Well Informed: Syria and Immigration

By searching Syrian Immigration, I was brought to the Syrian Refugees website. The page focuses on the Syrian crisis and the European Union's role as the provider of humanitarian aid and hosting region. Since March 2001, there has been an estimated 11 million Syrians who have left their homes in Syria. After six years of war, 13.5 million are now in need of humanitarian assistance. While the UE is the main contributor for humanitarian aid, 70% of the funding is currently missing according to the estimates of the UNHCR. In an attempt to better understand this migration crisis, the website provides several links to pages containing more facts and information.

While I found this website to hold reliable and important information, I think the video we watched in class gave me a better understanding of the issue. Following one families journey from Syria to Russia provided a first-hand insight to the devastating conditions of Syria, and the struggle to adapt to a new life in another country. The video contains images of the violence and destruction that has taken over Aleppo. I previously knew about the war in Syria, but I had no idea about the extent of damage it has caused. It was eye-opening to witness the children's adaptive behavior in response to living in the middle of the war. I also became more aware of the difficult process refugees undergo when attempting to enter another country. The challenge is not only physical, but very much emotional. They experienced a great deal of emotional trauma, in such a short amount of time. Their story showcases the incredibly real and brutal situation that is currently happening in Syria. 

On the Media: War, Peace... and Clowns

The majority of the broadcast focuses on the current clown issue. The topic begins with the idea that this clown situation may be the most "chilling" issue being discussed this fall. The story talks about the increase of clown sightings, and how cops have even created a clown squad in an attempt to control the situation. The broadcast includes a discussion with Benjamin Radford, who is the author of a book called Bad Clowns. Radford states that this clown hysteria is repetitive, and random outbreaks have been accruing for years. This paranoia is fueled by incidents like the John Wayne Gacy case. Radford goes on to explain that rumors and fears can take hold in America, and cause situations like the phantom clowns to arise again.

I agree that this sudden outbreak of clown paranoia stems from the stress of the presidential election, recent shootings, and terrorism. The broadcast continues to discuss the several versions of clowns that have been created by book, TV, and film throughout the years. Stephen king's IT creating a touchstone for the killer clown, while the joker has been presented as the crazy clown. Although there has been positive representations of clowns in the past, the negative image has seemingly become more common. When questioned why that is, Radford explained that the wearing of a mask hides emotion, and that causes an uneasy feeling of what they're going to do. I also agree that the immediate distrust of clowns comes from the unknown emotion or intent they have, which results in fear.

I have personally always had a fear of clowns, (aside from the joker) I never regarded them in a humorous or entertaining way. My fear began after watching Stephen King's IT when I was 10 years old, and since then I have never been able to shake the negative image. I also believe that it's a lot easier to make a clown horrifying than funny. The current issue of clown sightings is alarming to me, however, I do believe it will eventually fade away like past occurrences.

Well Informed: Security and Privacy

The NSA has become extremely invasive in order to prevent events like Pearl Harbor and 9/11 from occurring again. This clear violation of the Fourth Amendment has been somewhat ignored. The fear of losing security has been outweighed by the fear of another tragedy (at least for now). I don't necessarily applaud this method, but it has proven to be effective. Is there a way to balance both security and liberty? Benjamin Franklin stated, "They that can give up essential liberty to purchase a little temporary safety deserves neither liberty nor safety." This statement is brutal in a way, because it doesn't allow for any compromise. I personally don't have anything that I would want to hide from the NSA. I'm not saying I am completely comfortable with the invasion of privacy, I just don't feel threatened by it.

My big question is if we really don't have that much privacy, then how do all these kidnappings go unsolved. Aside from tracking phones, why are child porn viewers not be targeted? I could be wrong, because my only source of this data comes from watching a lot of Investigation Discovery. It's just alarming to me how so many cases can go unsolved, when we are supposedly being watched 24/7 via internet and travel. I understand that this invasion of privacy stemmed from the prevention of terrorist attacks, but I can't help myself from criticizing the way all this information is being used.