An Analysis of PositiveCyb

PositiveCyb addressed an issue present in many environments such as in the workplace, a learning environment, or in a public environment. The knowledge of merely the app's existence can deter others from messing with a supposed victim through the mere threat presented by the app owner. The most appropriate thing I found about the idea was that it could prevent many illegal or violent incidents from occurring or assisting the capture of anyone involved in it. However, I find it being exploitable into being unfaithful for its intended purpose. The unknown possibility of spying on the app owner can lead to uncertainty that may be akin to how George Orwell's "1984" employs the method of "Big Brother." "Big Brother" employs a methodology that manipulates how we interact each other. PositiveCyb assumes that it will only use the data in a useful way, and starts to record audio after a word or phrase is said matching its filter. The lack of a possible income source and the vulnerability of how user data can be used will deter possible consumers from installing the app. The app emits the idea of intrusion into our daily lives that many would dislike. For example, an individual may commonly swear or joking say inappropriate words to a significant other or friend. As a result, this may trigger the app's recording and in turn may communicate with the wrong people due to a misleading situation. Although it was stated during the presentation that the app would differentiate between an aggressive and joking tone, I find it difficult it would able to do so without recording audio. This audio can be sold to third parties such as marketing companies in order to cater to people who say similar things. Although the concept itself has a good promise and possibly good intentions for the victim, but I find the vulnerability of the app's spy-ability to be too great to maintain, and I do not think PositiveCyb is a proper method to treating bullying in real life situations.

PositiveCyb

     The two presentations that I saw this week were interesting, however PositiveCyb captured my attention the most. This app would stop everyday and cyber bullying. Your mobile device would record the people around you and what they say. If something is heard that sounds like bullying then higher authority would be contacted. My only problem with this is that everyone would have to give consent to the app because if not that is an invasion of privacy, which would lead to legal issues.
    I like the idea of the app, but it seems like another way for the government to spy on society. I don't understand the option of turning the camera and microphone off because that is the whole purpose of the app.

PositiveCyb

The app PositiveCyb was created to address the issue of bullying. In our society bullying has taken a form of social attack with verbal degrading of another person, and people watching through forms of social media. This is sad but true to our society today. PostiveCyb basically takes your social media and goes through it and when any negative comment is said, it sends the authorities. I think the thought behind this app is amazing and i do agree that something should be done, but i personally feel as though this app is not the way. There is always the thought that kids are joking and are not trying to harm anyone. Yes, people always say you should not say those things, but it does not stop children from being children. Also, people have the right to say what they want. An opinion is an opinion and you cannot control the speech of others. I think there were a lot of good aspects to the app itself, but overall the app is too complicated and does not consider the counterattacks it may get.

Pillow Talk

The app Pillow Talk, was created as a safe haven for rape and sexual assault victims and potential victims. The app basically alerts the authorities whenever a victim is in a situation where they feel they are going to be harmed in any way. The app then sends a text asking if the victim is okay, if the victim does not respond within the time limit of 2 minutes then dispatchers are sent to the victims location. It also allows for every person who owns the app to scan their location and surrounding areas for registered predators. The app is an amazing way to keep people safe in a world of technology and also educate people on sexual assault. A lot of the times victims of sexual assault just think of it as rape or vicious crimes, when in actuality sexual assault can be other things as well especially if a predator is doing anything to make you uncomfortable and feel unsafe about your body. I think the app should be tested on college campuses such as CBU or U of M, I personally believe U of M would be a great start due to the high ratings of assault on campus.

PositiveCyb

The issue of bullying was tackled in this presentation, with the given solution being the app PositiveCyb. The app offered several features in the name of tackling bullying. Though the app has good intentions and a solid issue that it seeks to address, the way that the app collects and records data is much too invasive in my mind. As the presenters said, the app would monitor and run through all forms of social media and other apps that the user could be harassed through, which is a bit alarming that it would have such a power. But the truly disturbing aspect of the app was that it would turn on and record a video when it detected any inappropriate or angry language that could be labeled as "bullying", and then send it to the authorities or any other people that the user selects it to be sent to. Now, bullying is a serious issue and impacts a lot of people at some point during their lifetime, however when it comes to just verbal abuse and bullying, there is also the matter of free speech that can be argued for here. If a bully says something aggressive, but does not necessarily constitute as a threat or an offensive in the eyes of the authorities, then nothing will be accomplished and could possibly provoke the aggressor even more. Another thing about this is that the app is supposed to be able to pick up on the differences between truly aggressive language and playfully aggressive banter. This also caught my attention, because not every bully takes the same approach, some may address their victims with a more calm tone or some other form of speaking that the app does not recognize as a threat, or could record and register a playful dialogue as hostile and get the wrong person in trouble for it. In my opinion, the best feature of the app was the option to join a support group or groups. This would be very beneficial to victims of bullying. To have a support system right there at their fingertips whenever they needed it is a very thoughtful and fantastic idea. In conclusion, the app could cause controversy in its intrusiveness and encroachment on people's right to free speech, but it is a great start to finding an effective solution to the issue of bullying.

White Bear - Justice

Another episode of the series Black Mirror, is called White Bear. The first character we see is a woman who is confused about her whereabouts. She walks out of her assumed house to see people in windows video taping her. She has no idea whats going on and is screaming asking why and what is going on. Then we see a gunman show up for is going after only her and trying to kill her. She gets away and finds a woman she thinks she can trust who explains to her that the government has created a system that has took over everyone's mind and they are going after the people who were not effected it. As they get a way they find refugee in a man that is thought to be good, and she begins to remember random things, like the fact that he was going to take them to the woods. Once they get there the man they had trusted pulls a gun on them and attempts to add them to his collection of people he has killed. They finally get away and the girl leads them to "White Bear" where she thinks they are going to turn off the system and save the day. When they get there she soon finds out that it is all and act and that this is a justice system. It is a park that holds her because her and her husband murdered a child, and it is a public display of her punishment. She is shocked at night so she does not remember the day before and has to go through it all over again. I personally disagree with this display of publish torture.

The Panopticon

The Panopticon is essentially a prison like system that creates a sense of paranoia. The jail-like system is set up with a tall lighthouse type figure in the middle and the cells set in a circle around it. The Panopticon's light shines through the cells of each inmate all day everyday, creating a sense of unknown. The Prisoners have no idea if there is a guard there watching their every move, and have no idea when they are getting out. The rooms are set up to always be open and there is no way they could hid from the light on the panopticon. The system is brilliant because it forces a sense of control and respect over the prisoners or sadly drives them mentally insane. I agree with the idea of the panopticon because the fear of the unknown is a fear that all humans have and sadly is a great way to gain control and somewhat a sense of trust over each inmate. The downside it does not respect their mental health. I personally believe that is wrong because though gain respect their should be a sense of care when it comes to the well being of each inmate.

Be Right Back

Be Right Back is an episode in the Netflix Series, Black Mirror. This particular episode focuses on a wife and husband who seem to be living a normal life. It shows their ups and their downs and it shows how they are a normal healthy relationship. In the beginning on the episode, The wife tells her husband Ash to get off his phone while they are driving. This shows the characters ultimate flaw that, we assume takes his life. Through her grief we see her pain and her hurt due to the loss of her husband. A friend of hers then signs her up for a subscription. This subscription basically gives you an unhealthy way to stay "connected" to your loved on. It takes the sayings from Ash's social media and creates a system of replies in the form of text messages. His wife starts to communicate with this system, thus creating an unhealthy grief system that soon consumes her life. She begins to fill the void that has been left due to the loss, but then she is faced with the option of trying out their robot. They send her a, what seems to be, wax figure that is soon activated and takes for of her late husband. Everything is going fine, until she realizes that it will never replace her husband. The replies seem planned and not natural, her attachment to him is not the same and she cannot feel the same with the robot as she does with her husband. The episode ends with her having a daughter and her child begging to see Ash. This episode is interesting because the society is based in later years with updated technology. This is unethical in my eyes, and doesn't help the pain go away.

