Tuesday, April 10, 2012
The Theme: "Fair is foul and foul is fair..." (Block A)
We are introduced to the theme of the play very early on. The theme of "fair is foul and foul is fair" implies a definite reversal of what is supposed to be the natural order of how things are supposed to work in the world. For you first discussion, you are to talk about how this theme shows itself in our society and whether or not there is any chance of it changing. Be sure to use actual examples and state your reasons for your opinions.
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The theme of "fair is foul and foul is fair" shows itself in our society in many ways. Whenever people can get away with doing something they know is bad (like stealing, for example), they will. Huge corporations are inconsiderate of the damages they do to the environment; their only goal is to make money. Doing the unethical thing (polluting the environment, clear-cutting forests) is less expensive, and the company will reap more profits. In this way they benefit from being "foul".
ReplyDeleteThe only chance of this reversal of morality changing is if the public and the law holds the offender accountable. The consequences of breaking the law are the best deterrent for unethical acts. In many cases, the law works well. However, the law overlooks many aspects of unethical actions that people and corporations should be held accountable for.
It's true that people can get away with doing something bad, but not all people can get away with it, or else the world would have been chaotic. And whenever a person is caught for an unethical act, there is usually a punishment/consequences for it. It's part of the reason why the law exists. I agree, that the consequences of breaking the law works well to prevent unethical acts for most of the time. However, like you said, there are too many aspects of unethical actions in the world for the law to holds all the offenders accountable. Aside from the law, it also depends on the morality of the individual. Though people may be born with selfishness, and always think about ourselves before the others (like those huge corporations you mentioned above), but through life, people can learn to have empathy and sympathy and becomes less selfish. It's about how much we care for the others or even ourselves that can prevent us from doing those unethical acts.
DeleteI agree the law only works one way because often it depends on who you are in this world. If you are a teacher and you attempt to sue a large corporation the chance of the teacher having their way is slim to none. This is because money is often a key factor when making a final decision. The amount of income you earn is considered foul because not everyone has the same opportunities which isn't considered fair. Only way to justify this is if they held the corporations accountable for their actions like you mentioned.
DeleteAs discussed, billionaire companies will continue to perform foul actions as long as they continue to be rewarded for it. Large-scale corporations have the sole intention to make profits, which they regard as fair. Thus, as long as foul actions, such as deforestation, animal cruelty, and pollution, are allowing profits, these companies will continue. This can however be said for almost all humans, not just major corporations. As long as an individual is undergoing personal gain, he/she will commit any unethical or foul action to attain that personal reward. For example, if a student realizes he/she will be able to get a higher mark on an assignment by cheating, generally the student will indeed cheat to receive that higher mark. The foul action of cheating is seen as fair, because the student is rewarded with a higher mark.
DeleteAs said by Laura, the only chance we have at the reversal of this theme in society is if individuals are stopped from reaping rewards from committing foul actions. If companies are unable to make profits from foul actions, they will stop executing them. If students are unable to receive a higher mark by cheating, they will discontinue cheating.
Laura, I completely agree with you saying. The whole concept of companies benefitting from foul acts such as polluting because they are cheaper and in the end have made huge profits. I find it really sad that our world ends up working like that, but I’m sure there are some companies that work the other way. For example there is a company called ARCADIS, which has the same intentions as other companies, but instead they try to build up their company in a way that is good for the environment. Sadly it is bad or “foul” that everything required to make all that happen is expensive, and there are things out there that could do the same in a more efficient manner.
Delete- Rafal Apanowicz
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ReplyDeleteThink about the show, Kenny vs. Spenny. For anyone who hasn’t seen it, there are two best friends who created a show about competing with each other. Spenny is the sensitive, momma’s boy who always does his honest best in every contest and loses. Kenny, the other, is the hot shot, ladies’ man that always cheats and makes fun of Spenny and wins. It is a perfect example of modern day foul is Fair, Fair is foul because even though Spenny is the good guy, he loses and everyone hates him in comparison of Kenny who at heart is a horrible guy who does nothing but cheat. It’s a perfect example of nice guys finishing last even though their hearts are true. I do believe that this ideal will never change because I found myself tuning in to this show every week and rooting for Kenny, even though I know in my heart that I identify with Spenny. We as a society support the “Kenny’s”( the aggressors) because we don’t want to become the next “Spenny.”(t he one everyone laughs at). This creates the cycle of Fair is foul, and foul is fair.
