Power struggle

All of the units we covered incorporated some issue that really stuck with me, so choosing one thing that changed how I observe world is hard. But a common idea that I saw linking each unit - from corn to sex change to medical disorders to global warming - was that each actions are never free from constraint or consequence. 


This problem doesn't excite me so much as bother me. After reading A Brave New World, I realized that although we as humans aren't being fed soma and micro-managed to the point of brainwashing, Mustapha Mond exists in our world in other forms. And sometimes, we are selves take his role. While studying intersex issues, it became clear that we can't always choose our own sexuality. Parents put a gender label on their children, and those children may or may not be okay with it down the road. Global warming information can be altered or misconstrued by both sides, resulting in books like Crichton which influences popular belief. The food we buy can support commodity corn and the military industrial complex, and consequently affect the environment, the government, and farmers. 


I've begun to grapple with free will as a result. Am I making my own choices, or are invisible constraints of politics, culture, and society making them for me? Or, on the other side, how are my choices affecting things that aren't inherently or immediately apparent? I've become more considerate and more careful when examining the things I buy and consume, and my personal beliefs. This class has taught me to never take things at face value, even my dinner. That may sound pessimistic or cynical, but I think its positive. To be aware of the invisible structures that shape the world makes me feel that I have a little more control over my actions because I understand how and why they come about.