Questionnaire- review and final post

Age- 19

Sex- female

Course- English and Creative Writing

Does ‘Being Bad’ relate well to the other modules you are taking?- Not particularly at first, but it helps look deeper into other aspects of ideas and opinions

Have you found ‘Being Bad’ too demanding, too easy, or at an appropriate level?- the lectures have been easy but not overly easy as the discussions always made me think about why I believe a certain thing

Do you think the list of topics covered on the module was appropriate? Yes, there was a wide range that covered a lot of interesting ground

Are there any topics not included in the module that you would like to see included?- None that I can think of

Do you think that the format for classes has worked well?- It may have worked better if there was a smaller number as the constant background chat was very off putting

What did you think of the module team?- they have all been very interesting to listen to and brought a different flavour to each lecture
Do you think it would have been better to have had more:

Small group discussions? Yes

Discussion and debate among the class as a whole? No- I felt there was enough

Information and talk from lecturers? Yes

The approach taken in the module is interdisciplinary (drawing on perspectives from English Literature, Film Studies, Creative Writing, Philosophy, Religious Studies, Media Studies and Politics): do you think this a useful way of approaching the topics covered in the module? Yes because it enables people from different areas to put in their piece and makes the course more interesting.

Do you think that interdisciplinary modules are a good idea? Yes

Do you think you have benefited from the interdisciplinary approach taken in the module? Yes

Would you like to see more modules that cover this kind of subject matter? No- too much would be overkill, people choose their courses because that's what they want to study, not do everything.

Are you planning to take the follow-up module PH2004 ‘It Shouldn’t Be Allowed’ at level 2? I am considering it

Would you recommend ‘Being Bad’ to a friend? Yes, as long as they didn't have to put up with the constant background noise!

Do you think that the blogs (web logs) were a good idea? Yes, I have really enjoyed doing it

What did you think of the other assessments (e.g. would it be better to have one longer assessment rather than two shorter ones?)? Having two assignments worked well as I could choose two topics to write about, rather than having to narrow it down to just one.

What have you learned from the module? That everyone's opinion is valid

What parts of the module have you found most useful and why? The discussions and feedback because it interested me to see a different perspective

What parts do you think were a waste of time and why? I cannot think of any

Are there any other comments you wish to make regarding ‘Being Bad’? NOo

Response to another blogger

I am responding to this blog http://ch3ck-m3-out.blogspot.com/2008/05/being-too-religious.html

I disagree with this person's idea that if one person in a relationship has a faith, then the other must have some spiritual beliefs also. This would be like saying if one doesn't like football then the relationship will not work out!
As long as the non-religious person accepts their partner's faith and the religious partner does not pressure the non-believer into converting, then I don't see a problem with the relationship.

Lying with integrity

This lecture taught me about different reasons for lying.
I had never really thought about the positive aspects of lying as I was taught that it was wrong. It didn't stop me from lying as a child though, I simply hid the lie so I wouldn't get into trouble.
Lying can stop someone's feelings being hurt and can stop people from getting into trouble. An example of this would be if a person was racist.
Lying may also be due to peer pressure; trying to fit on for example 'Oh no I can't stand her'. It affects nobody but helps the speaker feel part of a group.
There are certain occasions where it is unacceptable to lie such as when a person is under oath.
Lying has been the subject of various films such as Pinocchio and Liar Liar, showing that it is a common thing.





This website offers typical behaviours and signs of a liar http://www.sixwise.com/newsletters/05/06/29/the_top_seven_signs_that_someone_is_lying_to_you.htm

Response to another blogger

This is my response to http://sin-city-being-bad.blogspot.com/2008/04/kids.html

I agree that 'bad films' are usually either brilliant or awful and that 'Kids' fits into neither of these categories. For it is unique in that it is portrayed as if it is almost a documentary.
However, I disagree when the bloggor says that they were shocked as they could not dream of children demonstrating this behaviour in Cyprus, where the blogger is from, as I can easily imagine children or young teenagers indulging in this shocking behaviour, although perhaps this can be seen as a reflection on society in Britain today compared to Cyprus rather than the film's content.

Response to another blogger

This is my response to; http://felicitydrive777.blogspot.com/2008/04/bad-comedians.html

I agree with the idea that 'it is all about timing' whether a comedian is funny or not, and also with the idea that some jokes are simply not funny however they are told.

What this blogger also says about the 'understanding' between comedian and audience is similar to what I wrote in my post on bad comedians.

