Homework #58: Prom Interviews

For this assignment, I interviewed my friend, C, my teacher, M, and my aunt B. When I completed all interviews, I realized that I only interviewed females which made me think about the gender roles and how I subconsciously went to women for an interview about prom. I was also recently talking to my friend about what I wanted my wedding to be like and I remember saying "It's my wedding. The groom doesn't really have an opinion," which I think is more or less how teenage girls think about prom. But back to my interviews, I started with simple questions, like, "Did you go?" "Did you bring a date?" "Was there an after prom?" These questions were directed towards M and B since they'd already been to a prom. For C, I put the questions in future tense asking what she thought was going to happen, etc.

My interview with C started as such: "Why do you want to go to prom?" Her answer was a simple "you know, you have to. If you don't go, it's bad." This statement made me think about how we as a society spend so much time preparing and "dolling" ourselves up for prom because of mob mentality when really, everyone thinks they have to because everyone else is. It's a catch 22. The interview went on to discuss the style options and planning the ideal event. She described it to be a lot like a ball in which there is nothing but dancing and she said "I just want to have a really good time." Which is something I think we all want no matter what. So why is there a stereotype that most proms end up sucking? Is it because we make such high expectations that we can't possibly live up to it? Or is it because we realize as the event unfolds, that it's really not fun to put oneself through so much prep for a couple lousy dances? Either way, we shared the same outlook on our ideal proms and we are both very exited when it's finally our turn (no matter how this unit affects my opinion).

Homework #57: Initial Thoughts on Prom

I am a puppet. When it comes to prom, I am completely controlled by the dominant social practices of our country when it comes to this special event. I have waited for it for a long time and as it draws closer in my final year of high school, I will grow even more excited. Since 9th grade, I have looked at dresses and tried on dresses knowing full well they wouldn't still be in stock by the time prom came around. However, it's a whole lot of fun to get a bunch of prom dresses and twirl around in them. When the event finally arrives, I'm sure it won't live up to my Hollywood-influenced expectations, but I still plan on having a great time and remembering it for years afterwards.

I think prom in general is more of a night for girls. Stereotypically, girls prepare more and longer in advance than boys do. It's also a night for them to feel like a princess at a ball, be waited on hand and foot by their date. In movies at least, the boy drives the girl, gets her drinks, brings a corsage, and pays for dinner before or during the event. I think that for my own prom, I wouldn't expect that much for any boy in my grade to do such things, but if I were to have a date, it would feel nice to have a little courtesy. It feels good to feel special sometimes.

In thoughts of preparation, girls also tend to be more aware of how they look, especially on the night they've waited for for so long. Therefore, it's custom for girls to spend at least 2 hours getting ready for the night. These things include shower, hair, make-up, shaving (and possible waxing), and jewelry. I fully plan on spending a whole day being pampered and styled in a spa-like setting the day before prom in order to be relaxed and ready to have a good time.

I am a puppet and I'm proud of it.

Questions:

When did prom become a system of hierarchy for teens?

Why do people decide to change their looks and personalities for prom night and what about prom makes it the ideal place to change?

What sparked/created the custom/ritual of prom and why do people consider it a rite of passage for every teenager in America?

Homework #55: Culminating Project

For this project, I investigated how I want my body to be taken care of after my death. After reading Grave Matters, I found a lot of interesting ways to be taken care of and my favorite was the Memorial Reefs. These are large artificial cement balls with large holes in them for coral and other sea life to grow on and live off of. The way it works is that the ashes are mixed into the cement and the family has the option of writing an engraved message on the reef ball. When looking into this, I found the organization that was mentioned in Grave Matters. Their name is Eternal Reefs. It was started by two grad students who used to go diving and saw how badly the reefs were being taken care of. When I looked into how I wanted my own remains to be cared for, I started with their website. It was actually a very informative site that had a lot of useful information about how my body. My first question was the pricing. I wanted it to be as cheap as possible but still be able to have what I want. The cheapest reef ball is a communal one where there are lots of different ashes mixed together. However, I am quite selfish and want to be alone (to have one all to myself) so the next cheapest is at $3,995 which includes the handling of the cremated remains once they receive them, the incorporation of the remains into the concrete, the casting of the Memorial Reef, the transportation of the Memorial Reef to the project site, the final placement and dedication, a GPS survey to record the specific longitude and latitude of the Memorial Reef, a bronze Plaque with inscription, and two Memorial Certificates. It might seem like a lot of money, but it includes a whole lot of work by the group. The next thing I did was look into the process. I looked into the different locations my reef ball could be located. The different locations also came with different deadline dates so I had to pretend I was already dead which was a little creepy. All of the drop-off points were in Florida so I chose Miami as the place for me. There was a table full of lots of different towns/cities in Florida with a bunch of different dates so I went with the soonest one in Miami. This experience was wierd for me since I had to pretend that I was already dead.

Homework #54: Independent Research B

When I first thought about this assignment, I felt that I wasn't going to be able to complete it because I do not have a belief system. I do not have a religion or a god or any system really. I just have thoughts and ideas about what could happen. However, in order to complete this assignment, I had to find something. So I chose the closest religion I could to my own beliefs (though not very close at all). This religion is Buddhism.

I went with Buddhism because I happen to believe in reincarnation. Over the course of my after-life Buddhism research I found that the common thought about reincarnation is typically wrong in the case of Buddhists. It doesn't mean a personality being reborn over and over again, it has more to do with one's karma over time. Karma is a type of cause and effect. In Buddhist culture, one's karma builds up over a lifetime and determines how the person will start off in the next life (Vairacchedika 32). To put it simply, it's as if you are lighting a row of candles each one being lit by the previous one. Each candle has a connection to the previous one, but it is still a different flame. This is not exactly how I believe it to work, but it is close to how I logically think the after death would happen.

Homework #53: Independent Research A and Interview

A stereotypical interview includes a memorial service that is generally sad and filled with grief. However, in Ghanaian culture, this is not the case. Ghanaian funerals are more like giant blowout parties that bring in everyone from the neighborhood regardless of whether or not they knew the deceased. It's a time of celebration and everyone is invited.

When most people think about their belongings after they die, they usually think about their physical possessions like money, clothes, books. What people don't really think about are their Facebook profiles or their twitter accounts. These are all things that will exist after you don't and they are all ways of showing who you were as a person for the world to see.

I chose these articles because they weren't on the general topic of caring for the dead. in fact, they were the abnormal of what people generally think about in terms of care of the dead. I found it interesting that instead of grieving and mourning, the Ghanaians celebrate and bring in people from all over the community as a way of dealing with the loss. It seems like a great way to grieve for a person; to let everyone in town know that someone has recently been lost and that you aren't going to let that person go in sadness. I also feel that no one really takes into account their profiles online or their blogs or their web albums as online memorials of who they are once they've died. It's fascinating to think that those will live on longer than any of us will.

For the interview, I did not have the time to set one up but when I get the chance, I will post it here.

homework #52: Third Part of COTD Book

Harris, Mark. Grave Matters. New York, NY: Simon & Schuster, Inc., 2007. 69-125. Print.

Some of the least expensive and most personal way of caring for the dead are building one's own plain coffin out of pine or buying one for no more than $400, having one's own family graveyard on their property, or having a natural burial which prohibits any metal casket or embalming and is covered with vegetation or a natural form of earth.

