Final Essay

Cong Cui
0549227
Tutorial 11
November 29, 2007
CMST 1A03
TA Diego
Sevigny

Half a century ago, Marshal McLuhan declared to the world that all forms of media exist to invest our lives with artificial perceptions and arbitrary values. A man before his time, McLuhan’s social perspective on the emerging trends in human interactions with the media proved to be a lasting contribution as the society progressed into a new electronic era. At the time of their creation, his premises regarding how media would influence the message were considered copious at best. However, social advancement in the fields and integrations of media, technology and internet quickly combined to form a society similar to his original concept of the global village. As society progressed, McLuhan’s theories became recognized for their brilliance and insightfulness. Just as he had predicted, the medium, in this case being the advancement of technology, essentially became an extension of the human body. In the social environment, these artificial extensions create changes in social effect with their mere presence, regardless of their content materials. (McLuhan, 237)
In definition, medium is the channel or means to transmit and communicate. The conventional school of thinking describes medium as a mere container of information. It does not alter, nor contaminate the content. However, in The Medium is the Message, McLuhan reversed the concept by disputing that the medium is not purely a container of certain content, but is a message in itself. The form of the medium and the way the message is delivered will determine how the actual content will be received by its intended audience. (McLuhan, 238) On a broad scale, a medium affects the society, not by the content delivered over the medium, but by the characteristics of the medium itself. Therefore, McLuhan proposed that media themselves, not the content they carry, to be the focus of the study.
McLuhan’s theory of the medium is the message can be explicated in correlation with Alia’s article, Technology and the Circumpolar Village. This particular article addressed the impact of introducing new information technology and medium channels to previously technologically primitive cultures. (Alia, 140) The author used the relatively unexposed Canadian aboriginal community’s experiences with information technology as an example to demonstrate the significance of medium over the actual message. Habitually, aboriginal populations living in remote locations communicated with each other exclusively through the use of direct human contact. The free flow of information was severely limited by the surrounding geographical boundaries. However, with the recent development of information networks in remote territories, the aboriginals had quietly but efficiently reformed their pre-existing model of communication network in order to adapt to the new concept of information highway. The presence of innovative technology such as World Wide Web in these remote areas allowed isolated communities to remain in constant touch with the rest of the world. The local population thrived with the sudden abundance of knowledge made available by the network. Traditional nomadic man to man contacts reduced in usage as the new tech savvy aboriginals preferred to communicate electronically. While the cyberspace connection does not necessarily replace direct human contact, it allowed people’s mind to wander at will free from restrictions. It can be argued that whatever information the aboriginal users chose to view on the new information network is not the catalyst that brought forward drastic changes to their social structure. But in fact, the mere availability of the means to communicate with the outside world delivered the crucial strike that freed the aboriginal community from its limits. Similar to the train station example used in McLuhan’s statement, he argued that the parcels trains carry to a city is the not the sole catalyst that would initiate changes to a city’s outlook. In fact, it is the presence of a fast, reliable transportation network linking the city to other destinations that is the key to revolutionizing the city’s economy. For that reason, the messages being delivered over the new information network does not necessarily hold significant value, but the presence of the network that allowed for such delivery is the focal point of understanding human communications.
Additionally, Alia suggested in her article that internet is an inherently less assimilationist medium compared to television. The internet, with massive numbers of users across the world is rapidly becoming the primary medium of expression for the voices of individuals and groups. With its interactive and descriptive nature, the use of internet allows for more effective communications compared to traditional, one dimensioned technology such as radio and television. Internet usage requires active participation on the part of the user contrast to the pure spectator status observed by television viewers. Despite its advantages, internet comes with its own set of problems. The article acknowledged the fact that with the introduction of internet to aboriginal communities, these once unique cultures began to lose some of their cultural distinctiveness. Slowly but surely, distinct cultures began to lose their own identities with influences from around the world to form a unanimous global identity, thus resulting in McLuhan’s concept of the global village.
According to the course text Understanding Human Communication, there are several factors to consider when a person is delivering a message to another. In the linear communications model, a sender encodes ideas and feelings into a message, and conveys them to a receiver who decodes them. (Adler, Rodman and, Sevigny 14) The authors labeled the method of delivery as the foremost important factor that would lead to changes to the reception of the message. For instance, it is generally frowned upon to end an intimate relationship via e-mail. The e-mail may contain an identical message to what would be relayed in a face to face meeting, but would not achieve the same effect. It is apparent that the sender encodes not only the ideas, but feelings as well into the message. The receiver who decodes the message would understand the written message along with the peripheral information that can be gathered from the sender’s choice of communication channel. Predominantly, the perception of the recipient depends largely upon the manner of which the message is presented. In the case of intimate discussions, direct human contact is regarded as the more personal and suitable method of exchanging communication. The physical close proximity between the communicators in point of fact brings more legitimacy and sincerity to the topic being discussed. In support of McLuhan’s theory, the course text also refers to nonverbal behaviours such as positional postures as other means of medium acting to enhance and clarify the original message. These non-verbal aspects of communication serve as another medium to enhance the effects of the message. In the end, the content is only half as important as the sender’s degree of control over the receiver’s response. Despite the similarity in the meaning of the message, the choice of delivering channel is crucial in order to convey the necessary sentiment. When faced with the decision to choose the appropriate means to relay a message, the sender must consider the alternation in consequences with changes in the presentation manner.
In summary, Marshall McLuhan’s theoretical framework of the medium becoming the message is in agreement with the works of Alia and the readings in the course text. Alia’s examination of the impact of internet on technologically primitive cultures revealed how a community changed with the availability of information technology. She also pointed out how medium plays an influential role in shaping the way we think. The media, charged with the duty to deliver supposedly unbiased information, were found to be in control of what people say and think their choice of communication channel and manner. This resulted in the mass media’s ability to change and control entire human activities in the society. Through the course reading, the authors discussed in detail of the communication model and the different outcomes that would arrive with the same message being presented through different medium. Both writings are in support of McLuhan’s famous theory of the medium becoming part of the message. In essence of his work, McLuhan directed the focus away from the traditionally accepted dialectic response to the rhetoric response. By doing so, he allowed for the shift in perspective from the content of the text to the persuasive strength of the text.
