ReplyDeleteI agree. In many cases it seems more "cool" to have antisocial behaviours like vandalism or bullying, and "uncool" to have prosocial behaviours, like volunteering or cleaning up litter. Even some of my good friends make fun of me for picking up garbage; it's not because they're bad people, only because they've been conditioned by our social norms.
DeleteThis just makes it even more important to break the norm and show people it's okay to do the right thing!
That makes sense because people often need to deceive others into making them believe something they are not. Some guys can only get what they want by cheating, meanwhile the other guy is suffering because he did the right thing. This creates the idea of which you must lie in order to get what you want otherwise you are just a sucker who just ran out of luck. People usually want others to acknowledge them and only way they can is to try fitting in. The Media often portrays the cool guy as the person who breaks the rules and the loser is the one who follows the rules. Shows like that reinforce it more even though they have an entertaining appeal.
DeleteI agree, it's kind of like murphy's law. "anything that can go wrong, will go wrong." Nice people who are truly good hearted, like this spenny character will never get their way, they often will be walked all over for not being as "cool" as the cheaters or the awful people like Kenny. this show is a perfect example of "fair is foul, and foul is fair" but it is also a stupid show because it encourages this theme which occurs a lot in our society.
DeleteFor me, "Fair is foul and foul is fair" is just the way humans think. People are always trying to get ahead in any way they can, and being immoral is the easiest way to do that. When you look into it, all of the major corporations of the world are involved in questionable activity, like slave workers and hurting the environment, and if they aren't directly involved they each have money invested in things like weapons, oil and gold, all of which hurt people or the environment. Even with these terrible things going on in the world, people just turn their heads the other way, because they realize thats just how the world works. Even I choose to ignore certain things that happen in the world simply because of the vast number of issues that appear in the headlines each week. It just doesn't affect me as much anymore.
ReplyDeleteI agree that some people choose to ignore things because they don't understand what is going on. people want to live life as simple as possible and they don't want to believe places like that exist because it makes them feel better, but not all people are like that. Some people make it their mission to help others to get an education, and find the way back to their feet. In fact you can find examples everywhere such as doctors who help the sick, teachers who educate the young, and some goes as far as other countries to help the less fortunate. Its true that most people don't look to find a way to help others because they want to help themselves first, but if all people were like that then we wouldn't have charities and volunteer wouldn't be part of our vocabulary. Many of the things people have done in the past were terrible but slowly are society is improving, some faster then others, and its still present today, but if we work together we can all reach the same goal.
DeleteI agree with Alan, though in my opinion, all people are born with selfishness, and most people tend to think of themselves before the others. However, as we grow up we learn to love, share and care for the others. Even though, we do tend to ignore the 'certain' thing happening around the world, but it's does not necessarily mean that we don't care. Sometimes, it's because we don't have the power to do so.. like trying to stop companies using slaves workers is too much for a high school student to accomplish, that is why we have charities, where people work together to reach the goal what they believe it's right.
DeleteI have similar beliefs in that humans turn a blind eye to the reversal of the nature of things. Humans choose to ignore 'Terrible things going on in the world' (Greg's words) for reasons being that they are conformed to the idea of the 'terrible things' being normal. Often, people don't even realize that the foul play in everyday society is what we believe is fair.
DeleteI admit to the idea of buying clothes from companies that use child labour. The foul idea of child labour leads to my fair idea of cheap clothing and vice versa. However, I know child labour is a terrible issue in today's society yet I still buy clothes that support the issue directly. Why do I do it? Because a lot of people do, and the clothes are blind to the use of child labour (as bad as it sounds, it is true). It's clear that there are no stores that promote child labour as their manufacturers. This is what 'turning a blind eye' is. If it isn't obvious that something bad is happening, why stop it?