EmployNeutral

The presentation of EmployNeutral was very impressive and had a good concept behind it. The most intriguing aspect of this idea was the elimination of the initial bias that is common in hiring in the workplace. EmployNeutral offers a solution to workplace discrimination through their website, which would showcase an individual's qualifications for a position, but would hide their name, gender, race, and other such aspects which could be used against them. The presenters also mentioned that employers could use this website to find suitable candidates and interview them on the EmployNeutral website, which was another appealing quality of the site.

However, the issue of bias in the workplace was not completely solved by EmployNeutral. True, it would greatly reduce the discrimination people face when initially trying to land an interview. But, if the prospective employee was to land an in-person interview with the employer looking to hire them, there's nothing to stop the discrimination from happening there. EmployNeutral would indeed be very helpful when it came to hiring online and when it came to initially getting an interview, but once the interviewing process steps out into the real world it wouldn't be able to stop the bias from happening there. Overall, it was a very good pitch for an inventive and useful product; it's good intentions would just be limited to the website itself however, because that is the only place that it can definitely eliminate bias on hiring people.

Foucault Panoptican

Michael Foucault created the concept of power. The concept of power has three characteristics: network or field, cannot abolish power, only rearrange it, and power creates locations of counter-power. He also stated that there are two categories of control and they are discipline blockade and discipline mechanism. Discipline blockade is when the power is centralized and it imposes order and control from the outside. Discipline mechanism is when the “prisoners” are seen but not able to see, the power is imposed from the inside. This whole idea stemmed from actions Foucault thinks should be taken place against the seventeenth-century plague. 

A Few Technical Difficulties

The band/phone based health-tech that is SeeMe reinforced the idea of bringing together social media, technology, and health monitoring to help people be their best selves. With Facebook linkage, a wristband to help monitor some vitals, and phone features to bring everything all together SeeMe should be a standout product. However, there are a few problems with the tech that prevent it from being a must have solution to some of today's problems.

For Starters, the cost analysis. The cost of the product - as explained during the presentation- is supposed to be under 100 dollars. Supposed. Their is no guarantee that it is. The issue with that is that their is no real selling point that would make someone want to spend out big money on an application. The tech is available on multiple watch surfaces, and because of that is limits the exclusiveness of the tech. It makes people question what is so unique if it does the same things that other free or cheaper applications already available to them can do. It was explained that the cost would be waived depending on financial need and then when enough money was earned it would be lowered. The issue is that by lowering the cost when the company has gained enough money is that people would be upset if they had to pay an extensive amount of money for the application just for others to pay little to nothing at all for reasons other than insurance covering the bulk of the cost.

Another issue that's hard to ignore simply because it wasn't explained well was how the watch would measure certain health problems on second party devices. This was something I didn't seem to get, and although I understand that they were just trying to ensure that the app was accessible, they neglected the fact that by making it accessible across multiple platforms they'd have to give up certain features. Every smart watch can't nor does it measure  the same things. It was a valiant effort it just doesn’t seem that it’ll work.

The overall idea was pretty good and the team made an effort to elaborate and expand on the invention in words. No idea comes perfect, but it was the effort that counted. Besides what’s a new invention with a few technical difficulties. 

PositiveCyb Analysis

The presentations for this week were interesting to learn about, however, the was one that grabbed my attention, PositiveCyb. From what I understood, the main goal of the PositivCyb app is to protect those who are victims of bullying by counting with technology that automatically records when it hears an insult. The one problem I had with recording is that it breaks privacy laws as it will record any individual who expresses a rude comment out loud even if it was not intended for the victim of bullying. Therefore, it can become a problem for the individual who has the app since they can face a lawsuit. Additionally, there is always the risk of a malfunction, where the app can stop working or the phone runs out of battery and as a result, the individual will be prevented from reporting the aggressor.

Another function of the app was the option to be part of a support group, where an individual can freely express his/her feelings of anguish and obtain support from other individuals who have been through the same situation. The support group option was my favorite part of the PositiveCyb app because there is not a better way to find relieve than by hearing the stories of others who have experienced the same thing and such connection can help a victim of bullying surpass the past.

One thing I would have liked the team to have explained further was the process of how the police or teachers were going to find out about fights or other common forms of aggression. I remember the mentioning that the recording was going to b saved on the app, but if the police and school staff do not count with the app then it can become difficult to identify where the incident is occurring. Overall, I thought it was a good proposal except for a few corrections and clarifications that the team could have made. 

PositiveCyb Review

There is a lot of bullying going on in the world and sometimes bullying leads to the victims committing suicide. That’s where PositiveCyb steps in. PositiveCyb was created to detect bullying and notify the proper authorities. I’m not quite too sure, but I think that it is an app that is constantly running and monitors every app on your phone for bullying and if someone bullies you, the app notifies the authorities you have set for it to notify. From my understanding, if someone bullies you in person, the app will turn your phone’s camera on and record the conversation.

The app is an excellent idea, but I do think it’s a little creepy and that it has too much power. It can just turn your camera on and start recording. However, they did say that you can turn that feature off, so I guess that if was getting bullied I would probably download the app.

I do genuinely believe that the app will be able to lower the number of bullying cases, thus lowering the number of suicides. Anything lowering the suicide rate is a good thing in my book.

SeeMe

The invention of SeeMe was really good! although it did have a lot in common with WatchIt, which was presented last week. it did target specific illnesses, like mental ones, which is why I thought it was really cool. the idea that a doctor has to approve the information you give or personally upload it, is also a good idea. some people are in denial of their illness, if they suffer from one. when going through a panic attack or anxiety attack, the person in company need someone to call or needs something that will help to know how to react. I still didn't really lilke the idea that an insurance can cover it though. it seems like something more like a want, than a need. even though it does have positive benefits. the price does seem reasonable in trying to sell it at less than $100.

PositiveCyb

I liked the idea that PositiveCyb is trying to tackle, but I left the room with more questions than answers. As a quiet, submissive, small girl from the rougher side of town, there is no surprise that I was bullied quite often. Since I've dealt with bullies pretty much all of my life time, I know how they are and all of their motives. Bullies hate being snitched on, and people in the neighborhood I lived in look down upon those who tattled. In all honesty, even teachers and my own parents couldn't stand snitches. Possession of the app would be an annoyance to teachers and bullies, and the victim might be harassed even more now that everyone can see that he or she is "too weak" to deal with the problems himself.
I also feel like this app would be a bother to people around the user of the app. The presenters did mention that the app should recognize the difference between friendly aggressive language and bully aggressive language. What if it doesn't? What if two people in the work environment are happily engaging in a not-so-friendly conversation and some random person's phone picks up on it and reports it to their boss? The boss could fire them for inappropriate behavior in the work place and not bullying. This could be really unfair because many people do harmless things like this with the anticipation of not getting caught. By the same token, it might dismiss bullies attacks against the person they are bullying. With the nationwide fight against bullying, bullies are finding creative ways to harass their victims. Bullies these days say hurtful things in a very passive tone of voice to make it seem like they are not bullying in order to not be shamed. What if the app doesn't pick up on this? The bully will continue to get away with bullying.
Those were the main problems that stuck out to me. There could be more, but of course there are always flaws and room for improvements during the brainstorming proccess of creating anything new and innovative. I really like the idea of voice recognition; it is creative and cool. Using this as the solution to bullying however is not very practical.

WatchIT

Another presentation that I enjoyed was group one. They created WatchIT, which was an apple watch and FitBit combined. The ladies described the app to regulate and track our body's blood pressure, heart rate and other certain medical issues. Such as obesity, high blood pressure and etc. The app also allowed you to update your diet in order to calculate the calories that you are partaking. WatchIT also allowed the individual to get connected with local facilities like gyms and support groups that will help and guide you into living a better and healthier life. The ladies also mentioned the mental toll on people struggling with health issues. This mental toll can cause low self esteem and suicidal thoughts to occur so with the feature of getting connected socially with other people in the same situation as you is very helpful.
WatchIT app was an overall very detailed app that included some great features. By reviewing the app you can tell the app was well thought out, planned and very detailed. Each individual had their slides and explained into detail what the app did, the special features, the importance and why this is the better choice rather than competing apps. The app was also free! How cool is it ti monitor your health, calculate what you eat and get socially involved with others in the same situation for free!
Great Job ladies.