Works Cited
Adler B., Ronald, George Rodman, and Alexandre Sevigny. “Human Communication: What and Why.” Understanding Human Communication. Ninth Edition. New York: Oxford University Press, Inc., 2006. 14 – 15.

Alia, V. “Technology and the Circumpolar Village.” Introduction to Communication. Ed. Dr. Alexandre Sevigny. Dubuque: Kendall Hunt, 2006. 139 – 152.

McLuhan, M. "The Medium Is The Message." Introduction to Communication. Ed. Dr. Alexandre Sevigny. Dubuque: Kendall Hunt, 2006. 235 – 241.

Sevigny, A. "Lecture No. 4." Introduction to Communication. Ed. Dr. Alexandre Sevigny. October 2007.

All Hail the Quebec...

Strike over $100 dollar tuition hike? Being an Ontario student, I am tempted to wage war on the government with the ridiculous amount of tuition we pay compared to our counter parts in Quebec. Seriously, their tuition is somewhere around $2000/year compared to our roughly $6000 a year. Maybe the francophone students have it right. Going on strike over $100 dollar increases. Maybe that's how they are able to achieve their education and degree at a fraction of our cost. My personal bias and hateful agenda against McMaster's finance department aside. Skipping classes may not have been the best ideas for those students to voice their concern. However, they are making their voices heard, kudos to them for that. After reading this, it does not exactly make me feel better about the 50 ridiculous charges on the bill mailed to me by mcmaster, money going to places I've never heard of. As far as a solution, I personally believes that a standardized tuition across all provinces needs to be reached. There should be no reason why a student attending a school in Ontario are expected to pay a significant amount more or less than a school in a different province. Post-secondary education is supposed to be a federal matter after all.

Watching our comrade in McGill demanding a freeze in tuition.

The Police Strikes Again

Talking about excessive force...Four fully armed, strong RCMP officers chose to taze a non-violent man whose only problem seems to be his inability to speak English. I watched the entire video tape on youtube.com and I invite you to do so as well. What the video displays is an embarrassment to our culture. We pride ourselves on being the polite, reasonable nation compared to the rather savage and authoritarian state south of us. The Romanian man who was murdered showed little aggression if at all. He was clearly frustrated by the fact that no one is unable to understand him. During the entire process, he hadn't made any threatening movement towards spectators, except to once push a chair at the window to show his dissatisfaction. To be honest, I've probably done worse things while angry. There was a woman who approached him, trying to convince him to settle down. She gave the statement later that she was not afraid of him at any point of their encounter. Instead of trying to find a translator and negotiate with the man. The RCMP opted for direct physical confrontation by tazing the man not once, but several times. What could've ended peacefully eventually ended in the man's tragic death.
It's a shame that our national police force lacks better judgment. Tasers have become the new and abused lazy tool for RCMP officers. This new "come along" tool is great for officers like these four and dozen others who have shown a lack common scene or people skills when engaging a situation.

