Ken Robinson argues in these videos that our education system needs to be seriously reformed because our current system squanders kids’ creativity. Robinson defines creativity as the process of having original ideas that have value. Robinson recognizes that we have no idea what’s going to happen in terms of the future, so kids need to be prepared so that they can handle whatever the future brings. Their education is going to take them into this future that we can’t grasp, so Robinson argues that our educational system should treat creativity with as much importance as literacy. By transforming our educational system in a way to foster creativity, Robinson believes that we will be better prepared for the future.

I like Robinson’s argument. I feel that our education system today does harm the creative ideas of today’s youth. I look at my own education in this way; the arts are not a significant part of my life anymore because I have always been told that I could not make a living painting or being a musician. I feel that if we can find a way to support the creative ideas of today’s youth, we will have a better future.

This article is called “Political Satire and Postmodern Irony in the Age of Stephen Colbert and Jon Steward” and was written by Lisa Colletta. In her article, Colletta explains that traditional irony was used to expose the difference between “what is real and what is appearance” as a form of art that reveals inconsistencies in the subject at hand. In contrast, the irony of postmodernity is “characterized by pastiche” and is satirical. This postmodernity denies the difference between real and appearance and “even embraces incoherence and lack of meaning”. In this way, reality is fabricated rather than understood.

I didn’t enjoy this article as much as I have past articles. I felt that it was rather dry and did not catch my interest (I know others are far more interested in these topics than I am however). The one thing that really stuck with me about this article was the amount of television a person watches (it averages out to be somewhere around two months out of the year)! I feel that the people watching this much television could be doing something a lot more productive with their time. On the topic of satire: I really enjoy satire. It is entertaining and informative at the same time. There is a problem however; I feel that those who agree with the opinion of the person creating the satire will understand and those who disagree with the author will not understand or appreciate it and may even find it offensive. In this way, people like Stephen Colbert and Jon Steward have to be very careful in how they approach their shows.