feel when I think about my last four years. I am grateful that I made the choice to come here, and even more grateful for those of whom that made my stay what it was.

In case you read this, Mr. McCarthy, I want to thank you for a GREAT year. I was not the best student in your class, but I hope that you enjoyed my stay in your class as much as I did. I learned a great deal about philosophy and enjoyed the conversations that we had while in class.

I like the idea of keeping a blog, but I doubt that I will ever write in this one again. If all goes as expected, this will be my last post. For anyone who reads my blog (I'm guessing only Mr. McCarthy) Thanks for the support, and I hope the best for you.

Until whenever, goodbye. It's been god

Sam Thompson

Letter to the Prospective Philosophy Student

Dear Prospective Philosophy Student,

Take this class. Chances are, you will never read this. Theoretically it wouldn't matter because you have already programmed, but still, take this class. Mr. McCarthy's philosophy class is by far the best class that I have ever taken. To me, it was the perfect mix of a cool fun atmosphere with a serious workload.

I admit that I wasn't the best student all the time in this class, but I still feel that I took a lot from this class. Mr. McCarthy is one of the coolest teachers that you will ever have and the conversations that you will have in the classroom will influence the way you think about a lot of things for a long time. My year and high school career at Whitney Young is coming to a bittersweet end, but I can honestly say that this philosophy class has been a steady bright spot in my senior year.

I am going to fall short of my required word count in this blog entry because I feel that I have told you everything that I need to. I can not make the decision for you to take this class, but I can say that you will not be disappointed if you make the choice to do so. It will be an experience that you won't soon forget.

Sincerely,

Sam Thompson
Philosophy - 5th Period
2010-2011

Thoughts about Earlier Thinking

Whenever I think about my thoughts earlier in the year, I immediately think about basketball and the way that I approached this season. Last January, I injured my ankle. I came back against the doctor's orders to play in the state tournament and then was forced to sit out for another two months. I came back towards the end of May and played about one month before injuring that side again. That  injury sidelined me virtually the entire summer. By the time I came back in September, I had virtually been injured for nine months straight. I was physically ready, but I was not mentally ready. For no fathomable reason, I did not come back and work on my game in the way that I had before the injury. Subsequently, my stock fell dramatically and I did not have a good season.

I do not know exactly what I was thinking with this whole situation, but I feel that the most valuable thing that I have learned over the course of the year is the value and need for hard work - both on and off the basketball court. I did not work particularly hard in school or on the court this year, and as a result the results were not good. The one thing that I know I HAVE to do next year in Ohio is work as hard as I possibly can on everything that I do. If I am able to do that, I will go a long way.

The blog, “Surrounded by Cuckoos, but I was the Crazy One” is in response to the novel, One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest. Personally, I felt that this was one of the better books that we read this year. It was more of an enjoyable read that the other books that we read. Malcolm X and the Invisible Man were outstanding  books, but they had more of a serious undertone than One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest. If I were to be reading for pleasure, I would likely choose One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest.

That being said, the title of the blog can be an interesting topic. It essentially brings up the argument of normal vs. abnormal. I think most would agree that McMurphy was not insane in the way that many of the other patients were. He was dangerous and a loose cannon to say the least, but he did not have the personality disorders that plagued the other patients. However, the person that steps in the other direction is generally referred to as the crazy one. The same can be said about society. If someone genuinely believes something that is not popularly accepted in society, they will likely be labeled as crazy. 


Most of this is just fear by those who doing the labeling. I am not one that is against conformity per se, but I do think that you will miss out on a great deal in life going with the grain. The safe and logical thinking is to do what has been laid out for you, but a lot is to be said for those of whom do things their own way.

Together

I am all about togetherness. Together is always better than alone. Being happy with someone else is always better than being happy alone, being sad together is always better being sad by your self and almost anything else that you can think of.

I think that I feel so strongly about the sense of togetherness because of my feelings on how a team should be and my feelings about my family. I have been on some for of team for virtually my entire life. As I've grown older, I've been able to understand more and more about what that means. My teammates at Whitney Young will be some of my best friends for the rest of my life. Your teammates are people that should always have your back. No matter what. That is what I have been taught - that you are going to war with your teammates and the only way to have the best possible outcome is to be as close knit a group as possible. The same is to be said about family. There is nothing on the planet that I would not do to preserve the well being of my family. In my eyes, my family are the people that will always love me no matter what happens on this Earth.

