Public Discourse (Namiki)

As I presented in the last class, my topic is censorship of the internet and social media around the world. During my research so far, the most interesting and somewhat terrifying fact is the control of governments over the citizens who are brainwashed with the limited knowledge and information. Main reasons of censorship include protecting the government’s reputation and preventing conflicts caused by political or religious division and movements. These are more reasonable when they have authoritarian political system. However, blocking information from outside to control people is horrific for me who is able to know, learn and study without any restrictions.   Because I’m a native Japanese and (unfortunately) biased about certain neighboring Asian countries, I used to feel that the people of these countries are crazy, really crazy! They act as the leader want them to, and they say what the leader want them to. Now, I know how they have no choice to know the reality, which made me

One of my favorite shows on Netflix is called, Locked Up. I know it sounds weird to say that I like that show, and I don’t even know why I like the show. A reporter/speaker goes into different prisons which are famous for being harsh. The prisoners have different background, crimes that they committed, and races. Still, it is a show on Netflix, and we cannot say one thing from an entertaining document, but I believe watching the show makes me think about what the causes are and how they ended up being locked up while some of them have children and families whom they love. Not only from the reading but also with my observation of many incidents involving young black males and police officers, I always think about education and parenting. Before talking about how we can change the society by putting ideas on system and justice, I believe we should focus on the fundamental cause of these deaths and violence. Education is valuable, which some people do not believe. Having this opp

The first show I have thought of, regarding representations of a real woman’s life, was the show called, Being Mary Jane . This show is about a woman, Mary Jane Paul, who successfully became a TV reporter. I wouldn’t say this show describes lives of all women, but it describes how women have hard time having a balance with work and life very well. Mary Jane struggles with going through her relationships, marriage, and taking care of her own family while she tries to be successful as a reporter on a famous TV program. I feel this show tells us that women “have to strive” to be successful and usually alone if not lucky. There are successful working women who have supportive families including their husbands, but I also feel that having college degree makes women want to work for a better job. When women hope to work for better jobs, they tend to face the fact that they have to think about marriage and pregnancy. When they decide to be a mother, they tend to end up quitting their jobs

I believe that social media gives positive impact on social activists but also can have negative outcomes when they use it more than enough. By using social media, activists can have easier access to their communities and become able to have more attentions from the society. For instance, when we don’t have enough time to be active joining movements or activities, we can tend to participate online and be an “online activist.” When more people talk online, the media also start talking about activists and their movements. At the same time, as social media allows people to speak up and type what they are really feeling, they do not have specific targeted audience or even enemies in front of them. I feel that when people don’t have targeted audience or when they are in their comfort zone with people who have the same opinions, they can satisfy with just typing their thoughts online. In my view of people trying to be activists online, I feel that making comments or posting status about

My Major is Business and I Have Music Class By Namiki Tanaka APR. 18, 2017 Last summer when I went back home in Japan, my mother introduced me to her friends and proudly said, “She wanted to study psychology in the United States, and now she is getting a master’s degree.” I was very confused. Every time I told my parents what I was studying in college, they gave me questioning looks. In 2015, I earned my bachelor’s degree in global studies with emphasis of international business. My parents even came to see me walking on the stage; they still don’t know what exactly I studied unless I explain again and again. Sitting in my biology class, back in 2011, I was wondering why I had to learn about a subject that I would not use after the final exam and studied in high school. In the first two years of college, I went to a community college before transferring to a four years institution. In the community college, more than one professor said, “Well, I’m assuming that you

There are different college education systems in different regions of the world. For one of my op-eds, I am going to discuss about how the U.S. college education does not have to be for four years.