HF Journal
HF Journal is the publishing place for academic writing produced by the students of Harborfields HS. The published pieces that launched this page in January of 2020 are the culmination of research projects and papers from Mr. Ambrosio’s English 12 College Research Writing class.
The papers being published in January 2023 are ‘social commentary’ papers inspired by George Orwell’s 1984 and/or Aldous Huxley’s Brave New World. Students in Mr. Ambrosio’s English 12 College Research Writing classes submitted these MLA-formatted research papers for publishing. The basic premise of the assignment is for the students to establish a research-based ‘social commentary’ on America’s status quo and projected path in 2022-2023:
How do we compare to the fears the respective authors had for societies like ours in the future?
Government and Its Citizens
How would you feel if you learned the government is watching you through your phone? Guess what, they are.
With modern technology, law enforcement agencies can better protect their agents and officers and track down more criminals with greater ease, which has no negative effects on innocent civilians. Furthermore, technology decreases the likelihood that an innocent bystander will be falsely arrested. This means that technology is also helping innocent citizens stay out of prison which is a major issue in the U.S. today.
Since the beginning of history, America has been embellished through a horror known as propaganda. The truth behind this non-stop cycle of propaganda is a mystery worth digging deeper into. The basic dictionary definition of propaganda is “misleading information given to the public” (White.) It may seem as simple and innocent as that, but it's more evil than it appears to be. People of high status, such as government officials, politicians, and celebrities are all true manipulators as they use innocent civilians as their pawns. This group of individuals use brainwashing tactics to gaslight and manipulate modern American society. Social media has elevated into several platforms in which the people of high status take advantage of the public and spread propaganda. Some might argue that celebrities and politicians who use social media only use it to build their platform and send messages in positive ways. While this may be true in certain situations, the government wants society to believe this and fall right into their brainwashing scheme, allowing the citizens to suffer from mind control.
Economics, Wealth & Finance
Is leisure really just a waste of time or is that simply what the government wants you to believe? For years, leisure time has slowly but surely lost its importance within the mind of society.
Do you ever think about what it means to be truly happy? With the hustle and bustle of current day America, today’s world can often be very overwhelming and stressful. Many people easily lose sight of their goals and what is truly important in life. The majority of American people are under the impression that happiness comes from something other than themselves. Are they correct? Or could it be that true happiness comes from within?
In his novel about a possible future of the western world, George Orwell warns of a totalitarian government that controls every aspect of a society— from the economy to people’s personal lives. Looking back, his prediction seems obviously very wrong. Yet if we take a closer look, it becomes obvious that the masses are still under the control of a select few in society, albeit in a different form than Orwell predicted. In our fear from totalitarian governments, we have developed and maintained a free market. Many businesses, however, exploit this free market to take advantage of consumers and employees, causing a different type of tyrannical rule.
Education
How would you feel knowing that controversial issues aren’t being taught in schools and by failing to do so it's harming future generations? Some people might argue that they want their teenagers to be learning about controversial issues in high schools and some may not. The truth of the matter is that school curricula have been focused on teaching students about content, and how to memorize information. It's time that it gets changed due to the fact that teenagers aren’t learning anything from the curriculum that is set in place now because it’s not beneficial to the students and they won’t be gaining any life skills from it.
Do you think that America’s education system is flawless? Probably not, but did you know that it might actually be negligently harmful towards the future of America? The current education system is extremely flawed, and is in need of reform. Schools do not teach students how to live in the ‘real world’, instead having kids figure it out for themselves. They do not provide students with skills that will bring them success in life, let alone teaching ‘the future of America’ how to deal with mental health issues that have been on the rise, plaguing this generation and most likely, many more in the future. If the American education system does not change, it will project America towards a bleak future, rife with unthinking, emotionally distraught individuals. This future is not so far away, and the government is not doing enough to stop this dystopia. At the crux of this issue is the current system of education and what it teaches, or rather, what it doesn't teach. Students aren’t taught some of the most important skills in life and it's leading towards a breaking point.
Do you think that America’s education system is flawless? Probably not, but did you know that it might actually be negligently harmful towards the future of America? The current education system is extremely flawed, and is in need of reform. Schools do not teach students how to live in the ‘real world’, instead having kids figure it out for themselves. They do not provide students with skills that will bring them success in life, let alone teaching ‘the future of America’ how to deal with mental health issues that have been on the rise, plaguing this generation and most likely, many more in the future.
What motivates you to work? What makes you push through and throughout the challenges that come your way? What is your driving factor in being successful? Motivation is something a lot of people in America struggle to find when it comes to working. People think that everything they do will be fun and easy, but the truth is that you have to push through the tough situations to feel the gratification of completing it. Setting goals and creating personal rewards for finishing long, hard, or tedious tasks can be a great way to motivate yourself. Everyone has their way of balancing their work and leisure, but recently there has been a push to bring leisure to the work world and there have been very mixed opinions on this. America is working towards a happier work environment and looking to make people less stressed at work. But what does this mean in terms of pay or the benefits they will receive outside of work.