EmployNeutral

The creation of EmployNeutral was an great idea! Unfortunately, individuals are being judged by the shade of their skin. Minorities and females are the continually being persecuted by others since they don't fit into society's standard. For instance, without knowing the individual, organizations deny a representative a position based off name, sex, and nationality. This discrimination needs to come to an end. With the creation of EmployNeutral, they attempt to wipe out the "early introduction" component which eliminates judging people in light of their capacities to do the position. Job well-done!

EmployNeutral

The invention of EmployNeutral was an amazing idea! It is tragic that people are still being judged by the color of their skin. Minorities and females are the constantly being oppressed by others because they don’t fit into society’s norm. For example, without even knowing the individual, companies deny an employee a position based off name, sex, and nationality. This discrimination has to come to an end.  With the invention of EmployNeutral they strive to eliminate the “first impression” discrimination and solely judge individuals based on their abilities to do the position.

EmployNeutral makes the individual feel comfortable about the job application and interview before hand. It ensures them that their abilities are the only things being accounted for. EmployNeutral is also a good marketing strategy for companies. When companies see that individuals are using this website for positions in their business it will allow them to get a diverse working environment. Also, EmployNeutral can aid in helping lowering the problem of unemployment. Overall great job group! 

An Analysis of EmployNeutral

    The concept of EmployNeutral was unique when coming to terms in dealing with discrimination in preliminary screening for the interviewing section for jobs. The concept of EmployNeutral can be used to deter any bias present in the interview process. This bias can be both subconscious and conscious; the interviewee may be unaware of it themselves. EmployNeutral seems to neuter any possible discrimination by deterring focus on the uncontrollable aspects and factors of one's traits such as race, gender, and age and instead presents its focus on one's education or work experience. For example, one's GPA in college and whether they have a Bachelor's degree may be deemed of more importance than an uncontrollable physical aspect such as whether they are female or male, or whether they are Caucasian or African-American. Coincidentally, one's nationality may conflict in the hiring process due to the interests of the employer, but being bilingual may be beneficial to one's career.

    Through a more diverse workforce, one's experiences may mingle with a peer's experiences. This can amplify and improvise the practices existing in the workplace through a multitude of more nationalized innovation, and less discrimination for practices that may not be in prevalent in one company, but a general rule of thumb for another. For example, Asian companies tend to overwork twice as much as western companies. This practice has lead to death through overworking or overworking itself being one of the many factors leading to an accident. Through the integration of western practices in an "overtime-focused" company, employees may be able to work more efficiently without affecting an employee's mental and physical health. EmployNeutral provides a broad range of employees with a multitude of skills which can be essential to improving the ecosystem of the workforce of a company.

Workplace Leveled

Workplace Leveled

     The objective of all the presentations this past week was to address a social problem. DoVio addressed domestic violence, while and Employ Neutral addressed discrimination in the workplace.
     Employ Neutral focuses on giving people from different backgrounds more opportunities. This website is basically an anonymous questionnaire that allows jobs to pick candidates based on their responses to various questions. The person with the most knowledge or experience would most likely get the job. This allows the potential employee to be hired for what they know, instead of their name, gender, and race.
I believe that this website addresses many problems that are prevelent in the workplace. Employ Neutral would essentially make workplaces diverse. This will solve much prejudice that people have about different cultures and it will have a positive impact on the world.

WatchIt ( The watch that watches you)

    WatchIt is a watch that could classified as a ” Hospital room in a watch”. That explains everything it entails. I loved this idea mostly because it is something I could definitely use this for real. This app/invention is, to me, is pure genius. It allows you to live life without the hassle of going back to the doctor's office to check vitals. When they first stated presenting , I was a little skeptical about how this would work exactly but when they started to explain this thoroughly with withe answers to the questions asked. This idea is great for all ages and is also a fun way to encourage children to care about their health. Overall, this app is wonderful and just downright believable. while there may be other inventions similar they don't contain as many special features as this "Appvention"!!

DoVio Presentation

The presentation that I'm going to talk about is the DoVio presentation. I liked the DoVio presentation because it focused on domestic violence and I feel like that is a topic that is currently and has always been of some importance. Domestic violence has been going on since forever and you can't really cure that situation when there are people out there who just like the idea of hurting others physically, verbally, and mentally. I liked how the app was basically an outlet and a hotline for help at the same time. It had a journal in there to where you could write about how you feel and it could even go in anonymously. I also like how you could set up an emergency contact list, and in that list you could contact the police or even close family members in the push of a button. We need more apps like this because there are so many people, both young and old, who go through domestic violence on a daily basis. Most of the time people don't know who to turn to or who to call in order to get through these times of hurt and confusion. That's why I feel like this is a very good app that can help someone who really needs the help. I personally know someone who has been affected by domestic violence and they had no one to talk to because they knew that people would judge them for staying with a person that constantly abused them to the point where marks and bruises were visible. For that reason, she took it upon herself to end the situation the best way she knew how. She killed her significant other because she was tired of the disrespect and constant abuse. For that reason she know has to spend 25 years or more in prison. I said all of that to say, this app would've been a great outlet for people like her. She needed that support and guidance that she couldn't get from anyone else who actually knew her situation.

Presentations

In my opinion, the presentation that was the best would have to be EmployNeutral. It was a very simple yet outstanding idea. It was presented in a great way and they could answer almost all the questions in the Questions and Answer segment. I just absolutely love very creativeness of the idea of a website that tries very hard to eradicate discrimination in the workplace. The website itself looked look a great work in progress. I feel as though if it were a real website, I would use it for every job search that I would ever need. I hope that someone creates this or that they continue with this idea because it would be very successful in my opinion. I can’t wait until this becomes a real working website. I’m not sure if something like this already exist and I wouldn’t care because I would be able to relate to this presentation.

WatchIt would have to be a second placer for me because I could relate to it better than Dovio. Don’t get me wrong I liked DoVio, really I did. But if I had to spend money on something, I would buy WatchIt because I would like to get into shape. Especially because they said that the hospital would provide it. That kind of confused me though because it is open to everyone but the hospital provides the product. It was a very cool idea that focuses on keeping you in shape, which is another app that the world could use. I liked how it was like a smart watch, a LifeAlert, and a FitBit all in one. It also counts your calorie intake and it checks your blood pressure.

DoVio had a very creative name and it was a good idea as well. I liked how they went with the idea to help solve the problem of domestic violence and that they combined the words to create the title. I would definitely try to support the idea of eradicating domestic violence and of course I would love to try my best to help. The app would be a great idea if it were created also. It was very creative to create a safe haven for the sufferers of domestic violence to safely chat and report their “loved ones.”

I thoroughly enjoyed all of the presentations though. I would put money into all of these ideas honestly, I would, if they were trying to make it into a real idea. But I would hands down vote for EmployNeutral. When I create my own business, I would love to use that website.   Then WatchIt because I need to get into shape. And lastly DoVio because it is good to protect people against Domestic Violence.

EmployNeutral Evaluation

I only witnessed one presentation this week and it was EmployNeutral. This presentation focused on discrimination in the workplace. The EmployNeutral idea was created to help decline the amount of all discrimination that goes on in the workplace. I think that this idea hit right on the target in terms of workplace issues that are occurring today. People are being discriminated within all types of jobs these days and it needs to be put to an end. EmployNeutral can help solve this issue. I liked how this group made a website where employees could just go straight into the website and be interviewed by an employer without being discriminated by race, name, gender, etc. Not only is this idea relevant to many people today, but it is also very convenient and creative. Most people are almost always available to internet, since so many people have smartphones which makes it even easier for people to log into the website. EmployNeutral is also very unique based on the fact that qualified people are able to interview for a job over a keyboard. Not only was this a great idea, but the group members also made a great presentation. The group was very clear when explaining their ideas and the purpose of their website. I also liked that the group members gave a brief history of some work discrimination from the past and today as well. My overall favorite thing about the EmployNeutral presentation was the group’s ability to go through the interview process through the website. I think that this was very essential to the presentation. In my opinion, the demonstration on how to go through the website set the whole presentation off. It allowed the audience to see exactly how the process would work . I think this website idea would be great for someone to actually go through and continue with.