If I consider you to be a good friend of mine, a teammate or if you are a close family member, I will do anything in my power to help you in any way that I can. I find myself to be a very loyal person in that sense.

Alone

Again, this blog is likely related to the Invisible Man. I am going to take this chance to talk about myself.

I often times feel like I am alone. Not physically, but in a deeper sense. I have a great support system with my family and friends, but I often times feel like I do not have people that I can talk to about certain things. One of my best friends (who will remain unnamed) has become that person in the past months that I open up to about certain things, but there is still a limit to what I can tell her. She does a good job of listening and I feel comfortable telling her things, but the fact is that she and I are different people, and she can not truly relate to what I am saying.

I am an introverted person, so I am comfortable with not telling people things. However, that does not break the feeling of loneliness that comes about ever so often. Overall though, I am not alone. I am very close to my family and a select group of people that I call my good friends.


I'm also weird and feeling pretty down right now, so I could just be talking out my ass.

Save the Earth, Do This!

Happy Earth Day blog readers. (Mr. McCarthy)

If there one thing that I would suggest for earth day, it would be water conservation. Often times, people waste water in a number of ways and do not realize the effects that they are having on the outer world. Our water supply will be a bigger and bigger topic as we continue to get older. Soon enough we will fight wars over water and all that good stuff.

Small things like keeping the water off when you brush your teeth, watering your plants at night, turning the water off when you are washing dishes etc... can go a long way when conserving water. Water is our planets most important and valuable resource, so it would serve us well to help save it.

Invisible

The blog is undoubtedly about the book "The Invisible Man"

I have very mixed feelings about the book. I am positive that I did not like it nearly as much as you do. As a rule, I don't read things having to do with racism in the 20th century. I feel that it is important to be educated in that arena, but hearing and reading things about it enrages me in ways words can not express. This book is not as graphic and painful as Malcolm X or some of the other books that I have read about the issue, but it is still similar enough to make me unhappy.

I think that the story line was clever and Ellison did an outstanding job sending his message through out the story. The story was interesting and kind of out of this world with everything that happened (Underground stealing power with thousands of lightbulbs, falling in a manhole, man impregnating his own daughter, riots in New York etc...) - It was definitely creative. Still, I do not overly enjoy books set in the middle of the 20th century.

I would likely not choose this book to read if i were reading for pleasure.

A Book to Read

A Book to Read

I am not a big reader. I would much prefer to watch movies. This is probably indicative of my personality. But, either way, I do not read very many books. I am going to make it a point in college to read more, because, frankly, my writing skills are suffering because of it. If I had to pick a book to recommend though, it would be one of the Harry Potter books.

I know that most people will say that I am “too old” and what not to be talking about Harry Potter in a class setting, but these are one of the few books that I have thoroughly enjoyed reading. Granted, I have not tried reading that many other books, but I thought that the Harry Potter series was stellar. J.K. Rowling created a series that I have loved literally since the first time that I read it. I remember that my father used to read the books to my brother, my sister and myself. I do not even remember what grade that was in. I want to say second or third grade, but I don’t know.

I love the series, and the ride that the books take you on, but I also love the memories that I have associated with the Harry Potter series. They were a constant fixture in my childhood, ever since my father began reading them to me. I remember going with my family to watch the movies, my father ordering multiple copies when they were released, etc. I wasn’t one of those super fans that dressed up as Harry and wore glasses, but I can accurately say that the Harry Potter series is my favorite series of books that I have read to date. 

Movie Review

I think that my favorite movie of all time is Inception. The combination of special effects, great plot, great casting and a great score rank it as one of the best movies that I have ever seen. I am shocked at how good it is every time I see it. BUT, I think that it wouldn’t be as cool to review because it was wildly popular. So, I am going to review my second favorite movie, Lucky Number Slevin.