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ReplyDeleteIn my opinion, there is no definite explanation to "fair is foul, and foul is fair". Most of the time, things happened because of the choices we made, whether it's good, bad, or even both, it all depend on individual's opinion on how things should or should not be.
ReplyDeleteAn example could be permissive parenting, some parents tend to let their children do whatever they want. Like buying all the toys, candies and foods they want.. even if the child did something wrong, there won't be any punishment given by the parents. On the surface, it seems that the parents are good parents, and the children will think that he/she is deeply loved by his/her parents. However, the children may become very arrogant and self-centered, and as they grow up.. they may become an outcast in the society because of their poor behavior/personality.
Another example is cell phone, we all know that cell phone has brought a huge advantage to our lives, especially during an emergency. Yet, it has also become a 'foul' to our lives, cell phone text messaging did not only become a major distraction to many students during class time, but also causing numerous of vehicle crashes, all because the drivers were distracted by the cell phone.
Since most of those things happened because of our decision, then there is also a chance of changing it (but not all the times). Although it may be difficult to make that change, but if we have the determination to do so, (and the helps we need) then it is possible to make that change happens.
I stronly agree with permissive parenting, as so what it seems 'fair' of spoiling the child could result in future complications (foul).
DeleteOn the other hand, I disagree to the idea of cellphones leading to foul. Cellphones have indeed been a fair addition to our lives in that they provide us direct communication, and can often be apart of safety (ex. Being able to call 911 at anytime). Furthermore, the idea of cellphones being foul is questionable. Is it the cellphone that causes vehicle crashes or distract kids in class? Or is it rather the persons own decision to use the cellphone and cause the distraction individually? I lean towards the idea of blaming the person, in which one intentionally may use the cellphone by choice. A cellphone is an object at which point humans are the ones in control of its uses. If a car crash were to occur, its the persons fault for using the phone as a distraction. The phone is obvious in that it can be ignored.
Questions may be brought up in the idea of 'fair is foul' when considering the original intentions of what is fair.
I see your point here, and I do agree with you that it's our own decision to use the cell phone. Nothing happens on its own, there is always a cause to it. It's usually our own decision that leads to our foul. And it's up to us whether we want to prevent or change that 'foul'.. That is how most thing works in the society, where we have to make the decision on what we believe it's right or wrong.. and there is not a definite answer to that either.
DeleteThanks Erica, I appreciate your comment and thoughts! :)
Indeed, good intentions of individuals which are instead seen as foul are heartbreaking. When parents have the pure intentions of providing their children with the utmost happiness, it can often backfire. The fair actions of parents, in which they are kind, lenient, and affectionate of their children, can instead become foul when they develop into demanding and self-centered children. This can also be seen amongst several other individuals, when their fair actions are instead seen as foul. For example, often environmentalists protest against major corporations for their crimes against Earth, such as deforestation and animal cruelty. These devoted individuals fight for their fair beliefs. However, society often sees these protestors as troublemakers and their actions as foul. They are often imprisoned or fined for their actions. Thus, as actions of permissive parents and protestors show, good intentions of individuals are often seen as foul in modern society.
DeleteI agree, there is no definite definition to "foul is fair and fair is foul". Depending on the individual itself everyone has a different opinion. For example as you mentioned permissive parenting in a way is forcing your child to be a certain way even if its unintentional. The child can end up growing to view ideas of what is considered fair and foul different based on how it was raised. It all depends on the person and the environment. Another example is if you go to any 3rd world country their views on what is foul and fair is significantly different because they aren't exposed to all the amazing things we take for granted. Overall it is often a psychological thing and depending on where or how you were raised makes all the difference. I also agree with the cell phone being a risk and a great invention, but if we never take risks then we would stay in an isolated society where everything new is reject, greatly affecting what we truly believe is foul or fair. Isolated countries such as North Korea brainwash their citizens forcing them to believe what is foul and what is fair.
