Hinson Dong, Period 6, 11/25/22

 Hinson Dong

Period 6

11/25/2022

Modern Mythology Blog 2023

Blog #2

Socio-political Consciousness

    It was during class time where we watched this documentary about the Ancient Egyptian Book

of the Dead. I’ve learned that the ancient Egyptians would have to buy this book at a very high

price point as this book would take months to manually produce. Due to the book being this

expensive to access, only nobles and people at the high status would have been able to buy it.

Not only that, people of different social classes would be treated differently at death depending

on how their body was preserved which I felt was kind of unfair because everyone should have

the equal chance of being preserved or have a safe route to the afterworld. The Book of the

Dead was a scroll that led the dead to a safe route through the dangers of death and safely to

the Land of Reed where they would live peacefully and for eternity. At different social classes,

people would have been buried differently. While some may have a pyramid and will have the

safest route to the after world based on their beliefs, others may be buried next to a pyramid

where they were said to be able to follow nobles or people of higher status. People of lower

status would have really bad preserved bodies while not having the luxury treatment of some on

the higher status.

    I believe that treatment of people based on social class status or differences of people may be

unfair. Of those that may not have that much money or power, they should have the rights to be

treated the same as those of higher power and money. I feel like people should not be treated

based on their status and that they should be treated equally. I believe that no matter how

different someone is from another or no matter what feature they have that may set them apart

from someone, that they would be looked at the same as us and treated the same. I feel like

people should not judge others based on how they are different from others. This goes back to

the documentary where you may see some people having the proper ritual where their body is

preserved really well and a body from the poorer class who has a body that was not treated with

care. Also looking at their perspective of death being scary, where some may not be able to

afford this book of the dead and may not be able to follow through peacefully as a noble may.

I think that this can relate to the modern present time as people may be treated differently based

on differences. I believe that people should be treated the same and not be judged on

differences. I believe that people should have their own beliefs and freedom to do whatever they

believe to do as long as it’s right. But most importantly, they should be treated the same. I feel

like I’ve seen this before where my parents who don’t speak english that fluently may be treated

differently in public places like restaurants whereas they may treat me and my friends differently

and more formally. Thus, I believe that there is an issue with oppression and inequity. There

should be a look at more of our similarities instead of differences where people shouldn’t be

seen based on gender, race, or income but should be seen as another person.

Maria Garipov, Period 7, 10/3/22

 Maria Garipov PD 7 10/3

Socio-political Consciousness -

Big Pharma

There is a huge issue in the sincerity of big pharmaceutical companies. We were all

taught growing up that medication is necessary in the vast majority of the public’s lives, and that

there are companies that make these medications to help us. However in reality, our health is not

the biggest concern of these companies, money is. The pharmaceutical industry stands

unchallenged in its ability to dictate government health policies, and it's shocking and scary to

find out that they are not on our side. The biggest concern with these Big Pharma companies is

shareholders, not patients.

A prime example of this abuse of power is seen with a man named Martin Shkreli.

Shkreli is a manager of hedge fund investigating in health products, and he had bought the rights

to the drug Daraprim in 2015. Daraprim is on the world health organizations model list of

essential weapons for disease, and it is used as a tool in fighting Malaria, and a dangerous

infection caused by HIV. Shkreli had bumped up the price of Daraprim overnight from $13.50 to

$750, which is a 5000% increase. The public was outraged, and rightfully so. There was no

reason for this dramatic price change, except for money. When Shkreli was asked in an

interview if he would have done anything differently, he had said he would have raised the price

higher. He was also seen in front of the U.S. congressional committee, laughing at the questions

being asked and constantly pleading the fifth. It is very clear that Shkreli was unapologetic for

this absurd price change, and that he was simply soulless. It’s not surprising that a little while

later Martin was arrested by the FBI and convicted in front of a federal court for securities fraud.

Even since, the price for Daraprim has never returned to its original $13.50. Although this

horrible experience had harmed many many people, the one positive thing we can get out of this

is the public now understanding more the cynicism of Big Pharma.

Big Pharma can be described as the handful of big pharmaceutical companies that

manufacture the vast majority of drugs. These companies include Novartis, Pfizer, Johnson &

Johnson, Roche, and Sanofi. Most of these companies are making an annual turnover of at least

$40 billion dollars. To maintain their monopoly on certain diseases, big laboratories have been

accused of playing down or hiding the results of their clinical trials, causing very dangerous

situations. For example, the drug Depokine, which is an epilepsy treatment, that is produced by

Sanofi. Depokine is one of the worlds most widely distributed drugs in the last 50 years, and has

become the center of a health scandal in Europe around 2003. It had been found to be very

dangerous for the babies of pregnant women, causing intellectual and motor development

disorders in up to 40% of cases, and deformities in 10%. However, this was nowhere stated on

the packaging, and not known by doctors for 50 years after the drug came out. And this was not

the doing of the company itself seeing its mistake, but by the result of many years of being sued.