For many decades, the knowledge people possessed seemed to be endlessly improving as time went on. Whether it be new inventions, ideologies, or important practices, knowledge lived throughout the population and helped to benefit the world. That knowledge, however, is not being shared the right way when it comes to the children of the present and future. The technological flaws in the world have been masked by the pros it brings to the people. Sadly, the undeniable truth is that for students in schools, technology tends to hurt their learning abilities more than help them. There’s a handful of people who think that schools using technology is beneficial for kids as it offers them easier access to work, but that couldn’t be farther from the truth.
Although people believe it is difficult to make it a full time job on the internet, it is imperative to add social media classes for teens who want to become influencers. So, they are able to maintain a steady income, a more positive mental health, and are able to express themselves, while being prepared for the “real world”.
The college system is corrupt. Dropout rates are high, college tuition is rising, and depending on your economic stance and ethnicity, you have a lower chance of going to a good school and graduating. Additionally, the amount of interest a student shows in a college could decrease the amount of aid the school offers them. Unfortunately, the government doesn’t offer a large amount of equal opportunities for all students, regardless of their socioeconomic or ethnic backgrounds, to go to college and remain there. In today’s society there’s an increased pressure on kids to go to a good college, yet the government isn’t doing enough to make college more accessible to everyone or even to improve a student’s chances of succeeding throughout college.
Why do you think America has such a problem with education today? Public schools fail to properly educate students, but still overwork them. American students have performed worse on globally standardized tests than most other developed countries, schools still cause such high levels of stress and poor mental health among students, and they have begun to teach kids with a lack of open-ended questions that causes them to believe they are performing terribly when they fail.
Health and Wellness
It is evident that society is becoming increasingly reliant on drugs as a means of coping with the challenges and stresses of daily life. The trend is very concerning because it indicates a lack of emphasis on developing natural coping mechanisms and a reliance on artificial means of dealing with difficult situations. Drugs can be used to help or hurt the people and environment., depending on the context and the individual situation.
Clearly, the US government dismisses society’s emotions as irrelevant. Mental health is not a priority for the government since society moves at a fast pace. As a result, society is leaning towards drugs due to inadequate medication prescribed by doctors, the stress of the pandemic, and the lack of knowledge on coping strategies.
News, Media, & Social
Politicians, scientists, and news outlets use loaded language, or "rhetoric used to influence an audience by using words and phrases with strong connotations" ("Loaded Language") in speeches and media to persuade the people to lean a certain way. Whether it be far left, far right, pro-vaccination, or pro-choice, with the increase in polarization and desire for politicians to win the voter tug of war, it is up to them to use language that is the most persuasive and blindly manipulative to encourage people to join their side. It is evident that the language manipulation has to be recognized in order to encourage Americans to listen more thoroughly and educate themselves. This situation is so drastic that, in the United States today, news outlets, media, scientists, and our politicians are actively using manipulation tactics including the changing of language and how stories are communicated in order to grab the attention of Americans and influence public policy. Unfortunately, these people are not the only body to blame. The American people's inability to open their eyes to the language manipulation in their news, and their inexperience with politics due to the faults of America's education system is causing the nation's sweeping polarization and blind following.
Starting at only five years old, Americans are trained to do well in school, work hard, and go to college with the end goal of getting a "stable career." However, these careers end up being the root of the problems people work so hard to avoid. The US government has established a system that ensures that anyone who wants to be successful must have a job and work hard. Yet, these jobs often don't provide them with the pay they deserve. This leads to Americans being overworked and stressed because of the pressure and workload of their jobs, without giving them a high enough salary or enough time for leisure activities and rest.
Do you ever wonder how much data is compiled by social media applications or what information they divulge to other companies and the government? In today’s society, social media is utilized for more than just connecting with friends and family. It is a platform that can be used for the exchange and sharing of information. For the user, it is utilized to keep in touch with others, secure news, research and even purchase items. For the company, the goal is to gather data to improve their application and to generate income. However, the collection of sensitive data can lead to Americans feeling confused with how the information is obtained, uncomfortable with what is being shared and questioning their civil rights. Ultimately, the United States digital privacy laws will have to be addressed by the Supreme Court in the near future.
Imagine using a technique which allows all your insecurities to flow out instantly. Many people have modified the use of makeup, where they are allowed to feel comfortable in their own skin. Makeup empowers people and raises self confidence levels. Many people prosper emotionally because of the connection between the person and this exquisite passion. Although there are a few negatives, there are many benefits to the art of makeup. Cosmetics rearrange the perception of life to the people who wear makeup, as well as the assumptions of the people who view the makeup. Men and women can finally come together and have their own unique form of self expression.
"The more social media we have, the more we think we are connecting, yet we are really disconnecting from each other”(Cyber bullying). Social media is used to help us but it tends to lead to negative effects. It has negatively impacted many relationships in America today. It’s usage has greatly increased in the past 4 years. According to Chandra Steele, “68% of people's relationships have been impacted by social media, 61% reported looking through their partner’s social media, and 53% of respondents chose facebook as their preferred social media platform” (Steele). It increases your communication among people but also disconnects you when it comes to the relationships you have in the real world. While all this happens, social media companies such as Facebook, Instagram, and Snapchat aren’t doing anything about it. They see relationships being ruined everyday and they do not care. As a matter of fact, “Social media platforms are designed to snare your attention, keep you online, and have you repeatedly checking your screen for updates” (Calucchia). There are an unlimited number of examples such as this showing how social media can cause strains in relationships.