Deleteso in the end it really depends on the surrounding environment and the events that most affected or influenced your life that makes you the person you are today.
I agree with your point about the cell phones and parenting, and how there is no true definition to fair is foul and foul is fair. People have different morals which can greatly change their ideas. Adding on to the cell phone point, it seems that everyone is in love with their phone and can't let it go, which has serious hidden side affects. Research shows that having a cell phone in your pocket can cause impotency, and cell phones are linked to brain tumors. People don't see these risks, and they choose to ignore them.
DeleteThe line “fair is foul and foul is fair” is another way of saying “don’t judge a book by its cover.” In the play, the witches are portrayed as horrible people, but they are actually one of the few in the play that speak the truth. It is like when we see a homeless person on the street. What we see is a dirty old person who hasn’t bathed in months and who is too lazy to get a job. But a lot of those people are either hurt or abandoned by their families and society in general, and through no fault of their own are on the streets. Because Macbeth is the title character and the protagonist of the story, it is assumed that we would root for him. But who we are rooting for is the anti-hero, the scheming maniac. As it is with any person, things are not as they seem. We need to learn about everyone we plan on “rooting” for in order to know exactly what we’re getting ourselves into.
ReplyDeleteI am not really getting on how the theme relates to "don't judge a book by its cover". But I go agree with you on how people misjudge and conceive an unjust image of yourself, without actually knowing you. Homeless people, as you mentioned, are terribly looked down upon in society. It really bugs me what people say when they see a homeless person, "Oh hey, why don't they get a job" or "They should go to a shelter". Those people never consider that just maybe, No one is willing to hire them. That maybe living in the shelter was as worse as living on the streets, as they are also being treated poorly in those housings. For once people should imagine and put themselves in a homeless man shoes and see what their life is like. We shouldn't judge a book by it's cover because you might miss an amazing story.
DeleteAs suggested, fair can be foul and foul can be fair. The reversal of how things are supposed to work in the world is displayed in everyday life. Blindly, however, people often conform to the idea of ‘fair is foul and foul is fair,’ in the sense that we acknowledge the reversal in order to portray what we think is ‘acceptable.’ Media, which plays an extensive role in modern society, demonstrates a clear reversal in today’s society. Media quiet often demonstrates ‘flawless’ or rather ‘perfect’ people. We can clearly recognize that people are not like those portrayed in magazines and media, where foul can be seen. However, the foul played by media’s false perception can be reversed into fair, as we the consumers of media take this perception and mold it into our everyday lives. For example, we take media such as in magazines or on TV, and create a perception of how life should be lived. As we create this perception, we believe it to be the right way to live and are satisfied because we are informed with what is thought to be ‘perfect’ in our media based society. The same idea comes in mind when talking about shopping and consumer goods. Shopping can be considered fair, as for the most of society, enjoy indulging in things people crave for satisfaction. However, the foul comes into play when considering the ‘need’ for necessities. People often have the thought of ‘out with the old, in with the new,’ which displays a never ending cycle of consumer goods and shopping. Society often believes having something new is better, creating a never ending cycle of shopping. The fair of shopping is then created into a foul never ending cycle of purchasing good for temporary enjoyment. The cycle of consumer goods is a clear example of fair is foul and foul is fair.
ReplyDeleteChanging the reversal or idea of ‘fair is foul and foul is fair’ in society would be rather impossible in the sense that people are hardly aware or at times accepting of its role or existence in society. Looking back on the idea of media portraying an ideal perception of how life should be lived, people will always be in a sense of conformity. We tend to follow each other, thinking if everyone does it, it must be correct. However, people don’t realize that by doing so, individuality is being taken away. The fair play of media leads to the foul play of reality, where society accepts the fact that media takes the reins of the ‘norm.’ Society is accepting and even a frequent participant in the idea of ‘fair is foul and foul is fair.’ Society can be summed up in false perceptions; however we live in a world that we turn a blind eye in order to fulfill a content life.
