Not a "Cowboy" Tone (Blog 16)

     They love their job. They come to know more animals than people. They do not complain. Traits descibed by Gretchen Ehrlich in her essay About Men don't exactly sound like cowboy traits, but, according to her, they are; and more accurate than the stereotypical cowboy traits at that.
     At times Ehrlich describes the stereotypical cowboy. She uses examples such as the Marlboro Man and describes men who have calloused hands and a sun-baked face. However, she does this with a sarcastic tone that creates a feeling that see doesn't believe the stereotypes. She shares experiences with actually cowboys using a different tone. Her tone is warm and respecting as she tells the stories of Wyoming cowboys. The tone change helps the reader to believe in her actual cowboys above the stereotypes seen in movies because it is straightfoward and not sacastic.

Breakdown of Secrecy (Blog 15)

According to Sante, secrecy is a thing of the past. In his essay, Secrets We Tell, he discusses three reasons for the breakdown of secrecy: The Soviet Union/KGB, media, and the internet. He cites the Soviet Union as a breakdown of secrecy because of they way they used information sharing and secrets to help their society. The media and the internet are certainly also enemies of secrecy. Gossip has become a huge public industry, creating a need for all kinds of tabloids, gossip television shows, and blogging. With the help of this network of information sharing, secrecy is not an option. Secrets, especially those concerning public figures, are constantly shared via the internet and media, most often without the secretholder's consent.

Teaching Values (Blog 14)

     On a school day, a student spends about half of their waking hours at school. Since so much time is spent at school, some schools have taken it upon themselves to teach their students values and morals, to "raise" them. Yet, with such a range of values different families and groups believe in, what morals need to be taught? Should a child recieve a good citizenship award for standing up to a bully when his or her family may not believe in being assertive with abusers?
     These personal values should not be taught in schools, but rather, at home. Topics such as how to treat a friend, how to solve conflict, and how to conduct oneself in public are, for the most part, a matter of opinion. With the exception of extreme or violent behavior, most ways to deal with these situations are viable and a matter of opinion.
     Of course, schools should back up common sense values. These include things like don't come to school with weapons or no clothing on, things that can cause legitimate trouble in the outside world. Still, as far as opinion values go, they should be taught at home.