After some research, I've came up with RCMP Use of Force Model. Now you tell me where was the steps between Officer presence and Lethal Force. All I can see is the officers walking in, directed the man to walk away, and shot him.
1. Visualization
2. Officer Presence
3. Partnerships
4. Verbal Interaction
5. Empty Hand Control
6. Intermediate Devices
7. Pressure Points
8. Impact Weapons
9. Lethal Force
Here is a full video of what happened that day.

No Men Allowed?!

Before my fellow men friends run off claiming discrimination, let me finish. This isn't about how we can't get into exclusively female gym where all the hot girls end up. This is about how men rarely make on to gossip magazines compared to women celebrities. Frankly, I never read tabloid magazines, fake nose, fake smiles, fake tits. Superficiality was never one of my favourite subjects. However, this article raises a interesting point. From what I am able to gather every so often when I pass by the magazine stand in front of the cash register at grocery stores, female celebrities dominates tabloid magazine covers. The reason as I see it is quite simple, as stated in the article, women are much more attracted to tabloid news compared to men. They would prefer to read about other women's life because they have more opportunities to relate. In addition, i think our society's notion of "boys will be boys" exclude some male celeb's foul play out of the limelight. What disturbs me however, most of the celebrities who manages to screw up so much to get themselves on the homepage of TMZ.com are considered by many of today's youth as their role models. How would you like your son or daughter modeling themselves after Paris Hilton, or better yet, Britney Spears. As for the celebrity's perspective, no press is bad press, right?

CCA4

A lawyer once told me the sole reason of him becoming a solicitor is to possess the power to write mere letters that will strike fear in the heart of men. Although not usually mentioned in correlation, language is deeply connected with power. As stated by Norman Fairclough, language contributes to the domination of some people over others. One who wields words to their advantage gains the competitive edge over those they wish to control.
The notion of empowerment through mastery of language is self-evident. Doctors, lawyers, and bankers employ jargon not only for job requirements, but to distinguish themselves as extremely knowledgeable of their fields. We tend to attribute higher social status and dominance to those who appear more knowledgeable and linguistically advanced than others. Similarly, politicians frequently hire speech professionals to orchestrate their public speech in order to appear more sincere and influential. When used as a method of persuasion, the mastery of language portrays legitimate authority and successfully places the politician in the favour of voters.
As for my good lawyer friend, language is utilized as a coercion tactic. Lawyers in court employ techniques during cross-examination to intimidate and confuse the witness into admitting self incriminating information regardless of its actual validity. This disparity in rhetorical methods tips the blind balance of justice represented by untrained witnesses in favor of well versed lawyers.
Language then, becomes a powerful tool of both persuasion and intimidation which in turn can be used to acquire positions of higher status and power. While the old adage knowledge is power may hold water, it is the delivery of the knowledge that entitles one to the power promised by knowledge. In the end, a sword is only as powerful as its wielder.

CCA3

“If she starts to lean into you, she wants you” said a friend of mine, a self proclaimed ladies man. While I would never admit to it, he’s quite popular with the opposite sex, due to his ability to decipher their body language. The course textbook refers to messages communicated through body movements as kinesics, the study of all non-verbal communication. While the interpretation of non-verbal behaviour is often overlooked, it remains a fundamental element of human communication everywhere.
Posture messages are fairly obvious to notice. A quick survey of the floor of a nightclub will reveal many well groomed men leaning against a wall holding their drinks across their chest in a position my friend refers to as the “f*** off” position. While this posture is intended to portray dominance and authority, women in the club pick up on this as a means to mask insecurity and discomfort in a social environment. Naturally, they flock towards the center of the club, out of the proximity of these wall flowers.
Consider the same night club, but picture a man who’s dancing and having fun. While he may not be the best looking man, being able to enjoy oneself in such situation portrays a degree of social savvy and comfort with oneself. Women naturally gravitate towards him, who will often be found in the middle of the dance floor and not against a wall. His position in the middle of the room shows he is not afraid of people, and is willing to open up to make new connections with others. It is no surprise, that such a man will receive more indicators of interest from the opposite sex than Mr. “F***Off”.
The fact of the matter is, humans have used gestures to communicate since birth with or without conscious recognition of the messages being sent through our movements. Our bodies are a reflection of our internal states and vice versa. Thus, to truly express the ideas we wish to convey with words, we give credence to our words with our actions.

