Hippy Hell new and revised

Andreas Fell

10/1/14

Eng 1100

Prof. Young

Hippy Hell

            Hastings on Hudson, New York, has been called by most a paradise for hipsters. The issue with this new age trend is that while the arts have been emphasized, most other areas, such as athletics, the sciences, etc. have been neglected. Now while this artsy, European, hipster, free thinking, style of living works for some, but for others it does not. Hastings has experienced a rapid change of culture. These hipsters are trying to keep the town hostage in an old timey look and feel. Their actions are both selfish and are without good judgment. Hastings has been taken over and changed in a way that these hipster type of people can basically do what they please and control every aspect of the town.  

            Hastings on Hudson was originally a blue-collar factory worker town. During World War I the town manufactured mustard gas, and the majority of the town worked in the factory. Since the industrial age Hastings has been a blue collar, union workers town, producing buttons, cables, and other goods. But ever since the “Hippy days” the town has been changed, and the atmosphere of the town itself has been completely turned around, the town has taken on a whole new look. It is hard to walk down the street and not see a pair of skinny jeans, or hear some strange underground band being blasted out of a vintage Volkswagen. Even the school has taken up this artsy life style. The art department in the High School is one of the best in the county and offers more class options than any other subject. Now while to some this may be a good thing, all of the other departments are some what neglected. This new hipster, freethinking style of living has permeated the being of everyone in the town and affects the decisions that have been made about the town and the townspeople.

            Back in Hastings’ early days there used to be factories down by the river that produced a large variety of products. But some of the more volatile ones include mustard gas and other forms of wartime goods, this has created serious pollution and the site is condemned. For years there have been attempts to destroy and safely remove the contaminated land and the building. The towns’ people have tried again, and again to get a bill through but due to limitations in budgets, and the acquisition of extremely important permits, it remains unfulfilled. However this past year a bill was finally passed. But sadly a group of these so-called “Hipsters” applied for the land a building to be protected as a historical landmark. The building is decaying and has graffiti and broken glass all around it; it is an eye sore and for someone to call it a historical landmark is both blind and dumb.

The decision to save the building came up out of nowhere as for many years the towns’ people approved of the removal of the toxic site. But when a bill was finally passed all of a sudden this group of people stopped the destruction. But what is the true logic to this, other than using the building as a backdrop to an artsy photo shoot it is rather dangerous. The amount of contamination that the land has requires the removal of 10 feet of topsoil from the entire sight to ensure that it will be safe for years to come. This is one of many issues that have arrived with the creation of a Hipsturbia.

            Another of these issues that have been created by the new outlook of the town is an issue very close to me: the football field. To some this is just a field and nothing else, but to me it is my home. The field itself was last renovated in the early 80’s with a new, non-regulation track being put in place in the early 2000’s. The field itself is poorly maintained, and the grass is always dying, so by mid season it is a giant dust bowl. The facilities too are very poor at the field. This past year a bill was put through to put in new bleachers, and a brand new turf field. Well the first issue that the hipsters had was that the turf field was not eco friendly, so the school found an alternative, which used coconut husks instead of pulverized tires. Since that issue was solved a new one came up, a movement was started that contained the slogan, “Keep Hastings really green, save Reynolds field.” The bill came to a screeching halt and when voting occurred it was defeated by a rather large margin. So now Hastings is stuck with a dirt bowl, and the town folk save $2.50 on their yearly taxes.

Now while in Kinloch’s piece about Harlem, focuses on the gentrification that occurs in Harlem, what is happening in Hastings is rather similar, but in a different sense. The issue is that these hipsters are making it so hard to do anything, even get a turf field installed or have a building that is riddled with harmful toxins removed. These sorts of actions have caused a rift in the community. What was once and still is a nice community is being divided down the middle, and unfortunately kids are right stuck in the middle of it. Gentrification is a word that is used to describe the, sometimes, forceful removal of, in the case of Harlem, the black population and the replacement of them with a white population. This sort of change is not occurring on the racial level, but more so on the cultural level. The mindset of the town is being changed. It is being drawn backwards to the days of Woodstock, where art was readily found everywhere; the environment trumped all other issues, including personal safety, and common sense. This sort of cultural gentrification does not force out people, but it rather shifts the mindset of those who are there and creates tension within the community.

