Zombie Apocalypse

Almost 11 years ago, my friends and I decided to go watch one of the "best-critiqued" films of the time: Resident Evil. I had no idea what the film was about, and neither did most of the group, but we just decided to go because the trailer seemed interesting. I instantly regretted it as soon as the first zombies showed up on screen. Right after the movie was over, my friends and I started discussing the movie and we all came to the conclusion that we would never like to live through something like that.

Fast forward 11 years and now we are in a society that doesn't fear zombies anymore, instead people crave for a zombie apocalypse to happen. What has changed in the past decade that now we embrace the idea of a zombie apocalypse?

To answer this question, we must first look at the increased exposure to the topic of a zombie apocalypse. First of all, countless movies have been created on the topic, ranging from gory horror movies, to gory comedy movies, and to gory romantic movies. Action, horror, and comedy zombie movies portray the surviving humans as heroic and worthy role models, such as Zombieland which narrates the story of a group of survivors as they make their way through a zombie-infested area. The new genre, romantic zombie movies, allows the audience to either create a more sympathetic view of zombies, like Warm Bodies that recently came out in theaters that tells the story of a zombie who falls in love.

On the same line of portraying humans as heroes is the famous AMC series The Walking Dead which also narrates the story of a group of people who are still alive during a zombie apocalypse. The show portrays the survivors as highly skilled heroes in the art of shooting with a bow and arrow, a gun, or just being good at hand-to-hand combat. It comes as no surprise that people who watch these movies and TV shows aspire to be like the main characters, and therefore they embrace the idea of a zombie apocalypse in order to prove their abilities.

While yes, the idea of being skilled at fighting, or an excellent runner when it comes time to escape seems appealing, the realistic side of me would never want a zombie apocalypse because I remember that 12 year-old Dulce who came out terrified of the movie a decade ago, and in all honesty, present-day Dulce might react the same way if a zombie apocalypse were to happen.

Technology's effect on eating disorders

With the technology we have today, it is relatively easy to access the internet almost anywhere. We carry laptops, ipods, or smartphones capable of wifi so it is easier to stay connected. However this ease of access to the internet also creates more exposure to negative things. Eating disorders have been an issue among young girls, however the numbers of girls suffering from this disorders has increased in the past few years.

Erika Glass states that the increase in eating disorders is caused by the influx of images we get from the media every day. Glass mentions that the media idolizes celebrities and their physique and therefore more girls are trying to find ways to look like their idols. In her blog post, Glass references popular celebrities that can be identified for their eating disorders in a way to appeal to pathos and logos because not only does she mention the celebrities, but in order to create her argument, she also gives a detailed description, using harsh adjectives to describe how sick these celebrities look.

Another way in which technology has increased its effects on eating disorders is by the use of social media. In a different blog post, Andrea Garcia-Vargas states that through twitter, tumbler, and pinterest, girls who are pro-ana and pro-mia (pro anorexia and pro bulimia) have more access to images that worship these disorders. Garcia-Vargas attempts to appeal to ethos and pathos by describing her own experiences with exposure to pro-ana and pro-mia websites and her attempt at anorexia as well; she also uses gruesome descriptions on how people with the disorders look like in an attempt to stop girls from developing one.

Music Cycles

Growing up, my parents told me countless times to "quiet down that noise." I never really understood why they were so adamant about not listening to any of my music. It wasn't until now that I understand where they were coming from.

It seems like complaining about the younger generations' pop music is a cycle that repeats with every new generation. My parents disliked my brothers' music, and my brothers (both of them at least 10 years older than me) disliked my music. Today, I see myself disliking this new generation of music and I'm pretty sure my nephews will dislike the future generation of music.

I am not a fan of Justin Bieber, One Direction, or Selena Gomez in the slightest, but I don't think that they are the worst thing that has happened to music. However, how much different can they be from Britney Spears, the Backstreet Boys, and the Spice Girls from ten years ago? Probably not that much: they are all teen idols, they all started their careers young, and their music is considered part of the "pop culture."

Nowadays, you are considered a cultured person if you listen to The Beatles, Queen, The Rolling Stones, etc. Even the 90's generation pride themselves on their music to the point where they are bringing it back and holding it in high esteem. This makes me wonder whether in 30 or 40 years from now,  people who listen to bands such as Nsync, Green Day, and dare I say it, One Direction will be considered cultured. I know that those comparisons seem outrageous right now, but we can't control what is considered to be cultured and what isn't.

Music changes from decade to decade. Is the music that is now looked down upon by the older generations bound to be admired and worshiped by future generations the way we admire the music from our parents' generations? Only time will tell.