"With its straightforward arrangement, family focus, low cost, and basic handmade casket at the center." (126)

"The home burial also means he and other families don't have to use (and pay for) the burial vaults most cemeteries require or abide by their rules." (144)

"These native field stones...are more than the mere product of local geology; they're grave markers, and below each one a body or its ashes lies buried."

This last section was not as interesting as the middle in my opinion because it discussed options that while cheaper and more efficient, were commonly practiced by many. This book is structurally similar to Omnivore's Dilemma from the Food unit because both are set up in a way the feed only information and still seem to give off a one-sided opinion of the industry each author is discussing.

Homework #51: Second Part of COTD Book

Harris, Mark. Grave Matters. New York, NY: Simon & Schuster, Inc., 2007. 69-125. Print.

As opposed to the "conventional" way of caring for the dead, one can also scatter ashes at sea, create an artificial reef out of the ashes, or have a home funeral. These are all cheaper ways of giving those who have died the same amount of love and respect.

"Jerry sprinkles the petals from a dozen red and white roses over the ashes... they're mainly intended to serve as a kind of blind."

"Don and George, both decked out in T-shirts and baseball caps bearing the eternal reefs logo,... stand in the yard."

"Alison's schoolmates, teachers, babysitters, friends--several hundred people in all--came into this room to say goodbye."

I thoroughly enjoyed this part more than the first because it described what I thought were much more meaningful topics. These topics were also ones that aren't practiced as dominantly in our society. The first one, burials at sea, brought families out on boats and gave them a chance to be a part of letting go with peace of mind. One of the members said the water also helped a lot. The second type was reef memorials. This one is my favorite be ause it allows family members to put the ashes of their loved ones into something that will inevitably create new life. That is how I want my ashes to be cared for when I die. The third was a home funeral. This let people care for the dead themselves as well as let hundreds of people come and pay their respects for a longer period of time without having to pay a significant price.

Homework #49: Comments on Break Homework

To others:

Abdullah
I like that you weren't afraid to state your own opinion on the matter and that your opinion of funerals was very different from the norm. I also liked that you included your own experiences of different cultures. It was interesting to see the similarities and differences that other countries share with ours in terms of caring for the dead.

_____________________________________________

To Me:

Rigel:

I really liked the fact that you interview you're aunt, and your friends mothers as a change of "norm", it made reading you're blog more interesting to read. I found it interesting how for you're aunts family (also you're family) they believed in an afterlife, and that ones life continues in a different realm. The reason i said in's interesting is because, I find it interesting, that in most cultures, and majority of people on this planet, believe in an afterlife or some sort. But i wonder why we believe that, is it an unexplainable feeling? or is it a belief that's been imbedded in us? For your mom's friend I thought it was a bit heart wrenching that she had to see her own dead parent, I don't know how i would handle seeing one of my relatives, and I wouldn't know what to do with their corpse. But for your mothers friend to cremate her fathers corpse I thought it was an interesting option, because that's someone you knew and to turn their body into ash, I think is pretty bold. Before reading grave matters i had already known that funerals were expensive, so i thought that the main reasons people cremated their loves ones for two reasons, won to keep a physical part of them at their homes or wherever, and second because it's cheaper. Anyway, you're blog was a smooth read, and interesting most of all, I don't have anything negative to say, except for good job, and look forward to the next to come.

Abdullah:

I liked the fact that you chose to interview someone that had a very real experience with death. It made your blog a more interesting to read since the information was from a subjective and objective source. I think if you explained more about what your thoughts were from the interviews and what were some of the insights that you took away from the interview. It would have also been better if you had said if the interviews had changed the way you thought about death or if your previous thoughts were strengthened.

Johnny:

I liked how you decided to think outside the box and interview someone that ins't in your family. I found interesting how your friends mother as a child was not into talking about death and almost in a sense avoided it. But how now that she is older and more mature she doesnt mind talking about death and excepts it as a part of life that everyone has to go through. I valued how you asked deep interesting questions to make the person you inteview say alot so we can gain info on this topic. Very interesting to read!!

Homework #50: First Part of COTD Book

Grave matters

The care of the dead process can be very expensive depending on what it is the relatives decide to do. A funeral, embalming of the body, and viewing session can cost up to $12,000. This includes the casket, venue, flower arrangements, transportation, and a lot of tiny things that keep adding up. One of the more expensive parts of this is the embalming of the body. This process is a very invasive procedure including stuffing cotton into all open holes, sewing the jaw bone shut, removing all bacteria and fluids from the organs, and inserting the embalming fluid through the arteries near the collar bone. Another, cheaper way of taking care of a body is cremation. This takes up to two and a half hours. It is done by a machine called a Power-Pak. Most of the gases it emits in the process are burned away but it can sometimes leave carbon monoxide and mercury as well as some others from the body. These are directed into an "after-chamber" located directly underneath the cremating chamber.

Quotes:

"The more pleasant and true-to-life the 'picture' the easier it is to acknowledge the death and, perhaps, let go." (18)

"Each thrust works to puncture a separate organ--first Jenny's heart, lungs, and stomach, and then colon, intestines, liver, and bladder." (23)

The first part of this book seemed to be about the cost more than anything else. It seemed to me that all the author was trying to do was play down the idea of having a funeral by representing it in such a negative way. I believe that it is very expensive and while I wouldn't want my own funeral to be that way, if the person is willing to spend that much, I don't see the problem.

Homework #48: family perspectives on care of the dead

For this assignment, I interviewed my aunt and my best friend's mother instead of my parents as a change of scenery from the norm.

The first interview was with my aunt, S. We discussed the aspects of death and the variables that come with how one thinks of the departed. What caught my attention is that there are a lot of different ways one can think about those who have died. For example, if someone has been murdered or tortured, or committed suicide, then there is anger mixed in with her sadness for the way they died. If the person accepted their death and was truly ready to die, she claimed that it was easier for her to accept their death and work through the sadness than if the death was sudden or unexpected and the person wasn't ready. Another thing is that if someone she loves dies, other things around her could make the death easier to cope with. For example, I was born just after the death of her father. She said that my presence at the memorial service brought bits of joy and helped her to enjoy the life of her father. She also said it was easier to accept if she knew it was coming or if the person who died had already accepted it. One thing in particular that I liked was "[In the saddest of deaths, God] can twist it around and bring something good from it." I thought that was nice because it brings hope from a great loss. As a child, she was taught that it was a part of life and her parents focused heavily on souls moving on to the afterlife whereas she is more concerned with living than what happens afterwords.

The second person I interviewed was my best friend's mom, R. When asked how she felt about those who died, her answer was simple: "I miss them." I thought it was interesting how a small sentence could convey so much. She told me that she wanted her body to be cremated but she was also considering donating her body to science. She is also has organ donor on her license. As a child, she wasn't really open to death. Her only experience was with her grandpa and her father never really wanted to talk about it (it was his father). Her mother, who took care of her grandfather, was a little better at talking about it. When her own father died, she was there when it happened and described it as a wonderful experience. Not because of his death but because she got to be there when it happened and feel like she could be there for him. She said that death is just a part of life that we should accept and thought too many people in our society were afraid of death. I thought that last part was interesting because it can be argued but also heavily supported in many ways. Her father was cremated and her mother divided up the ashes with her had her brother. She said she wanted to disperse them somewhere that was meaningful to her dad but still hasn't found the right spot.

