Bill Wang - Week 10 - Why I Hate the Sun
(img: https://pngfre.com/sun-png/)
An open letter to the sun:
Dear Sun,
The incomprehensible enigma of “going outside'' has always evaded my mental and physical capabilities. The mere notion that one must “go outside” is both an attack and an offense on myself, and I take it extremely personally. Perhaps it is you who is uneducated on Minecraft lore, and not me, who needs to “touch grass.”
Without the sun, there would be no necessity to “go outside” or “touch grass”, because the surface of the earth would immediately become an inhospitable wasteland with subzero temperatures, and bring about a cold era incomparable within the confines of human history.
Either way, shooting a nuclear missile at the sun is good for it, right? Nuclear missiles do nulear fission, and the sun does nuclear fusion, and if you change around a couple of characters, they are basically the same thing anyways.
Yesterday, I was walking down the streets of Fremont, California, when a man ran up to me and said: “the sun killed my grandfather.” What a tragedy. Without the sun, this would not happen.
Yesterday, I was walking down the streets of London, England, when I saw a baby dropped in a barrel of trash and animal dung. Then, a professional footballer (the European kind) ran over to a professional footballer (the American kind), and punched him in the face. The professional footballer (the American kind) turned around, and thinking that the professional footballer (the australian kind) had hit him (australia is not capitalized because it is not a real place), punched the professional footballer (the kind who takes off your feet and then makes them into meatballs), causing the professional footballer (the one where you hit the ball with your hands) to fly back into the trash and dung barrel, knocking the barrel (the kind in which you store stuff) over, and spilling the baby out into the sun, where it promptly burnt into flames. Of course, the flames came from a barbecue grill on the wayside (yum!), but since the baby was in the sun, the light must have contributed to the heat or something. Clearly, this is the sun’s fault.
Smiles,
Bill Wang
While comedically exaggerated, falsities such as my own above are not too uncommon today.
With the internet, fake news and wild accusations spread like wildfire. Whether or not it is true, once spread, reputation and career can be permanently damaged. The internet community (twitter) has fostered a community especially toxic, and willing to attack anyone for the fun of it. As the internet becomes more ingrained into society, we must focus on fostering a positive environment online.
While deception can be used for good, such as when parents claim that a child will be subject to the “chainsaw man” when not cleaning up their rooms (it is funny), lying for the sake of hurting others is never justifiable. In a period of uncertainty, lying to each other is far from the ideal moves we should be taking.
Hey Bill! It is a bit easier to write this review because we are dealing with similar subject matters: misinformation on the internet. I know that we've certainly had our share, with the recent War in Ukraine being a hotspot of fake news due to many biases. Soldiers on the ground suffer form the fog of war, not knowing who they're shooting, which makes false reporting much easier to be disseminated. Sometimes, this misinformation is intentional in the form of propaganda even. Disinformation campaigns, fueled by various actors with vested interests, flood social media platforms, muddying the waters of public perception. Distorted images, misleading headlines, and manipulated narratives further complicate an already complex geopolitical situation. For people like you and me, we have to become increasingly careful to approach news sources with a discerning eye, fact-checking and cross-referencing information to sift through the layers of deceit. I really loved how you had a lot of fun with this prompt and overall, I hope to see more like this!
ReplyDeleteHi Bill! Your blog was captivating to read, and made me reflect on how the internet is filled with fake news that people don’t bother to fact check anymore. We live in an age where anyone can post anything on the internet and can be seen by millions of people around the world, and while the internet allows for the fast spreading of information, which can be beneficial, it also leads to the spread of fake news and lies. Twitter, as you mentioned, is an example of a toxic platform that’s usually filled with fake news. It’s also interesting to think about how news was created to keep people informed, and now it is doing the exact opposite. A lot of people think that tech companies are to blame for fake news, but should we blame the creators of the platform or the people on the platform? Monitoring and removing fake news is what a lot of companies, such as Meta, have spent millions of dollars on (allegedly), but fake news spreads faster than it can be taken down. I also agree with your statement that deception comes in many forms, good and bad. For example, good forms of deception include lying to your friend in order to throw them a surprise party. Bad forms of deception include stealing and lying to the extent of harming someone’s life. Your letter was a good example of how fake news spreads online because some people believe their opinions are facts, and this is a harmful way of thinking.
ReplyDeleteHello Bill. That was a wild ride, and the plot twist at the end of the blog was insane. I couldn't agree more with many of your points. I, too, walk the streets of Fremont, California and have encountered many residents whose grandparents were untimely lost to the sun. The sun is a nuisance and should be eradicated before it's too late. The repercussions could be severe for both the London and Fremont societies. I also feel the need to compliment your frequent travels. However, I must admit that I took much offense when you claimed that "[A]ustralia isn't a real country. As a one fifteenth Aussie individual, my heart hurts with this brutal attack on my culture (just because it's true doesn't mean you have to say it!!). Tying this blog into the idea of the spread of misinformation at the end was actually a very good way to give the blog substance and meaning, and it's really cool that you were able to give a funny blog like this a spin to also make it impactful.
ReplyDeleteHi Bill,
ReplyDeleteThank you for your creative and humorous open letter to the sun. Your unconventional take on the necessity of "going outside" and the blaming of the sun for various mishaps brought a smile to my face. Your playful comparison between nuclear missiles and the sun's nuclear fusion added an unexpected twist to your letter, highlighting the humor in your writing style. Additionally, your mildly confusing storytelling about the incidents in Fremont and London effectively conveyed your point about how easily people blame the sun for unfortunate events. I appreciate how you seamlessly transitioned from your comedic anecdotes to a more serious discussion about the dangers of spreading misinformation online. Your insight into the toxic nature of online communities, mainly Twitter, relates deeply in today's digital age where misinformation can spread rapidly and cause real harm.
Howdy Bill! I hate the sun too. When people tell me I am a ghostly pale color, I think why must I rely on going outside to regain my lively tan. But on another note, this was the funniest thing I have read in a while. From the Minecraft lore to the London footballers (all of the kinds), this a trip of a letter. I was reading and trying to piece together where the power aspect is and honestly I thought you wanted to talk about the power of the sun. But at the end it was a fun and pleasant surprise that you tied it in with the power of the internet. It is really scary how information can spread so fast. You do not have to be well known to spread anything on the internet, someone will find it and spread it and it will just continue. This is a double edged sword. On one hand it is useful to spread good and useful information but on the other hate messages and misinformation can spread quick.
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