It is even more upsetting to find out that the lab had written in 2003 that it had been aware of the

issues since 1970, but thought that the risks were slight so they were never communicated. It is

incredibly messed up that drug companies can get away with things like this, just because they

want to maximize their products. This scandal had ruined the potentially healthy lives of tens of

thousands of children.

There are many more similar cases to the ones covered here, and it seems like there is

nothing we can do to stop them from happening. Big Pharma companies understand their power

over the public, and they choose to abuse it, putting millions of lives at risk just so they can

profit off of our capitalistic society as much as they can. I had even seen this myself, with the

price of my own medication being incredibly high if not for my insurance, which I also

understand is not accessible to everyone in the US. I myself even had no medical insurance for a

year or so of my life, and had been told to just power through any illnesses or injuries, because of

the absurdly high prices of the medical industry. The Big Pharma industry disgusts me and more

people need to be informed on the cynicism of these companies.

Kenny Chui, Period 6, 11/23/22

 Blog on Literacy and Learning

• Reflect on any new information you have learned in English class by considering how that learning influences your critical perception.

A major part of our brief myths presentation was that a lot of culture is made up of allusions or references to myths. We have words like “Narcissist” based on the character Narcissus and “Echo” based on the character Echo from the same story. We have references to heroes such as Herculean strength due to his superhuman strength that allowed him to famously finish the 12 tasks, and Achilles’ heel due to his complete invulnerability except for his heel (and it’s also the name for a body part). The divine and superhuman aspect of mythology is so cool to pop culture that movies like the Marvel franchise(Thor and Eternals), Wonder Woman(DC), Hercules(Disney animation), books like the Percy Jackson series, the God of War games, and the entire Fate series(ex. Fate/Stay Night, Fate/Apocrypha, Fate/Zero) among others use the wondrous and awesome characters to build upon their story’s lore with their own deep stories. The integration of mythology into today’s culture revived the popularity of these characters and a lot about them can be learned without even having to read their original myth anymore because of how frequently they show up. Because of all this, I can look for allusions and actually understand it in future texts, games, media, etc. and understand their purpose regardless of the new form of media that they take.

The lesson about Icarus and especially the painting representing his insignificance to daily life really changed my perspective on myths. To people on the outside of the story, do your struggles matter? Your ignorance? Your fall? Icarus was trapped in a Labyrinth with his uncle until he was finally given an opportunity at freedom with Daedalus’s wax wings, but as we all know, he flew too close to the sun that those wings melted till he plunged into the sea. But even as this all occurred, in the painting, people kept farming, shepherds kept shepherding, and so on. In the corner, just like the name of the painting, “Landscape with the Fall of Icarus,” he was just a footnote in their lives. It really is profound that not only is the world going on, but people may be right next to you and not know your story. It helps me frame myths in a different lens as well, that there is a world going on whether or not it mentions or connects to it in the story.

• Write about your thoughts regarding any of the fiction or nonfiction covered in class.

My answer above is reflected perfectly in the story of Prometheus and Io that we read for class. It has the story of Io, the story of Prometheus, a reference to Pan and Syrinx, and even Hercules who would be Io’s descendant that eventually free Prometheus. Isn’t it amazing that these stories don’t exist in a vacuum? The world of Greek mythology isn’t contained within individual stories. It isn’t contained in time either, with Prometheus who was chained to the rock ages before Io was born, both knowing each other's stories. They also reference the Nile river, the Caucasus Mountains, and the Ionian sea, places around the Greek Mediterranean. It really is a whole developed world that takes place in mythology, and whether or not it is true, the thousands of allusions to what can be seen all tie it to the observable reality, bringing the myths we love to life.

• How is what you’re learning applied to any other classes/the world around you?

Recently in our SING our script utilized the character Narcissus as a main lead with countless references to his egotistical nature and blatant self confidence(Narcissism is his namesake). Beyond that, there was even a reference to his grisly fate of death upon staring at his reflection for too long as well as his transformation into the Narcissus flower, the daffodil. We had an entire lesson on the link between love, tragedy, and flowers including the story of Narcissus in one lesson, and with that understanding, I was able to better imagine the character and how he should be portrayed in our show.

