A Mind-Controlled Arm Could Be Available Soon

In the medical spectrum of our society, the loss of a limb has been one of those unfortunate aspects that could only be dealt with by giving the patient a motionless prosthetic. However, according to an article from 2011, "DARPA's Mind-Controlled Prosthetic Arm Could Be on the Market in Four Years" by Ariel Schwartz, introduces a revolutionary product that could change the medical field. DARPA, Defense Advanced Research Projects, has the potential to do this in that they are close to creating a mind-controlled prosthetic arm. Schwartz claims that this device could help patients who have had a spinal cord injury, a stroke, or an amputation. In my opinion this could not only make up for the lack of an arm, but could also really help their mentality. An interactive prosthetic could help a patients mentality because the sudden loss of a limb could have a tremendous effect on a persons mind. Overall, if this product is successful it will revolutionize the use of prosthetic limbs and improve the lives of many

Mass Shootings and Mental Illnesses

  Unfortunately in today's society there are individuals out there capable and willing to commit mass murders. Most media chalks these violent outbursts to some variant of a mental illness that has corrupted the murderer. However, the article, "It’s not about mental illness: The big lie that always follows mass shootings by white males," by Arthur Chu states that a mental illness is, in most cases, not what sparked the individual to go on the killing spree. I found it interesting when Chu introduces that most of the people who commit acts of violence lack the diagnosis of a mental illness. Chu then suggests that automatically pointing a finger towards mental illness is just a scapegoat for addressing what might have really caused the murderer to act out such as a very intense form of racism or misogyny. I agree Chu's statement especially after the fact he introduced about the majority of these killers not having an official diagnosis of mental illness. I possess the same level of anger of Chu that he has towards people who use the label, mental illness, to discredit the murders actual beliefs, which might be that murdering people in general or those who fit a certain description. Overall, Chu has given me the perspective that the media has a corrupt view on what is actually going on in a killer's head, and that insinuating the fact that they have a mental illness is just a cheap cop-out from the truth.

Blogpost #2

In society people have come to develop their own body image, a physical appearance that one desires to fulfill. Many people have started to develop a corrupted body image that brings harm to themselves. BIID, or body integrity identity disorder, is a mental illness that has started to rise up in society. BIID causes people to envision a body image where one of their limbs is no longer there, creating an almost irrefutable desire to become disabled. Those who suffer from BIID describe it as a “mental torture,” and are completely unaware of what fuels the desire to get rid of one’s limbs. People who are under the influence of this mental desire have found no other solution than to find a way to get rid of the limb, claiming that no form of psychotherapy or medication is able to help them. Since there is no legal recourse to fulfilling this strange desire, people under the influence of BIID have taken matters into their own hands. In my opinion there should be some sort of legal recourse for those with BIID, such as a medical procedure to remove the desired limb. I believe that there should be a legal recourse because many people with BIID try to amputate themselves, and end up either seriously injuring themselves or dead. Others have paid 10,000 dollars for an illegal operation to get themselves amputated, and one of them has even died from gangrene. Dr. Michael First, a professor of clinical psychology at Colombia University, has conducted research in order to gain an understanding of BIID.  After conducting research on 52 BIID patients, and was able to make a couple of observations. First found that people who suffer from BIID do not possess a psychotic mentality, and have a complete grasp on reality. Other researchers have made the observation that many of the people who suffer from BIID are middle class white males, but in my own personal opinion I don’t think that characteristic has much influence over the disease. It seems to merely a coincidence that a large majority of the BIID population are middle class white males, however, they do have the interesting view that the disorder can’t be treated with medication for therapy. Though it is possible that the BIID can’t be treated with therapy, I do believe that medication could be a possible solution. Medication may not be a solution now, but considering the fact that BIID is a disease I believe there is the possibility of a medical advancement towards a cure. In regard to my opinion of people who “choose” to be disabled there is not much animosity. I understand that people with BIID do not desire the need to be disabled under their own free will, rather it’s an unknown coercive force caused by a corruption in the brain. It may have be a concern that those who are already disabled will see those with BIID as offensive. Senior vice president at the National Organization of Disability, Nancy Starnes, claims that BIID “would be treated the same way anybody with a mental health problem would be treated.” (Ellison) Overall, BIID is a serious condition and deserves further research towards a cure.

Essay Prompt #1

Health is a word that can vary its meaning in that people possess different perspectives. However, there are those who take the meaning of this word, health, to the extreme. Roxanne Edwards, a female body builder, demonstrates the physical extremity of health in pursuit to demonstrate her version of femininity. “A Traditional Sculpture” by H. Cassils is another individual who stretches the definition of health by showing off his physical capabilities. H. Cassils, artist and personal trainer, works his body to its maximum capacity as part of a project designed to go against expectations. Perfection is a concept that contributes to the meaning of this word, health, in that it indicates there are now flaws present. Both of these words are part of the reason why Cassils and Edwards strove to reach a supreme physical state.

