Vocab 7

bi·as: a personal and sometimes unreasoned judgment.

Howard Zinn, a self proclaimed Marxist and author of the quasi-historical "A People's History of the United States" is the perfect example of someone with a bias. In his defense, the author is very open and frank about the prejudices his includes in his work, having once said “Objectivity is impossible,and it is also undesirable. That is, if it were possible it would be undesirable, because if you have any kind of a social aim, if you think history should serve society in some way; should serve the progress of the human race; should serve justice in some way, then it requires that you make your selection on the basis of what you think will advance causes of humanity.” This "ends justifies the means" mentality has served as his rationalization for deceiving the public through the omission of historical facts that do not support his radical claims, and the outright fabrication of statistics and information. Instead of pursuing objectivity, and providing the reader with nothing but the facts, and allowing them to draw their own conclusions based on the evidence, as any respectable historian would do, Mr. Zinn actively attempts to indoctrinate the reader in his radical ideology at every opportunity.

de·duct: to reach a conclusion through logical reasoning
Loosely based on Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's master of deductive reasoning, Sherlock Holmes; the character Dr. Gregory House, protagonist of the eponymous television program House M.D. uses outlandish tactics and unorthodox procedures to diagnose his patients and rid them of whatever malady they may have contracted. An expert diagnostician, House uses logic to deduce the solution to whatever problem he may be facing, be it a seemingly random set of symptoms being displayed by a patient, or unnecessary medical regulations.


ob·jec·tive: expressing or dealing with facts or conditions as perceived without distortion by personal feelings, prejudices, or interpretations.
Many find science appealing due to its objectivity. The fact that there is only one correct interpretation, dictated by the logical chain between cause and effect is a much needed reprieve from the subjective world that surrounds us. However, science and its mandatory objectivity can also be applied to other fields, such as history and journalism, as they both deal with distilling hypotheses and theories into hard facts and conclusions.

Vocab 6

"I would remind you that extremism in the defense of liberty is no vice! And let me remind you also that moderation in the pursuit of justice is no virtue!"

ren·e·gade: an individual who rejects lawful or conventional behavior
When prompted with the word renegade, my mind invariably jumps to Barry Goldwater, a political renegade in the best sense of the word. Shunning his conservative peers for pursuing the safe, conventional path of pandering to pollsters and special interest groups, Goldwater demonstrated prodigious courage by taking unpopular, principled stands, and never compromising his ideals. Nominated as the Republican candidate for the presidency in 1964, the senator from Arizona faced off against the then popular Democratic incumbent, Lyndon B. Johnson, and lost spectacularly. However, Mr. Goldwater's nomination returned the Republican party to it's conservative roots, and he was accredited for setting the stage for the "Reagan Revolution" of 1981.

"It is not from the benevolence of the butcher, the brewer, or the baker that we expect our dinner, but from their regard to their own interest"

tar·iff: duties imposed by a government on imported or in some countries exported goods
Tariffs, one of the primary blockades to free trade, remind me of the incomparable Adam Smith, who developed the concept of the free market economy hundreds of years ago. Smith condemned tariffs whenever possible, seeing them as a way for the government to extort money they have not earned from the productive trade of businessmen. Another side effect of this unnecessary governmental interloping was the stifling of foreign economic competition, this diminishing the impact of the fabled "invisible hand", which would have significantly benefited both parties by providing cheap goods of high quality.


tran·quil: free from agitation of mind or spirit
The only way for me to achieve tranquility is through solitude and a good book. Nothing short of total distraction from my own life will suffice. The more detailed and descriptive the prose, the more rapidly I can be drawn into the literary world from my own. Tim O'Brien and Ray Bradbury are my quickest routes to tranquility.

Turnstile Picture Writing

One of our first creative writing assignments in Elika's class was to view candid photographs of people progressing through the turnstiles at a subway station, taken by professional photographer, Bill Sullivan, and to write a fictional story about one of the subjects. I chose to create a tale about the man fifth from the right on this picture.