Lucky Number Slevin is a film starring Josh Hartnett, Bruce Willis, Lucy Liu, Morgan Freeman, Stanley Tucci and Sir Ben Kingsley. I would describe it as a gangster type of film with sort of a drama, romance, thriller type of feel to it. There is a great cast and they work well together. I first saw the movie in Virginia while there for some sort of family gathering; probably Thanksgiving or something. My family has a tradition of watching a movie every time we go to my Uncle Michael’s house. My mother had already seen Lucky Number Slevin and recommended it to us. I loved the way that it toyed with my mind before clearly explaining everything. It is a slow movie, and there isn’t much action for long parts at a time, but it is wildly entertaining.

I can’t explain too much of the film without giving it away, but I would definitely recommend it to anyone and everyone who is a fan of good movies.

Art Review

Art Review

The movie, “Exit Through the Gift Shop” was interesting to watch. I am a huge fan of contemporary art, and that particular style. I admire what those artists are able to do, and the message that they send. I am a terrible artist, so their creativity and craftsmanship is amazing to me. It is truly one of the coolest and most interesting forms of art to me. However, I would have to say that my favorite artist is Ernie Barnes. I do not know much about painters other than what my parents have introduced me to. He is an artist that has been hanging in my house for as long as I can remember, and has really grown on me.

Barnes was born in 1938 in Durham, North Carolina. He was a stellar athlete, and has painted a number of pieces about sports. I love the detail and dramatic effect in his paintings. I originally grew fond of him because of the number of basketball paintings in my house done by him, but he has also done more than that. All of the pieces that I have seen are of black people. In writing this blog, I have found that it is hard for me to explain why I like him so much. But I do. He is without question my favorite artist.

We Have the Right

I imagine this is related to the film, Exit Thru the Gift Shop. I agree that we have the right to express ourselves creatively in whatever way we see fit, however there are limits. For example, if a graffiti artist were to tag my house, I would be pissed. By no means do they have the right to do that. So I'm going to change the direction of this blog. I'm going to say that we have the right to follow our own destiny. I take this to mean that we should be able to be what we want to me, and who we are capable of being.  Unfortunately though, this is not the case.

 I am writing this while reading, The Invisible Man. It is a late blog entry, I know, but I think that it is a perfect blog for the book. The invisible man in the book faces a number of obstacles that preclude him from being the person that he can be. As readers, we do not know what would have happened had some of these events not happened, however we do know that the outcome would have been different.

This is a complicated statement for me to back up because the adversity one faces throughout the course of their life is a large part of what makes them. I am not one that believes that people should not go through hard times in order to achieve their goals. But I do think that it is a tragedy when someone does not reach their full potential because they have not been allowed to follow their own destiny. 

X is Known

X is Known

I think that this is a bit of a false statement. Most people know who Malcolm X was, however, they do not know much more than that. I remember in US History not reading much about Malcolm X. There was a small paragraph, and that was about it. In my experience, the Civil Rights Movement is largely based around Dr. King. Dr. King is the more socially correct figure, and is easier to pick out as the “good guy.” It is hard to understand Malcolm X without having read his works. (Personally, I love MLK. This isn’t a knock on him. I agree with his views on civil rights and his methods of achieving them.)  

Usually, people view Malcolm X as an extremist. They often make the mistake of viewing Malcolm X as the person that hated white people, and was not interested in the same sort of things that other civil rights leaders at the time were interested in. This is in some ways true. However, he was much deeper than that. People are entitled to their opinions. But I strongly feel that if people knew more about him, he would not be viewed in such a way.  This is mainly why I disagree with the statement, “X is Known.”

X Marks the Spot

I am having trouble understanding what I am supposed to write about. Obviously, it is in some ways related to Malcolm X, and The Autobiography of Malcolm X. Outside of that, I'm pretty lost. The saying, “X Marks the Spot,” usually makes me think of pirate movies and treasure hunts. Maybe this is your way of saying that Malcolm X was of great importance? Who knows.

My initial thought is that the title is related to the importance of the novel, and/or Malcolm X as a human being. Malcolm was a person who influenced thousands of people all around the world to change their beleifs. He did so in a number of different ways; many of which were controversial. He, for one, changed his ways while he was in prison; he became a religious man, and stopped his life of crime to become a leader in the Nation of Islam. 