Starting at the Root: An Observation About EmployNeutral

Starting at the Root: An Observation About EmployNeutral 

doing this project I found that a big issue with creating an innovation isn’t so much determining the problem that you want to solve, it's often times determining which part of the problem to address that would evoke the most change. It’s hard to focus on a problem long enough to figure out where the root of the problem is and how to fix it. What is easy is to create the mindset that you can create this brilliant thing that can tackle everything. It’s easy to address the problem at large throw out a few solutions, but avoid ever really going in depth. The sad part about that logic is that it's impossible- well to be more specific the logic that the gadget can evoke effect change by being broad and not attacking specific issues is impossible. It may can address everything, but something can be addressed without ever being offered a solution. 

It is in making this realization that I can really look at the project creation that I believe to be the most effective one so far.  EmployNeutral doesn't try to fix the issue of worker discrimination entirely, instead it focuses solely on the roots of it thus evoking change from the bottom that eventually making it's way throughout the workplace. By focusing on the beginning stages of the employment process, the program is able to help eliminate the most basic forms of discrimination. By creating a fair playing field for job applicant solely based on their merit, the chances of creating a diverse and creative workplace amplify. If a more diverse group of applicants are chosen, then discrimination company wide can be diminished and easier to spot out and stop if ever its made present. 

The actions of the site may seem small, but in all actuality it's overall impact is large. 

EmployNuetral

   There were three semester projects presented during the week and we were given the assignment of commenting one of the three projects. The assignment I chose to comment on was "Employ Neutral". I chose this project because it stood out the most to me out of the other two presented. There is an big problem with discrimination in jobs and they attempted to solve a problem that some people don't want to talk about.The group behind "Employ Neutral" tackles the problem of job discrimination and gives minorities a better chance to get higher paid jobs. They also get the chance of  being hired based on their skills and expertise while not being discriminated against. Some jobs discriminate against people's age, gender, race, and religion; but Employ Neutral discards of that discrimination and gives everyone an even opportunity for jobs. It shows the employer who is better qualified for the job without being bias because of the person is female or older than others. I believe that Employ Neutral can be an successful thing and can possibly solve a problem of society. The idea of Employ Neutral is great and can help most people who are seeking jobs, but aren't giving a fair chance to show their skills. It could potentially decrease the unemployment rate of different races and gender to give everyone an even chance to get a great job.

WatchIt review

I enjoyed all of the presentations this week in class. In particular, I liked the “WatchIt” presentation. WatchIt is a watch that basically acts as an on-the-go hospital transmitter. At first, I wondered how it was different from a FitBit. However, they explained that it tracked diabetes, obesity, and high blood pressure using the vein in the wrist that is under the watch. It is able to warn you when your health gets too low. It also helps you make the right decision before eating any foods that could harm your health. It uses nutritional facts to obtain the correct diet for your personalized health data. They said that other watches are very generalized, and they aren’t really specific to you. They track things like the number of steps you take but not actual health issues. In addition to the information presented about what the app does, I got a better understanding of the invention as the group answered questions. I understood each response they gave to all of the questions asked. Their responses helped me understand the watch’s capabilities even more. Some things that weren’t stated in the presentation were brought up in the time allotted for questions. They had an answer for each question that was thrown at them even if they didn’t think about it before. They knew their product very well. They even had a catchy slogan: “WatchIt! The Watch that Watches You.” They pitched their invention as if they were real businessmen. That is why I liked the WatchIt invention. It was different, creative, and modern, so more people would be interested in it. I would’ve never thought about an invention like this, but with newer technology these days, there are endless possibilities of what could be made to better today’s world.

DoVio Analysis

vDoVio is an amazing phone app, in my opinion, that solves different issues related to domestic violence by offering PTS counseling services, including an emergency call button, and providing support group sessions. In the case of PTS counseling, it is an important service to offer because it can be difficult for an individual who lived years in a violent environment to forget all the terrible moments. Therefore, DoVio does a great job at offering a list of places where victims can obtain help in getting through the traumatic experience. Having a database that provides victims with a quick access to counseling services decreases the delay time for victims to obtain help. It can be difficult for a victim of domestic violence to obtain help in the first place and by making the process easier it can prevent the death of many victims.

In saving lives, emergency calls also play a crucial role because many domestic violence victims often find themselves under a time limit to make an instant call to obtain help. The emergency call button is an amazing upgrade to the usual dial of 911. From what I understood, the victim can instantly access the emergency button by login in their DoVio account with their fingerprint. Once the individual has logged in, the emergency button will be the first item in the app. Another feature that is amazing about the emergency button is that it comes with an installed GPS that allows the police to quickly identify the location of the victim. Having an instant way to obtain help allows victims to feel safer in knowing that help is always available

DoVio also offers help to domestic violence victims by connecting them to a support group. The app has a virtual space for individuals to connect with other victims and share their story. Allowing individuals to express their feelings and hear the stories of other victims can help to realize the consequences of staying in an abusive relationship. I think we all need to feel comprehended by others who have been through the same situation to realize that it is possible to terminate an abusive relationship before things become worse. Therefore, I think support groups can contribute to the overall solution of domestic violence.

Overall, the group who presented DoVio did a good job at clearly explaining the purpose of it and how it solves an important societal issue like domestic violence. In addition, they were all prepared for questions and had good responses. I think they did a great job. 

The Watch Watchit

I think the watch Watchit is a great way to address the health crisis in America. It tackles the three most prominent health problems in America: obesity, heart disease, and high blood pressure. Most Americans complain of not having enough time to go to the doctor, monitor their health, and set out time from their busy schedule to establish a healthy diet or workout plan. This watch can help them with all of these problems in the most practical and convenient way possible, so there's really no room for complaints or excuses.
Since the watch is linked to your phone, it is even more convenient and useful for the average American. Everyone's body is different, and no two people are going to require the same health plan to acheive their healthiest state. What's more is that no two people are going to look the same when they are at their healthiest physical state, and this issue was acknowledge in the presentation. To combat that, the watch sends a specialized plan for to each individual, taking information from their vitals in the same manner that hospitals do. I have one critic of this however: how is it that the watch can easily and affordably check all of these vitals signs when the hospitals spend thousands of dollars on several different equipment and wires to do the same thing? I think there is a gap in the technological time frame, and a watch like this just isn't plausible even in the next few decades. Nonetheless, it is a very neat idea, and getting people the information they need to live a healthier lifestyle without making the trip to the doctor is basically a dream come true for many people.
I also like how the app notifies the user and their emergency contacts of any serious health issues. It's even better that it can alert the police when the user is in a fatal position because he or she cannot do anything during those moments. In this way, the app can save many lives.
In my opinion, this app could be very useful and is by far the best solution to widespread obesity in America ever I've heard of.

Watchit Commentary

WatchIt is a watch that makes it easier to monitor your health. The WatchIt is a great idea, but I think there are already other platforms that do what the WatchIt would do. I could be wrong though because maybe it does more. The group’s PowerPoint said that their product addresses obesity, diabetes, high blood pressure, and other health problems.

The only thing that makes it different than other apps and watches is some of the features (Health Plans, Health Awareness, Special Features, and Daily Motivation) on the app. Health Plans is one of the features that make the app standout—it allows you to journal to talk about your journey to a healthier you. The Health Awareness connects you with health communities online. The Daily Motivation provides you with inspirational quotes to keep you motivated. I think that is a great idea because everyone gets a little discouraged and needs some motivation sometimes. The Special Features is a terrific feature because it contacts whoever you set for your emergency contact whenever you need it (like Life Alert but not really because anyone can have it and the app does not have to contact 911 solely).

The watch also monitors your food and keeps up with your calorie count and nutrition. If you were eating too many sweets one day it would notify you that you need to chill out and stop it. That is another thing that separates it from the rest of the apps and watches that are already out there.

The possibility of having insurance paying for the watch and having the price adjust to your income is great because it makes it more accessible to everyone. Since the app is free, I wonder if you can use it without having the watch. If you can use the app without the watch it is still great because those that don’t have the app can still reap the benefits of the WatchIt. Again, this is a little close to other things that already out, but it has other features that make it stand out from the rest.