It is well known that we need nutrients in our body to remain healthy, and most, if not all, people get that from food. From eating too much or too little, does the amount of food we eat everyday affect not only our body, but our brain too? According to WebMD, “Benefit your brain: Strive for a well-balanced diet full of a wide variety of healthy foods.” Eating a well-balanced diet is important for several reasons.
What motivates you to work? What makes you push through and throughout the challenges that come your way? What is your driving factor in being successful? Motivation is something a lot of people in America struggle to find when it comes to working. People think that everything they do will be fun and easy, but the truth is that you have to push through the tough situations to feel the gratification of completing it. Setting goals and creating personal rewards for finishing long, hard, or tedious tasks can be a great way to motivate yourself. Everyone has their way of balancing their work and leisure, but recently there has been a push to bring leisure to the work world and there have been very mixed opinions on this. America is working towards a happier work environment and looking to make people less stressed at work. But what does this mean in terms of pay or the benefits they will receive outside of work.
Have you even thought about what makes you, you? What makes you different from your family? What makes you unique? In this paper you will realize what influence society has on your family and the way you develop.
Do you ever feel like you're being watched? Devices like smart cameras and Bluetooth badges that can monitor, track, and record students are becoming increasingly popular in schools. Now, Covid-19 has many more schools opting to install these types of devices. However, many people are concerned about how all this data about students can be used and by who. With these devices surveilling students, Privacy in schools is starting to become a thing of the past.
America was founded as a representative democracy, not a direct one, but is that still the best way to run things? The founders of the nation knew that information was hard to come by at the time and citizens were mostly uninformed, they needed more educated people to make important decisions for them. However, with the emergence of the internet, Americans have more access to information than ever and therefore can make informed decisions in politics. While many news sources may be biased, Americans still have opinions that define how they conduct themselves and influence their political alignment. Individual opinions aren't the only things that determine how a person will vote, however, there are a lot of outside factors that many registered voters may not know about that influence them every day, from their beliefs to their votes. Many aspects of the current political climate and policy force Americans to express their opinions in one of two lanes of predetermined thought. They are mostly due to the intentional preservation of the two-party system, incumbents’ prioritization of self-interest, and the modern interpretation of the Constitution’s impact on political campaigns and finances.
Technology & Science
An item of mass destruction is our way to 0 emissions and a prosperous life of energy usage. When you hear the term, “Nuclear”, you’d normally think of things like; Death, Hiroshima/Nagasaki, Tsar Bomb, Fat man, Little Boy, Manhattan Project, The Cold War, Cuban Missile Crisis. Nuclear energy gets a bad reputation due to its history of being used for war to end wars or to threaten mass genocide by using these tools of war. However, nuclear energy has become a very sustainable industry to produce power in a controlled environment, and people need to understand this concept.
How would you feel if you just got home from a bad day and just want to relax and play video games with your friends but your mom won’t let you because she read an article listing how video games damage your children? Sadly, this is the harsh truth for many kids across the world. Parents will see something online or just have their own beliefs thinking that video games will harm their children, in reality they are taking away a huge source of entertainment and learning from them.
We live in webs, and just like spiders, everything around us is connected. This is especially true when it comes to a government and its citizens. And although the United States Government relies heavily on law enforcement and physical barriers to interact with citizens, technologies such as cameras, cell phones and television play a significant and defining role in the interaction between citizens and government. This substantial role is due to the easily accessible and widespread nature of such technologies and the reliance of law enforcement and physical barriers on said technologies.
Social media is the catalyst to the rise in mental health issues and cyber bullying. Every year, more and more, children are being born with phones at their fingertips. Social media puts an abundant amount of pressure on teenagers which causes them to develop these detrimental mental health issues. Society already has its toxic stereotypes. Now add the element of social media. It can cause the impressionable, teenage brain to become a whirlwind of toxicity. Always thinking about how you’re supposed to look and act. Mental health plagues all ages. To decrease rates of mental health issues in teens, parents need to take necessary precautions with the developmental technology that their children have easy access to. Necessarily, mental health cannot be disintegrated, but parents can help minimize the potential development of illnesses and harmful cyberbullies.
Listening devices have become an accessible and inexpensive item that helps with daily tasks. Listening devices such as the Amazon Alexa and Google Cast are hands free devices that work with a simple que word. Shouting the word “Alexa” or “Hey Google” launches you into a world of information with just a simple voice activation. Some people would see at home listening devices as a score but most don’t know the consequences of these devices. These listening devices record you and collect data that most people aren’t aware of. But some see these listening devices a thing of the future with tremendous advancements in technology. The projected path of America with the rise to intelligent technology is full government monitoring with the government just taking advantage of the citizens. With technology the government will take civilian surveillance to the next level with these listening devices with the driving force of wanting to maintain control over the people. Listening devices are a way to monitor and listen to the people but with a sleek cover as an advancement of technology to benefit the people's daily life.