Apple vs. the rest of the world.

As a poor student who could barely afford his tuition, spending money on music is down way at the bottom of my priority list. It goes something like this, food, rent, booze money… In all honesty, I can not remember the last time I actually paid for recorded music. Maybe when Backstreet Boys was still popular. I’ve been downloading music for free through p2p for ages and don’t really plan on paying for them anytime in the future. For the more ethically inclined individuals who just have to empty their pocket to the music industry corporations, Apple created a new, simple way for them to buy songs from iTune. No matter how I feel about paying for music, you’ve got to admit Apple has showed some genius in their sales design. I have no clue what the NBC executives are talking about, the music industry owns its existence to Apple, with its inventions of iTune and the ever famous iPod. Some traditional companies that used to dominates their own industry need to rethink their entire strategy so that they may remain competitive and survive. Just look at GM, 10 years ago they were the largest auto manufacturer in the world, now they are near bankruptcy. NBC need to rethink their business strategy instead of blaming highly innovative companies like Apple for being too forward thinking.

below is a video of apple's newest product, the iPhone, best selling phone in the US.

Peaceful Rise or World War III

The West have feared for the rise of a new power in the East ever since the end of Cold War that marked the end of the Soviet Era. Who better to take up the place of the imaginary enemy now that the Soviets are divided into many pieces with Mother Russia barely able to look after her own affairs much rather than threatening anybody else. Here's where the hate for communism comes in handy. North Korea is too small and too underdeveloped to make a noise. What about China? China would be perfect. Largest population on Earth, fueled by a crazed economy, ruled by a communist dictator. Fits all the descriptions of the enemy state. The US can illegally invade countries to obtain resources, establish military bases everywhere in the world, fund behind the curtain private wars without consequences. Yet a diplomatic visit of the Chinese President to Africa would "raise alarms" in Washington and all of the coalition of the willing. The way I have it figured, every country in the world is trying to be the hegemon. Some opt for relatively ethical ways, some opt not to. Just a side note, the US and many western countries are not exactly on the ethical side. If viewed from a neo-realist's perspective, every state will do whatever it takes to empower itself while damaging the others. It's not a surprise that China are trying to get in African nation's good graces. Being the largest consumer of natural resources in the world, with the US simpling taking over countries that possess those crucial resources. China would be stupid not to secure supplies that would ensure its future development. The article mentions china's failure to pressure Sudanese government to accept UN peacekeepers in Darfur. This following link will prove that China is in fact sending peacekeepers to Darfur.
http://sinodefence.com/news/2007/news07-09-17.asp

In addition, the argument the west have used against China is ridiculous. If you have heard the news report on various news agencies such as CNN. They are saying that China's Unconditional Aids and Economic help to Africa is horrible. I don't care what the intention maybe, if the people in Africa are receiving help, which they desperately need, I would think that no one should criticize the one providing the aids.
The following is more of a neutral opinion of the matter presented by our good British friends.

i Robot?

The human imagination knows no boundaries. Wow, did they ever get it right with that one. I now pronounce you man/woman and robot, how awkward would that sound? As if homosexual marriages are not controversial enough, we'd just have to take it to the next level, human and machines. The politicians will really go to town with this one, democrats and conservatives alike.
I do see some merit in the author's argument though. Look around, automation is a essential part of our life. Like McLuhan said, machines have became a medium for us, acting as extensions of our bodies. As of now, the reality is that our society can not effectively function without helps from automated systems. Who knows, in 2050, if robots can really develop to the stage where we can not effectively distinguish them apart from real humans. There will be some courageous adventurers that will give it a shot. As for the sociological implications, apparently having sex with robots could decrease the spread of human prostitution and eliminate all the problems that comes with it. Just exactly how far would those quasi scientists go to get some attention?
Maybe I am just too short sighted to envision the future, or maybe some people in this world are just plain crazy. Either way, human's natural ability to think, communicate and to feel are something that can not be duplicated by technology at the moment. Our brain is simply to complex to be mimicked by electrical circuits. If anything, my generation will probably never have to deal with this problem, never mind our children.

One last thing, what if you are trying to get some, and your robot lover runs out of battery?? hmm.. to think of it, that may actually make robots resembling more like real people.

