Recess-the Silverlining for Kids

My days of waiting in line for the tire swing and making an obstacle course within the jungle gym is no longer, but to millions of Elementary School kids those times are still the highlight of their school days.

A loving Mom relays the importance recess plays in the eyes of her 9 year old son- “to him it is everything, it his world” (Krischer).  Because recess is so important to young children it seems to be a good punishment for when bad behavior ensues—right? Not so much according to parents and many health officials.

Many school systems have turned to taking away recess as punishment in an attempt to control “those wild kids.”  But, is this really a good form of punishment in a country where childhood obesity is at an all-time high of 18%? 

 Recess for kids is a time to release energy they build up while confined in a classroom.  A time for exercise in a fun and thrilling way.  One school district banned the banning of recess (say that two times fast) for punishments, because they realized the importance it had on growing healthy kids.  The prevention of overweight (affecting 1/3 of the young population) and obese children lies within physical activity—or in kids’ minds', recess.

Recess is not just the answer to more physical activity for kids, but it is an energy outlet helping kids reach their maximum potential in the classroom.  One Mother, a family physician, found her son coming home with disciplinary notes from his teacher.  When she confronted her son about why he was struggling, he told her he couldn't keep his legs still; his 15 minute recess time was not enough for his energy to be released.  If a story like this is true for many kids the punishment of taking away recess would be counterproductive- less exercise would create worse behavior.  As the kids would way: let there be recess!

http://www.news-leader.com/story/news/local/ozarks/2014/06/12/schools-ban-recess-kids-health-concerns/10371467/

 

http://www.cdc.gov/healthyyouth/obesity/facts.htm

 

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/hayley-krischer/heres-one-way-to-wreck-a-childs-education-take-away-recess_b_4149596.html

http://www.livescience.com/15555-schools-cut-recess-learning-suffers.html

 

The Health of Our Nation, and What's Not Being Done About It

As with many aspects of how the U.S. operates, our initial expectation is often times different than the reality. Cash crops run our nation; corn, wheat, and soy products are used to create the seemingly endless supply of packaged goods that are plunging our nation into a state of increasing obesity. The foods that are made out of these products are consistently high in empty calories, high in sodium, and of course, very high in sugar. At the same time, these packaged goods lack many nutrients that the body needs for its regular functions; such as fiber, calcium, iron, and vitamins that are absorbed naturally (and not the kind that is concentrated into a pill.)


It seems that the problem has been so apparent for so long, so why hasn't it been fixed yet? Shouldn't we be able to just redirect more government spending from the current major cash crops, over to the other healthier alternatives? Not only do we need a change in government, we also need a change in culture. As American's we need to realize the truth behind "ready to eat" snacks, and divert our hunger towards a more beneficial alternative. In our culture it seems as if the norm is to always be moving and to always be working, and as a result this leaves very little time for not only taking the time to choose what we may think is the right thing to eat, but it also restricts our time spent eating as well. Eating slower has many health benefits, but that is a blog post for another day. We cannot simply point the finger at the government for all of the issues regarding this topic, because we are at fault in many respects as well.



Obesity is now rivaling hunger as a global issue, and many countries in the world seem to be following the same pattern of unhealthy eating. If we are to reverse that seemingly irreversible damage that the american diet has enacted upon its citizens, we need to make our government care. We must emphasize the sheer importance of a balanced diet, not one that purely consists of only a couple of the food groups. The main goal we should have in mind is to not only improve the health of our nature, but to ensure that our future generation has the right mindset about healthy eating so that they too can lead us into a brighter future.


Sources:
"Do You Have ANY Idea How Absurd U.S. Farm Subsidies Are?" Mercola.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 29 Jan. 2015.

"What Vitamins and Supplements Can and Can't Do." WebMD. WebMD, n.d. Web. 29 Jan. 2015.

"Zen Habits : Breathe." Zen Habits RSS. N.p., n.d. Web. 29 Jan. 2015.

Overweight and Poor

What do you think of when you think of children in poverty? Do you think of kids who are skin and bones, with ribs sticking out? Yeah well that is not me.

I am an eleven year old girl who is overweight. To the world, I am fat because I like to eat junk food or I have no self-control over the type of foods that I eat. But that is not the case. I want fruits, vegetables and grains. But my mom says we can’t afford it.