Temitayo Adewusi Period 7 11/21/22 Modern Mythology 2022

 Literacy & Learning

When I was younger I really enjoyed reading Rick Riordan’s books. So I signed up for the class thinking we’d talk about Percy Jackson and Camp Half-Blood, but I was wrong. What the class actually is, is us reading different texts and being able to analyze and connect them into our own lives. So when we started on fairy tales I was a little confused, and quite frankly didn’t want to read any of them. However, upon further reading I saw that fairy tales are actually kind of cool. First off, fairy tales (in their original state) usually have a deeper meaning. When reading the Cinderella stories we saw the common theme of the princess being kicked out of her hometown, going through trials and tribulations, then meeting the prince and getting married and they live happily ever after blah blah blah. But when asked to view the stories through a different lens (critical theory), we saw the stories in a different light. My group took the story of Lin Lan and related it to Critical Disability Studies. People with disabilities are not seen in the same light as those without them because people will never see them as capable as able bodied people. When they take their medicine or use prosthetics to become somewhat “normal”, they are still treated differently.  In Lin Lan, Beauty used the yellow cow to help her complete the impossible tasks her stepmother gave her. Her mother refuses to accept this and continues to treat her worse. When she discovers that Beauty was using the cow, she kills it and continues to belittle Beauty. In Donkeyskin, Cinderella descended from royalty to the working class. At the end of the story she was able to marry the prince and ultimately go back to her original royal status. That is a marxist criticism. Only those who already have wealth are able to move around to whatever class they want, while the working class is unable to advance in society. Other groups even saw Colonialism and Critical Race theories in the other stories and explained their views to the class. These different lenses definitely altered my perception of not just the Cinderella stories, but of fairy tales themselves. It got me thinking about whether or not ALL fairy tales have a deeper meaning to them that we have to really sit down and look at in order to see.

Now how did these impact me? Well it made me take a look at things through a different lens. In life you need to be very open-minded in order to understand things around you and learn. When meeting new people and interacting with new cultures, it often seems odd. There’s a little voice in the back of your head saying, “This is weird, get away from it.” While instead that voice should be saying, “This isn’t what I’m used to, maybe I should give it a shot.” Being open minded to the world, I believe, is what connects people and allows us to come closer together.

Michael Chen, Period 7, 11/21/22

Michael Chen
Period 7
11/21/2022
Modern Mythology 2023

Socio-political Consciousness
Inequity, oppression, and power are something that will continue until the end of mankind. It is something we must live with and learn to live around because there is no such thing as a world that is free of inequality, oppression, and the hunger for power. Our civilization is just built upon these qualities. Even since the beginning of mankind, these traits can be seen. From the hunter and gathering age to the present day, those who held power are the ones with the most resources. Would they mind sharing the bulk of their resources to help everyone? Most likely not because doing so would make them lose their cozy lifestyle. This is especially apparent during the Gilded Age, where, due to the industrial revolution, many people were able to get rich. These people wouldn’t dare to lose such status, so they would lobby representatives to represent their best interests rather than the general population. As a result, during this period, the three traits can be observed. This is the battle between the rich and the poor, a battle that the poor just couldn’t win. There was nothing the poor could do. If they were to protest, where would they work? It is often that they have to work under the rich and have no choice but to shut their mouth. Even with such power, the rich desire more, often setting up monopolies and creating trusts. The disparity between the classes is just immeasurable.

However, power compared to inequity and oppression just sounds much better to me because the desire for power can swing both ways: for good or for bad. When it is used right, power can do so much to change the world around us. Take a look at all those protests during the fight for equal rights for blacks. The push for certain rights like voting rights, with fierce efforts, was passed, allowing for the snowball effect to take place. This allowed for different laws to be passed as power lands in the people’s hands. When the power lands on the bad, destruction would often occurs. Take a look at the time when Europe took over the newly found continent. The Europeans were able to easily take over the western continent due to their superior technology. They then enslave massive amounts of natives to be used as slaves and often put into a harsh working environment.  
 

I know what I have said has flaws in them such as the Europeans were powerful not due to their advanced technology like guns but due to the disease they carry. (The bow was deadlier compared to the gun due to the gun having to reload much slower.) But even with them not knowing, the Europeans were still able to suppress them, showing off their dominance and oppression through enslavement.  My flaws could be patched up by exploring each of the topics I have talked about further because these traits in each event are not that simple. It is just like how I used to think that Columbus was the first person to found the new hemisphere, but when I dig a bit deeper I realize that he was not the first. It was Leif Erikson that first discovered it. The information from where I get my information is just as important from research a bit more into certain topics, because the same information can be written with different intent and light of an event. I need to be cautious about what I read when I choose to dive deeper into a topic such as this one.

Evelyn Chow, Period 6, 11/22/22

 Evelyn Chow, Period 6, 11/22/22

Modern Mythology 2023

• Socio-political Consciousness

• What are your thoughts and feelings about issues of inequity, oppression, and/or power?

• How do you reflect critically on your own beliefs, assumptions, values, and experiences, and how these can influence your perception of self and others?