The same can be said about the book. The book was one of the most important pieces of literature in the twentieth century. I imagine that is has had a profound effect on a number of readers. There is no way of me knowing whether or not it has changed lives in any ways similar to the way Malcolm did as a person.

Either way, Malcolm was certainly a treasured figure in our history, and his legacy will live on for generations to come.

Album/Track Review

I'm going to go outside of my usual genre of choice, and review a rock song. The song, in keeping with this time of year, is "We Are the Champions" by Queen. I bought this song around this same time of year two years ago from iTunes. It was the day before we played De LaSalle for the secional championship game my sophomore year, and I was nervous. I bought the song, sort of as added motivation so that we could continue our goal of winning a state championship. I'm no fool, and I do not think that the song won us the state championship. However, it is a song that has stuck with me over the years as an all time favorite for my connection that I make with our state run.

I like the overall message. The lyrics relate to me in a number of ways. They basically say that through all of the troubles and hardships, we are the champions. Any team with championship aspirations must have the ability to fight through extreme adversity. I like the sound of the song, but more so than anything, I like the fact that it is preaching winning.

I Knows This Means Something

I imagine that this blog is aimed towards religion, as we are reading Malcolm X. However, I have chosen to write about something a little different. It seems that I have talked a lot about religion over the course of the year in this class, so I will do something different.

Although, I'm at a bit of a loss on what to write about. This blog is being written more than a month late. This is the first blog that I will have written in the second semester. I am writing this during the state tournament. My mind has been completely on basketball as my career is coming to a close. I have a maximum of twelve days left in my career, and I fully intend on playing it out until the end. All that I can think to do with an open title like this is think back on my career. Just as everyone told me, it flew by. I remember the first day of open gym my freshman year as if it was a few weeks ago. Sophomore year was a ride, to say the least. And junior year, like my sophomore and senior years, was full of unexpected twists, turns, and disappointments. All in all, though, I would not trade my experiences as a basketball at Whitney Young for anything in the world. I would be lying if I wrote that there weren't certain things that I do not regret, or wish didn't happen. I think about them every day. However, over the years, I've grown as a person. I've matured. I try to use them as a learning experience as that is the only other logical reaction.

Finally, I don't want this blog entry to seem as if I haven't enjoyed attending school at Whitney Young; I have genuinely enjoyed every day that I have walked through the doors. Nor do I want it to seem as if it is a good bye from the basketball program. 12 days is no time at all, and all the time in the world at the same time. It was just what was on my mind, so I know that it means something.

Good Food Review

I'm assuming that this has something to do with our assignment that we turned in. Unfortunately, I do not have the document saved that I turned in, so I'll have to go from the top of my head.



The restaurant that I chose for my partner, Victoria Thompson, to review was Portillo's. We went to the one downtown, and as always, we were thoroughly impressed with our experience. I ordered my usual bacon cheeseburger, fries and lemonade - my sister treated herself to an Italian Beef sandwich. Our meals were about ten dollars apiece; not exactly cheap, however it was worth every penny. The food was great. The fun atmosphere and decorations that included a number of Chicago sports memorabilia only added to our overall good time. The service was speedy and pleasant. I would recommend that anyone who is in the mood for good fast food try Portillo's.

The restaurant that my sister chose for me to review was a small burger joint around the corner from our house called, Orbit. Orbit is not a Portillo’s by any means. Their service is only okay, and the atmosphere is poor at best. Still, I was impressed with the food. I ordered another cheeseburger with fries. The food was cooked well, and it was at an affordable price. Orbit does not have the resources or desire to develop in to the lights of a Portillo’s. However, for their purpose, Orbit is more than satisfactory.

King still King?

Yes - In the figurative sense that Martin Luther King Jr. was the "king" of the civil rights movement, that statement is true.