At the store, I point towards the apples and bananas but mom says not today. Instead she grabs cookies off the shelf and says that it can be my afternoon snack. I don’t mind because I like the cookies. I heard that people used to think that fat people were rich. That is not the case anymore. There are 50.2 million people starving in the US but diabetes and other diet-related diseases are at its highest. People look at me and think that I eat too much and am too lazy. But what people don’t understand is that I am just a kid, who eats what her mom can afford. My mom works every day and sometimes on the weekend, but she still says it is hard to buy the healthy food.

Because my mom cannot afford the healthy foods at the store, I am 1.7 times more likely to be severely obese than you. People want me to be skinny and healthy but mom says we can’t afford it. Why do they make these things unaffordable? Why don’t people seem to care about my health?

I am 1 of 46 million Americans living in poverty with my mom. So why don’t people understand why I am “obese”? My body cannot metabolize and store food properly because most of my life, we have lived in poverty. So I store it as fat instead. Obesity rates increased by 23% from 2003 to 2007 for kids like me, kids who have parents who little or no more. Please help. Because I am not just a fat eleven year old. I am a little girl who cannot afford those healthy foods. If people don’t help children like me, obesity rates will double in just 15 years.

Think about the future of your children.

 

Sources:

http://frac.org/initiatives/hunger-and-obesity/are-low-income-people-at-greater-risk-for-overweight-or-obesity/

http://diabetes.diabetesjournals.org/content/60/11/2667.full

Patel, R. (2008). Stuffed and starved: The hidden battle for the world food system. Brooklyn, N.Y: Melville House Pub.

Overpopulation Causing Hunger Worldwide?

Have you ever thought our World would come to the point where we would result in a population crash? Or have so many people that not everyone is being fed? Thomas Malthus's An Essay on the Principle of Population, is one of the most controversial works known to man about population. The basic overview of An Essay on the Principle of Population is that population growth continues to grow until it hits social limits, which is poverty and hunger. 

We tend to think of the overpopulated areas of the world are countries that are high in poverty and low levels of human development. Out of these 29 countries that struggle with poverty and low levels of human development, about a dozen of them are growing at three percent or more. For example: 

"Niger, currently the world's fastest growing country, has 15.9 million people as of 2010 but is growing at 3.66 percent a year, which if unchecked would give it a population of 617.9 million in 2110 -twice as large as the United States today."

The picture of the left compares how big Niger is to the United States. After reading the quote in Chapter 4 of Bell (above). It makes me wonder how much more poverty and human development would be prominent? "The WFP says 3.6 million of Niger's 11.5 million people face food shortages, while 2.5 million are on the brink of starvation." Obviously, starvation and food shortages is a huge problem for our World and not a lot is being done about it. America, as one of the leading countries in the world should put their foot down and do something about this. We have so much leftover food we just put to waste, whether it is at home, at the school cafeteria, or at a well-known restaurant, food is being put to waste. Instead of putting all of this food to waste, I think we and other countries should create a solution to the starvation and hunger across the world. If there enough food to feed everyone, then why are there millions of starving people today? Thomas Malthus makes a great point when it comes to population, but is population really the problem? Developed countries need to do a better job when it comes to helping the starving people. 

Sources:


https://www.wfp.org/countries/niger

http://www.ifitweremyhome.com/compare/US/NE

 http://www.paulchefurka.ca/Overpopulation.jpg

Bell, Michael. "Chapter 4." An Invitation to Environmental Sociology. Thousand Oaks: Pine Forge, 1998. N. pag. Print.

So Many Mouths to Feed

Dear reader,

               Let me ask you a series of questions. Think back to yesterday, or the day before, or however far back you can remember. What did you have for breakfast? Maybe you had eggs, waffles, toast, or a bowl of cereal. Maybe you're like me and you skipped breakfast all together and instead waited till lunch to get your fill. Do you remember what you had then? What about dinner? Was it a home cooked meal, did you go out to eat, or (if you're a poor college student like myself) did you settle for whatever choices the cafeteria decided to throw together?

Did you have choices for every meal?

Were you actually worried about where your next meal was going to come from, or have you been living each day in full confidence that you wouldn't miss a meal? 

If you haven't, than you are the lucky 85.7 %

What does this mean you may ask? 

