Blog #37-Jaiden Chan- Period 2- 5/14/2020

Aim: How and why does Winston manage to resist the manipulative power of language and mob mentality?

Class Notes:

We started off class by discussing bias, influence, and manipulation. Ms.Peterson used the example of bias within the classroom and favoritism to explain how it may be seen as unfair. Is it fair that one student is given special privileges over another? No, it is not. Another example given was the rewarding of points for snitching on other classmates. Relating to this, in the book 1984, fear and manipulation is used to praise Big Brother. Both in the book, and the classroom example, rewards are given for doing the wrong thing for someone. Specifically, Winston did not give into the manipulation and mob mentality, unlike the other youth around him. 

What is it like working from home?:

From all honesty, I like working from home. I can set my own schedule that fits with my daily routine. Everything is so much more flexible and I can freely choose when to do things and in whatever order. Working from home allows you to do things at your own pace. However, I feel that I’ve been given more work than what I normally am given. Even though I feel I am given more work, it is manageable. 

Team Activity:

The class started a team activity where we were to imagine we were the mayor for NYC. In his shoes, we needed to create slogans/mottos for NYC. These are some of the slogans our classmates came up with:

• “A rich city with poor people”
• “Rich water with the dirtiest streets”
• “Poverty is wealth”
• “Stay at home and go to work”
• “Questions are ignorant”
• “The big apple is just a vegetable”

Double Thinking- taking the contradicting ideas, knowing the fabrication, but believing in both sides. 

^Example given by the teacher: If you are told 1+1=5, you choose to believe it because your higher up said so. Even though you know it's not true, you choose to believe it. This leads to mass brainwashing and further manipulation. 

Covid-19 Virus Updates:

Symptoms-

• Trouble breathing
• Persistent pain or pressure in the chest or abdomen
• New confusion 
• Blue lips or face
• Difficulty speaking
• Sudden face drooping
• Numbness in the face, arm, or leg
• Seizure
• Any sudden and severe pain
• Uncontrolled bleeding 
• Severe or persistent vomiting or diarrhea

As of May 12, 2176 people are infected with Covid-19. There are over 338K confirmed cases and 21845 deaths in the United States. As of right now, everyone should be practicing social distancing and basic health and safety protocol. 

Thoughts on the situation:

I don’t mind being in quarantine. There are many pros and cons. On the plus side, I can work on my goals and create my own schedule. On the other hand, I really miss all my friends and after school activities. I think everyone should stay home and practice social distancing. 

Reflection:

(What did I learn, why did I learn it, how will I use what I learned?)

The main takeaway from today's lesson is the power of manipulation and mob mentality. I learned about mob mentality in classroom scenarios, then tying it into the book 1984. I learned this to further understand the purpose of 1984 and to have a deeper understanding of brainwashing. I will use what I learned to be cautious of the media and what people tell me. Even if information is conveyed by an influential figure, doesn’t mean it's true.