Homework #46: Initial thoughts on the care of the dead

My only experience with the care of the dead is when we went to my grandmother's funeral last summer. The service was in a church but the body was not there since it was cremated. I don't know if that's what she wanted or if it's simply what my father chose for her. After the service, the immediate family went to the graveyard and watched the urn get buried in our family's plot in Fayette, MO. Her husband was cremated after he died around 17 years ago so they brought up his ashes to be buried next to my grandmother's. My mom once told me that she wanted to be an organ donor and then cremated when she died. I was too young to really understand the full context of what she was saying, but it struck me as strange that a person would want their body to be cut up and have their organs ripped out and then be burned to ash. However, I think her beliefs in afterlife differ from mine so maybe she has a reason for it.

In my family. people are kept alive after they've died. In my grandparents' case, my mother is constantly talking about them and stories about their lives. So even though I only met one of them, I feel as though I really know who the others were if I were to have a chance to meet them somehow. If the person is not a personal part of my family, it usually takes me a wile to realize that that person is no longer in existence and won't ever speak or smell or laugh or cry again. I don't really think about their bodies, but more of what they did or didn't do with the time they had. Whenever my family hears about someone who has died, we mourn for a little while and then begin to discuss all the great things that they did or all of the great stories that people will always remember about them. I think this keeps them alive in our family for a very long time.

Homework #44: Replies to comments

Renee:
I completely agree. The usual go-to scenario for expressing pain is birth and yet the prisons still make it ten times worse by holding them down or neglecting them. I would hope that the people working there have some sort of humanity that makes them want to help the women, but I haven't seen anything like that in what research I've done.

Arden and Natalie:

Thank you for your comments, I included personal strokes because I wanted it to really hit home that it wasn't just random statistics, but that peope have actually spoken up about this and told their own stories. When I first read them, I was apalled and knew that those were what was going to make this project most emotional.

Homework #43: Comments on others' blogs

Sharif,

I thought the way you compared the two different hospitals and interviewed college students was really interesting. It seemed to me that only one of the students knew what she was talking about but the rest were pretty uneducated. I really liked the part where the one kid said "what's a cesarean?" because it showed just how much some people know about the topic.

I wanted to read your blog after your elevator speech because it seemed to me that I had a connection to it. College students are not very far in age from us so it was intersting to see that we knew more than they did about birth in general.

I liked your video, but the audio could have been better. (and the baby was really cute).


Devin,

Your project on the timing of when to cut the umbilical cord was very specific and fascinating. The benefits of waiting just one minute are quite incredible and it's a wonder why doctors don't do it more often. I think the topic you chose was interesting because it's not something people think about very often. Most of the time, especially on TV, the umbilical cord is cut right away and that's that. I'd never thought about whether that was the right thing until I read your blog. Good job!


Liz,

Your topic on same-sex adoption was one that I hadn't seen in anyone else's projects. Your interviews with two different points of view allowed some light to be shed on how people think. While it was a pretty small amount of interviewees, I think people can still get a sense of why because of your clarifications or inner monologue throughout the essay. I alos enjoyed the way you started off the piece. It sounded really cool and grabbed my attention quickly.

________________________________________________________

Comments to me:

Renee (mentor):
childbirth can be one of the most difficult experiences any woman goes through - even in the most supportive of circumstances...

IF society has any intention of prison affecting rehabilitation - wouldn't it be in the woman's best interest to make that experience, at the very least - humane?

Ben H:
Your choice to focus on the mistreatment of pregnant women in prison was a very interesting and unique one.

This topic is important to observe primarily because of how many people do not even think about it, as you stated in your project. Although it is hard for me to personally relate to it, your project was still important to me because my eyes were opened to a completely different area of pregnancy and birth that I had never even thought about myself.

I really liked the way you were able to include multiple real-world situations for a topic that was so specific and rarely spoken of. If you had been able to find more statistics, that would have made your point even more convincing. Good job!

Arden H:
I agree that giving birth is not a easy process for a women. Pregnant women in jail are not given close to what is required for a safe and successful birth.

The stories you chose to incorporate are gruesome and almost hard to believe. Consider it cliche but people are people. it is inhumane to treat a person, in prison or not with such incivility. the stories you shared both throughout your paper and in your elevator speech were a good addition to further proving your point. it grasped the persons (me) attention, because it seemed so unreal.
I appreciate your research about such an unpublicized and overlooked topic.

Natalie:
In this piece you describe the lack of care pregnant women in jails receive due to neglect.

I liked the way you incorporated women's personal stories into your writing in order to create a much more vivid image.
This topic is extremely important, mainly due to the fact that so little light is shed upon it. People do not really think to consider the pregnant women in jail. While there is a reason for them being there (usually), it is no reason to treat their child badly. Many times in pregnancy fetus and mother are see as one entity, however in this case I believe it is best to view them as two separate beings.
Perhaps next time you could propose how you think this should be changed.

Homework #42: Research Project

There has been much recent debate over the entirety of the birthing process - such as whether to use midwives or doctors, hospitals or home births. All of these decisions arise when a woman finds out she’s pregnant. Usually by the due date, there is a clear picture of what she wants and how it’s going to happen. Now we all know that things never go exactly according to plan, but at least there is a choice that can be made. But what if there wasn’t a choice? What if instead of weighing pros and cons of different options, you were in a place where you were left alone in a cell or brought to a hospital in chains, mid-labor? For pregnant women in the U.S. penitentiary system, this is the case.

In jails and prisons for women all over the country, there is always a certain amount of harassment or abuse. One would think that stopped with pregnant women, but in several prisons, the guards and overseers neglect to give pregnant prisoners regular check-ups, any prenatal care, or even a healthy diet. The most some women get is an extra bag of Fritos. Even when it’s time for the birth, women have to beg to be sent to the hospital. In Dubuque County Jail in Iowa, 19-year-old Terra K. had to scream and pound on the door just to ask for a nurse. When no one came, she ended up giving birth alone in her cell. Even when someone finally does pay attention, it may be too late. In general, health care in prisons is not stellar. It’s usually only in emergencies that guards will consider taking a prisoner to the hospital. In the Collier County Jail in Florida, Joan S. was near her due date and leaking amniotic fluid, so she asked for medical attention several times. After two weeks of this, she finally got an ultrasound and was informed that all of the amniotic fluid was gone and her baby’s skull had collapsed. Then she still wasn’t taken to the hospital for some time, which put her at risk for amniotic shock from the dead fetus inside her. Although these stories are extreme, such things happen all the time. Prisons don’t care for pregnant prisoners the way they should.

Aside from the time of incarceration, when it comes to actually having the baby, things don’t get much better. Although most of the time women are taken to a hospital, they are usually shackled during transport and again during labor. The cuffs are around the woman’s ankles severely limit her ability to move around. Generally, doctors tell women to move around during labor because it helps the labor progress and can sometimes ease the pain. The use of restraints causes a lot more pain that also lasts longer, and they are actually unnecessary since there are guards at the hospital while the prisoner is there. According to a New York Times article, Shawanna N. was in labor for 12 hours before she was brought to the hospital and was not given anything but Tylenol all day. According to her lawyer, she was shackled all through labor and only for the birth at the very end was she released. Amnesty USA says, “Shackling during labor may cause complications during delivery such as hemorrhage or decreased fetal heart rate. If a cesarean section is needed, a delay of even 5 minutes may result in permanent brain damage to the baby.” So basically, shackling prisoners during labor is not a good idea. However, the act is common in prisons throughout the country.