Leveling the Playing Field

          Employ Neutral was one of three semester presentations given this week; however it was only one of two that were not mine. It seemed to have caught my attention more because, from my perspective, it touched on the most prevalent topic that no one wanted to talk about: discrimination.
          In a lot of settings, people tend to treat racism and the topic of discrimination as the "elephant" in the room. Everyone sees it and knows that it's there, but no one addresses it. The group behind the creation titled "Employ Neutral" tackled the issue head on and gave an idea to combat it.
          Employ Neutral provides an even playing field for minorities when it comes to the job seeking area. Instead of being judged based on prejudices and discriminated against based on things they cannot control, they're hired based on their skills, expertise, and experience. As well as benefiting the minorities and/or other users, companies will also benefit because they can hire people based on their qualifications instead of appearance or gender.
          One suggestion that I would make concerning the idea is the anonymous option. I didn't quite understand it during the presentation, but I couldn't think of a good question that would help me comprehend it either. I guess I'm thinking that providing your name shouldn't be an option because it's kind of one of those things that shouldn't be "hidden." Apart from that, everything else seemed great.
          Again, I thin the idea and intentions behind Employ Neutral are great. Though it may put Caucasian people at a bit of a disadvantage if they do not have a good area of expertise, it would still be putting them on even ground with people of color or immigrants that are overly qualified. The few cons do not outweigh the numerous pros; therefore, I believe the project exceeded in providing a plausible invention that solves a problem of modern society.

EmployNeutral: Dayana, Summer, Daniela, Jose, and Monique

PowerPoint:

https://cbu0-my.sharepoint.com/:p:/g/personal/dparada_cbu_edu/Ec_HAXbDdQ5Ks8XdZp5UXaEB91Kla2zspMPI2_c6Xos6Zw?e=abbbb18226b644119a639d78a70a5516

           
Website:

https://paradadayana792.wixsite.com/employneutral

DoVio :)

Our final project for this course were meant to solve a prominent social problem in our society today. One of the projects was an app to help those who are suffering from domestic violence. This was one of my groups first ideas as we brainstormed what to do our project on. We also thought about an app, but then we decided on another idea.

I feel as though many people are battling against domestic abuse in their homes and don’t speak up about it. This app was names DoVio. The name was made to be used in a sort of disguise so the abuser at home won’t identify it as a form of you trying to get help to escape. The app is connected to you location services in case of an emergency happening and you send a message or press the SOS button. Someone will be notified and will be on the way to help you. It can also be just help as in phycological help or therapy, not just the authorities. The app is set us as the template of Instagram, where you can share your stories to help find support of to give advice and support to others, kind of like an underground railroad. I really liked this part of it because people can come out of their nutshells and speak up about what they are going through. It can also boost self esteem enough to where they can actually defend themselves.

I think that the group also did well in presenting their project, but should have also included maybe more statistics of domestic violence today and how it has grown. The comebacks for the questions asked from people in our class were good too. overall, I think an app like this should really exist. There might be similar one to it but I think this one would be more effective to help those who need support

White Bear

In yet another unsettling sitting of the sandbox psychological torment that is Charlie Brooker's Black Mirror, played out the events of a disoriented and unnamed young woman who appears to had been attempting to take her own life via drug overdose. As she walks around the house that she awakens in, there is a strange symbol appearing on all of the electronic screens and a strange frequency along with it.

Walking outside, there are several people recording her and refusing to speak to her. Throughout the entire neighborhood, she receives the same reactions before a masked man with the same symbol appears and reveals a firearm and begins to shoot at her.

She makes a run for it and quickly meets another young woman that helps her escape the masked man. She endures another kidnapping, being tortured, and strange new "hunters" chasing her. More confused than ever she manages to escape it all. To add to the dilemma she endures memory shocks of a particular event in her past triggered by objects and words i.e White Bear. She believes she has a daughter she must find. The young woman explains that in order to change everything back the way it was she must help her destroy this transmitter signal. At the transmitter control room, the hunters catch up to them and they finally capture her.

The entire thing was a hoax.

Everyone was in it on her, including a live audience. The reason as she is explained: she is being shamed and forced to relive her being tortured and filmed as she once helped her boyfriend in crime torturing a young girl by not objecting to his actions and even filming the incident. She is brought out to a crowd and publicly shamed before having her memory wiped and reliving the torment all over again.

Brooker is spoonfeeding  themes that have been at center of philosophical debate for centuries to a Netflix audience in a package that even the most shallow of viewers can digest and yield some form of critical satisfaction. In believing one has derived the 'secret' meaning of this ordeal, we arrive at the dispositions of discipline and punishment. If we can at least agree that these are the central motifs of the drama, then philosophical inquiry may take its course. It invites us to ask ourselves

*      What is justice?

*     What is discipline?

*     Who deserves justice? Who deserves punishment?

*      What is punishment? Where is the line between punishment and torture?

These inquiries are core pillars in Plato's The Republic and overall society. Personally I believe individuals who are punished should be conscious of their punishment. It is up to us as viewers, and philosophers in that respect, to draw the line.

WATCHit Presentation:

https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1mCJS-zCu4tt-4CIE3Qe0UwWd6fW3_k017Ds8iaFjte4/edit?usp=sharing

White Bear

 White Bear was an interesting episode of Black Mirror about a woman and a punishment. The episode follows a young lady's terrifying new life. Her crime was recording a young girl's death with her cell phone, her punishment is to be tortured on daily basis while others record. Her memory is erased of course so she suffers through the same confusion of events and submission to help that the poor girl probably felt. This episode raised one main question in the classroom.

Did she deserve that punishment?

In my opinion no not really...at least not in the mindset that she was in. I understand the thought "If she was left in her regular mindset she wouldn't be apologizing out of understanding, she would apologize just to make it all stop." That's fair, I get it I do, but if you erase a person's mind and force them to relive that event over and over only to announce that it was all fake and that they are murderers doesn't really set well. The would understand how the girl felt, of course, but would she really remember the murder?

I know last time I said that the mindset didn't really matter because you would still be you under all the layers. But it is just something cruel to have your mind painfully wiped daily until you're a compliant pile of fear. I know that without the memory wash the woman was bound disobey the rules of the game and not play along, but at least that way she would understand her crime.

Why make all of her flashbacks sweet? Why let her believe that she had a great relationship with the child? You succeeded with the things you've already had. I don't agree with the video at the end to rely the message that she helped in a murder, like why drag it out so long. What people have so much time that they can just sit around all day waiting for an accomplice in a murder to run by so that they could get three seconds of make believe footage. I think the best why to have handled it would have been the first run when she's out of the house and then people are recording her and then straight to the glass wall thing where they throw there rotten tomatoes. Leave the brain washing hanging up in the closet, that way she could actually learn from her mistakes.

Black Mirror: "White Bear"

In class on Monday, we watched another episode of Black Mirror, this one pertaining to the subject of discipline and punishment. In the episode, titled "White Bear", a woman with amnesia wakes up in unfamiliar surroundings with not much more than a flickering tv with a strange symbol flashing on it and a photograph of a child she assumes is her child. When she makes it outside of the house she woke up in, she notices people in similar houses watching and filming her with their phones. To her surprise and dismay, the people filming her do not come to her aid when she calls for help. Then a masked man appears wielding a shotgun and chasing after her. That is when she ran into a girl, Jem, who was unaffected from the signal and helped her escape from the madman. Jem also explained why all the other people were just filming and not helping; they had been hypnotized by the same symbol that was flashing on the tv screen earlier, and her goal is to destroy the transmitter located at "White Bear" to put an end to the signal effecting everyone. As the episode progresses the unnamed woman starts to have flashbacks, which become more and more frequent, and she slowly gets the feeling that there is something wrong with "White Bear". At the climax of the episode, it is revealed the whole thing had been staged. The amnesiac woman is actually named Victoria, and the photo of the girl that she assumed was her daughter was actually her victim. As she is held captive, Victoria is forced to watch videos of her victim and is told the full extent of what she did. "White Bear" turns out to be a reference to the victims toy that she disappeared with, which became the symbol of the search for the girl, and then the name of the "justice park" that holds Victoria captive and makes her relive the same horrific day over and over again.
This is an extreme form of cruel and unusual punishment. Not only is Victoria subjected to every atrocity that she subjected her victim to, but her memory is wiped at the end of the day so she has to relive the exact same day, experiencing the terror and shame anew everyday. Not only does this "justice park" hold her captive, but they make a profit from it, selling tickets to guests who play the unhelpful bystanders who film her. Instead of being put in prison or sentenced to death, Victoria's punishment is to experience the fear that her victim did. Although it is fitting, it is still fairly extreme. This form of punishment--one emulating the crime--is not common by any means, but perhaps as portrayed in Black Mirror it might become a solution to felonies in the future.