The change in the town was swift and apparently it seems that the town is never going to go back to its roots of a blue collar, workers town. The yoga studio, the French pastry shop, the bicycle store, and all the non chain stores all play into the whole Hipsturbia that has been created appears to be ever lasting.  The problem is that most of the other towns’ people who do not follow this hipster lifestyle are not usually the ones at the town meetings, or the ones to protest, they are usually the ones who are quieter. For that reason these hipsters are taking over this town from its very core. The solution, which seems simple but that is far from the truth, would be to get all those who do not have the same views as these people, and bring them together to try to fight for what we want. But even that is a lot to ask for this town. For those whose lifestyle is similar to the lifestyle created in Hastings, the town is a dream come true. But for those who do not wear skinny jeans, sip soy chai latte’s, or listen to the next band that you have never heard of, it is hippy hell.

           

Works Cited

Kinloch, Valerie. Harlem on Our Minds: Place, Race, and the Literacies of Urban Youth. New York: Teacher College, 2010. Print.

Draft 1 of beauty

Andreas Fell

11/10/14

Eng 1100

Prof. Young

Beauty

           

            When we look at supermodels walking down the runway, or when we see an actress at the Grammy’s, we usually think of them as beautiful. The word, beauty, itself is a rather broad word. In several Ted Talks, the idea of beauty is analyzed by very different people, all having very different topics. A supermodel saying that beauty is not constructed or worth all that it seems to be. An amputee saying that beauty can be constructed and it is healthy for it to be, and finally a professor saying that beauty is not determined by the time we live in, but it has been determined for us by our ancestors millions of years ago.

The term beauty is a rather natural word. But what happens when someone alters their own body to make themselves feel, and appear beautiful. But what they are really doing, and saying, is that they are not secure with themselves, and because of that, they need to change themselves to please other people.  This insecurity manifests it self in people trying to be what they are not. In a Ted Talk by Cameron Russell she talks about how insecure supermodels are as people. Yes they appear confident on the TV and in magazines, but being that beautiful all the time makes them insecure so they resort to altering themselves to please others.

The term beauty is a very wide term; it can pertain to pretty much anything. But when it is applied to the human side it is a different story. Beauty cannot be constructed, as it is something that must come from us and is created, not constructed. We are who we are, and if we want to change ourselves we are not doing it for us, but for others who view us. Beauty is something that must come within us and we must accept ourselves for who we are before we can truly be happy and secure in our own skin. In the Ted Talk with Cameron Russell she talks about beauty, as a super model she is very knowledgeable on beauty. In the talk she tells the truth behind being a super model, they are some of the most insecure people. Always caring about how they look and appear to other people, when in actuality they should be concerned about how they look to themselves before trying to look good for others. One of the most amazing parts of the talk is when she is showing pictures of her self before big photo shoots. It shows her at the beach, at a sleep over, just being herself. Then she shows the shoots themselves, she has make up on, and she is not herself because all she is doing is trying to look good for others. Trying to be beautiful is something that is extremely hard, and due to that, the supermodels are insecure and stressed.

When a person who is paid to be beautiful tells people that being beautiful is not all what it seems, that should be listened to. Having plastic surgeries, and different procedures to make us more beautiful is foolish. It is foolish because all we are trying to do it try to please others when we should please ourselves and learn how to be more comfortable in our own skin.

Beauty

Can Beauty Be Constructed

            The term beauty is a very wide term; it can pertain to pretty much anything. But when it is applied to the human side it is a different story. Beauty cannot be constructed, as it is something that must come from us and is created, not constructed. We are who we are, and if we want to change ourselves we are not doing it for us, but for others who view us. Beauty is something that must come within us and we must accept ourselves for who we are before we can truly be happy and secure in our own skin. In the Ted Talk with Cameron Russell she talks about beauty, as a super model she is very knowledgeable on beauty. In the talk she tells the truth behind being a super model, they are some of the most insecure people. Always caring about how they look and appear to other people, when in actuality they should be concerned about how they look to themselves before trying to look good for others. One of the most amazing parts of the talk is when she is showing pictures of her self before big photo shoots. It shows her at the beach, at a sleep over, just being herself. Then she shows the shoots themselves, she has make up on, and she is not herself because all she is doing is trying to look good for others. Beauty is a very strange thing, it is strange because someone in this world will find us beautiful just the way we are. But going back to the original question, no beauty cannot be constructed, it can only be found within ourselves.

http://www.ted.com/talks/cameron_russell_looks_aren_t_everything_believe_me_i_m_a_model?language=en

Hippy Hell Updated

Hippy Hell

            Hastings on Hudson, New York, has been called by most a paradise for hipsters. The issue with this new age trend is that while the arts have been emphasized, most other areas, such as athletics, the sciences, etc. have been neglected. Now while this artsy, European, hipster, free thinking, style of living works for some, it does not for others. Hastings has experienced a rapid change of culture. These hipsters are trying to keep the town hostage in an old timey look and feel. Their actions are both selfish and are without good judgment.