However, I disagree with the person's like of Dylan Moran, although I can appreciate that he does appeal to a certain audience. The same can probably also be said of one of my favourite stand-up comedians Alan Carr; http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tiBiB9K0YJQ

Response to another blogger

My response to this post http://whatsnew-hunni.blogspot.com/2008/04/so-we-all-think-smoking-only-causes.html


I disagree with this blogger's idea that cigarette companies should make us more aware of the facts, the packets are already taken over by the message 'smoking kills', in my opinion, that is all that smokers need to know and should be enough of a deterrant to make them want to quit smoking.

There are so many problems that are associated and related to smoking that it would be virtually impossible to label them all on a cigarette packet unless the packets increased in size which would defeat the object of listing the health problems and also cause an increase in litter with the larger size.

Being Too Religious

The opening of this lecture was a little shocking as the lecturer went into prayer directly in front of the microphone and encouraged us to join in. This was uncomfortable for a number of reasons such as there being a number of people belonging to different Religions and also a number of non-believers. There are many different Religions in the world than Christianity;



This action is reminiscent of preachers in the street who force passers-by to listen.
This excessive behaviour may be deemed as unusual as many people prefer not to discuss their religious beliefs in such an open forum unless they are surrounded by others who feel the same way as they do.

This lecture taught me about the two main differences in Religion; them being either high or low involvement. The extent of work which Jehovas Witnesses are expected to suprised me and shows that those following the Religion must be very dedicated to what they do. http://www.watchtower.org/ explains things and answers questions such as 'Do Jehovah's Witnesses believe they are the only ones who will be saved?' and is available in 314 languages showing that this is a popular Religion.

Drugs

This lecture taught me about the different categories of drugs such as narcotics, hypnotics and stimulants.
It also wiped away the stereotype that people on drugs are always 'scum' who contribute nothing positive towards society. An example of this is Aldous Huxley who was an accomplished writer of novels, poetry and essays yet he was a known user and advocator of LSD.





However, he does not change my beliefs that drugs are wrong and can do irrevocable damage to users both mentally and physically for example





The media concentrates on celebrities with drug problems such as Amy Winehouse and Pete Doherty which puts these people in young, impressionable teens lives whether it be in magazines or on gossip websites. This may give thes people the wrong impression that being a drug user means being a successful rock star.
There is also a shown on American television called 'celebrity rehab' which follows stars through their group therapy sessions and such as they try to rehabilitate themselves. Having watch a few clips I believe that this show is a pisitive one as it does not advocate addictions and shows the struggles of people trying to overcome their problems.

A website called talktofrank has been set up http://www.talktofrank.com/home_html.aspx which aims to help people and has a helpline for people to use when in need. This shows that the problem of drug abuse is being tackled and it is being made well known through the use of television commercials advertising the website.

I believe that this will help young people before their addictions result in their deaths.

Bad comedians 2

The type of comedy that I like and have found that the majority of my friends who are of a similar age like is easy-going comedy.
An example of this is the tv show 'The Friday Night Project', this is hosted by Alan Carr and Justin Lee Collins.





They are joined by a different celebrity guest host each week.
One segment of the show is 'The Friday Night News' with Alan and the guest host discussing recent news from the world of celebrity.
This part of the show relies on the audience's knowledge of the celebrity world in order to understand the joke. This is known as the incongruity theory

An example of this segment can be found here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MStQK0I07fw

Suprisingly, Alan Carr's humour spreads acroos more than just the teen to twenty something generation as my grandmother laughs out loud at his stand up dvd, however his counterpart Justin does not have the same effect.
This shows that even though they are a duo on The Friday Night Project they are able to remain individual and portray their own influences into the writing of the show showing versatility in making the show work and appeal to a wider audience who like them individually or as a pair.

Bad comedians

This lecture taught me about two different classes of comedians, Those reactionary comedians such as Bernard Manning and Jim Davidson, and subversive comedians such as Ben Elton.

This finally allowed me to label the sort of comedy that offends me; reactionary.

I do not feel that it is neccessary to mock certain groups simply to get a laugh, there are many more witty and intelligent ways to do this and the world is certainly not short of those capable of using their wit to be a successful comedy act.

Jim Davidson's recent appearance on TV show Hell's Kitchen showed that this type of humour is no longer socially acceptable when he joked about the homosexuality of fellow contestant Brian Dowling.



Viewers were appalled and Davidson was booted off the show.