The Linear relationship between White Bear and the profitable Private Prison concept

    The concept of cruel and unusual punishment is not an uncommon trait in the episode 'White Bear" and the private prison concept that is prevalent in America in present-day society. Both assumes an authoritarian position as a means of undermining those affected. In both scenarios, it would be both the prisoners and the amnesic woman who are suffering from the "cruel and unusual punishment" systematic mindset of those in the authoritative position. For example, most private prisons are for-profit. The for-profit prisons tend to lack and remain deficient in necessities for prisoners such as basic hygienic products or a lack of ethical food and water. In "White Bear," the amnesic woman's position is no different albeit more embarrassing due to the more cruel punishment she receives in comparison to prisoners in a private prison system. She is constantly stressed out as she is awoken due to the lack of memories and the lack of concern from the spectators.

     Although most private prisons are not as humiliating and inhumane as the Justice Park experiment in "White Bear," they are still unethical in many ways. People are still not permitted to commit crimes within the jailing confines, but the guards will look away if it does not benefit the prison as a whole or themselves. However, the amnesic woman suffers a fate worse than the prisoners; she is forced to experience a mixture of public humiliation and scarring events due to her position as an offender to society in the public's eye. Even as her memories are wiped day after day, her responsibility is stripped as her previous conscience is different in the sense that they are entirely different persons. One is aware of her crimes against her supposed daughter which has either been suppressed or repressed, and the other one is forced to experience an eternal hell as long as the experiment continues unbeknownst to herself until the end of the day. Both systems are unethical and should not be viewed lightly in society. Instead, it would be a less grimacing sight if both systems were developed to be less shameful and profitable, and focus more on the rehabilitation side.

White Bear

In “White Bear,” Victoria wakes up in a house unable to remember anything about her life. A white symbol appears on her television screen and she finds a picture of a young girl, whom she assumes is her daughter, in the living room. She begins to explore her surroundings and notices that people are under a “spell.” They refuse to answer her questions and only take pictures and videos of her. She later encounters a girl who informs her that the white symbol has caused most of the population to behave that way and tells her that she plans to destroy the transmitter. At the end of the episode, it is revealed that Victoria is a criminal. Victoria and her fiancé, Ian Ranick, abducted a little girl, tortured, and killed her in the woods. While Ian managed to avoid going to jail by hanging himself, Victoria was found guilty and forced to relive her crime every day of her life.

The white teddy bear is an “enduring symbol for the hunt of the little girl,Jemima” and how the “White Bear Justice Park” got its name. The title “White Bear” could also refer to the way Victoria was treated; like an animal, a bear. At the start of the episode, a masked man,a hunter,chased her and tried to kill her. Then she was paraded around the park in a cage-like an animal and humiliated. She was used to entertain the crowd. People took videos and pictures of her (People take pictures of animals in captivity-e.g. Zoo, circus). Also, at the end of the episode, when members of the park are instructing members of the audience on how to behave, one of the rules is to “keep your distance.” They are told that she is a a dangerous individual, and told to think of her as an “escaped lion.”

This method of punishment is not effective as it does not allow the criminal to reflect on his/her action. In class we discussed personal identity and punishment. In this situation, Victoria is not a person as she is unable to make radical decisions. She is stripped of all her human qualities and becomes a “startled animal.” Also, she is not the same person she was when she committed the crime, and therefore should not be punished. At the start, she is not able to remember who she is or what she did. By erasing her memories, they are changing a person. She is not able to reflect on her actions and understand why she received such punishment.

Is it justice or punishment?

     When watching "White Bear" we see a woman who was put through a simulation. When the actor, Jem, met the main character, Victoria, she explained that certain people were affected by the transmitter and the ones that were not affected became the "hunters and hunted". As they traveled through different sceneries and situations, Victoria wondered why no one would put their phone down to help them, she was so disgusted that she yanked a phone out of a visitor's hand. When they finally arrived at the White Bear Transmitter she began to feel uneasy and this was where it was revealed to her that this was actually a punishment for her. Victoria looks shocked when she found out what she supposedly did, then paraded around so people could video her. She was taken back to the apartment and given electric shocks to her brain that made her forget so the cycle could start over again, day after day.

      The simulation was supposed to be a punishment for the women and make her feel remorseful for just standing and videoing the death of helpless Jemima but was the park used for the pure enjoyment of the visitors of White Bear Park? Victoria seemed to not have any recollection of this horrid crime until she was told what happened, so is this actually a punishment? Her memory had been wiped, so are we punishing the same person?

White Bear

    In class we watched a series called "Black Mirror", episode called "White Bear". It was about this woman who helped kidnap a little girl with her fiance and killed the girl while she recorded it all. She had to re-live the same day over and over while she is haunted and recorded by random people with no memory of who she is or what she did. This place called "Justice" park is where it's all happening for other people's entertainment. She is imprisoned there for other people to watch her suffer everyday and she has no idea that this is happening. 

    In my opinion, that is not justice, it is a cruel and inhumane way to treat somebody. If they wanted "Justice" for what she did, they could've went to court and tried to sent her to jail instead of making her live her days with no memory of the crime she committed while entertaining others for their own amusement. They turned her life into a theme park for other others to watch and that is a cruel and awful way to punish somebody. The spectators and people behind the "Justice" park seemed like they're just as bad as she is.

White Bear

        In the episode of Black Mirror, "White Bear", there was a girl who was being punished everyday for a crime that she had committed. The crime that she committed was recording a little girl getting burned while her boyfriend was burning the little girl, eventually killing her. The whole story was basically a form of revenge. The people would pretend like they were getting killed, and like they were trying to kill her. When they were pretending like they were trying to kill the main character, instead of the people helping her, they would all get out there phones and start recording her. Basically, they were trying to make her feel like the little girl that she had recorded getting murdered. Everyday they would erase her memory and do the whole thing over again. I wondered how long they had planned to do that. Who has the time to do that EVERYDAY? Of course the girl was wrong for doing what she did, but torturing her every single day doesn't make them any better of a person. The only thing I could think about when I saw the host of the show cross out another day on the calendar is "Do you have a life?". Why would someone want to spend everyday of their life making someone else miserable. My other question would be, what kind of government did they have? How did the government allow them to keep this girl just to torture her? Was this supposed to be her form of prison? If I were the people who were the actors I would at least ask for a break on the weekends because they literally had to be there ALL day long. You would also have to pay me a lot of money to just throw my life away like that because that's basically what they were doing.

White Bear

At first, I was very confused when I watched the episode of white bear. In the episode, the woman was being  tortured by basically the whole town. They called it “the white bear justice park.” They were getting justice because the woman kidnapped and killed a child and got it all on video tape. However, I don’t believe it was true justice.

First of all, I don’t understand how they could determine that the “justice park” was supposed to be true justice. Who decides those things? Do they not have a government? To my understanding, they do this to her every single day. However, they don’t have the right. What she did was wrong but at some point there has to be a boundary for “punishment.” Plus, everyday they expect the same thing from her. I would get tired of reliving the same day and getting the same outcome. If I truly wanted justice from that woman, I would figure out a new method because that one doesn’t seem to be working.

Second, a great point was brought up in class about if their idea of punishment was really punishing her.  I don’t think she’s really being punished. I just think she’s experiencing pain because everyday her memory is erased, so to her, nothing even happened. If she had to actually deal with what happened for the rest of her life, maybe it would be punishment because it’s something that would stick with her long term. Then, she would have had time to genuinely think about how her actions affected others as well as herself.