In conclusion, while the birthing process for women can be stressful, it’s nothing compared to how incarcerated women are treated. They are neglected and underfed and then shackled during labor. We often debate over whether hospitals or home births are safer, but not many people are aware of what imprisoned women go through during their births.


http://www.rhrealitycheck.org/blog/2007/08/02/pregnant-behind-bars-the-prison-doula-project

http://www-unix.oit.umass.edu/~kastor/ws-98/Shackled-Births.html

http://www.womenandprison.org/motherhood/view/pregnant_in_prison_and_denied_care/

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/03/02/national/02shackles.html

http://www.amnestyusa.org/women/womeninprison.html

HW #41: Independent Research

http://www.obgyn.net/women/women.asp?page=/women/articles/obgyn_dah

- It’s hard to become a doctor in general in the beginning. It takes stellar grades while keeping up a social life in order to be able to connect with future patients. On this page, it seems like any tiny mistake is a death sentence. This site seems to exaggerate the cut-throat world of doctors. However, it does identify how much work it takes to become an OB/GYN.

http://www.edudecisions.com/articles/nursing/jobs/obgyn-nurse.php

-This is the job description of an Ob/Gyn and it includes salary, education, and career guide. This site is a more factual site regarding Ob/Gyns. On this particular site, it states that Ob/Gyns aren’t always realted to births. In fact, a lot of them center mainly around the reproductive system of a woman which can include cancers, birth control, and even infertility. They do help women through their pregnancies and births as well, but those aren’t the only things they specialize in.

Minkin, Mary. Evolving Wellness. Intervew by Evita Ochel. 5 Jan 2009. Print. 1 Apr 2011.

-This was an interview with a professor of obstetrics and gynecology at Yale University. I found this interview to be really interesting because it really shows that what we’re discussing in class really isn’t so “black and white.” For example, when discussing her top 10 list of ways to stay healthy noted by the interviewer as “holistic and balanced where the body, spirit, and mind are concerned,” Dr. Minkin replied that indeed these were better ways of staying healthy than medicine.

http://education-portal.com/become_an_obgyn.html

-This site lists a step by step way to becoming an Ob/Gyn. It tells you what education to go through, how to pass the MCAT, Med school, residency at a hospital, and finally, getting a licence. I chose this as one of my sites because it supports the first link in saying that it takes a lot of time and effort to become a doctor.

You find yourself at a cocktail party with the author of the book you just finished reading. To demonstrate that you really read it, you say, "Hey - thanks for writing Guide to Childbirth. Your main idea that midwives and home births can produce happy, relaxed, or even peaceful labors really made me rethink pregnancy & birth."

But the author, surprised to be talking to someone who instead of sharing their own birth story actually rephrased the main idea of the text she spent months giving birth to asks, "Really, which parts were most effective or important for you?" When you answer, "Well, in the last third of the book you focused on the technical parts of labor and birth, which further developed the first 2/3rds of the book. But let me be more specific. When you discussed the routines to refuse on pages 218-222, I was really interested in the different procedures that used to be mandatory; especially the pubic shave. I didn't realize that it was ever done. It was cool to see why they were used in the first place and why they were later ceased in most places. Another interesting section was on page 232, when you listed the various types of pain medication. I didn't realize there were so many types. The most interesting to me was the inhaled pain medications because they're so often used in Britain, both in hospitals and at home, but we still don't use them here in the US. A third interesting part was where you discussed the different causes of maternal deaths and how unaware US physicians were of the death rate on page 278. One section of it that I found particularly interesting, was the part in which you discussed the amniotic-fluid embolism. It was interesting to see how it affected women and how little people knew about it.

At this point, realizing that she's having a unique conversation with a serious reader of her/his book, the author asks - "But what could I have done to make this a better book - that would more effectively fulfill its mission?" You answer, "Well, let's be clear - your text sought to provide narratives and journalistic analysis from the perspective of midwives and mothers for the book-reading-public to better understand pregnancy & birth in our culture. Given that aim, and your book, the best advice I would give for a 2nd edition of the text would be, using more narratives from women who have experience hospital births so as to further your comparisons between midwives and hospitals. But I don't want you to feel like I'm criticizing. I appreciate the immense amount of labor you dedicated to this important issue and particularly for making me think about the impact a home birth and a great support group can have on the emotional state of labor. In fact, I'm likely to have children differently as a result of your book." The author replies, "Thanks! Talking to you gives me hope about our future as a society!"

Homework #39: Insights from book part 2

Gaskin, Ina. Ina May's Guide to Childbirth. New York, NY: Random House, 2003. Print.

1. List several topics/areas the book has taught you about that the "Business of Being Born" either ignored or treated differently or in less depth.

In the second part of Ina May's book, the information is purely factual, contrary to the stories in the first part. One thing that I learned from the book that wasn't focused on in the movie was that the emotional feelings that a woman may have in labor can highly affect how the process turns out. For instance, on pg. 138, Ina describes how even the smallest problem can make a woman reverse her labor. She described a memory in which a woman's cervix began to close mid labor after someone walked into the room who she didn't feel very close to. Another topic that I learned about was the role of the placenta. I never knew how important it actually was until I read this book. On pg. 144, Ina goes into the scientific facts about the process of labor: "The placenta does the work that will later be taken up by the baby's lungs, digestive system, liver, excretory systems, and the two chambers of the baby's heart..." As you can see, the placenta is the main provider for the baby and basically lives for it. I found that part really interesting because neither the movie, nor anything else really, show just how important a lot of the different parts of the female reproductive system really are.

2. The major insight the book tries to communicate in the second 100 pages (1-3 sentences) and your response to that insight (2-4 sentences).

Ina May's book focuses a lot more on the positives of home birth rather than the negatives of hospitalized births. While the first part of the book is really emotionally tied and very pro-home birth, the second part is much more factual and based around the medical facts of what always happens and what may happen. I believe that there really is no insight to this section because there are no opinions being stated. In that case, my response would be that there should be a lot more knowledge about the facts instead of simply getting opinions from our family and friends.

3. List 5 interesting aspects of pregnancy and birth discussed in the second hundred pages that you agree deserve wider attention (include page number).

-On page 138, Ina goes into a lot of research about the control a woman's mind can have over her body while in labor. I think it would be interesting to look into what causes retraction or pausing for a long period of time and how that's related to the mind of the woman.

-On page 145, Ina describes exactly what is happening to a woman's body as she is going through labor. I think this deserves wider attention because most people don't know what is happening, only that it's "right."

-On page 158, Ina gets firsthand accounts from women who had orgasms or extreme feelings of pleasure during their labor and birthing process. I think this deserves to have wider attention because society sees birth as a disease or a problem that involves pain and horror when in fact, there are a lot of women who have had quite the opposite experience.

4. Independently research one crucial factual claim by the author in the second hundred pages and assess the validity of the author's use of that evidence.

On pg. 210, Ina uses a quote from the producer of a synthetic drug that was used a lot on pregnant women, but never FDA approved: "G. D. Searle, the manufacturer of Cytocec, [a pill used as a synthetic substance to soften the cervix and lower part of the uterus.] has stated that it does not plan to seek FDA approval for the drug's use in labor induction." She got this information from Obstetrics & Gynecology, 1998; 91:828-30

Homework #38: Insights from book part 1

Gaskin, Ina. Ina May's Guide to Childbirth. New York, NY: Random House, 2003. Print.