This means, that in 2013, 14.3% of households in the US had no idea where or when their next meal would be.  We call this: Food Insecurity, and it's a very big and very real problem in this country.

Now, 14% doesn't seem like a lot so let's look at this number in a different (but true) light:


You are a 3rd grade teacher. In your class there are 25 bright and talented kids loaded with potential. 25 kids who you have worked closely with to encourage their growth and development. 25 kids who you treat like your own children. .

Now imagine 4 of these children struggling each and every day to pay attention. They want to, they really do, but something is occupying their minds to the point that anything you do is futile. As their teacher you are worried and decide to confront the parent(s) of one of these children.

You call the parent in to your office hoping to find a solution to the child's suffering. When you ask about problems at home the parent breaks down into a flood of tears. What you find out is that the child is starving. Their parents are starving. Each and everyday is a battle to put food on the table. In fact, the only sure meal the child gets is during school lunch time. And not even that is faithful. For one, school lunches are no good source of nutrition. Second, there is the problem of weekends and vacation weeks where the school is closed.

High costs of living plus low income makes 4 out of 25 kids who are silently suffering because their family can't afford to keep food on the table.  And even when they can afford food, it's almost impossible to afford fresh food like fruits and vegetables.

What problem does this cause? Well, if families can't afford nutrition filled foods, they are forced to purchase inexpensive calorie filled food. In turn, more and more kids in the US are victim to obesity and many other diseases.

By now I'm sure you're wondering what exactly this has to do with environmental sociology? The answer: externality.

An externality is a cost or benefit that someone goes through even though they didn't choose to.

You see, because of the business of agriculture and the rise in food prices, people can't afford to live healthy. The families who suffer from food insecurity didn't choose to. They are an externality. They are only paying the prices that the growing industrialization of agriculture causes.


So while you're munching away (as I'm sure many of you are right now) on your processed bag of chips or cup of grapes, take a moment to appreciate it.

You have a choice that many people don't.

So now the question is: How can you help?

Well the first thing you have to do is talk about it! Talk about the problem of hunger. Make it known. It's not just a foreign problem that only happens in 3rd world countries. It's here to. Hunger is a universal problem so it needs to be talked about.

The next step depends on you.

Here is a link to the Feeding America site. An organization that fights hunger in America.

Feeding America

Here is a link to an international food charity!

World Food Program

Don't forget to check your local organizations for volunteer opportunities.

Be active, save lives, and fight hunger.



Sources:
Bell, Michael. An Invitation to Environmental Sociology. Thousand Oaks: Pine Forge, 1998. 34. Print.

Patel, R. (2008). Stuffed and starved: The hidden battle for the world food system. Brooklyn, N.Y: Melville House Pub.
http://www.ers.usda.gov/topics/food-nutrition-assistance/food-security-in-the-us.aspx

Don't Kill Me For Soup

We’ve all heard the iconic tune: duunnndunnn... duuuunnnn duun... duuunnnnnnnn dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dundunnnnnnnnnnn dunnnn. I’m sure your heart is racing with just hearing it. This misconception about our species evokes such a strong response from humans that just saying a couple of dunnnn duns in the right way immediately brings up my image. Or really, some scary version of myself:

Yup, that’s me. Actually, it’s just a terrible picture of me. So let’s replace that picture with something a little more flattering, not to mention friendlier.

Much better. So, you must be wondering, why on earth is a shark writing a blog post? And better yet, why should you care? Well, I’m here to tell you why. Sharks have been misconstrued as evil, dangerous, man-eating creatures ever since the movie Jaws was released. I would like to set the record straight. We did not suddenly show up, disrupt your lives and eat you. We have been around for over 400 million years, while you humans (or actually the ancestors of modern day humans) have been here for about 6 million years. That’s a 394 million year gap but hey, whose counting? It’s a harsh reality, but you are the ones doing the damage, not us. Sharks have been known to bite, on average, 50 people each year, only killing about 10 people per year. Shark attacks are dangerous, yes, but we only attack if provoked or if we confuse you with our prey. In contrast to us killing about 10 of you per year, you kill up to 100 million sharks per year. Why so many? Some of us get stuck in the fishing nets and are left to die. Most of us are used to make shark fin soup, a delicacy in China. At first, the meal was quite rare, but now with the technology you have available to kill so many of us each day, the meal is becoming more available and common.