White Bear: Is it really Justice??

      In this episode of Black Mirror, "White Bear" , a woman is seen waking up and seeming very confused on who she is and where she is. She begins to explore and as she is exploring people are seen videotaping her. She is still confused and eventually finds some "alliances", who"help" her find hiding places. Then eventually they turn on her and she finds out who she is and what she has done, which is kidnapping and videotaping a murder of little girl. She continues to replay this over and over again each day.
   All of this takes place in White Bear Justice Park. The question I ponder on is " Is it really Justice?". I feel as if there is no justice being shown or given because she really doesn't have enough time to think about what she did and comprehend what the purpose of this stuff was. Also, from my christian view the people inflicting this torture on this woman are wrong and are on the same level of sinful as she is . They have no lawful right to do this to here.

White Bear

Basically, this video is based off of the kidnapping and tragic murder of a little girl. The video is revolved around the kidnapper who watched and recorded her fiance kill this little girl. However, one day, the woman wakes up and doesn’t even remember anything that she did. She is not aware of her wrongdoings at all. She only gets small glimpses of a little girl happily playing, who she thinks is her long lost daughter. To be punished, everyday she is forced to relive this crime in Justice Park.

Forcing this woman to relive this day repeatedly is not a punishment. I think that this act is just a form of abuse. She isn’t being punished. This nothing but torture, and she doesn’t deserve it. Yes, she was wrong, but I don’t think she deserves to be tortured for her sin. She wasn’t even able to have time to think on her actions. She was just immediately forced to relive this crime.  The place where all of this occurred was called “White Bear Justice Park.” I think that it was called this because it was somehow supposed to get justice for the little girl. However, I don’t think that the cast succeeded at doing so. I believe that this was just a way to force the woman go through hell on Earth and had nothing to do with the girl’s justice. The video, instead, focused more on “punishing” the woman. Overall, the goal of making the video was not achieved in my opinion.

Hell on Earth

          This week in Theories of Human Nature, the topic of discussion was, in my own words, the idea of justice and "cruel and unusual" punishment. In class, we watched an episode of the series "Black Mirror" titled "White Bear." In the episode, a woman who played a role in the kidnap and murder of a little girl is forced to re-live the same day over and over. Throughout the day, she is hunted and recorded by strangers and not once is she offered any help. Every day that she wakes up, she has no recollection of who she is or the crime she has committed. The facility in which she is forced to re-live the awful nightmare is considered a "Justice" Park.

         In my opinion, this act of justice is wrong and unconstitutional on many levels. It is morally wrong. For starters, the woman has no recollection of the crime she has committed or who she is; therefore, she has been stripped of her responsibility for the crime because she is no longer the same individual. By taking matters into their own hands, the creators of the park have destroyed the job of justice. The woman has now become innocent and her responsibility, in my opinion, is transferred to those who have stripped her of it. Forcing her to re-live the same day over and over and feel the same humility and guilt is, basically, creating an individualized version of Hell on earth. 

          I believe that the Justice Park is an extreme act of cruel and unusual punishment and is a very inhumane form of imprisonment. True justice should be exercised in the courts and uniformed between like crimes, not turned into a theme park and used as a form of amusement for spectators. In the Justice Park, justice was turned into a source of profit. The actors as well as the on-lookers that encouraged and participated in the facade are no better that the woman they initially intended to punish.

What are the limits of punishment?

What are the limits of punishment?

Last week we had the opportunity to watch a short film called WhiteBear. The plot of the film involved a group of individuals whose purpose was to make a young woman suffer for the crime she committed against a little girl. Reflecting on the scenario, I do not agree with the form of punishment that was given to the woman, which involved a repeated day full of chasing and threatening. Throughout the day, the woman was confused because her memory was erased to increase fear. However, the treatment she receives is unhuman because she is being deprived of her general rights such as freedom. For instance, the group in charge of the justice park refused to let her free and would make her repeat the day without regret thinking that she deserved to suffer. Another thing is that as humans we cannot judge or punish each other because we all have committed an immoral act at some point in our lives. Moreover, the justice park is not accomplishing its goal, which is to make the woman regret her actions because every day her memory is erased and therefore is unable to reflect on her past behavior.

Analyzing the punishment towards the woman, made me think of the limits on punishment. For example, in many states, capital punishment has been eliminated because is considered cruel and ineffective as the criminal is not offered the opportunity to reflect on his/her acts. However, others think that whoever kills deserves to be killed. This form of thinking is the same one that members of the justice park shared and in the end, they were causing more suffering. Therefore, I think the goal of punishment should be to change the behavior of the individual for good without causing suffering. In the case of the woman, she was constantly reminded of her bad actions and ridiculed for them, but was never guided to the right path. Furthermore, the goal of a real justice park should be to recover individuals by having them do exercises of reflection.

Overall, punishment should not be perceived as a negative act, but rather as a positive reinforcement that is used to make an individual better. Unfortunately, as humans, we quickly want to use violence to get rid of violence, instead of peace. By watching this film, I realized that everyone deserves a second chance in life and be part of society again. 

WHITE BEAR

               White Bear was based on a kidnap and murder of a little girl. The woman being featured was the aggressor. What seemed like some world wide mind game that she was the only one free of was actually a punishment for the crime she committed. the new punishment for crime according to this video was human wide humiliation of a person. this " justice park, " was created in order to serve justice for the murder of the little girl. the point of the show was to manipulate the woman's actions in order for her to suffer in the same ways her and her fiancée made the little girl suffer when they were killing her. the people at the justice had their phone out and recorded the woman's every move as she tried running away from the villain of the video. they tortured her by ignoring her. and pretending like she was being prosecuted to die. everyone ignored her screams and cries for help. which is exactly what she did to the little girl. she recorded her fiancé killing her and burning her.
             this method of punishment seems ineffective to me. society is trying to take justice into its own hands, ignoring the fact that there is laws that serve us for punishing murders, rapists, and thieves. in this case, the women is not really suffering because the director wipes her mind clear after each episode or show. she does not have the chance to really think about what she did. she does not have the chance to regret it. she does not have the chance to suffer. she just suffering in repeat for something she does not even know of because her memory got wiped clean. it is honestly really sad how this form of society would actually work. it not even the same as an eye for an eye because the criminal is not receiving the same pain as the victim. so I do not agree with this fundamental belief of justice and order. in my mind, this society is not making anything better with a justice park. the parents do not even have a form of peace available to let go and forgive because they are constantly watching how their daughters aggressor is treated on tv.

Justice Parks' contribution to Society

"White Bear" demonstrates a new method of punishment which involves as many people as possible in the humiliation of a single person. They are called justice parks, and not only do these parks strip an individual of their privacy in suffering the punishment of their crime, they also strip the person of their memory, making their punishment useless.
Punishment for a crime should be a time of rehabilitation for criminals. The ultimate goal should be to reform them into productive members of society so the society overall becomes stronger, not weaker. Justice parks do the opposite of this. Erasing the woman's memory -which they must've thought through very well because the audience doesn't even know her name from start to finish- removes any opportunity for her to reflect on her crime and become a better citizen. On top of that, publicizing her crime distracts the people from more important things like self-improvement, widespread homelessness, starvation, global warming and the like.
But let's consider this. How they punished this woman is a reflection of what happened to the little girl; they punish the lady by putting her through a series of life-threatening situations and have people record it with enthusiasm. The little girl was recorded by the woman in the same manner when she died. It's an eye for an eye tooth for tooth situation. The main flaw is, like I've said before, this woman is denied the opportunity to contemplate her role in the murder and become a useful citizen to society once again. The punishment is all in vain if she doesn't get to reform herself into the productive citizen I know she can be.
Besides, this justice park is making a huge profit from "punishing" this young lady, so why would they care if it's proper rehabilitation? Sound familiar? In all honesty, the Justice Park is no different from American prisons. Sure, the people that run the institutions genuinely believe that they are doing inmates and society a favor, but so did the actors of Justice Park. If we aren't careful, our justice systems could soon turn into a real-life "Justice Park."