A simple internet search brings up a forum which highlights the general public's views, the majority of which are in Brian's favour http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?t=658878


One example of a comment made on the forum mentioned above is 'I knew Jim Davidson many years ago. He was vile then and it looks like he hasn't changed one iota! Nasty, nasty piece of work.'

Comedy does not need to be tarnished by these comedians who simply bully in order to get a gag.

Body modification

There are many different forms body modification can take such as tattoos, piercings and the more unusual such as foot binding and cirumcision.
People undertake these cats for reasons such as pleasure, religion or because they have been focred to.

One of the most common forms is tattooing and chances are you will know somebody who has a tattoo.
One example of this is that my mother has approximately nine tattoos on her body. Two of which represent myself and one which represents my sibling.
I am not against tattoos and some can look quite good however I disapprove of my mother having them as I think they look silly on her and don't really suit her.
I have another relative who has tattoos from neck to ankle and as this relative is now a pensioner, they do not look as good as when the tattoos were first put on. I do not think that tattoos suit old people and therefore am against permanant inking. Temporary tattoos on the other hand, I am all for as having those is not such a life altering decision.

My mother has had all of her tattoos done by the same man; Joe, this is his website http://www.joestattoostudio.co.uk/

This is one of the tattoos my mother has...

A 2nd comment I have made

Can be found here...
http://kimberley19.blogspot.com/2008/03/so-our-first-lecture-introduced-us-to.html

'I agree with what you have posted, I also found the antics of our fellow students quite shocking. Perhaps by being honest, they were trying to relieve themselves of the guilt that they were feeling regarding their actions, or then again perhaps they are proud of what they have done!
Either way, I am proud that I have not done anything nearly as bad as what most people have done.'

Masturbation in popular music

Songs I have found that cover the topic of masturbation...

P!NK's 'U and ur hand' includes the lines 'Keep your drink just give me the money/ it's just you and your hand tonight'
Full lyrics here http://www.lyricsandsongs.com/song/651515.html

This song is referencing men trying to pick up women in bars but failing and so having to go home alone. The song may be seen as showing the power women now have to be able to say 'no' to men instead of letting them have their way.

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Chuck Berry's 'My ding-a-ling'
Some of the lyrics from this song are 'When I was little boy in grammar school,Always went by the very best rule, But every time the bell would ring,You'd catch me playing with my ding-a-ling.'

This may be seen as shocking as it is from the point of view of a young boy.

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Dinvinyl's 'I touch myself'

This song includes the lyrics 'When I think about you I touch myself'

Masturbation

A few hundred years ago it was seen as wrong to masturbate yet today it is accepted, though not neccesarily talked about comfortably, as a usual and normal sexual act.
Men used to have to wear various appliances to cause pain when an erection happened.
http://www.coolnurse.com/masturbation.htm - this website promotes masturbation as being healthy as well as giving a brief history of when it was deemed wrong to do so.
Today, there are various chain stores dedicated to providing 'sex toys' for people to experiment with in the bedroom, also online there is a boom in purchasing adult applliances as there is less embarrassment involved than having to be seen entering an adult shop. This shows that there is still somewhat of a taboo attached to the act today no matter how far advanced we have become regarding views on the topic.
Here is an example of an anti- masturbation device

Bandits and Outlaws

I was suprised to learn a few things in the lecture on this topic such as Robin Hood type figures would actually steal from the poor to give to the poorer rather than stealing from the rich.
When researching further information on this topic online, I came across this site http://www.boldoutlaw.com and it reiterates the same facts 'The legend of Robin Hood has changed a lot over the years. "Classic" characters such as Maid Marian, Friar Tuck and Alan a Dale were all later additions to the greenwood folklore. So was the "steal from the rich and give to the poor" motif.'
This casts light on the myths and ideas cast in films and such that portray the stereotypical Robin Hood figure.
Another figure is Jesse James, renound for his rebellion against a society he didn't like and his hero like status despite being a murderer.

Bad cinema- 'Kids'

The film 'Kids' is supposedly shocking, and perhaps it was at the time of release.
More than a decade later, viewing this film for the first time I was unphased by many of the goings on happening on screen.
Most of the 'shocking' parts have since been shown in other films and tv shows in many different ways. The only part that was 'shocking' for me, although not overly shocking, was the tampon scene.
The tone of the film is a rather despondent one leaving little hope for a happy ending. The ending shows that the behaviour depicted during the film will carry on in a vicious cycle of spreading sexually transmitted disease and causing many lives to be ruined.
The title 'Kids' shows that the characters are too young to be getting involved in the sex and drugs and alcohol that they are being exposed to and even exposing younger siblings to as shown in the scene where four young boys pass round a spliff.

