Why, Kant? Why Freedom of Speech?

     In his text, What is Enlightenment?, Immanuel Kant expresses his feelings and obligations to the act of freedom of speech by providing his readers with examples of who, when, where, and how one is to properly express his feelings and opinions in society.  Although he illustrates great examples throughout this text, the one example that he seems to be of emphasis is this relationship between the freedoms of speech for Ministers.  In his text he questions the idea of unalterable doctrines when he states, “But should a society of ministers, say a Church Council…have the right to commit itself by oath to certain unalterable doctrines, in order to secure perpetual guardianship over all its members…?” (Kant).  Shouldn’t people be allowed to express their freedom of religion or any other act of freedom without the penalties set forth by doctrines?  To some extreme, there will have to be repercussions for one’s actions, but to punish them for not directly “preaching” the written rule is taking it to the extreme, which is why, to some extent, I believe that individuals should have the right to express their feelings to any audience that they choose.  But at the same time, the one preaching will have to live with the consequences if he/she preaches to the wrong crowd.

   I understand what Kant is trying to relay to his readers about how the doctrines set forth by the Church Council, for the minister to preach to his congregation, should provide a positive message for those listening and should remain unalterable in the name of Christ.  However, what Christ has provided should be the lessons and messages that ought to be presented in the church, which is a point Kant favors in this particular text and is a point that, when choosing to argue, is non-negotiable to the Christian Followers of this time and possibly during his time.  Being raised in a Christian household and basically a Christian nation, it is hard to argue against the beliefs, morals, and views of Christ considering that I, personally, wasn’t around during his physical existence and I wasn’t raised in a “pure” Christian society.  I am being raised within a society that thrives on opinions and drinks from the same cup of questioning authority.  There is no need to question that existence or rules set forth by the unalterable doctrines if you weren’t personally involved in creating them.

  On the other side of things, if I did choose to argue against Kant’s views and say that I believe that a minister has the right to preach to his congregation about whatever his heart or mind questions—the power of love, the relationship between politics and religion, is the existence of Christ real, etc.—I wouldn’t be able to provide a valid argument because I was not alive during his time period (late 1700s) and I didn’t experience the same experiences that he did, which may have caused him to think this way.  I do not have the necessary information or method in making a valid argument.  If this were an argument of war, I would probably find myself surrendering to the beliefs of Kant: I would lose in heartbeat.  I would be proven wrong because of what I know versus what he knew. 

   I want to be able to follow in the beliefs of Kant, but I have this feeling that we will be doing more arguing than compromising when it comes to his views of freedom of speech and my views of freedom of speech. We were born in different time periods and were raised on different morals and values. There is no way that I will be right when arguing with him during his life and there is no way that he can be right if we were to argue in the present time.  Either way, by losing and being proven wrong or by simply walking away from this argument, I will only come away with more knowledge rather than a victory.  To some extent, questioning Kant is like questioning the doctrines of freedom of speech--in order to be proven right one must be involved in the current times and get involved in the progressing situation before one can question the written rules of the established law.  So now you can ask yourself, why is freedom of speech so universal and why is one always wrong in an argument centered around freedom of speech? Why, Kant? Why?

Kant, Immanuel. Immanuel Kant: What is Enlightenment?, 1784 (n.d.): n. pag. Allmen de Berln.     
     Web. 11 Dec. 2014

8 Ways to Enjoy a Perfect Winter Day

                                                 

Do you ever find yourself wondering how to enjoy a winter day?  What should you do?  How should you pass the time without completely over doing the season of winter?  Well today is your lucky day! In front of you are eight, very spectacular, ways to turn your gloomy, cold, miserable winter day into a bright, warm, packed with fun winter extravaganza kind of day!

1. "Oh the weather outside is frightful."
Whoever said you had to be outside to enjoy the winter weather was never introduced to hot chocolate and a warm cozy fire that fills the room with smells of wood and the sounds of crackling embers that coat the room with a faint glow.  By being able to just relax and enjoy the essence of a fire and a warm cup of hot chocolate can really turn your gloomy winter day into a perfect day well spent!
                                                     

2. Netflix? What Netflix?
Besides from the cozy fire and warm hot chocolate, the idea of Netflix usually has this inevitable power to turn your gloomy day into a day that seems to have you wanting more; more as in winter and Netflix.  So when winter comes around, it's never to late to satisfy your fix for a Netflix binge.
                                                           

3. "Do you want to build a snowman?"
Although there are plenty of things to do in the house on a winter day, the best thing you could do is an american staple; build a snowman.  Fires are nice, but building a snowman that has a carrot nose, two coal eyes, a coal smile, and a buttons down the middle is a snowman that resembles that memories that are made while playing in the snow.
                                                    

