Text is a way to communicate without having to speak. It is just as explanatory as speaking and can, in some ways, say more than a person could say. Text is any form of writing that was created for a purpose whether it is to inform, to teach, or to explain. Text serves as a means of communication when talking isn't necessarily an option, i.e. text messaging. Just about everyone texts now because of its convenience and how much quicker it is than it would be to call someone. Think about how much easier it is in some cases to text people, you accomplish the same thing but in less time and effort. Therefore, text is more or less, communication  redefined.

Over break, I noticed that I sort of stuck to the whole idea of not watching as much tv. I spent most of my time out with friends but when I did watch tv, it was never for more than a couple hours. I found an alternative to watching the actual television is to watch shows online. So that is mainly what I did. However, I still limited the amount of online shows I watched, choosing to read instead. I feel like the thirty day challenge stuck with me a little bit because now that Im back at Ball State, Ive succeeded in not watching tv at all and I don't really care to. I want to try to be more productive for the rest of this semester and not having tv as a distraction will help a lot.

"...Vik and his wife start to argue on camera about whether the project is hurting the catadores by taking them out of their environment and then, when it’s over, expecting them to return."


I chose to focus on this argument because this was the point where Vik was contemplating whether he was doing the right thing by these people he just met. He didn't know if it was fair to the pickers to briefly remove them from their element and show them a somewhat better life and then just expect them to go back to their normal routine once the project was done and all the footage had been gathered. 


However, in all actuality it allowed the pickers to realize their situation and made them see the better side of life that they didn't think they would ever know. The project helped them to realize their self worth and made the pickers want to do better for themselves. Some of the pickers were able to confront their past and find the strength and compassion to forgive not only others but themselves for all the misfortunes that they had endured. 


Although this may not have been the original purpose of the project, it ended up being good for the people because a lot of them changed their situation and the portraits made them see themselves as living beings with worth and the capacity to love and forgive, instead of people that pick recyclable materials from a huge landfill.


The argument is very universal because there are people everywhere that like to go to less fortunate and poverty stricken areas and help them to see how much of a better life they can have. 

My experiment is going well. Ive started going to the gym more and Im already starting to feel a lot more fit  and Ive also gotten through 2 books of a 3 book series that Im reading. So I'd say that life has been pretty productive since the elimination of TV.

So that was the second time I tried to post my annotated bib and for some reason the texts always shows up as white lines. I have no idea why or what to do about it.

Van Der Goot, Margot, Johannes W.J. Beentjes, and Martine Van Selm. "Meanings of television in older

adults' lives: An analysis of change and continuity in television viewing." Ageing & Society 32 (2012): 147- 68. Academic Search Premier. EBSCO. Ball State University, Muncie. 9 Feb. 2012 <http://web.ebscohost.com/ehost/detail?vid=6&hid=113&sid=7f5f98e3-5da3-4033-83f4-282880e415e1%40sessionmgr4&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3d%3d#db=aph&AN=67732674>.

This article is talking about the many positive and negative roles that television plays in the lives of elderly people. It also says that some programs gain importance as people age.