In a world such as ours, it’s not uncommon to hear about injustice in forms of power in the media; rich kids bribing their way into prestigious colleges, sex scandals involving a person in a higher position of power over the other, or the peculiar circumstances revolving around a promotion of an individual. However, one long lasting issue of our society unfortunately remains to be the treatment of women. Despite making approximately 50% of the population globally, it doesn’t protect them from the impacts of misogyny.

In fact, this is reflected in a lot of Ancient Greek texts that are almost all written by men. For instance, in almost all of the Greek myths we have read so far, they involve a form of sexual harassment or a women engaging in unconsented sexual activities. Somehow, a majority of those myths are always set into motion through Zeus’s inability to restrain himself from forcing himself upon a beautiful, unsuspecting girl. For example, this includes myths of female figures we have covered in class such as: Medusa, Persephone, and Danaë. With the extreme frequency of this trope occurring, I can’t help but speculate that this is most likely a reflection of the Ancient Greek men’s morals, that the men creating these myths are indulging in a sick fantasy of theirs.

Although to many these myths are just fun material to read and pass time with, they fail to recognize the negative consequences of the themes the myths bring forth. These myths perpetuate the image of women as weak and “damsels in distress”, unable to save themselves so they require assistance from a hero to reach their happily ever after. Even powerful women such as Circe finds herself abandoned by two men she gave her heart to. Hera and Athena are also prime examples of this injustice as they were almost always depicted as jealous and vain women who project their insecurities onto mortals. Under modern standards, Hera’s patience to stay with her cheating husband also places a bad image of women as well, which conveys the toxic idea that women should remain loyal to their husbands despite the wrongs he has committed against her. 

Considering how our society has progressed over 2,000 years since the reign of the Ancient Greeks, I want to be able to say that society has placed women in higher standards of respect. Although this is true to an extent, some issues still remain despite the time elapsed. For instance, women can now hold the same positions that men in the past used to and are no longer limited to just the roles of secretaries, telephone operators, or waitresses. Unfortunately, though, the same jobs do not necessarily mean the same wage for many women across the nation. For people who are working the same hours and upholding the same responsibilities, it doesn’t make sense to me how differences in wages can be determined purely based on your sex. 

Of course, there is also the lack of representation of women in certain jobs as well. One notorious example of this is the scandals revolving around the dismissal of Pixar director, Brenda Chapman, in favor of a male director. Although the reason for her leaving was stated to be due to “creative differences”, it is hard to believe considering how vague and absurd the reasoning was. 

I know that wanting women to gain higher statuses to match with their male counterparts in society is a very idealistic idea, but it doesn't excuse the current treatment of women. As a woman myself, I don’t believe that my views are biased, rather I just place a heavier emphasis on these issues. Due to this, I’ve noticed that as I grow older my tolerance has waned—I’ve been irked more often by people who I find displaying misogynistic opinions. In this way, I’ve been able to avoid the people who give me bad vibes. However, I know the root of the problem cannot be merely just avoided by ignoring it, but only through actively fighting the issue at hand. I hope that through the evolution of our country and morals that someday gender inequality can be quelled.

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Oscar Chen Pd 7 11/22/22

 Socio-political Consciousness

• What are your thoughts and feelings about issues of inequity, oppression, and/or power?

• How do you reflect critically on your own beliefs, assumptions, values, and experiences, and how these can influence your perception of self and others?

Injustice has always lingered throughout history, in one form or another. Recently with the development of the age of technology, these injustices have been put on full display. The advent of social media and other new forms of communication makes it trivially easy for everyday people to understand what is happening. One recent development that exemplifies this phenomenon is the incompetent takeover of Twitter by billionaire Elon Musk, exposing the volatility of the stock market. 

The story goes that after Musk bought Twitter, one of the first policies he enacted was to allow users to buy verification. This led to “trolls” buying verification on accounts impersonating big corporations, one of these being Eli Lilly and Co. With a single sentence claiming insulin is now free, Eli Lilly stocks dropped heavily. 

It’s not as if people didn’t know about the exploitation of suffering people for the profits of the big pharmaceutical company, but this debacle has taken another step against them. The power they have over the lives of people, especially those who aren’t well off financially, is something that I find unjust and morally corrupt. This is hardly the only way those who have poor financial backgrounds are discriminated against for trying to live their lives. From healthcare to job opportunities to living status, it is more common for people in power to stay in power than for someone to climb the ranks. 

From a young age, my mother would always remind me to think of the people that are worse off than me. And I would, I would try to eat everything on my plate, wear exclusively hand-me-downs, and use everything I was given until it was no longer usable. But growing up and learning about the lavish lifestyles of people with more money than me, I questioned my actions. I came to the conclusion that my actions resembled those at the top. “Hoarding” to only benefit me and my immediate surroundings. Trying to do better, I hope to bring up those below me. Now, I try to do volunteer and non-profit work and donate whenever I have the opportunity.