Martin Luther King Jr. was one of the most recognizable figures in the civil rights movement. Dr. King was assassinated more than forty years ago, and as a result, his presence and impact on society has diminished. People in later generations can not fully grasp the affect that Dr. King had on society. No matter how much they have read about the troubles and hardships of African American citizens, or how many pictures they have seen of times before theirs, nothing can compare to living during the civil rights movement. King’s diminishing presence in the minds of American’s is an unavoidable fact of life. As time progresses, people forget. I am sure that people in earlier generations still appreciate all that King was able to do, and can relate first hand to the changes that he helped facilitate. Having said this, his actions during his life, and the lasting affect that they have had and will continue to have in our country are enough for him to still be thought of as an American king.

I'm a Shoe

If I were to be a shoe, I would have to be a retro Air Jordan - any of numbers 1-14. Jordan's can be worn as athletic shoes, or casual shoes. They are comfortable, yet stylish and made for performance. I like to think of myself as a versatile person and not just someone who is viewed as one dimensional. I am a good athlete, however, I would like to think that people view me for more than that. I am an intelligent young man, and furthermore, I am a good person.  I also think that I am able to adapt to a number of different situations. The idea that they are comfortable, yet stylish and made for performance relates to me in that I am a fun loving person yet I know when to get serious. I can crack jokes just as easily as i can have a serious conversation. That is why I feel that I should be an Air Jordan retro gym shoe.

Being a shoe would actually offer an interesting perspective on life. I am 6'7" tall, and often see the world from this height. If I was a shoe, I would see the world from a bug's perspective. Hopefully, my owner wouldn't get me dirty, and would treat me with care.

Winter Poem

I am not a poet. I am quite possible one of the worst poets in the northern hemisphere. Furthermore, I have nothing to say about winter.

Snow is nice

It reminds me of Christmas, and white rice

Happy Winter!

I'm more than prepared to take an F on this blog, Mac Daddy.

Globalization

After reading the book, "How Soccer Explains the World," and watching films such as "Capitalism: A Love Story" and "Pelada," I have a new perspective on my feelings towards globalization. From my understanding, globalization goes hand in hand with capitalism, which in many ways can be poor for economies. I do not pretend to be an expert on the subject of world economics, but from my viewpoint, globalization seems to be a negative idea for the masses. From my understanding, it offers the mega rich an easy and unethical way to get richer, and does not help the middle and lower class citizens in our country. Again, I don't understand most aspects of globalization. However, the spike in globalization rates in the last 30 years has been detrimental to the world economy. On the other hand, a global unity can be seen as a good thing. Different cultures in the world are going to have to continue to accept each other, and learn how to coexist if we are to survive in the world.


Views on Globalization will depend on how one feels the economy should function. Personally, I think that working from the top down is a bad way to solve our economic problems. However, a large number disagree with me and will feel better about globalizaion. 

Sports in My Life

It goes without saying that sports play a huge role in my life. Sports are something that I think about every day of my life. I do not remember the last day that I have not watched and/or played a sport. However, the role of sports in my life goes far beyond me being a fan. I am a member of our basketball team, and I will attend the Ohio State University next year on a basketball scholarship. Aside from the obvious financial gains of sports, sports have given me a new level of confidence and offered me a way to establish myself as an individual.

Some would argue that sports give children a false sense or security. While that may be the case, it gave me a sense of accomplishment. That confidence that I developed over the course of my career has translated in to other aspects of my life. Also, the way that I carry myself has carried over. I am poised and calm when faced with a crisis; a trait that I feel comes directly from basketball.

Sports has also helped with my sense of identity. My success in sports has separated me from siblings, relatives, friends, classmates etc. and given me a sense of self. In answer to the prompt, sports have played a huge role in my life and in shaping my personality. 

A Direction the Class Needs

I think that or class is moving in a good direction. It is by far my favorite class that I have ever taken, so I do not have very many complaints. The one complaint I do have is that at points, people do not take the class seriously. In turn, the class sometimes gets off topics for extended periods of time. However, that does not pose a huge problem. I think people enjoy taking this class, and they enjoy having the deep conversations during class.
At times, I wish some people would take the class more seriously. There are certain students, including me, that often crack jokes and disrupt the flow of class. As a result, Mr. McCarthy isn't able to teach us all of what he would otherwise be able to.

All in all, I am happy with our Philosophy class