Hear from what other people think about this article on youtube.com

CCA2

Communications is not simple. Take a look at our southern neighbor’s presidential speech, and you would have know what not to do when conducting a public speech. Most people assume that communication skills are developed naturally without the need for training. This is true in some sense as almost everyone is able to communicate, and the few who do it better usually had no more training than the rest. However, while basic communication skills can be naturally learned through interpersonal contacts, superior communication skills usually need to be taught and developed.
Infants that not socialized properly will not possess the necessary skills to communicate. Occasionally, I have read news reports discovering infants raised with zero or little human contact who are unable to communicate in our society. (Think Tarzan). It is only through extensive teachings of our languages and cultures, were they able to gain the supposedly “natural ability” to speak and understand. I think this is a sufficient proof that although we may not have been specifically taught communication skills in a formal classroom, we learn to communicate skillfully because of our exposure to others in our surrounding environment.
In addition, even the better communicators are far from being perfect. I have found that on occasions, good communicators often are unable get the message across effectively as well. As stated in the textbook, communication skills are rather like athletic ability, and can be improved with consistent training and practice. The most incompetent of us can learn to communicate effectively with proper training. Taking this course would be as good as a start as any.

CCA1

“What’s your name? Hu. Not who! What’s YOUR NAME. My name is Hu!” Who could forget that hilarious first meeting scene between Chris and Jackie from the movie Rush Hours? The inability of both characters to communicate successfully with each other despite using the same language is an ideal example of how culture serves as a perceptual filter that influences the way we interpret events. In the following paragraphs, I will share my personal experiences with two different cultures to demonstrate the impact of this principle on the effective communication process between people from different cultural backgrounds.
Quite frequently, a gesture towards someone can construe entirely different meanings based upon the cultural backgrounds of the communicator. Being a Chinese-Canadian, I have personally experienced the cultural shock when I moved to Canada at the age of 11. As I arrived, I was surprised to realize that the difference in language was not the only factor prohibiting my capability to communicate effectively with others. Growing up in China, I was taught that looking directly in the eyes of the person you are speaking with is a sign of disrespect, and it is appropriate to remain quiet when there’s nothing important to be said. As a result of such custom, I often bowed and avoided eye contact while making conversation with my classmates and teachers. Therefore, I was often mistakenly labeled by my teachers as introverted and incapable of leadership, which is not true of my personality. The difference in cultural perception between Chinese and Canadian caused disparity on our perception of identical signals and caused unfortunate and unnecessary misunderstandings between me and my instructors.
It is important to realize that failures to recognize cross-cultural differences can lead to impairments of effective communication, causing unnecessary confusions. However, these differences can be effectively eliminated with increased knowledge of other people’s cultural backgrounds. Living in today’s increasingly diverse society, shouldn’t we all be educated in how to better understand other people?

The people have spoken, No MMP!!!

Green party actually having a standing in the parliament? haha, who are we kidding? At least it would seem that the minority of Canadians who bothered to vote are sensible enough to not let a hippie group have a say on our country's future. NDP with a majority setting? now that's a scary thought.
Yes I am a conservative, so what? one thing to be clear though, i claim no affiliation with with the republican party down south.

If you don't already know, check out what exactly what MMP is by clicking on the link below.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mixed_member_proportional_representation

Despite my personal feelings towards the MMP reform campaign. The referendum most likely failed because of its poorly structured publicity campaign. I consider myself as relatively up to date on what's happening on the political world, and even I have not heard much on the reform proposal. Apparently the "millions and millions" they spent on advertising and "awareness campaign" were absolutely useless. When the voters at the poll are still asking what the hell MMP stands for, your advertisements failed. Sure you could say that you've spend millions, but you've got to learn to do it EFFECTIVELY." Pretty big E there, works the same way in Elections. Point to be said, next time, hire a better publicity firm.

Either way, we are stuck with McGuinty for another year. Wish I could say John Tory would be much better. Hey, at least we dont have a hippie groupie in control.

Halo 4?