Stalking

One definition of stalking is 'a constellation of behaviours in which an individual inflicts upon another repeated unwanted intrusions and communications' (Mullen, 1999). (source- http://www.bbc.co.uk/insideout/yorkslincs/series7/stalking_advice.shtml)
In my opinion there are different levels of stalkish behaviour. For instance, simply watching someone you like whenever they are in the same room is very different from following them home and peering into their windows while they are in the shower.
Some may argue that it hurts the victim psychologically, however I argue that if they are unaware of this behaviour then it can not be hurting them. Though, saying this, I do not condone the behaviour.
It could be argued that the paparazzi 'stalk' celebrities to get a publishable picture of them, following them from place to place, however the law doesn't inflict restraining orders upon them, unlike 'crazed stalker fans' that do similar things.
It is also often assumed that men stalk women more often than the other way around, this is showed in films, television shows and even music videos such as Justin Timberlake's 'Cry me a river.'

Theft

There are many different forms of theft such as shoplifting, burglary and armed robbery.
These different forms all have different impacts on victims and can be classed as worse than others.
In my opinion, shoplifting is bad but not as bad as say burglary. I think this because it is more impersonal. Burglary involves entering someone's private space and taking personal belongings, often with sentimental value. In contrast, shops are businesses which seem less personal and invasive.
People who are desperate for items such as food may shoplift but never dream of committing an armed burglary, this shows people in need not simply wanting to steal for the 'buzz' of it.
Armed robbery is much more serious as it can affect a great number of people if, for example, a bank is held up during a peak time.






The amount of robberies taking place is increasing and has been for the last few years, perhaps as a result of sentencing becoming lighter due to prison overcrowding. One website claims that between April 2001 and March 2002 alone, robbery increased by twenty eight per cent.
http://www.crimereduction.homeoffice.gov.uk/violence/violence06.htm

This shocking statistic is a reflection on today's society and the behaviour of people, whether they do it for the enjoyment, neccessity or peer pressure, something needs to be done before it gets out of control

Infidelity

Infidelity has become more common, or at least more commonly discussed and known about, over the last few decades.

When infidelity is discussed, the norm is to associate the subject with men cheating on their partners rather than vice versa however this is not strictly right. Many women have been known to cheat but perhaps for differing reasons than men.
Men often explain their cheating as meaningless sex or a one night stand. In contrast, women often defend themselves by explaining their behaviour as searching for the intimacy and affection that their partner was unwilling to express.
These explanations fit in with the theory that women need love while men need their sexual appetites fulfilled. (source- http://www.authorsden.com/visit/viewnews.asp?id=10299 )
With the internet becoming ever increasingly popular, many websites have been created to help those who are victims of infidelity such as online advice and even webites that enable you to name and shame! ( http://www.infidelity.org.uk/) this reflects upon today's society and just how common infidelity actually is.

Some people have been able to utilise this behaviour and make a career for themselves out of it, an example of this sort of occupation would be a decoy, who gets paid to 'try it on' with someone's partner and secretly record it.

In my opinion, no matter what the circumstances, infidelity should not happen. If things are wrong in the relationship then sort them out between yourselves rather than seeking a third person as it can only lead to heartache and pain.

Recording a comment I have made

My first comment was made here...

https://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=2717438703680662526&postID=5214208085932687604&page=1

Smoking

Smoking is perceived as bad mainly by non smokers. Some smokers will tell you that they have had no health problems and have been smoking for x number of years.
In my opinion, the determining factor in forming your opinion in this debate is whether you smoke or not.
Recently, many statistics and tests and such have been revealed showing that around half of all smokers will die of a disease related to their smoking.
A quick search on the internet brings up many websites on this hotly debated subject and they list smoking related illnesses from varying lung cancer to menopause. (source- http://www.patient.co.uk/showdoc/23068824/ )
I believe smoking is bad because it not only affects the smoker but passive smoking can affect those around the smoker such as children and infants who are unable to move away from the smoke if they are, for example, strapped in a high chair.
The government has addressed this through television adverts showing children inhaling smoke and I believe that these shocking images have helped show people what is happening and this is contributing to the declining number of smokers in Britain today.

Field trip

My idea for a field trip would be to go to a concert.
This concert would be one where the headline act is a rock band who perform risque songs with contreversial lyrics. The band itself is also synonomous for their backstage shenanigans and partying habits.