Minecraft

There is a virus sweeping the halls of the Huckleberry Learning Center! This epidemic is so horrible that almost everyone in contact with it becomes so addicted that they cannot focus on either their studies or their writing! But this is not an ordinary virus, the name of this pandemic is Minecraft! The super addicting computer game has created a cult following of over seven million people. Minecraft is a sandbox game made independently by Markus Persson aka "Notch".

Minecraft has many advantages over other games. It works with Windows, Macintosh and linux. It's low graphical requirement is good for people with cheap computers. It is different than any other game, because it combines the model on a first person shooter, but does not focus on shooting. It allows creativity unheard of in most games. Anyone can learn to play it. The size of the game is so small that even people with dial-up can download it.  It also has a server based multiplayer mode that allows people from across the globe to play together. It is so vast that it is nearly impossible to say "I beat the game."

The entire game is made of blocks. The sun and moon are made of blocks. You are made of blocks. There are literally dozens if kinds of blocks: dirt, sand, stone, water, wood, ect. ect. ect. The player can make tools such as a pickaxe or hatchet in order to mine blocks more quickly. The basic control scheme is simple, with the WASD keys to move and then the mouse to aim and left and right clicking to place or mine a block.

Minecraft is a sandbox game. You can make anything provided that it can be built with blocks. Creations range from a full size Arc de Triomphe to the Empire State Building to the USS Enterprise. There was even a team that made the entire [enter expletive of your choice] Kanto, Johto and Hoenn regions of the Pokemon universe, out of blocks. The only limiting factor is the players imagination.

One on the most addicting games ever made, Minecraft is also one of the best independent games ever made. Due to its accessibility, it is a game for everyone. At $20 it is inexpensive and very much worth it. For anyone with an excess of both creativity and time, this is the game for you.

Should schools teach propaganda techniques?

Should schools be required to teach propaganda techniques? Many things are not taught in schools that should be taught and many things are taught in schools that are a waste of time. Teaching about propaganda is not only helpful, it has become nessecery. Children are apt to believe anything they hear, thats why children will get into stranger's cars for candy. Unless children are taught not to believe everything they hear, then things can only get worse. As long as children are manipulated there is no excuse not to provide them with propaganda material. We should give children the ability to defend themselves against one of their biggest threts: Child advertising.

One of the reasons that children are in danger is because of child advertising. It is estimated that by age 21, children view 1,000,000 commercials on television alone. It is now impossible to go to a children's website or television network without being swamped by endless Barbie, Disney and/or Mattel ads. It isn't until eight years old that kids start to be able to tell the difference between a tv show and an ad. This fact not only requires that children should learn about propaganda at an early age, it also may indicate the need for a restriction on advertising aimed at children below eight years of age. Even later in a child's life they are still suscptible to being tricked into buying things they don't care for. It's fashionable or cool to use these products: you will become more popular if you buy that. Children are manipulated into buying anything and everything.

The second way that companies advertise to children is through peers and celebrities. Most clothing brands advertise by tags and designs. The cool kids wear expensive clothes, have expensive backpacks and purses and have expensive electronics. This has been because of careful controlling of popular culture by such companies in order to make more profit. Such items effectively stand as a status symbol. Celebrities earn large capital simply for saying that they use a certain product. The only reason that most athletes earn enough to eat is because companies pay them to endorse shoes or a certain brand of perfume. Film and television stars also apear in ads to make more money, such as Lady Gaga advertising for mac cosmetics or James Dean promoting safe driving (he died in a car accident). Many cartoon characters have also advertised food (and/or cigarettes, in the case of the Flintstones.) Even Pope Leo the XIII got in on the action: by advertising for alcohol!

Some say that teaching about propaganda isn't necessary. They give several reasons: because our schools are out of money we can't afford to teach it, that it isn't important for children to learn about and it would disrupt the system of advertising in general. The first reason self contradictory for one simple reason, because of people spending irresponsibly in the 80's and 90's we are in a financial crisis that almost turned into a depression. As for where to get the money, raise taxes on the rich. The second reason has been answered by this entire essay and the third relies solely on making more profit and its time that children be put first, then corporations.

In this essay I have shown why children need help. They are constantly berated with ads telling them to buy things they don't want or need. Even their role models tell them to buy products they wouldn't consider. Since their are no good reasons against it and many good reasons for it  and unless corporations back off, kids need to be taught about propaganda.