            Hastings on Hudson was originally a blue-collar factory worker town. During World War I the town manufactured mustard gas, and the majority of the town worked in the factory. Hastings was always a factory town, producing buttons, cables, and other goods. But ever since the “Hippy days” when the hippy movement was most prominent in the beginning of the last quarter of the 90’s, the town has taken on a whole new look. It is hard to walk down the street and not see a pair of skinny jeans, or hear some strange underground band being blasted out of a vintage Volkswagen. Even the school has taken up this artsy life style. The art department in the High School is one of the best in the county and offers more class options than any other subject. Now while to some this may be a good thing, all of the other departments are some what neglected. This has permeated the being of everyone in the town and affects the decisions that have been made about the town and the townspeople.

Now while in Kinloch’s piece about Harlem, focuses on the gentrification that occurs in Harlem, what is happening in Hastings is rather similar, but in a different sense. The issue is that these hipsters are making it so hard to do anything, even get a turf field put in that it has created that people are starting to move out of the town. The gentrification that is occurring is not textbook gentrification that occurred in Harlem, but is more of a cultural gentrification.

            Back in Hastings’ early days there used to be factories down by the river that produced various goods, but some of the more volatile ones include mustard gas and other forms of wartime goods. This has created serious pollution and the site is condemned. For years there have been attempts to destroy and safely remove the contaminated land and the building. This past year a bill was finally passed. But sadly a group of these so-called “Hipsters” applied for the land a building to be protected as a historical landmark. The building is decaying and has graffiti and broken glass all around it; it is an eye sore and for someone to call it a historical landmark is both blind and dumb. The decision to save the building came up out of nowhere as for many years the towns’ people approved of the removal of the toxic site. But when a bill was finally passed all of a sudden this group of people stopped the destruction. But what is the true logic to this, other than using the building as a backdrop to an artsy photo shoot it is rather dangerous. The amount of contamination that the land has requires the removal of 10 feet of topsoil from the entire sight to ensure that it will be safe for years to come. This is one of many issues that have arrived with the creation of a Hipsturbia.

            Another of these issues that have been created by the new outlook of the town is an issue very close to me: the football field. To some this is just a field and nothing else, but to me it is my home. The field itself was last renovated in the early 80’s with a new, non-regulation track being put in place in the early 2000’s. The field itself is poorly maintained, and the grass is always dying, so by mid season it is a giant dust bowl. The facilities too are very poor at the field. This past year a bill was put through to put in new bleachers, and a brand new turf field. Well the first issue that the hipsters had was that the turf field was not eco friendly, so the school found an alternative, which used coconut husks instead of pulverized tires. Since that issue was solved a new one came up, a movement was started that contained the slogan, “Keep Hastings really green, save Reynolds field.” The bill came to a screeching halt and when voting occurred it was defeated by a rather large margin. So now Hastings is stuck with a dirt bowl, and the town folk save $2.50 on their yearly taxes.

            The change in the town was swift and apparently it seems that the town is never going to go back to its roots of a blue collar, workers town. The yoga studio, the French pastry shop, the bicycle store, and all the non chain stores all play into the whole Hipsturbia that has been created appears to be ever lasting.  The problem is that most of the other towns’ people who do not follow this hipster lifestyle are not usually the ones at the town meetings, or the ones to protest, they are usually the ones who are more quiet, and for that reason these hipsters are taking over this town from its very core. The solution, which seems simple but that is far from the truth, would be to get all those who do not have the same views as these people, and bring them together to try to fight for what we want. But even that is a lot to ask for this town. For those whose lifestyle is similar to the lifestyle created in Hastings, the town is a dram come true. But for those who do not wear skinny jeans, sip soy chai latte’s, or listen to the next band that you have never heard of, it is hippy hell.

            

My Haiku

Andreas Fell

10/21/14

Prof. Young

ENG 1100

My Haiku

            For the past twelve years of my life every Saturday, and every fall haven’t been a typical time for me. Ever since the second grade my fall consisted of going to practice, and then on Saturdays having games. The amount of love I have for the sport, I cannot explain in words. There is no feeling like the one when you put your pads on and buckle up your helmet before a game. The game taught me how to work together not as a unit but as a family. The major point of the game is to learn how to learn to sacrifice to benefit the team. As an offensive lineman my job is to literally hit someone very play to ensure that the ball and the ball carrier stay safe and make it through to score my team points. Even though my position, and others like it do not get much glory I know that without me doing my job correctly and doing it with effort I benefit my team. “The ball is like a child” that means, to me, I must protect the ball like I am protecting a child, I have to do whatever is in my power to make sure that nobody except the ball carrier has contact with it.