"Fair is foul, foul is fair" is defined as those who do good will be punished, those who do bad will be rewarded. "Fair is foul, foul is fair" is portrayed excessively in our society. Even though we know we are doing wrong, we overlook the bad and think about the rewards and accomplishments we will receive by doing so. And by doing good we may not achieve as much as we would than if we chose to do bad. We are then left punished even though this is complete reversal of morality. For example, we cheat on tests/quizzes so we can achieve greater than we would if we studied. Another great example is athletes using steroids to win a race/game. Both cheating and using steroids are examples of getting farther ahead than we would have without them. Therefore leaving those who did good behind and punished for doing the right moral thing.
ReplyDeleteI stongly agree with you, in our modernized society where there is so much competition out there, people may think that it is okay to cheat on a test or take steroids to better themselves in life. "What goes around comes around" is a quote which basically means that Karma will get payback on the people who did bad.
DeleteI do agree with you but at the same time i kind of disagree.. if that makes sense? cheating on tests\ quizzes may give you a higher mark or taking steroids which gives you larger muscles.. or whatever they do for you. But in the end you have to go on with the consequences of cheating and having the chances of getting caught and suffer suspension or taking steroids which could lead to health problems.. so ultimately in the end people who are doing "good" and not doing these kind of things benefit a crucial amount more than the "foul" people.
DeleteGianna I strongly agree with all your points, especially the point about how people are doing bad things for a mere reward. Nowadays, people are more concerned about fame and money. It does not matter how they get through the journey of it and are willing to sacrifice and harm themselves for whatever they are looking to achieve.
DeleteThe theme "fair is foul and foul is fair" is displayed much in our society today! One for example is in sports! Say there are two plays in baseball equal in skill level! Off the field the one guy starts doing steroids and automatically increases his level of play on the field while the other guy wants to stay true and honest and keeps working hard with no enhancements! The one guy on steroids makes it to the MLB and the other guy only plays AA baseball! The guy who did the wrong thing was rewarded and the guy who did the right thing was not! Another example is in business! There is no successful business out there that hasn't done some kind of dirty work behind the curtain! Yet they are all still very successful even though they do those bad things that people don't see!
ReplyDeleteThere is not much chance of this completely changing in today's society! People are always going to look for those short cuts they can take and corners they can cut! Unless people start manning up and being honest this will not change! Humans have the urge to always cheat whether its a test or a million dollar business transaction! People will never dissapoint when coming to this theme in society!
The attitudes and behaviour of many people are indeed disheartening. It seems that whenever people can get away with it, they'll do something ethically wrong for their own personal gain. Almost all of us have been guilty of this at one point or another, even with small issues.
DeleteThis fact makes it very important to be ever vigilant when holding others (and ourselves) accountable for their actions. Enforcing some kind of consequence is essential to preventing unethical actions!
Joey, I love the concept of sports, the way you explained it made it easy to understand. I also must agree with you because this thought is just so real and it happens every day around the world. As for the thought where you say people cut corners in order to succeed, true. In the end though they begin to fall behind and are not able to keep up with everyone else, and then eventually they will be held accountable for what they did wrong. At that point the people who really tried begin to pull away from the crowd and make the better impression, and accomplish their goals.
Delete- Rafal Apanowicz
I agree completely on the sports comparison. Everyone just wants to make money, and when they get caught, they play the victim and say its not fair. Which is the person who fouled basically begging for the reversal. It's true that if one could cheat on the test and get an A on the test with out getting caught, would. I think it's honestly just part of human nature. Which is actually pretty sad.
DeleteThe line “fair is foul and foul is fair” is demonstrated in numerous ways in our society today. For example, huge corporations cut down and clear forests and land occupied by many species of animals to gain profit. Deforestation is a huge factor of doing something awful and being rewarded for it. These corporations get paid a lot of money for cutting down forests. They are rewarded for destroying land, but what they aren’t being punished for is killing all those trees, plants, and animals. From the loss of our trees makes global warming much worse, and more rapid in developing. This creates problems in our weather, and the growth of our crops, and many other things. These people and corporation’s number one plan is to make money and destroy the earth at the same time. I believe this cannot be changed, only because there are so many of these companies and not enough people who care or even think this is an awful thing to be able to change or stop deforestation. The only way this is going to stop is when there is no more land or space to destroy.