This book is fascinating to say the least. It’s structured by stories. So, every two or three pages is a new story by a different woman. I think the major question this book tries to answer is “Is birth as bad as people make it seem?” This is answered by having 100 pages of birth stories that are actually quite positive. The insight of the book so far is that birth is miraculous and wonderful and when done in the right setting, can be almost comfortable. I agree completely with this insight and I think that women everywhere should know that just because some women have terrible birth experiences, it doesn’t mean everyone would.

Some interesting aspects of pregnancies and birth that I believe should be publicized are that hospitalized births are not always horrible and home/center births are not always amazing. There’s good and bad in both. However, the way this book is written, is seems to be insinuating that births involving midwives only or revolving around The Farm (a large village in Alabama dedicated to making the birth process comfortable and carefree), are the best way to go and that hospitals are very uncomforting. Another aspect is that when the water breaks, it's really not necessary to panic or go to the hospital, or even call the midwives. In mast of the stories so far, the women said they took long walks after their water broke and even during labor. They say that they were told by the midwives to rest, take a shower or just go to sleep. For example, in a story by Tracey Sobel, she described how her labor took much longer than usual: "All three midwives had the same opinion: 'you might want to go for a walk.'" Apparently in most of these stories, walking helps to enduce labor so pitossin is actually quite unnecessary.

For this assignment, I interviewed my mom, my best friend's mom, and my cousin. When I interviewed my mom, she went into a whole lot of detail that I feel are not necessary for online text. Most of her answers were brought out with feelings of joy and happiness. However, at some points there were hinted feelings of negativity like when remembering being locked in a private room following the information that her baby might be in stress. She also said that one of the hardest parts was the actual pushing. Another negative aspect was when my large head caused a hematoma. I guess it says something about me doesn't it. Although there were some minor negativities, her overall answers were similar to "incredulous, ecstatic and just overall jubilant at every moment." From this interview, my main reaction is that no matter how painful or negative the one moment might be, the entire experience is completely worth it. I think that the main reaction when first presented with one's own newborn is complete love and adoration.

My second interviewee was my best friend's mom who had two very different experiences with her two children. Her first child was when she was still in college and it was unexpected. She got kicked out and relied on her best friend's support throughout the pregnancy. She went into labor on a Thursday evening and didn't actually give birth until Sunday. She used doctors and went to a hospital but felt held down and trapped when the doctors wouldn't let her go anywhere or even walk around. She actually punched a nurse in the face. Another difficulty was that the umbilical cord got wrapped around her son's neck so they had to use forceps to push him back in order to unwrap it. However, all of these negativities were forgotten for the moment when she held her son for the first time and experienced great joy. Her second birth experience was a bit less stressful. With midwives and more family around her, she was able to have an easier time giving birth. Her daughter actually came out so fast that she didn't have time to make the expected preparations. I think that out of all of this, it shows that pregnancies aren't always happy and cuddly but almost always result in a beautiful baby that just brings back all of that happiness.

My third interviewee was my cousin who had to deal with being pregnant at 16, keeping a job, and staying at school. She told me that she wouldn't have been able to do it without the support of her parents. Another struggle was having to deal with judgments from the people around her such as teachers and fellow students. But she didn't let them get her down. She said that throughout the pregnancy, she was very emotional and sensitive; she often cried. She also said that when remembering the actual experience, all it was was PAIN. However, similar to my other interviews, her overpowering reaction to both kids was love at first sight. I think that even in the worst situations, having even one or two people there to help can make the whole experience worth it. Another thing is that if you don't let other people's thoughts bring you down, it can make the whole birth worthwhile.

From listening to these women describe their experiences, I want to look further into how doctors deal with the pregnancies that don't go according to plan. What are the procedures for dealing with problems with the baby or mother during labor and how do they compare to how midwives deal with them?

Homework #35: Other People's thoughts on Birth

When asking about perspectives on birth, I found one thing to be a major pattern: pain. When asked, most of my peers' first bubble was pain. If most of society sees birth as something miraculous and wonderful, as seen through pop-culture and personal inquiry, then why is it that pain is the first thing that comes to mind? I asked my friend, Emily, if she would want a natural or anesthetized birth and she immediately responded with "give me an epidural, girl!" When asked why, she said the she just wouldn't be able to handle the pain.

Another pattern I found to be common when asked about fatherly roles was protection. A lot of my peers mentioned protection and deep care in their answers. I asked why and one of them responded with "because she's vulnerable." This made me wonder why we think that in a woman's strongest state and dealing with probably the hardest time of her life, she needs "protection." And just what do we expect when we say protection? A watchdog? Or just someone to keep us out of harm's way?

Another expectation from a lot of my peers was the "servant" aspect. When asked, a lot of them said the father should do everything for the mother and wait on her hand-and-foot. I think this comes from the idea that pregnant women aren't supposed to be under any stress and it's up to the father to keep that stress level down. When asked, Emily said, "just get her pickles at 3:00am and ice cream. Sympathize, don't criticize." I found some humor in that last line. According to popular culture and media, the men are expected to spend most of the third trimester doing everything for the mother. It's a wonder they're not tearing their hair out by the time the baby is actually born (although some might be close).

Homework #34: Initial Thoughts on Birth

My first reaction to the concept of birth was a whole bunch of thoughts based on the scientific and emotional aspects of birth. However, when I stepped back and looked at them all on a piece of paper, they were all over the place and had no connections to each other. Diving into the evidence behind these reactions, I realized that most of my knowledge of the birthing process and birth itself comes from the various "doctor" shows I am currently watching such as Grey's Anatomy and Private Practice. This gave me a new question as to whether or not they truly recreated the actual process of giving birth. When I asked my mom, she said that when they show someone in labor, be it Hollywood movies or TV shows, the actual scene doesn't last any more than five minutes. However, she said that in reality, labor can last as long as 48 hours, sometimes more. Lucky for her, my brother and I didn't take that long. I believe that TV and Hollywood shorten the length of birth because they could never have a scene that long and they only have enough time to show five minutes. However, a new question this develops is why do they romanticize the concept of giving birth by showing the baby as already clean and glowing when in actuality, babies are covered in blood and other fluids with the umbilical cord still attached? I know this both from my mother and a scarring video from 6th grade. From what my mother has told me, birth is a long and painful process that ends with more happiness and love than one can imagine (these are her feelings). I think in some cases the latter is not always true but again, this knowledge is only from what I've seen on TV. I have yet to experience such feelings but I hope I do at some point in my life.

Questions I have:

Why is it that if the maternal bond is so strong between a mother and her baby, she can still give her child up for adoption afterwards?

What is the dominantly expected role of the husband to play during a woman's pregnancy and labor?

Why is is so important to take prenatal vitamins when pregnant?

Why are women so hormonal from pregnancies?

Homework #31: Comments

Me to Elizabeth

I really liked the research you did. It was very different from a lot of the things people did. My favorite line was "But the etymology of "die" shows that over time, humans have tried to make the idea of dying happier by "euphemistically" changing words.” Because it showed how humans in general try to soften the blow of harsh terms or events.