The Paranoid Delusion Related Beatings Blues
by Team Roemer

It was one of those rare, picturesque days in New York. The sun was shining, the air was relatively carcinogen free, and squirrels frolicked amongst the industrial waste deposits gaily. Unfortunately, Mr. Sullivan was having trouble enjoying this beautiful morning due to the fact that his eyes were swollen shut, his nose smelt of coagulated blood, and he was in traction in the middle of the intensive care ward of Columbia Presbyterian Medical hospital. A few hours passed, and Mr. Sullivan watched patients and nurses go by as he lapsed in and out of consciousness. He was awakened later that evening by someone changing his bedpan. Noting that he had awoken, the slightly overweight nurse finished her job and then waddled off to notify Mr. Sullivan's doctor.

Several minutes later, a doctor walked in. She appeared to be quite attractive, although Mr. Sullivan was in no condition to judge, as the swelling of his eyes had yet to recede. The immobile patient attempted to inquire about the cause of his condition, only to find that his jaw was wired shut. Luckily for Mr. Sullivan, his doctor had years of experience in communicating with incapacitated clients, and she was able to interpret what to anyone else would be an incomprehensible series of grunts and moans. "Well, Mr. Sullivan, its quite the story," she began. "As you recall, you were photographing everyday people walking through the turnstile without their knowledge. What you didn't know, however that the subject of your eight photo suffered from a rare neurological disorder known as GFD". The doctor produced a ream of pictures from her lab coat, and began leafing through them, searching for the photos she wanted. Noting Mr. Sullivan's surprise she explained "we took the liberty of developing your photographs while you were comatose. You'll understand why in a a minute,". Having found the pictures she was looking for, she set the rest of them down at Sullivan's bedside table. The doctor selected a photo and showed it to her patient. The man standing at the turnstile seemed vaguely familiar. "If you look closely at this photograph, you'll notice several odd characteristics in this gentleman's appearance. Note the abnormally shaped head, the disheveled clothing and the asymmetrical eyes. To the average observer, these features may seem inconsequential, but to a neurologist such as myself, these are clear indicators of a neurological malady, in this case GFD."

"Although GFD affects different victims in different manners, one symptom remains consistent: the presence of complex and intricate paranoid delusions. In this man's case, these delusions manifested themselves by convincing their host that he was being pursued by operatives of the Kenyan government, and that his adversaries would seek to capture him by any means necessary. Needless to say, he didn't take kindly to the fact that you had photographed him without his consent, and he immediately assumed that you were in league with his African arch-nemeses. Unfortunately for you, Mr. Sullivan, his reaction to this situation was to pummel you into unconsciousness, and then to attempt to destroy your camera. Luckily, you mentally ill assailant was almost immediately apprehended by law enforcement officers. Oddly enough, several of them were of Kenyan descent; but I digress. At this point you were bleeding profusely, and your face had already began to swell to comic proportions. You were rushed to the hospital, where your condition was stabilized, and your relatives were contacted. You have suffered some sever injuries, and I'm afraid you will have to stay here for at least a week. After that, you will be forced to remain on a liquids only diet for some time, do you understand?" Mr. Sullivan groaned to indicate his comprehension. "Excellent," replied the doctor. She bent over the injured photographer to adjust his IV, and then turned to leave. As she reached the door, she hesitated, and added "If its any consolation, your camera was still running during your beating, providing the police with more than enough evidence to convict your assailant." She picked up some of the remaining photos, and placed them in the X-Ray viewer so that he could see. "Also, me and the girls down at the nursing station have been laughing at these the entire day. Good day Mr. Sullivan." The doctor exited the room, leaving the bewildered Mr. Sullivan in the able company of his feeding tube, the television, which was broadcasting tellenovellas at an uncomfortable volume, and his photographs.