ReplyDeleteThe idea of deforestation is indeed a true example of foul. Deforestation has been proven to be causes of global warming, and the distinction of essential wildlife. However, I come to the same terms when considering deforestation leads to fair. Without deforestation, yes, companies and corporations recieve large paycheques by destroying our nature. However, I also believe that deforestation plays as fair for the reason that resources accumulated by deforestation goes toward our survival and benefits. For example, buliding homes and furniture.
DeleteOverall, 'Fair is foul and foul is fair,' is blind to the idea of deforestation as we know it is wrong but however we feel the need to continue on its accumulative path in order to fulfill our needs. We are aware of global warming, but yet we have not yet put a stop to deforestation.
Within the story fair is foul and foul is fair represents the world that the characters are in and how the moral order is reversed. People in this world find it difficult to distinguish between what is truly good/fair and evil/foul. To help understand the phrase you could look at it as if we were talking about foods, food which is generally good for you can taste awful, but then food that is awful for you can taste great. It almost makes it seem like everything needs to be balanced, you can't have too much good or bad because then things wouldn't workout. In the end I feel that this quote is trying to tell us that everything must contradict itself in order for there to be absolute harmony in the world. But hey that's only my take on this.
ReplyDelete-Rafal Apanowicz
I agree with the metaphor of using food, but I disagree with the need for balance between good/evil. I think that if everyone in the world and everything in the world were good 100% of the time, we would not know what evil is, and nothing evil would ever happen. Life would be a constant utopia without our even knowing it. But realistically, good should outweigh evil; it should be tilted into good’s favor.
DeleteI like how you use food here as an example, "food which is generally good for you can taste awful, but then food that is awful for you can taste great" - it's true in a way, but then it all depends on individual's opinion. Like green pepper for an example, it contains vitamins and nutrients which are good for us, but there are lots of people don't like it, but on the other hand, there are also people who loved it. Just like many other things, it can be bad and good at the same time, but it depends on how you look at the situation. Nothing is perfect in this world, whether it's good or bad, it's all up to personal opinion to decide which is it.
DeleteThe quote "fair is foul and foul is fair," is shown in various ways in our society, even though its meaning is implied. Many of us don't realize that this quote applies to our lives on a daily basis. For example, many of have alot of homework that we do not want to do, so we don't do it because its awful and time wasting - foul is fair. If we do get our homework done, but receive a bad mark on it, the aspect of fair is foul revolves around it. Another example would be video games. At least all of us at some point or another will have played a game that involves killing. Call of Duty is a great example. Killing others is good for you but dying is not. Again the aspect of "fair is foul and foul is fair" revolves around this game. The act of foul is fair and fair is fowl is human behavior, it's just how we think and act which comes naturally to us.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you on the video games part. But the sentence specifically: “Killing people is good for you but dying is not.” I understood what you were saying, but the wording threw me off some. Also with the part about homework, I agree with everything said there. I know that I dislike doing homework, but I also understand that it is part of life.
DeleteI concur to the idea of homework being foul as it however can lead to the reversal of the order of things in society. Homework is indeed not satisfying to most students, as this is shown as foul. All the same, doing homework has its benefits as you are to gain knowledge and independance for furture studies. 'Foul is fair' is displayed definitely in students attitude towards homework.
DeleteIn addition, it's not only homework that displays 'foul is fair' in the aspect of school. School in general could be seen as foul, although most can agree school benefits most as knowledge is to be developed by the help of teachers and administators. Generally, education may be seen as 'foul is fair'. However, those that enjoy school and education may argue differently in that school is purely fair, in which are those who have experienced greater outcomes of its true intentions.