Me to Amanda:

Amanda, I really enjoyed reading your blog. The whole topic was really interesting and I think your take on it was fascinating. My favorite line was "hospitals won’t make money unless 'death is kept alive.'" Your grandmother's POV is really interesting and I completely agree.



Arden to me:

Sarah,
I enjoyed your elevator speech. I thought your choice of topic was interesting and unlike most other projects. I’m exploring your blog for those reasons. The reasons I found this most interesting was the personal experience you chose to incorporate. It was capturing how you compared the doctors’ relationships to patients with the midwives relationship. From your post it seems the mid wife was significantly closer with the patient, but I’m curious to know what their relationship is like after the fact of giving birth.
My favorite line was the last one when you wrote, "By using both allopathic/conventional care and homeopathic care, one is able to get the maximum treatment needed to make their illness least painful and/or time consuming." Most people's initial choices are treatments that entail pain killer medication. The methods of homeopathic care are often over looked and can be more beneficial in some cases.
Well done.

Homework #30: Culminating Experimental Project

The dominant practice of medicine in our country today is the act of going to a hospital and being treated by doctors in lab coats with drugs and quick fixes. However, an alternative way of medicine is slowly becoming more and more popular: the practice of homeopathy or alternative healing. Some people think anti-biotic and drug use is the only way to heal while others believe herbs, rest, and/or exercise is healthier and more successful. In an article by ABC Homeopathy, it was stated that “While in many cases symptoms are relieved, cured, or prevented many allopathic medicines can do a lot of harm to your body.” This is the argument that a lot of homeopaths hold when the conversation is brought up. In hospitals, there are less personal interactions between a patient and their doctor. In some cases, this can comfort a patient: knowing there is a line between their physician and themselves. It’s as if they need to perceive their doctor as above normal or human in order to succumb to the physician’s orders. However, most people need a personal relationship with the person who holds their life in their hands. Over the past 50 years, the process of dying and giving birth has changed dramatically. Only two generations ago, most people gave birth and died at home. In an article on birthing centers and hospices by UC Berkeley, “Today in the United states, 95% of births take place in hospitals and over 70% of deaths take place in nursing homes and hospitals.” This just shows how much society relies on doctors and medicine.

Through an interview with a midwife, I learned about the main differences between doctoral care and preventive care. In her line of work, she is constantly with the mother and learning everything she can about the mother in order to determine the best approach to a healthy birth. I believe this is what a lot of hospice nurses and homeopaths mean when they say that it’s a lot more personal than hospital care. In order to prevent illness or problems, Maria (using a different name), discusses the background of each patient such as health, diet, social dangers (teenagers, abuse) and previous births. They also bring in modern technology like sonograms in order to get a clear picture of the baby’s organs. When I was discussing the necessity of a background check with Maria, she told me about a very interesting story. A pregnant woman came to her and as they were discussing the pregnancy, she admitted that this baby was a result of a rape. The mother was very tense about whether or not she would love the baby as her own. Maria was the only one who knew of this. When the baby came, the mother was extremely anxious so Maria took the baby out before the mother could see it in order to give her time to get ready. Meanwhile, the baby was gripping the shirt in a way that usually indicates a mental illness of some sort. So where most doctors would prescribe a drug or run multiple tests, Maria came to the conclusion that the baby was adapting the mother’s tension and the only treatment it needed was to be held and massaged. After that, the mother relaxed and so did the baby. Maria would not have been able to figure this out if she hadn’t discussed the background with the mother first.

When asked about her own personal encounters with homeopathic medicine, Maria said that when her kids were young, they had warts and no cream or medicine was working. So they turned to a homeopath who asked very unusual questions (in her opinion) such as “what time of day is he most hot?” or “when does he go to bed?” after answering these questions, they gave him a tiny little pill that when taken after two days, made all of the warts disappear. However, when Maria did the same thing again with her daughter, the pill didn’t work and they had to try something else. In conclusion, homeopathy doesn’t work for everyone and therefore is not always the best answer. To Maria, the best way of healing is mixing the two together. By using both allopathic/conventional care and homeopathic care, one is able to get the maximum treatment needed to make their illness least painful and/or time consuming.

Homework #28: Comments

My dad: Sarah, I found the best part of your essay to be the penultimate paragraph about the gap between care provided to ICU patients as compared to those who are not in immediate danger. You could strengthen your case for better balance by pointing out how more attentive and thorough care for "normal" patients could avert crises and deterioration and reduce the need for intensive care in the first place.

------------------------

What I said:

Arden- "We are all in the same boat, faced with the scary idea of limited living time, talking about death, accepting it I think makes it easier." I really liked this line and how you presented it. I agree with what you're saying.You are a very good writer, my attention was grasped as soon as I started reading.

Homework #24: Reader Response 3

Albom, Mitch. Tuesdays with Morrie. New York: Doubleday, 1997. Print.

This section was mostly the process and final end of Morrie’s life.

“People are only mean when they’re threatened… and that’s what our culture does. That’s what our economy does. And when you get threatened, you start looking out only for yourself… It is all part of our culture” (P 154).  What Morrie is saying here is that we go on the defensive when we are attacked, which makes sense, but it comes out as aggressive or mean. I think that he’s absolutely in right that we as a society are constantly viewed as cruel or mean but only because we are always being threatened. This applies to the individual too. When people are threatened, other things seem to lose meaning and it becomes all about how we can threaten the other back. This results in aggressiveness and isolation – making it all about you. I agree with Morrie on this quote, but I don’t think that’s the only time when people are mean. Sometimes it can come from trying to hide their emotional feelings and trying to put up an emotionless front which can appear mean to most people.

“The big things – how we think, what we value – those you must choose yourself. You can’t let anyone – or any society – determine those for you” (P 155). I connected with this line a lot because I’ve often thought the same thing. What Morrie is saying is that we shouldn’t let the people or world around us determine what we should do, how we should act, or what we should love. They are our own decisions to make alone and they should be based on our own experiences.

“The problem, Mitch, is that we don’t believe we are as much alike as we are. Whites and blacks, Catholics and Protestants, men and women. If we saw each other as more alike, we might be very eager to join one big human family in this world, and to care about that family the way we care about our own” (P 156). What Morrie is saying here is that we all identify the differences between each other instead of just living with one another. We point out how we are all different and then make judgments based on those differences. If we pointed out how we were alike instead, then we might be able to care for one another the way we care for those we have most in common with. I agree with this statement because I’ve often thought that even if you are civil with people who are different from you, there is still a difference there, be it skin color, religion, or gender. If only we could overlook that difference, I think there would be much less hate in the world.

“Be compassionate and take responsibility for each other. If we only learned those lessons, this world would be so much better a place” (P 163). To me, this is how Morrie became so well loved by all in the first place. Even when he wasn’t dying, he still lived by this lesson with his students and with his family. I think that this is a lesson that is more instinctual than anything else because it’s hard to learn how to be compassionate towards someone if you haven’t been doing it your whole life, especially towards a stranger or acquaintance. To be able to sympathize with people who aren’t your closest friends and family is not something that most people can do easily. However, taking responsibility for each other is something that most people just don’t want to do because they are afraid of the consequences that might follow; or they just feel as if they don’t have to because it doesn’t apply to them. But it does in reality, because if that person can take responsibility for others, then they will get the same treatment. This is why Morrie said the world would be a better place if people lived by this lesson, because they would be more understanding of the problems around them and maybe then the problems could be solved. 