4. Aim. Throw. RUN!
What's winter without the traditional snowball fight? Sure it can get dangerous at times and competitive, but once you begin to feel the adrenaline rush through your body as you run from hiding spot to hiding spot to dodging and ducking out of the way of friendly fire there is no turning back to the life inside.  You are in it for the long run, now!
                                                 

5. The Perfect Snow Angel
Is it possible to create a perfect snow angel--an angel that does not have any hand-prints or foot-prints?  How would you know if you stayed inside?  Once the snow begins to fall and accumulate, the appropriate time to create that perfect snow angle has presented itself.  So get out there and enjoy the challenge of creating the perfect snow angel!
                                                     

6. Ready. Set. GO!!
Once you find the perfect hill, there is no turning back from what awaits your next adventure. As soon as you sit on your sled and give a little a push, your little push soon begins to increase in speed as you go racing down this hill of terror until you finally come to a halt in the powdery snow.  The thrill and feel of numbness across your face illustrates the true fun of being outside in the winter.
                                                   

7. Welcome Home!
Welcome home?  When winter rolls around and you are out in the open with only piles of snow everywhere and nothing to protect you from the fierce wind, what are you to do?  Well, the idea of fort building is certainly an answer and an awesome way to spend your winter day.  Who knows, your winter fort could become your home if you find yourself spending more time in there rather than in your own house.  It could be the new hangout spot for you and your friends!
                                           

8. "Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow!"
When your winter day comes to an end and night closes the evening, the only true way to show how much you appreciated the winter day is to pray for more snow (depending if you want it or not).
                                                   

Whether your winter day is spent inside or outside, there are countless examples of how to turn your gloomy, cold, miserable, and snowy winter day into the best time of your life.  You just have to think outside your age and away from the fire to be creative.


-http://heartsincobscookbay.blogspot.com/2011_01_01_archive.html
1. http://pragmaticobotsunite.com/thursday-open-thread-the-politics-of-african-american-hair/
2. http://www.agirlnamedpj.com/winter-tv-binge-watching/
3. http://veryfrances.tumblr.com/post/73827633545/do-you-want-to-build-a-snowman-conyo-version
4. http://www.sodahead.com/fun/instead-of-fighting-with-words-today-lets-have-a-snowball-          fightlets-have-some-fun-around-her/question-4098995/?page=2
5. http://www.nativitycedarcroft.org/?p=500
6. http://www.clipartreview.com/pages/101204-156619-940009.html
7. http://unrealitymag.com/index.php/2012/01/16/a-collection-of-15-awesome-snow-forts/
8. http://www.keepcalm-o-matic.co.uk/p/keep-calm-and-pray-for-snow-42/

You pay what for a haircut?

 

 

From the website guff.com, the authors have set up a wonderful selection of images that portray how men and women are set apart from each other through their normal rituals.  But the authors' arguments can sometimes come off as being more offensive to the female rather than the male because of what the images are saying.  Some of the pictures refer to the differences of how men make dinner compared to how women make dinner or what's on the mind of male--sex--versus the mind of a female--need for commitment--or even the difference of how men and women view chivalry.  But the picture that seems most fitting to our generation, is the image that basically shows the difference between a man's haircut versus a woman's haircut.

 

 In the above picture, the argument of a man's haircut and a woman's haircut is the target for conversation.  In the picture, the man is seen, before his haircut, as having a full head of hair and then fifteen dollars later comes out looking all cleaned saved and having only a fourth of the hair he had before his haircut.  On the other hand, the woman pays $275 for a haircut that seems as if didn't change her previous hair whatsoever.  So you may be asking, "What haircut?"  To a woman, $275 may seem like a lot of money, but is definitely worth it when she gets noticed by the opposite sex and feels good about herself.  For a guy, a haircut is a haircut; fifteen dollars or less is perfect and doesn't hurt the bank.  (Which is probably why I have been getting the same type of haircut for the past nine years.)  Instead of spending almost $300 to feel good about ourselves, a fifteen dollar haircut to feel good about himself seems like a better idea.  He may feel good about himself, but does he look good?

 

Although this pictures argues that men will spend less to see a bigger difference in their hair style versus women who pay more to not see a difference at all, this picture also sets up the argument about who gets more than a haircut when they go get a haircut.  For example, my mom will have a haircut appointment at 9:00am and won't come home until 12:00pm.  Within those three hours, she gets her hair colored, trimmed, cut, shampooed, curled, straightened, and gets hot tea on the side.  Now when I or my father receive a haircut, we set up an appointment at 9:00am and we are home by 9:30am.  We don't have our hair shampooed, curled, or straightened while we are served hot tea, but instead we get our hair cut and trimmed with maybe the possibility of a shave.  So yes, in essence, the female haircut should be more expensive than a guys, but there should be a physical difference that us guys should be able to notice without being questioned by the female when she says, "Do you like it?" 

 

No matter how you look at it, a haircut is a haircut and a ritual that will always seem to baffle the mines of both men and women.