Application.
Basic Info
1) Name: Susan. I go by Suzi or Susan, whatever you’d prefer.
2) Sex: Female.
3) Birthday: September 5, 1989.
4) Location: Greenwich, Connecticut.
Current Issues
What do you think about:
5) World Involvement in Iraq: The war is wrong. There is no possible link between Iraq and September 11, and the fact that the Bush administration is still using 9/11 to garner support for the war is beyond ridiculous. I also can’t stand how the President has essentially changed the rules in the middle of the game. The President sent us into Iraq to find nuclear weapons, but when there were not any to be had, Mr. Bush turned the war into a Saddam-hunt.
6) Cloning and Stem Cell Research: Stem cell research is a positive thing. I don’t care where the stem cells come from - a discarded fetus, an animal, etc. - as long as they can be put towards helping a human life. I don’t believe cloning a human being or another animal just for the sake of having an extra copy is the right thing to do, though. Things are best when they are fully unique, fully themselves. Cloning, though, to help better the life of others, is a very positive use of science.
7) Same-Sex Marriage: I don’t see how there can be an argument against this. If two people decide to get married, they should have the freedom to do so, and should partake in all of the rights that married couples traditionally receive, regardless of their gender. The divorce rate in this country is 50% -- yet people still argue for the “sanctity” of marriage.
8) Internet Filesharing: I believe that filesharing is both good and bad. It’s good in the sense that we get free music, but it’s bad in the sense that it leaves artists unpaid for their work. I don’t have a problem downloading a U2 album or a Rolling Stones album. Popular musicians get paid too much as it is. I feel bad, though, when I’m downloading music from a relatively unknown band that really relies on record sales for their revenue.
9) The Death Penalty: I’m against the death penalty. I see no right in it. It’s such a barbaric thing, to take the life of another, simply as punishment or for revenge. When somebody commits a heinous crime, they should be sent to a correctional facility to face their punishment. Taking the criminal’s life is giving the criminal an easy way out. They get out of a long prison sentence; they get out of having to think, over the span of their life, about the crimes they committed. Giving a criminal death does not bring the victims of a criminal back. I also find it hypocritical that people are fighting to have the ten commandments displayed outside of courtrooms - these people are so religious, yet, support the death penalty. Doesn’t that contradict one of the commandments - “Thou shall not kill”? That has always puzzled me.
10) The Quality of Journalism and the Need for Truth in News: Journalism is so censored. I feel like when I’m reading a story, I’m only reading bits of what’s happening. To get a better view, I read from various news sources, and I also watch the French news, read alternative papers, and visit various blogs. Truth is an important factor. As citizens of the world, it’s our duty to know what’s going on. I can’t stand it when the government picks and chooses what its citizens should and should not be allowed to know about the state of the world.
11) New Cabinet Appointees: I’m not all too excited, but I’m just glad that politics consists of cycles, and the pendulum will swing back in the other direction.
12) Religious Zealots: I don’t have a problem with people believing whatever they’d like, but I do, on the other hand, have a problem with people imposing their religion upon others. Religion is supposed to be a private and more precious aspect of life, hidden inside of you. And on that same note, religion and politics should not be mixed. This is a democratic republic, not a theocracy. Religion shouldn’t be allowed to dictate the way laws are made or who is appointed to what position.
Intellect
13) Name a book or movie that changed your life, or at least really made you think. Why (or How)? When I read Kafka’s short stories and journals, I started to immerse myself with Kafka. I started to think much deeper than I had before. A few of my favorites are The Great Wall of China, Silence of the Sirens, and Advocates. After I read Silence of the Sirens, I had to re-read it. I kept staring at the page in amazement. It was the same with Advocates. It made me think beyond high school.
14) Name 3 books you have read in the last year (be honest): Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy, A Peoples’ History of the United States by Howard Zinn, and Hitler’s Mistakes by Ronald Lewin.
15) Who is your favorite artist and why? My favorite artist is Franz Kafka. Reading about his life really mesmerized me. He was so aware of himself; his soul, his being. He was obsessed with his death and he was obsessed with how horrible he thought his work was. I was amazed when I read that he wanted all of his work burned (as stated in his will). He was so brilliant. The fact that he didn’t realize it only makes me want to read more about him.
16) Cite a quote or song lyric that relates to you or your life and explain why:
“One is alone, a total stranger and only an object of curiosity. And so long as you say “one” instead of “I,” there’s nothing in it and one can easily tell the story; but as soon as you admit to yourself that it is you yourself, you feel as though transfixed and are horrified.” - Franz Kafka, Wedding Preparations in the Country
After my dad died (a few weeks ago), this quotation took on a new meaning for me. I can easily relate it to myself… and the urge to escape everything by attempting to trick yourself into thinking that everything isn’t really happening… though it is. When everything starts to sink in, it gets a tad bit more scary.
About You
17) Label your political standpoint: I’m pretty liberal.
18) If had to dedicate yourself to one issue or cause, what would it be? My issue would be educating people about the past. I want to be a historian and I would also like to teach history. I believe that we owe a lot to the past and we need to learn it to fully understand what is going on in the present and what will work in the future. It’s a shame that people so willing to wave a flag and proclaim the greatness of their country only know the glorious moments of their nation’s history - not the mistakes.