“If we know, in the end, that we can ultimately have that peace with dying, then we can finally do the really hard thing… Make peace with living” (P 173). This quote confused me a little which is why I wrote it down. I don’t understand how, if one is healthy, they can look ahead in life and say “I am eventually going to die and I accept that,” and then be able to live a better life. I also don’t understand what he means when he says: “make peace with living,” because to me, that means accept that you’re living which I think most people have done. If I were to paraphrase this I would say that it means, once you accept that you will eventually die and you can deal with it instead of fear it, then you can continue on with your life in a more meaningful way. In some ways I can agree with this – that we can live more thoroughly if we stop fearing death. But I also think that living more meaningful lives is not always the result of accepting death. 

“It’s natural to die. The fact that we make such a big hullabaloo over it is all because we don’t see ourselves as a part of nature. We think because we’re human we’re something above nature” (P 173). I personally love this quote. It points out all of the flaws that humans have and why we have them. I agree completely with this statement because I too think that we feel as if we are above nature and can avoid things that are supposed to happen naturally. I agree that we all fear death, but I also think it’s related to how we see death. There is unnatural death all around us – on TV, in movies. We can’t accept it when it’s real because we are used to telling ourselves it’s not when it’s on TV. It also connects back to our food. When we eat meat, we know that what we are eating used to be an animal that was killed. So when death comes for us, I think we subconsciously identify with those animals and it scares us that we have that in common with them.

Homework #23: Reader Response 2

Albom, Mitch. Tuesdays with Morrie. New York: Doubleday, 1997. Print.

My observations are on pages 80-128 where Morrie and Mitch discuss death, family, emotions and fear of aging. The main themes include Morrie’s point that without love we can’t survive, and sometimes we forget that. Another point is that once you learn how to die, you learn how to live more fully. Our culture is obsessed with youth and once we let go of the fears of aging and dying we can better enjoy living.

“Everyone knows they’re going to die, but nobody believes it.  If we did, we would do things differently… there’s a better approach. To know you’re going to die, and to be prepared for it at any time…That way you can actually be more involved in your life while you’re living” (P 81). In this quote, Morrie is basically saying that although we know death is inevitable, we are still shocked when it comes. However, if we did know exactly when we were going to die, the world would be different.  Morrie says that if we acted as if each day were our last day, and we could die any second, we would be more aware of our actions, and what really makes us satisfied.  In the movie, “The Last Holiday,” the character played by Queen Latifah learns she has only a short time to live.  She quits her awful job, cashes in all her savings, and heads to Europe to enjoy life.  In the process, she lives life to the fullest and meets people who are drawn to her wonderful outlook on life.  Even as she is facing life, she is helping others live more genuine lives.  She has nothing left to lose, so is very honest.  While that Hollywood tale had a happier ending than Morrie’s, the point is the same:  that facing death helps us to focus on what matters most in life. 

“The truth is, Mitch, ‘once you learn how to die, you learn how to live’” (P 82). When I read this line in the book, it seemed to me that this is the core of the message that Morrie was trying to make. I think that by saying this, Morrie wanted Mitch to understand what it meant to die or to see death so that he could inevitably live his own life the right way. What Morrie is saying is that when people go through life, they aren’t really living because they are constantly afraid of dying. They’re also focused on accumulating things and success and lots of trivial things.  However, if one ends up in a situation where they know they’re going to die, it makes them rethink all of the different actions they’ve made and they can really identify with how they should’ve acted or reacted. Only then can they really understand how to live.  Morrie’s effort, through this book, is to share this insight with others before they are facing death.

“Love each other or perish” (P 91). This is during the discussion of family. Morrie is describing to Mitch where he would be without his family. This line is saying that people need loved ones around them and people who are there for them because that’s what will make them happiest. Morrie says that if he didn’t have his family around, he probably wouldn’t be as able as he was at that stage of the disease. When he says “love each other or perish,” I think it means that you need to be able to rely on other people. If someone goes through life with no one else around, it can get lonely and miserable and should that person get sick, there would be no one to take care of them. With people in our lives who love us and want to care for us, we are more likely to try and deal with whatever sickness comes our way.

“You’re afraid of the pain, you’re afraid of the grief.  You’re afraid of the vulnerability that loving entails.   But by throwing yourself into these emotions, by allowing yourself to dive in, all the way, over your head, even, you experience them fully and completely” (P 103-104). To me, this line says a lot. As in, there is a deeper meaning to what Morrie is saying. What he is saying is that in our culture, people are so afraid of feeling heavy emotions because it makes us feel vulnerable. We don’t like to seem weak to other people, or possibly being hurt, so we try and hide our feelings. If we could just allow the feelings to take over instead of burying them, then maybe we could get a better sense of what they actually feel like and really experience them for the first time. Most people don’t do this because we are too obsessed with how other people see us, or too protective of ourselves.

Morrie’s process of dying from ALS is very unusual in our culture.  He was not focused on himself and his illness, but on other people.  He was eager to share insights from his life to help others.  Some of these insights include:

•    Being around people you love is always better
•    Be selfless even when at your weakest
•    Don’t hold in too long and don’t let go too soon

One insight from Morrie’s experience is that dying at home, surrounded by friends and family, is a more positive alternative to dying alone in a hospital, hooked up to machines.  Also, that drugs and medicines cannot take the place of love and caring.  An interesting example of creative alternatives to care at the end of life was featured in the New York Times this week.  [“Giving Alzheimer’s Patients Their Way, Even Doses of Chocolate,” Pam Belluck, January 1, 2011]  At the Beatitudes Nursing Home in Phoenix, AZ, they are caring for elderly with dementia and Alzheimers in new ways.  They allow them to eat and bathe when they want, they have stopped giving many medications used only to control them, and do not restrain them.  They have fake bus stops outside, so people can sit at the bus stops (until they forget where they were going.)  It has produced remarkable results. It seems that much of the medications and care is more about care givers now, and less about the patients. Similar to Morrie, the possibility of being heard and loved and cared for, and being allowed to give back, makes illness and dying more humane.

Homework #27: Visiting an Unwell Person

This holiday, I was in Texas. Every day was planned out so there wasn’t really any time to visit someone who was sick. Instead, I interviewed my mother about her experience in visiting my good friend’s dad in the hospital. He’d had a long term illness that weakened him so about 4 months ago, he had a mild stroke. He was admitted into the hospital and it turned out that the stroke had damaged his ability to swallow. Through this new disability, mucus got backed up in his throat and he soon developed pneumonia. After a week or so, he was left over night, unattended, and went into a sudden crisis. My mom thinks it’s because he wasn’t being watched closely enough by the nurses and he didn’t have anyone around to comfort him. They took him to the ICU and did a tracheotomy which means putting a tube into his throat so he could get food. However, on IV, he still went a week without food.

