Pfizer and Disney (Oct. 28th)

    Today's class kicked off slightly differently from previous classes. Due to a student's request in yesterday's blog post, Mr.Paterson introduced a way of taking notes. Cornell notes. This is a note-taking method I had known of but have only tried a few times. My impressions of this note-taking method is not too high. The idea and psychology behind this method are very convincing but as someone who is not accustomed to it just yet, and already pretty satisfied with current note-taking methods, it is not appealing. Moreover, the last time I tried to take notes using the Cornell method, it was done on paper, which is more convenient compared to typing it up on a computer, in my opinion. To ameliorate such situations, having a free template online is ideal. During class, I looked up templates but they were all either inaccessible or required money. The main reason I do not find this method effective is that I have not used it to its full potential and am unaccustomed to it, so I would like to practice it a few more times before I judge it.

    After the lecture on note-taking, we resumed watching the documentary. One of the topics was two freshmen students and their sponsor bank company. The companies are trying to leave a good impression on not only the two students but the entire generation these two boys have influence over. This is really scary because first, this advertisement leads to manipulation over a substantial number of freshmen. And second, the decisions the company is trying to force upon them is basically an advertisement on a way of life. Continuing on from the last class, corporations that target younger generations who do not obtain copious information on all things in society are honestly smart but arguably evil. Another talking point was Pfizer and its superficial security. The vice president (?) of Pfizer seems like a compassionate, nice old man, with a lot of humor. Plus, the corporation is doing great things at the surface level by fixing broken buildings, hiring security guards, building more street lights, and other measures to enforce the security of the community. When Mr.Paterson said that they were doing it for their workers, that was still acceptable, but when being given the truth that the money they spend is tax-deductible, I was thrown off. Spending money that otherwise would have gone to the government on an area that is not in desperate need of these changes is obnoxious. Moreover, the way they spend the money is not actually helping the community because poor people have lost a way of transportation (not saying that jumping over the gate is necessarily good but...). 

    Following the various facts we learned today, we dove into Disney and their unknown truths that were all very shocking. Never in my life had I doubted Disney for any fraud because only positive feelings are associated with the company. Some traditional old movies and books have even turned out to be not so pure anymore. The all-time beloved character "mickey mouse" being used as a negative adjective was almost so shocking. On top of that, Disney going to extreme extents to prevent any copyright and maintain its originality is crazy. Contradicting to Disney, I was amazed by George Lucas who actually respected his creative peers and shared the profit he acquired through his stories.