GET READY FOR SPEECHES TOMORROW!!!

Hi D&Ders,

Tomorrow starts the big day!  Nick is first and then it is straight down the list, so once again, I caution against being absent unless it is ABSOLUTELY UNAVOIDABLE, and if so, we will make arrangements somehow.
Remember though, if one person is absent, I am just going down the list, so don't procrastinate even if you think that you have a while until I get to your name--if 5 people are out tomorrow, you will be going sooner than you think!
4-5 minutes, keep it clean and make it funny!  No pressure! :)

Last Guys Don't Finish Nice

I am feeling a bit cynical this evening, pumpkins, and for that, I apologize; I think that my internal struggle with cynicism may have influenced this week's blog question. I shall let you be the judge, however, as to whether or not this was a good or a bad thing.

As many of you know, and if you didn't you do now, I am not that into people. There are a select few I would ever willingly share time with, and more often than not, it shows. Now, before I go any further, I feel it pertinent to actually define what I mean when I say "people."
 So, here it goes, for lack of a more...academic definition:
PEOPLE: Individuals who are not kids or animals, mostly over the age of 25 and under the age of 80.
And there you have it--the definition of people in the world of Cassie Bunje.

This rather pessimistic and certainly asocial view of the human race is not something with which I was born, however, I feel that it began cultivating itself at a rather young age. My childhood was not one to be looked back upon wistfully, and it didn't really get much better as I grew into young adulthood. This was due, almost entirely, to my interactions with and observations of, you guessed it--people. In fact, until I became a teacher, I held out very little hope that I would ever be able to gaze upon the face of another human being without a hint of scorn, mistrust or distaste. True story. Truth be told, and this is not me being dramatic at all--you could probably accurately say that teaching saved my soul. More on that later.

So, in my reading today, I happened upon an interesting quote. I would like you to read and reflect on this quote and tell me what you come up with in terms of whether or not you agree with what it says, and what it even means. As always, qualify your answer with an anecdote of personal experience to help illustrate the point you are making.
Here it is:

"Niceness is a decision. It is a strategy of social interaction; it is not a character trait."

Have fun, sunshines...

A Continuation...

Last week, there was an interesting writing topic on the board, and many of you seemed to have some very definite thoughts on the subject.  The question was fairly simple: Do you think you're racist?
During the course of the discussion, you learned (hopefully) the difference between being a racist and being a bigot.  The difference is huge--racism is the hatred of people because of their race ONLY and  bigotry is the hatred of people for...well, just about anything. It could be because of their sexual orienatation, their religion, their socio-economic status, their intelligence, etc.  So, based off those definitions, do those of you who think you're racist want to change your answer?
If so, why? 
Either way, racism and bigotry are both rooted in the same thing: HATRED.  Where do you think that part of it comes from?  Are people born haters or is something they learn? If it something they learn, where do they learn it from? Can the cycle ever be broken? If you are either of those things (racist or bigot) do you want your kids to be raised the same? Why or why not.
450 words/75pts

"All Creatures Great and Small"

"The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated."
Mohandas Ghandi said that, and I, animal-lover to the core, believe it whole-heartedly. I do, after all, have four dogs, and I truly believe my life is better for having them in it. Except when they poop in areas not designated as pooping areas. Like, in my closet for example. Ugh.

If I could, I would have goats, horses, a chicken or two and maybe a peacock to round it all out. Cats--well, they need love too and I have owned many in my lifetime, but I could probably go the rest of my life and not own another one. But, I find them exquisite to watch.

Now, in some cases, makes me a hypocrite because despite my aforementioned affinity for creatures of the four-legged variety, I am NOT a vegetarian. Barbecued chicken or steaks on the grill are way too good for me to pass up, and I NEVER met a burger I didn't like. However, I have been known to start fights with strangers at the dog park because of what I believed to be unnecessarily harsh treatment of their dogs, and I also think the punishments for animal cruelty should be higher than what they are currently. By a lot. Don't even get me started on Michael Vick. I lock my dogs in a safe place the second #7 jumps onscreen. Eww.

 

There are many people in the world who the feel the way I do about animals; that is, that they have feelings, emotions, and intellect far beyond whatever we give them credit for having.  What is your opnion and why do you feel that way?
.Do you have a pet?
What kind? What is his/her name?
How did you choose that name?
Do you believe that you can communicate with your pet or with animals in general?
Can they communicate with you? How do you know?
What is your take on the activists that spend hours campaigning for the rights of animals? Are they wasting their time frivolously when they could be helping human beings out there in the world?
Do animals even HAVE rights? Should they? Should there be a limit to what people do for them? If so, what is it? If not, where do you draw a line?

 (400 words/50pts)