When my mom went to visit him, he had been in the hospital for a month. She says that his whole situation was very scary. After his surgery, he was put in isolation. So when my mom went to visit him, she had to put on gloves, mask, and gown in order to see him. Because of the lack of food, he had lost tons of weight. He looked skinny and frail. On top of that, he couldn’t talk. So their whole conversation was through him writing on paper. Although he couldn’t speak, he still tried. However, he could barely make above a whisper so when he did, my mom had to ask him to write it down because she couldn’t understand. This embarrassed her a lot because she wanted him to be able to speak. At some points during this visit, he would ask her to pound on his back to loosen up what was in his throat. The same thing happened in Tuesdays With Morrie. Once he was well enough, they took him out of the ICU and put him in an isolation room. However, there were no isolation rooms at the standard treatment level, so they moved him to the luxury suites that celebrities and presidents stay in. The amazing part is that he didn’t have to pay extra for the room. When my mom went to visit him for a second time, he looked much better. He had put on weight and seemed more aware of his surroundings. In fact, he became frustrated that he couldn’t go anywhere or move around at all. My mom took this as a sign that he was getting better because it showed that he knew how to express his feelings and say what he wanted. The third and final visit happened at his house. He was mostly better and able to be discharged from the hospital. He’d had his trachea removed and could breathe on his own. My mom kept commenting on how much his wife had been through and how well she was doing with 2 kids in high school and college, bills, her job, and her husband who got very frustrating at times.

When my friend’s dad was in ICU, his wife raved about the amount of care and attention he got. However, once his case was less serious, his amount of care went down considerably. These were mostly physical realities. I think that hospitals base all of their care on the emergency patients and leave almost none for the long term patients. At some points, this is reasonable and makes sense. However, there should be some balance between helping a patient when they’re in crisis and following up with attention and care after they’ve stabilized.

In Tuesdays With Morrie, Morrie discusses how when we are sick, most people complain about their pain and it all about how they can get better fastest whereas he just gives to others and tries to do anything he can to help other people. According to Morrie, as long as you’re around people who you love and love you, it will be OK. My mom thinks that the reason my friend’s dad went into crisis that one night was because he was around people he loved and no one was there with him.

Homework #25: Sicko Response

Michael Moore’s provocative and controversial film, Sicko, takes on the disastrous US health care system. Moore looks at sick people in the US who are denied coverage despite having health insurance and compares it with countries that have universal and public health care coverage including Canada, France and the UK. He talks with former health insurance industry workers about how the system works to maximize profits by denying claims. He also describes how congress members are bought off for their silence. Moore also uses his typical, confrontational filmmaking style – taking 9-11 first responders and other sick US citizens to Cuba to receive free health care. One of his final proposals is that the US should change and bring in universal health care.

Moore has created a website to support facts that he sites in the movie, in response to numerous critics. [http://sickothemovie.com/checkup/]. As an example, the movie claims that “Canadian "wait times" are not nearly as long as some try to allege.” Moore’s site references the Canadian Institute for Health Information, [January 2007. http://www.cihi.ca/cihiweb/dispPage.jsp?cw_page=reports_wait_times_bulletins_e], which says that, “A recent study of emergency care in Ontario found that overall, "50% of patients were seen by a physician within 6 minutes and 86% were seen within 30 minutes of arriving at the [Emergency Department].50% of patients who were seen most quickly waited an hour or less; while 1 in 10 waited three hours or more.”  This is important to Moore’s thesis because many critics tend to attack any kind of government run health care system and cite Canada as an example of bad care. Moore gives evidence that this is not the case and Canada actually gives good care.

A central point of the movie is Moore’s claim that “The government initially refused to pay for the health care of 9/11 volunteers, because they were not on the government payroll. It remains difficult for the volunteers to access the $50 million fund that has been appropriated for their care.” In response, Moore’s website refers us to Robert E. Robertson’s statement to the US Government Accountability Office. The US “provided a total of $175 million for workers compensation programs - $125 million to NYS Workers Compensation Review Board, and an additional $50 million to reimburse the NYS Uninsured Employers Fund, including for benefits paid to volunteers. However, there have been major delays in getting money to volunteers.” This was central to Moore’s aregument because it’s playing on people’s sympathy that even the heroes that stepped in at a time of great crisis can’t get the right health care that they need.

Moore’s film was challenged by the media and politicians. For example, Dr. Sanjay Gupta of CNN said that not all of Moore’s arguments are correct. [http://newsbusters.org/node/13866] This was picked up by websites who wanted to attack Moore’s thesis. Gupta noted that Cuba is ranked below the US in overall health care as one false claim in the movie. These people would like to discredit Moore on small points to undermine his larger thesis, which I believe is correct, that the US healthcare system is flawed and needs fixing.

 As a result of this controversy, I have sought to check one piece of evidence that Moore cites. Moore’s website, http://sickothemovie.com/checkup/, gives evidence that insurance companies were willing to spend millions to block Hilary Clinton’s health care reform proposals in the 90’s. I found two independent sources that back this up.

·         "In 1993-94, the Health Insurance Association of America, a trade group, spent about $15 million on advertising to defeat Clinton's proposed overhaul of the nation's health care system." John MacDonald, "Proponents, Opponents Join Battle Over Drug Price Limits," Hartford Courant, June 21, 2000.

·         Harvard professor, Theta Skocpol, cites the Center for Public Integrity in saying 100 million dollars were spent to bring down Hilary Clinton’s health care plan. “Well-endowed and vitally threatened groups (such as the Health Insurance Association of America [HIAA], the association of smaller insurers that the Clinton plan might have put out of business) also could fund public relations campaigns designed to influence public opinion against the Clinton overhaul.  In the end, according to a study by the Center for Public Integrity, health care reform would become “the most heavily lobbied legislative initiative in recent US. history.” During 1993 and 1994 “hundreds of special interests cumulatively . . . [spent] in excess of $100 million to influence the outcome of this public policy issue.” [T Skocpol. The rise and resounding fall of the Clinton plan. Health Affairs, 14 no. 1 (1995); 66-85]

Moore claims there are four times as many health care lobbyists as there are members of Congress. According to the Center for Responsive Politics (www.opensecrets.org),“in 2005 there were 2,084 health care lobbyists registered with the federal government. With 535 members of Congress, that's 3.895 lobbyists per member.” This is independent support for his claim.

As I watched the movie, Sicko, some of the more important parts to me were the scene where Moore went to other countries see how much better their health care was in comparison to ours. I watched this movie with my whole family during the break and every time Moore went to a different country, we all made comments like, “Ok, pack your things. We are moving there.” This showed that because health care is so good in other places, we wanted to move there and out of this country. My older cousin is a 29 year old single mom of two. She kept staring in awe at the things Moore said because she has to pay medical bills for her 5 year old son with asthma. She kept saying how grateful she was that her epileptic daughter of 11 is covered by Medicaid, so all of her bills are covered. Otherwise she would have to pay a whole lot more than she could afford.

Throughout the movie, the main feeling I felt was shock. I was in awe that our insurance companies could be so dense and actually keep people from surviving at certain points. One part that made me laugh at the insanity was the part where a woman was in a car accident and was driven to the hospital in an ambulance. Later, she got a bill for the ambulance saying that she needed to pay for it because she didn’t pre-approve it. My question is, ‘At what point was she supposed to pre-approve an ambulance after a car accident that rendered her unconscious?’ Another part that was less funny and way more shocking was the scene where a hospital in LA left a disoriented woman on the street because she couldn’t pay. She didn’t know where she was or how she got there and they didn’t care. This came as a surprising to me, that hospitals and insurance companies can be so hell-bent on making money that they don’t even care long enough to get a patient to safety.

My perspective on the dominant social practices has changed because of this movie. I am now more aware of how poorly the people in this country are treated due to the money-driven insurance companies.