Why should you care about this? Morally and ethically, you should care. The way we are killed is barbaric. We are captured in fishing nets, called long-lines, and hauled onto deck by fishermen. Then, while still alive, you slice off our fins and tail and throw us back overboard, still alive and suffering. This is barbaric. And for what? For soup. We are portrayed as destructive, dangerous and innately evil animals while you cut us apart still alive. We grow slowly and do not have many offspring. We cannot reproduce fast enough to compensate for the millions killed each year. For one second, try to place yourselves in our situation. Imagine being snatched from your home, having your limbs cut off while still alive, and put back in your home to suffer and die an unbearably painful death. If someone did this, even just once, to their own species, the perpetrator would be punished and brought to justice. It would be inexcusable if it happened to you but it happens to us every day, 365 days a year. Millions of sharks are killed in the most inhumane way, with no regard for our lives. Biologically, we are just as sensitive as you. We have pain receptors and nerves; we feel each minute of our torturous end. All because in your society, or predominantly in the society of one country, you enjoy one type of soup. One delicacy has impacted the entire ecosystem of the oceans, not to mention it has called into question the ethics and moral standards of the human race.

Ok, so let’s say that you don’t care that you are cutting us up still alive and dumping our mutilated bodies back in the ocean to suffer until we die….for soup. We will go extinct, and this will have many repercussions. If you kill us, we won’t feed on enough stingrays and other predators. Their numbers will grow, causing whatever they eat to decrease in numbers. This causes the prey of the stingray’s prey to increase, and so on. The entire balance of the ecosystem will be unstable. Some species will grow, causing others to die, upsetting the fragile ecosystem. Whether you like it or not, this will affect you. This is called “the cascade effect” and ultimately will destroy the health of coral reefs.

 

This is my home. This ecosystem is in danger of being completely demolished because of your actions.

My home is beautiful and I have a right to live here. A sociologist, Michael Mayerfeld Bell, came up with the term the beauty of ecology. This term refers to the right of every living thing to “a home, a habitat, that is sustainably beautiful and beautifully sustainable" (Bell, 34). We have a right to our home; we occupied this planet millions of years before you ever did. We are not man-hungry, satanic animals. We are just trying to survive like everyone else.

You have allowed one soup to destroy our ecosystem and endanger our species, putting many species at risk. I’ll leave you to ponder this: if you allow one soup primarily in one country, out of 196 countries, to create so much turmoil and be so destructive, what will you allow to happen to items desired by multiple countries? Will you do something about this, or will you ignore it? Will you investigate the ramifications and inquire about your actions or will you continue to disregard life and continue on your selfish and materialistic warpath?

Sources:

Earle, Sylvia A. The World Is Blue: How Our Fate and the Ocean's Are One. Washington, D.C.: National Geographic, 2009. 62-64. Print.

Earle, Sylvia A. Sea Change: A Message of the Oceans. New York: G.P. Putnam's Sons, 1995. 216-17. Print.

Bell, Michael. An Invitation to Environmental Sociology. Thousand Oaks: Pine Forge, 1998. 34. Print.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wCfWHqrYUqo

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=miEX89E-pvM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yzlqXMateRE

Think Before You Eat




Don’t you just love the feeling of sitting down and eating a nice meal, and the feeling of being full afterwards? Have you ever looked down and seen that there is a lot of food on your plate but didn’t care because you were just too full?

               According to “Love Food, Hate Waste” the average American wastes about 1 pound of food per day. This is something that I find disturbing after reading from the book “Stuffed and Starved”. This book really highlighted to me that America is one of the most over-weight societies and talks about how we are consuming twice the amount of food that we actually need. This bothers me because it also talks about all the countries that struggle to feed one person let alone their whole family.

              

 Whenever I am in my schools local cafeteria there is an area that you put all of your plates and bowls so they can be cleaned. Most of those plates and bowls are still piled high with foods that are just going to waste without any thought. Also, at the end of the day there is always a ton of left over food in which they completely just throw away. To me, it makes me upset to think that all these people can enjoy a nice buffet style meal and just throw away piles of food, while there are probably people in the local community that may not be eating that night.

