Narrative Prompt

Often, insults are thrown about like they are meaningless. At older ages, most of us we understand the concepts of sarcasm and know when there are times when it is better to stay silent than to cause unnecessary controversy. However, at a younger age, we were unrestrained and ignorant to social courtesy, often letting our inconsiderate thoughts out even if it could potential harm another. A common social norm is that even though insults, teasing, etc. can be hurtful, it is just a part of growing up. I can subscribe to this ideal, as sarcasm is just another form of humor. However, I think there comes a point where insults start crossing the line and becoming incredibly scaring on young psyches. This is a constant issue at schools, and even though we acknowledge that it is there, we do little to truly counter it. It does not take long for simple childish fun to turn into personal persecution and abuse. Since I have had to deal with these issues, I know of how even innocent teasing can turn into torment after prolonged abuse. There are some repercussions that I seriously believe that people do not consider when they are raising their children and allowing them to continue behavior that could eventually spread hatred and conflict among the student body. Though there are psychological problems that arise in the individual, verbal and physical abuse in schools results in distractions from education, potentially diverting focus from actual learning. If this is prolonged, then the combined deviations from educational values would result in an overall decline in student performance. (Potentially for an entire school if the situation becomes that complicated and deeply-ingrained within the system.) This is not an issue that will simply vanish if we hope hard enough or pay it no attention, it needs to be addressed to minimize the amount of abuse students go through in school, especially in the earlier stages.

Logical fallacies

A) Examples of logical fallacies:

-Ad hominem: "You just oppose this bill because you're like all other conservatives."

- Faulty causality: "Because he was the president during a period of economic prosperity, his decisions must have caused that prosperity."

B) Example from a text.

"In Moby-Dick" Starbuck tries to distract Ahab from his monomania with evocations of family life in Nantucket. Under the spell of "a cruel, remorseless emperor" --his own single-mindedness -- Ahab stays his fatal course. Ahab's doom comes from his undistractibility."

This article attempts to defend distracted minds, viewing it as the more healthy alternative to obsessiveness. However, this quote supplies a false analogy as it equates focus with mania. A focused mind when it comes to activities such as reading is necessary for acquiring information and is not the same as being obsessed to the point of psychological disturbance.

Every Time I Die - Ex Lives

Every Time I Die has always been one of the most consistent metal bands. With a blend of progressive, southern and hardcore forms of music, Every Time I Die always managed to pull off songs that were both intense, catchy and provocative all at once. Lyricist and singer Keith Buckley contributes to this by providing lyrics that are both easy to remember, yet cryptic and philosophical. I often discover a few literature references every now and then which is surprising from a band of this style. These factors have not changed in their latest release, Ex Lives, but they are not quite the same band they were a few years ago.

Ex Lives is easily the heaviest record they've released since their earlier records Last Night in Town and Hot Damn! Songs like Underwater Bimbos from Outer Space, Typical Miracle, and Drag King are set to much more blistering speeds than their more recent releases. Earlier songs especially are characterized by quick paced riffs and style shifts in the matter of 1-3 minutes that simply blow my mind how well they flow together.  Though they have not really played this style in awhile, they pull it off with ease and still remain memorable and catchy. While this represents one extreme for Every Time I Die, they venture into uncharted territory by tackling on slower songs. Why they choose to do this on one of their fastest albums to date is beyond me but it surprisingly worked really well. Songs like Revival Mode and Indian Giver are practically ballads by the standards set by the album, yet their placement is so cohesive that they simply just work. I also enjoy the sludge-influenced riffs that show up from time to time and I think they were implemented well to really emphasis how heavy this album feels.

Every Time I die has never failed to disappoint me and at the rate they are going, it does not seem like that is about to change. Always ready to perfect their craft, Every Time I Die has proven time and time again that they know what they are capable of just about anything they put their mind to.