Halo 3 has finally arrived, woohoo. Truth to be told, I’ve probably spent at least 3 hours everyday in the last week sitting in front of the TV pushing buttons. All thanks to my deep pocketed roommate who generously brought over his brand new Xbox 360 and coughed up 60 big ones to get Master Chief’s new work right on its release day. Gotta tell you, the game is worth every penny….every penny not out of my pocket. What more could you possibly ask for when you have religious aliens determined to come to your planet and blow you up to piece? Anybody see a resemblance between the story line and our world? “cough” Never mind.
What greater way to sell a game than making the player feel like he’s skilled in all deadly combats, with a hot AI girl as you companion, being the person on the face of the planet able to save humanity from almost certain doom. Microsoft has certainly done its market research and used up all its combined resources to create an absolutely unreasonable hype for a simple game that makes gamers and non-gamers alike interested. Since I have first hand experience playing the game, I’ll talk about what the gamer experience will be like. The game itself is very much like its predecessor Halo 2, with a slight upgrade in graphics. Throughout game play, the CPU controlled marines constantly praise and shows the utmost respect to the player controlled Master Chief, making one effectively feeling like…well…God. Here’s proof, watch their marketing campaign on television.
Frankly I don’t get what all the hype is about. I am more of a computer gamer myself, the key is the mouse. Point and shoot. How simple is that compared to the complicated joystick aiming. The trailer for the game does look amazing though. It’s Microsoft’s way of communicating and attracting potential customers before they actually realize how unoriginal Halo 3 really is.
Finally, enjoy the official trailer of Halo 3. For whatever its worth, the trailer looks amazing.

Global warming = Political Power Struggle?

Come on people, didn't they say that humanity will reveal its true unity once our entire species' existence is on the line. Funny how politicians and everybody with the exception of a few hippie environmentalist are concerned about the welfare of our planet. Most of us just rather use the issue to make politically correct/incorrect statement to further our own agendas. Forget same sex marriage, Kyoto is the real controversy in our tiny parliament right now. Global Warming is real, and with the continuing trends of our abuse of mother Earth. Frankly, we are all fucked. Well, technically not all. I mean, my parents and grandparents will probably perish long before greenhouse gases destroy Earth's atmosphere. Who knows, if I am lucky, it might not happen within my lifetime too. My children, children's children? uhm..too bad for them. They'll figure it out somehow, not my problem.
Political BS aside, it is a fact that the Kyoto Accord are poorly constructed when implemented. Of course, the general population could care less about what is actually entailed in the accord. If its goal is to save the environment, it must be good. To bring some sense of reality back to the debate, a massive group of scientists calling themselves the Heidelberg Appeal have voiced their skepticism over the Kyoto Accord. Note the fact that they are not "politically conservative" scientists, just simply scientists who think the Kyoto Accord is not the best method to solve our little CO2 problem. I am a business student, so I just have to mention that the full implementation of Kyoto Accord in Canada under the unreasonably short allocated time will almost certainly leads to economic disaster. Either way, we've got more problems than we could handle. That's why we elect the upmost intelligent people into our political office to think for us. right? hopefully?

Now for some fun, enjoy this extremely biased story on the Conservatives and the Kyoto Accord. All in good political fun.

HPV vaccination = any other vaccination

Today, I came across an article stating the implications of HPV vaccine and questioned the necessity of a full scale mandatory program targeting all school aged girls in hopes of preventing cervical cancer when they become sexually active. I am very much in support of implementation of a mandatory program that will vaccinate girls against a profoundly painful way to die. Whatever you think may cloud my judgment, such as I am not a girl, not a parent, not knowledgeable enough. I’ll offer my two cents anyways. After all, this is what internet is for. Random people expressing random, totally stupid/brilliant ideas under the false sense of full anonymity.
I will never understand the logic between getting HPV protection and the automatic assumption that girls protected from STD will go to the street and whore-it-up. In my opinion, the girls wouldn’t change the way they act just because they now have some protection against a painful disease. Just as I have a hard time picturing anybody wearing a bullet proof vest would like to take the chances of the vest not working, just for fun. As for the issue of the government should not have any say in how parents would like to raise their children. The truth is we already do issue restrictions on how children should be brought up. What about the other 20 something vaccinations that are required to protect children from the likes of polio? You don’t hear objections to that. Of course not, that doesn’t have to do with sex, because everything that has to do with sex is controversial and makes for good political speech. What happened to wanting only the best for your children, to worry about their health and well being above all else? HPV vaccination is proven to reduce the risk of receiving STDs. If I ever have a daughter, she’s getting the needle, ASAP. Awkward conversation at the dinner table or not, I would want my children well educated and prepared heading into the complex society today.

Here's a site about all infos regarding HPV, make up your own mind after u do the research. I would attach pictures of HPV patients to persuade you...but think how gross that would be. So Do it on your own time people.
http://www.cdc.gov/std/HPV/STDFact-HPV.htm

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