               I had read in a magazine about a group of people who visit local restaurants and super markets that are throwing away food that has either not been eaten for the night or things from the super market that are still good to eat but are required to be taken off the shelves, and gone around the city and gave these left over foods to homeless people who didn’t have a meal that day. I believe this idea should be on a much wider scale.

               Whenever I was a kid I always heard from my parents that I need to eat everything on my plate and not to waste anything because there was someone out there who would love to be able to eat a good meal. This is something that a lot of people probably heard when they were little and really never thought much of it. I think that there are a lot of people in America that are naive to the fact that millions of people are starving every night. I feel that this issue should become a bigger topic and inform people about what is going on out there and maybe it will help you the next time you decide to completely fill your plate up or whenever you are about to throw away perfectly good food.

               Going to sleep hungry is an issue that many people deal with and I feel that not everyone could be helped by doing some of these solutions but a large portion of it could which would make a lot of difference. To find out ways to help you can visit NoKidHungry.org

money.usnews.com

dining.ucdavis.edu/documents/FoodWaste-nov.09.pdf
Stuffed and Starved, Raj Patel, Melville House Publishing, 

Technology: The Bad within the Good

Do you ever stop to think about the true cost of modern conveniences? 

We all get used to using the latest gadgets and merchandise, man-made, or processed foods and items without realizing the impact these could have on others. 

 

Growing economically and technologically has always been the central goal and measure of success in our society.  This means building up cities, expanding urban life, creating new buildings with new jobs using the latest technology, etc.  Even though this is thought of as “good”, there are many harmful environmental impacts known today such as air and water pollution, acid rain, and deforestation. This leads to the question:  are there any more negative influences of technological progress?

Cutting-edge technologies may make our lives easier, but there are always consequences to these “goods”.  One example is of farmers in India (as discussed in Raj Patel’s Stuffed and Starved: The Hidden Battle for the World Food System 2008).  Rural families cannot afford the education or new technologies (such as improved irrigation and harvesting methods) to keep up with the demands of expanding Indian cities.  As a result, many farmers are so economically devastated that they are driven to suicide, forever scarring those they leave behind.  In other words, cities expand, but rural areas are left behind and become poorer (example: blue collar jobs disappear).  The following video explains some of the hardships faced when farmers can no longer support their families.

 

This example shows that even though success is measured by “progress”, many do not have the means to be flexible with the ever-changing society. This dependence on advancing technologies is the “bad” within the supposed “good” of development.  Many suffer from the inability to take part in these advancements.

This is seen in many other places, even in our hometowns!

 

Being a college student myself, I felt like I needed a laptop to survive the upcoming years at school.  I never thought about what happened to those who could not purchase this necessary item.  Although many excel, others must invest extra time earning capitol to buy these prerequisites, and thus face lower grades (not to mention the social stigma of not having the latest or coolest new electronics).  What about those young adults who do not have the means to attend college? What about their chances of finding a successful career when they were unable to gain the necessary education?  In rural areas, many people are unable to gain internet (or even cell phone) connections.  These technologies are seen as necessary to stay in touch with society, but these people are left out.  Farms were popular near my hometown, but due to low incomes, many had to find jobs in the larger cities.  New technology is typically seen as good, but many are left behind and face the bad within good. 

Not all is bad.  Many people see the problems caused by advancing development and are working towards mitigating them, or else promoting the importance of lower technology in society.  This includes valuing the underappreciated jobs today such as the farmers discussed above.  Going “green” and going back to organic foods emphasizes the importance of these “rural” ideals.  This shifting paradigm can be seen in new car technologies in which less harmful toxins are released into the atmosphere as well as restaurant advertisements bragging about products being made from farm-grown fresh produce.

With a better understanding of the externalities (positive or negative) of technology, we can work for more advancements, but also consider the impacts of our choices. 

To learn more about the farmers in rural India click the link here:

http://www.latimes.com/world/asia/la-fg-india-farmer-suicide-20140805-story.html#page=1

 

Every drop in the ocean counts

The future will either be green... or not at all. 

     The natural craving for bigger and better things are driven into every one of us, because bigger is better... right? Is it?  We are all contributing to the concept knows as the growth machine, our population and production growing with no concern for the environment. And most people when starting a company don't want to hurt the earth but it becomes a problem and unaccounted externality. The benefits and/or problems that can arise that have not been associated with the product.  if you will. You know, I have always laughed because the one thing that gives us life and keeps the millions and trillions of oxygen particles all at a balance so we can wake up and breath and go to work at the factory day after day, is being taken advantage of. Earth. Our planet... The one place in the infinite amount of space that has just the right balance of everything in order to sustain life, and yet we view it as a thing and money and something you can claim and we rip it apart, tear it down, and kill it.

