The Biased SAT Test

I've decided to explore the topic of standardized tests as my junior theme topic, and I now find myself asking a lot of questions after researching this topic for the past few days. I want to direct my topic towards the SAT and why college admission officers use the scores from this test as a measure of intelligence when applying to colleges.

Many critics claim that that SAT is a biased test, and that the test specifically "appear[s] to be biased against the African American minority group". Due to the fact that higher SAT scores give access to higher education and subsequent job placement, African American SAT test takers are less likely to further their education or receive a higher income job. In other words, the SAT is drawing social class lines.  
Further in this article, the College Board claims that "the large gaps reflect the inequities in American society -- since black students are less likely than white students to attend well-financed, generously-staffed elementary and secondary schools, their scores lag."- Again, in other words, America is the unfair, not the test. 
Race biases are hugely debated in America, but where do you think the problem lies?
Do you find America and our education system to be unfair and account for these differences or do the test deficiencies account for this?

Let's Party: Project X

This past weekend I went out with a few of my friends to see Project X, a new movie about how a "small get together" turns into one of the craziest parties in history.
This movie is rated R for "crude and sexual content throughout, nudity, drugs, drinking, pervasive language, reckless behavior and mayhem- all involving teens", and I can tell you that all of that and more was present in this flim. Although I like to think that I rarely engage in "reckless behavior", this movie did a very good job of persuading the average viewer that this insanely unsafe and wild party was actually fun.

As seen in the trailer, this movie appeals to a younger crowd; attractive actors, loud music, illegal substances, and sexual content tells the audience to envy this careless and out of control lifestyle. Just as mentioned in the rating, almost everything about this movie is "crude" because crude humor is funny. Although the party thrower, Thomas Kub, ends up destorying his nieghborhood with multiple arrests, I left the movie wishing I was at that party.
The question I'm wondering is why? Why do Americans find crude humor funny? And why do we love to party, drink, have sex, and engage in "reckless behavior"?

Movies, music, books, magazines, and TV have all glorified getting drunk and having a crazy night at one point or another. Now don't think I'm trying to ban partying becasue I'd be lying if I said it didn't look fun, but why have we taught the upcoming generation that this is what fun looks like? What things have influenced me to make me envy (to some extent) this behavior?

Run of the Mill

My American Studies class is reading a book by Don Delillo, White Noise, a novel following the life of Jack Gladney, a professor who has made his name by pioneering the field of "Hitler Studies". In the first section of the book, "Waves and Radiation", Delillo addresses many themes regarding American life such as our culture's obsession with death and sex.

However, Delillo also addresses America's obsession with supplements when describing a conversation made between Jack and his step daughter Denise. After Denise asks Jack what daily supplements he uses, he tells her that he takes "blood pressure pills, stress pills, allergy pills, eye drops, aspirin. Run of the mill" (62). What initially struck me about this passage was not only that Jack takes so many pills, but that he finds his regiment  normal, or rather "Run of the mill".
I don't usually think about how many pills I take, but it's really shocking how many daily, or "normal", pills Americans have access to.
Using my household as an example, I can think of hundreds of pills, prescribed and over-the-counter, that fill our medicine cabinets. According to the Department of Health and Human Services, "at least half of all Americans take at least one prescription drug, with one in six taking three or more medications" (SOURCE).  If half of Americans take at least 1 prescription drug, how many of us take over-the-counter medication daily? With pain relievers, vitamins, and every pill imaginable on the market, I would say it's a lot higher than 50%.
So why does America seem to be the most medicated nation? In a nation with clean water, food, and basic needs easily accessible, I doubt it's because we need the most medication. Delillo constantly mentions the influences of the media scattered throughout daily life, and perhaps this is just another example of media influence.
Do we take pills because we need them, or because we're told we need them?