Contrasting Stories

I read the front page article, A1, "Snow and ice lower the boom on roofs," written by Mike Urban located in the Reading Eagle. The article discussed the effects of the large amounts of snow that Berks County has been receiving, specifically the damage to the Hopewell Christian Fellowship church in Caernarvon Township. Post snowstorm, the church suffered a severe amount of damage, rescheduled and relocated services, and began rebuilding. The article went on to list other snow-related collapses in the Berks County area. It also offered tips on preventing cave-ins.

The article that I found on page A4, "Gay marriage on fast track to high court," written by the McClatchy-Tribune. The political story largely focused on the huge strides gay marriage is currently making in the high courts. Many states are beginning to show progression by recognizing same-sex marriages. The article quoted the U.S. District Judge Arenda Wright Allen, if marriage is beneficial to families, children, and for society then, we should not deny "gay and lesbian citizens of the opportunity and the right to choose to celebrate, in marriage, a loving, rewarding, monogamous relationship with a partner to whom they are committed for life."

Comparing the two articles, I believe my article is important to the a larger population of people; however, the "Snow" story is important for citizens in the Berks County area who all experiencing similar weather-related problems. Therefore, since the Reading Eagle is a local paper, the front page story should remain and the gay-lesbian story may remain in the Washington section of the paper. I can see the importance and value in each one.

Local Newspaper Article Response

I read, "Thanks Technology for Making Me Constantly Multi-Task," by Shea Singley," located in the local paper, "The Kutztown Area Patriot." In the article, Singley emphasized her growing impatience and frustration regarding people valuing their online presence more than their physical presence. Singley provided a story as an example of when she encountered an audience at a concert largely using their cell phones, instead of watching the show. Singley believes living in the moment is more important than picking up your phone, and I have to agree. I often ask myself why people value pictures more than the actual experience. Many people admit that phones are distracting to use while driving, while in class, or while completing work, but no one admits that they are distracting while watching a form of entertainment. Why not? Should we not concentrate and emirs ourselves in a football game, a ballet recital, or a concert just because it is entertainment? I think Singley was right in the fact that more people should pluck themselves out of the virtual world and back into reality. As a testament, I will attempt to "put down the phone for a bit and look at what is right in front of me."

Shifts and Changes Response

I find that the ongoing conversation, forever weighing the pros and cons of social media, has grown increasingly hypocritical and painstakingly repetitive. As a young adult, I am constantly bombarded with thoughts and opinions addressing the pressing matter of the effects social media has on our communication, specifically its ability to impersonalize human interaction. However, it seems as though they are just opinions because there is no action to follow. To put my ideas into perspective, my good friend and I constantly "poke" one other on Facebook, write short Tweets back and forth, maybe send a couple text messages here and there. Although, when we  saw each other in person earlier this week, we greeted one another with a huge hug and a plethora of questions about our daily lives and it felt as though we hadn't seen each other in weeks. As I grew concerned about this matter, I realized worrying or being upset would not change anything. If I want to feel close to my friends, then I need to make a real change in regards to my communication efforts (e.g., meet in person a couple times a week to catch up). If there is no change, then the way we communicate will not change.