            Together Cassils and Edwards challenge the notion of “health” through the intense physical state that they have achieved. Both of these individuals have their own specific reasons for choosing to reach a state of such physical extremity. Roxanne states, “This is how I choose to express my femininity…I wear my strength outwards,” (AdrianIII) meaning that this massive amount of muscle symbolizes her strength as a women. Edwards then acknowledges that most women do not choose this outward form of strength, rather they keep it to themselves. Indulging more on the topic of femininity Edwards expresses that it should not be measured by their breasts, rather it should be measured by how they act was women. Cassils on the other hand has some of his own reasons as to why he chose this lifestyle. One of the reasons is that Cassils is transgendered and wanted to express what that kind of life is like to the rest of society. Cassils claims, “I did this work to explore the social expectations of what a "woman's" body could be pushed to,” (Cassils) meaning she wanted to find out if it was possible to undergo a gender transformation through the use of exercise. In my opinion, Cassils experiment was successful in that when his body was at its maximum potential, he started to invoke various reactions from individuals. Arm wrestling in Rite Aid and being challenge to fights are just some of the reactions that Cassils extreme appearance had triggered. This experiment introduces the fact that there is a relationship between how others view individuals such as Edwards or Cassils, and how they view themselves.

            The abundant amount of muscle that Edwards and Cassils have achieved sparks a relationship between themselves and other individuals. In regard to Edwards the relationships that exists is that the general public might find images of her intimidating and abnormal, compared to the “normal” appearance of women that we have become accustomed to. However Edwards herself views her body type as an outward expression of her strength as a woman, rather than just muscle. People may also find Cassils appearance as intimidating, and even confusing when compared to others with “regular” appearances. However, unlike Edwards, Cassils has a similar perspective to those around her. Cassils supports this claim by stating “My body crossed over from socially acceptable ripped chick to freaky androgyny, it was noticeable for me in my day-to-day interactions” (Cassils). Working one’s body with such intensity is bound to have its own set of negative repercussions, taking somewhat of a physical or mental toll on the individual. For the purpose of his project Cassils decided to take steroids in order to achieve a body of “maximum capacity.” Being a personal trainer. Cassils does not support the use of steroids but decided to make the sacrifice for the purpose of the project. At a certain point Cassils stated that there was a point where his joints were inflicting pain, and the muscles had gotten so tight he was unable to take of his shirt due to the loss of flexibility.

*not sure why the last paragraph won't come out double spaced*

Roxanne Edwards Interview

      Roxanne Edwards is a female bodybuilder who expresses what her chosen lifestyle is like, and her views on femininity. In regard to my definition of someone who possesses a healthy body image, Edwards is one who has gone above and beyond. Although I do not completely agree with the extent of Edward's physique, I do support the reasons she stands behind. In my opinion Edwards pays very close attention to her body, and in doing so she has set goals to the type of appearance that she would like to achieve. Edwards shares that she would like to accomplish a "peeled" body type, a "peeled" body type is one where people can see the muscle fibers move underneath one's skin. At the time Edwards described herself as "shredded," a body type in which one can partially see muscle fibers moving underneath the skin. The type of mentality that Edwards has differs from mine in that her determination to obtain a certain look greatly outmatches mine. Edwards claims that one of the reasons that she does bodybuilding competitions is to express her views on femininity. Edwards supports this view when she says, "femininity is not necessarily your breasts but how you are as a human being, or as a woman." This statement supports that femininity shouldn't be defined by what is popular, but by the quality of one's personality. The topic of femininity relates to our class discussion on what is considered a perfect man or woman. Some of the characteristics that were contributed the definition of a "perfect" person include; muscles, an hourglass figure, the right amount of facial hair, and more. After the observing the interview this list definitely holds less significance in that one should not hold themselves to those kinds of standards. Edwards being African American has undergone some form of discrimination during her bodybuilding competitions. The reason that discrimination exists in bodybuilding is that women who have lighter skin are more "marketable" because their muscles stand out more than on those with darker skin. When the interviewer asks if she considers herself "superhuman" I was intrigued by the way that she answered in several ways. Edwards stated, "This is how I choose to express my version of femininity," meaning that every woman is entitled to their own unique way of expressing femininity. Also, I was intrigued to hear her say that she does not consider herself "superhuman," rather she considers herself someone who saw the world from a different vantage point and went after different opportunities. Overall, I have a tremendous amount of respect for Roxanne Edwards in various ways. One way in which I respect her is that she has the courage to express her femininity in a different way that is not deemed "popular" in our society. Another reason is that Edwards has the determination to be the best she can be, and does not let what other people think stand in her way. What I take away from Roxanne's interview is that I should not let my insecurities stand in the way of my goals.