19) If you could meet anyone (dead or alive), who would it be and why? I would want to meet Eric Foner, one of my favorite historians, and discuss the subject of American freedom with him. I want to find out what pushes him to write, and how he came to his views.
20) If you were to die today, what would have been your greatest achievement? I don’t have a list of awards or merits, scholarships or promotions. If I died, I hope that people would remember me as somebody who spoke for what she believed in, and spoke up when she thought something was wrong. I hope that people would remember me as somebody that was passionate about history and learning, and always sought out more knowledge on specific historical events.
21) What are you passionate about? I’m passionate about history. It’s my favorite subject, and I love reading books about it. Military history, social history, biographies… all of it. It’s so interesting. I love reading about people that have come before me, and I love learning history’s lessons. History is mesmerizing. It’s so rewarding finally learning about something and actually knowing what happened. It gives you a better perception of the present and the future.
22) What disgusts you more than anything? I can’t stand it when people argue for something, but don’t know what they’re arguing for - people who claim to be Democrats but only say so because they “don’t like Bush”, and vice versa. People need to educate themselves on issues and then formulate their views.
23) If you had to choose, who would you rather let die: 100 cute puppies, or 1 grimy homeless man? I would rather let the 100 cute puppies die, because our society owes a lot more to a grimy homeless man than it does to one hundred puppies. And besides that, it’s a human rights issue.
24) How do you measure success? I don’t measure success by the end result. I measure it by the journey it takes to get somewhere. Along the journey we experience so many things that make the journey worthwhile in the end - joy, pain, friendships, let downs, death, birth, etc. These things make us better people. Success is measured by how you get from one point to another, and your experiences along the way.
Further Thinking
25) Are humans alone in the universe? No. We have our surroundings - our environment, the places we hold dear, memories. We also have nature; wildlife and verdure. We aren’t alone - there are other creatures and living things that we owe respect. As for the entire universe, I don’t know. It’s brilliant to think that we are not alone, and scary at times.
26) Who was Shakespeare, really? Shakespeare was a man who was not responsible for the ideas behind his plays. Romeo and Juliet was based on a poem, Julius Caesar was based on history, and so on and so forth. Shakespeare wrote eloquently, though.
27) What is the meaning of life? I don’t know. I want to know, but I’m not old enough. I’m so little in the scheme of things. I don’t suppose I’ll know the meaning of life until the day I die. All I can say right now is that life is about avoiding chains and avoiding stasis. It’s about the journeys we take, the friendships and relationships that we forge, and what we have to go through. The meaning of life, I suppose, is to become complete, but not through material possessions. We can only be complete when we are emotionally and mentally satisfied. I’m not so sure, though. I haven’t been alive long enough.
28) Can there be love without hate, and vice versa? No. As thinking humans, we are not capable of loving every bit of a person unless we sacrifice part of ourselves. I’m not willing to sacrifice. In every person, there are bits that we loathe, but to love, you must see beyond that. The hate will always exist, but the love is strong enough to overpower it. I refuse to sacrifice myself, though, to remove the hate. If it’s there, it’s there, and if anything was meant to be, I will be able to see beyond it.
3 Favorites
29) Books
1. Complete Stories of Kafka, Franz Kafka
2. Anna Karenina, Leo Tolstoy
3. The Stranger, Albert Camus
30) Movies
1. Amélie
2. Band of Brothers (a TV movie series, but I think of it as a set of movies)
3. The Great Escape
Finally
31) What did you think of this application? It was pretty good.
32) Where did you find out about this community? I searched for “intellectuals” and I found this.
33) You must promote intellect_ in 3 communities or 6 personal journals. This is not optional. If you fail to do this, your post will not be accepted. Give the link(s) here so that this can be verified:
http://www.livejournal.com/users/marydanna/36409.html?view=131129#t131129
http://www.livejournal.com/users/forgetregret04/57370.html?view=20762#t20762
http://www.livejournal.com/users/drearypoet/16638.html?view=23550#t23550
http://www.livejournal.com/users/__metaphor/25898.html?thread=53034#t53034
http://www.livejournal.com/users/swifted/83547.html?view=159835#t159835
http://www.livejournal.com/users/_____kissy/17354.html?view=135882#t135882
3-6 Pictures of you or things that represent you:
A picture of me.
A picture from one of the greatest days of my life. My friend Emily and I decided it would be a “good idea” to purchase a mannequin in the middle of New York City. It didn’t occur to us that this purchase would entail carrying a mannequin around the city, but we managed to do so anyways. Tourists were taking pictures on the streets and in the subway; one guy even walked into a telephone pole because he was too busy staring at the gloriousness of the mannequin.
A photo from down in the subway.
This is a picture of one of my best friends, Mike. He’s one of the most amazing people on the plan and believes in all of my silly little ideas.
This is what I usually see when I leave NYC. I hold the city close to my heart. Memories of times with friends, dealings with my father, endless concerts…
When I was in San Francisco back in April, we were driving down Haight-Ashbury and I saw this… I really identified with it at the time.