White Bear

The episode "White Bear" is about the punishment of a woman, Victoria, who watched and recorded as her significant other tortures and kills a little girl, Jemima. The punishment the officials deemed necessary was that she should be trapped in "White Bear Justice Park" and have people chasing her and trying to kill her and then spectators recording everything that's going on. At the end of everything, everybody resets it and wipes her memory and she relives it.

I don't think Victoria should have gotten punished the way she did, if she should have gotten punished at all. Let's take a moment and think about how wasteful their "punishment" is. They built a whole park dedicated to one woman's crime. There must not be much crime or anything for the officials to past that. 

A little while after Victoria wakes up, she finds a picture of her and her significant in a picture frame and then a picture of the little girl. The placement of the picture of Jemima makes Victoria think she's Jemima's mom, but she doesn't know. Once she gets out of the house, she sees people filming her and she's asking them questions, but nobody is answering her. Throughout the whole episode she asks questions, but nobody answers her and if they do they are not straight answers. That's torture, but I guess it's like what the girl's parents went through. They would probably ask detectives and the police force questions, and they wouldn't get a straight answer.

This should never happen to anyone by any means. Who knows how long they’ve been doing this to her. We only see the calendar for October. The fact that she has been going through this repeatedly and people are paying to see this, and people are getting paid to do this is just despicable.

It’s not like she forgets everything, they still leave pieces in her mind. I don’t know if they are manufactured memories or real memories. If they are real, what if she builds up enough memory to know what is going on and to know how to beat it or what if realizes what is going on and kills herself somehow? What are they going to then, do they just destroy the whole White Bear Justice Park, or do they find a new criminal? Or what if one day she wakes up and she takes those pills and doesn’t even makes it out of the house? How do they know she is going to do the same thing every day? 

White Bear

         At the beginning of "White Bear" we see a disoriented young woman waking up from her sleep. It's evident that she was strapped to the chair she was in and supposedly tried to commit suicide because of the many pills scattered on the floor. As the story progresses we see her in a frenzy trying to remember or understand what has happened since she was "sleep". She is unaware why the town people are constantly recording her while she is screaming out for help. At the end of the story we see that this is all a big game and they are making her relive a crime. Those supposedly helpers and killers are in actuality actors playing a role and those town people recording are regular civilians who paid to basically torture this woman.
          As the audience watching this, I was absolutely confused into why people would want to pay and witness other individuals harming another human being. The actors present this video of the woman and her finance kidnapping a young girl. This kidnapping went viral and it was a world wide search party for the finding of the little girl. The video tells that the woman and her finance tortured and killed the girl all while recording the whole event. Now the woman has to face the guilt and embarrassment of committing this crime in front of many people. We also see the men carrying the woman right back to the same house as earlier so they can shock her in order to erase her memory, all because they are going to continue to repeat the same actions over and over again.
          First off, those actors are not God or the law system. They had no right tormenting that woman all because of the crime she committed. Secondly, how do I know that she actually committed this crime. All I could know is that they staged this whole thing and the woman actually did nothing wrong, because the little girl actually looked happy and was smiling in all of the videos presented. This whole story was very sad to see once I realized that they were risking the woman's health and sanity all because of money and viewers.

Punishment

What is it to be a person?

I never really thought about having to answer a question like that and I was thrown for a loop when I realized that the question did not have a simple answer that I could just come up with on the spot. Physical aspects, emotional aspects, and rational aspects alongside a capacity of each, this is what makes you a person? It makes a lot more sense than what I was thinking. Having to follow legal laws and expect punishment if you do not?? Having to follow moral laws and expect punishment if you do not? Is that being a human?

What is it for 'a' & 'b' to be the same person? and the Leibhiz's Law of Identify

Now I honestly do not know if it would be great or terrifying to escape the wrath of jail just by getting a haircut or changing your way of thinking from ten minutes ago. Material continuity (hair and clothes) and mental continuity (same person if same consciousness) describe the things that make up who you are, but also leaves the question that if you change some of these things would you still be the same person. That is a good question indeed. I believe that you will still be the same person underneath all of those changes. It does not matter how many times you change your mental set, there will still be triggers that can bring you back to yourself. I don't people really change, some people are just better at hiding under all the layers that they have smothered their real selves with.

Who deserves to be punished?

Those who have committed a crime. As simple as that right? Wrong. Of course. You have to think of the rational capacity; the mental state the person was in when they committed the crime, and their understanding of fiction and reality.

What is the goal of punishment?

The main point of punishment is so people would not do the offending thing again or 'Rehabilitation' right? Well separation is a form of punishment that could also qualify as a main point of punishment. So to make this less confusing, "separating is the punishment and separation is the goal of the punishment". Keeping the prisoners separate from the rest of the world, the goal of this, will most likely teach them that they miss the outside and force them to do the right thing next time they are free. In realtiy, this does nothing but drive more people insane and used to being cooped up so when they are finally set free they commit more crimes to go back to the routine they knew. Separation is a way of keeping jails full.

What is Discipline?

In class, we discussed two different forms of discipline, discipline-blockade and discipline mechanism. Discipline- blockade consists of a higher power such as a king or other ruler who has direct power and control over a group of individuals. For instance, Michael Foucault uses the black plague to illustrate this form of discipline. He mentions that during the time of the plague, citizens were required to stay home and were constantly watched by guards to ensure that they did not have contact with the contaminated individuals. In addition, healthy citizens had to report their name, sex, and age and a copy of this information was sent to officers, who were in charge. Moreover, the individuals who were assigned to inspect the houses of the town citizens were searched before leaving the house to ensure that they had not stolen any materials. After four hours of the inspection, citizens were allowed back in their house. It can be implied that the citizens of the contaminated town were aware of the rules and of who was in control. However, discipline mechanism is a more indirect in that individuals do not know exactly when they are being watched. Bentham proposed an idea called panopticon that serves as an example of discipline mechanism. A panopticon consists of round building divided into sections. The different sections have space to place prisoners, students, and mental patients. In the middle of the building, there is a tower where a guard stands to watch over the habitats. However, unlike discipline-blockade, the individuals are not aware of the times the guard is looking over and as such they must constantly be aware of their behavior.

If we compare these two forms of discipline, we can understand that there is no right way of creating a good conduct in an individual it all depends on the situation. For example, in class, we discussed how we tend to follow a stop sign rule even when the police are not around. The reason for this is that we have internalized the rules and as in the panopticon we never know where the police might be hiding so the best option is to always act moral and follow the norms. However, it would be difficult to use the discipline-blockade form in the case of the stop sign, because it would be impossible for police officers to be at every stop sign to see who follows the sign.

Therefore, is important to understand discipline and know what form of it necessary and effective according to the situation. In addition, there should be a limit to the level of discipline applied, because if individuals feel like their freedom and rights are being oppressed then discipline can ironically cause rebellion and chaos.

Concept of Power

In Michel Foucault's chapter titled Discipline and Punishment, he discusses the concept of power and how it is exercised in society. He introduces the concept of the panopticism which he describes as a network where power is centralized around an all-seeing eye. He also introduces the concept of functional mechanism panopticon, where power is decentralized. What stood out to me is the similarities that these concepts have to the Illuminati conspiracy theory. The conspiracy theory revolves around a secret organization known as the new world order, which supposedly is has a lot of influence in world politics and media. How power is organized with the new world order is decentralized much how it is described in functional mechanism panopticam. I do not believe in this conspiracy theory but it is interesting to see how both ideas are similar. A major example of the panopticam in our lives is how the government is always monitoring us, especially when it comes to law enforcement and technology. To be specific, most people would go beyond the speed limit on a highway if they were certain that a police car would not be checking the speeds of cars; but because of the knowledge that are policemen scattered at different points in a highway, people choose instead to drive under the speed limit. On the other hand, this goes in deeper on the topic of undocumented immigrants. Most of us undocumented immigrants are careful and aware of their own situations for tasks that would otherwise be risk-free for everybody else. These tasks include driving, going to an airport, and opening the door to strangers, since at any moment we know that an ICE officer could be there, and could start to ask us questions to which if we answer wrong, end up in a deportation order.