Do you remember this guy? 

Do you really understand how perfectly in balance our environment t is..? Let's just take a run through on what would happen if we lost oxygen for five seconds, please remember it's five seconds. Anyone under the rays of the sun would get sunburns (molecular oxygen protects our skin against UV rays), the sky would go black as night (fewer oxygen particles in the sky means fewer things for light to bounce off of). Second, the earths crust would crumble (oxygen makes up 45% of earths crust), EVERYONE'S INNER EAR WOULD EXPLODE (because we would loose 21% of air pressure), every building made out of concrete would turn to dust (oxygen is an important binder in concrete). Now if you have to read through this again and just think about all of this happening in a matter of five seconds. This is crazy, if we keep up what we are doing to the environment and cutting down every tree we see, polluting, etc. We are going to die. I refuse to say we are going to be in big trouble because we are already there. We have to go green, we need more oxygen in the air, more animals, more trees, less money, people need to help other people, etc. We know what to do as a human race we just don't because it would affect our lives. Yes... yes it will. Every day hundreds of thousands of animals are being mass produced and slaughtered but we don't want to recycle or eat healthy and organic. The human race is lazy, this is the laziest we have ever been. We can not call ourselves hard workers and productive citizens until we do our part for the environment. It needs our help. 

Did you know, if we cleaned up the earth, reduced waste and toxins released and replanted trees so the oxygen in the atmosphere was doubled we would; feel more energetic every single day, get better gas mileage, the human race would actually be happier, be more alert and have a higher physical performance. Every day that we pollute and contribute to pollution we are hurting not only the planet but the atmosphere around us. We need to give back to the one thing that keeps us alive every day, earth. 

Click here to watch a video

Commodification of the Season

            At the beginning of America’s longest holiday season, advertisements begin taking on a particular form. Around November, advertisers begin pushing a specific mindset, namely: treat yourself. Eat as much turkey as you want! It’s Thanksgiving! You deserve it. Don’t leave all the cookies for Santa; save a plate for yourself. This is a fun mentality for people. Calories don’t count on special occasions, after all. But the fun doesn't get to last. The second the presents are opened and dinner is finished, advertisers flip the switch.

            The end of Christmas leading into the beginning of the new year brings out a different side of advertisers. Look at how much you ate. Don’t you feel bad? Don’t you want to undo that? Start making resolutions. Join our gym. Eat our guilt-free, calorie-free, taste-free meals.

 

[source]     

 Why do we let advertisers do this? The main reason is that it is all we know. It is just "the way society works." Everyone knows that Thanksgiving and Christmas are all about big family dinners and everyone knows that you are supposed to create resolutions to ring in the new year (the fact that we did not manage to keep last year's resolutions is of no consequence). Advertisers can push almost anything they want during the holidays because they are playing upon traditions and norms. Anyone who suddenly stops attending the yearly family of something their ancestors probably did not do is suddenly seen by their family as strange and deviant. A friend who does not reciprocate gifts is a friend who will stop receiving gifts. To be part of society, we must participate in society's traditions in some way.

           We are conditioned to listen to advertisers, or at the very least consider what they are saying. As children, advertisements were how we learned about what products are out there and we learn to want things we do not already have. Even when we become aware of this fact, the effect does not necessarily wear off. We listen to the Thanksgiving and Christmas advertisements because they reflect what we want to hear. We listen to the New Year's advertisements because they reflect what we are worried about. 
            This all leaves us with a society that is in constant conflict with our bodies and this conflict leads us to consume more and more. This consumption comes with consequences. As some people buy into what ads are selling, other people have to work throughout the rest of the year to create the goods. Land has to be taken up to create places to create the goods. People have to work during the very same holidays that advertisers want them to participate in, or else the goods cannot be sold. It is a cycle and it is growing.

           I am by no means saying that we should stop participating in holidays, but maybe when November comes around again, we should take a step back and only buy what we personally want and not what outside pressure wants us to want.