SHORT COMMENTARIES
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DO WE NEED A DELIBERATE PLAN TO TAKE OURSELVES OFFLINE FROM TIME TO TIME, OR ARE THE FEARS OF OVERUSING SMARTPHONES AND SOCIAL MEDIA OVERWROUGHT?
With 5G technology extensively used nowadays, and 6G predicted to be commercially used in less than a decade, the desire to be more interconnected is hard to be moderated. These days, many people who wish to socialize are warped into thinking that connectivity with others through smartphones and social media is a replacement for in-person socialization. Personal devices have become a way of life for many Americans. Statistics by Reviews state that over 40% of Americans view their phones as “their most valuable possession.” As new generations of Americans are surrounded by the technological phenomena in networking and social media, Americans' dependence on personal devices will surely increase. Movies decades ago like Ferris Bueller’s Day Off and Unaccompanied Minors depict teens taking on adventures. Nowadays, movies depicting teens like #RealityHigh and Eighth Grade revolve around teens dealing with superficial lives and social anxieties. This sudden change in the depiction of teens closely correlates with the rise of smartphones and social media - a major factor for the deprived social lives of teens. Americans’, especially teens, relationship with personal devices and social media has escalated into where Americans are drifting farther and farther away from the real world - the reality. It’s time for Americans to proactively differentiate between the digital world and real world socialization.
ELON MUSK HAS SOLD 10% OF HIS TESLA STOCK, $1.1 BILLION WORTH, REPORTEDLY OVER WORRIES ABOUT NEW TAXES.WHAT ARE WE TO MAKE OF THESE POSSIBLE NEW TAXES?
The progressives have yet again displayed their prowess in taxation. By forcing huge tax bills on the high income earners like Elon Musk, California easily lost quite a few Silicon Valley based companies and their CEOs. It seems that progressives don’t understand why “soaking” the rich is pretty faulty. Areas that have higher taxes on the rich result in higher unemployment rates, because the rich have less incentive to provide job openings. High unemployment rates result in higher displacement of people to areas of lower unemployment rates where there are more job opportunities and more desirable housing. Higher displacement of people results in the population where the displacement occurred to be less and of lower quality. Less population that is of decreased quality results in higher violence and crime rates. The chain of reactions goes on and on. It’s clear to me that increasing the tax on the rich isn’t going to be beneficial to anyone, not even the progressives.
WHAT DOES THE KYLE RITTENHOUSE TRIAL TELL US ABOUT AMERICA'S CULTURE AND CRIMINAL-JUSTICE SYSTEM?
The Rittenhouse case serves as a testament to how well the American criminal-justice system and culture braced before major progressive figures who vilified Rittenhouse through racially motivated slurs, just for extreme political agendas.
The Rittenhouse case revolves around whether or not Rittenhouse acted in self-defense. Clear evidence provided by the court hearings and final decisions by the jury prove that Rittenhoues acted in self-defense. However, progressives believed Rittenhouse had murderous intent. Progressives tried to politicize American culture by branding Rittenhouse as a perpetrator using a rifle. Yet, American culture stood firm, standing athwart progressives.
This is mainly because American gun culture is a vital part of American culture. Despite many of the rioters reportedly having sidearms, Rittenhouse had a firearm to defend himself. Thanks to the American gun culture, Rittenhouse’s act of self defence is supported by many Americans.
Even so, political pressure forced upon the judge and jurors resulted in an unimaginable time for the Rittenhouse trial to reach a final verdict. Progressives implied that, if the jury supported Rittenhouse, the jury supports a “white supremacist.”
Despite political efforts to influence the judge and jurors, they stayed on the side of the American criminal-justice system, supporting the rule of law. At the same time, American culture proves it towers over the callous politicians who flood misinformation. Let us hope that American justice, ideals, and values will continue to prevail over politics.