Though I agree with the presence of “foul is fair” in modern-day entertainment, I disagree that this is natural human thinking. It is clear games as Call of Duty and Grand Theft Auto portray foul actions as fair, because players are rewarded with victory if the foul actions are successfully completed. In Grand Theft Auto for example, players win by stealing cars, recklessly driving, and speeding. Being rewarded for their foul actions instills amongst players that these actions are acceptable, or fair. However, this theme is not natural human thinking. On the contrast, humans are naturally good and fair individuals. This is demonstrated by young children, who are generally very unlikely to see foul actions as fair and vice versa. They have the basic ability to distinguish between good and bad. However, it is only when these children are conditioned by society that this ability fades. It is when children witness that lying and cheating can result in personal gain that they begin to continually act and think this way. It is when children are influenced by the “foul is fair” mentality, provided by video games for example, does this theme become a natural mentality in society.
DeleteThe meaning of "fair is foul and foul is fair" is fairly straightforward, but identifying it in a real world situation can be a very subjective matter. Take the well publicised (thanks to a recent viral internet campaign), crimes of one Joseph Kony. He displays all the classic qualities of a stone-cold psychopath. As a child he was intensely religious, becoming an altar boy for some time, but also very aggressive towards other children and anyone who disagreed with him. As an adult, Kony is notorious internationally for his crimes against humanity, including mass murder, child abduction, imprisonment, and debatably, polygamy. But in light of all this, some worship him as the second coming, as he retains his religious fervour to an unrealistic degree, reportedly using holy oils and cross-shaped attack formations to "protect people from bullets". His egotism seems boundless, as he calls his movement the "lord's resistance army" with the purpose of uniting Uganda under a christian theocratic government. To me, he is the definition of foul. But he's still out there. He's still waging his crusade. And there are people who support him and his regime out of their own selfish desires. The only way to change this is to get involved, join Kony 2012! -Marley H
ReplyDeleteAlthough I agree with James Kony being a horrible human being, I don’t think that it describes “fair is foul and foul is fair” very well. Nobody is on the other side of this issue. Those who support Kony are forced to support him because he has children with guns pointing them at the “supporters” faces. You cannot argue with someone about something they already agree with you about. Also, if “fair is foul and foul is fair,” what would be the silver lining in Kony’s foulness. Absolutely nothing.
Delete"Fair is foul and foul is fair" this quote shows how if someone is doing something good they will recieve no benefit, however if someone were to do something bad they would get no punishment and a possible reward.
ReplyDelete"Fair is foul" is portrayed in our society, an example of it is homeless people who are living on the streets with poor hygiene and are begging for money. They may all not have been druggies and turned out like this because of drugs. they may have had a really bad accident and may have lost their job and are just trying to support their family in whatever means neccessary. They are just good people who are looked at in a bad way because of their appearence.
This theme is represented well in our society in our social/political system. It is represented by all the grimy politicians out there who do what they do for themselves and to get higher in life even if it is the wrong thing to do. Some politicians are liars and cheaters they would promise something to gain your vote and once they are elected they will make an excuse and not be able to fulfill their promises and they will not get into trouble for it-- "Foul is fair".
"Fair is foul and foul is fair" is used alot in our society it benefits some people and depresses others.
The theme of “fair is foul and foul is fair” is exceedingly prominent in modern society, as the foul actions of individuals are often rewarded and encouraged as opposed to being punished and penalized. This is often evident amongst large, multinational corporations who take advantage of the Earth and its natural resources to reap the rewards. It is also seen in contact sports, such as ice hockey. For example, Proctor and Gamble, an American corporation responsible for several consumer-favourite products such as Febreze and Gillette, have been well known for testing their products on animals. PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) has filed several reports of the company’s immoral actions, however the company and its consumers continue to remain quiet and in denial about the issue. Despite their cruel actions toward innocent animals, consumers continue to view the company as a positive addition in society, as Proctor and Gamble products are continuously purchased and gladly used. As opposed to reprimand or negative consequences for their unreasonable and violent actions, Proctor and Gamble is instead rewarded with billions in profits for their foul actions. This serves as an example of the existence of “foul is fair” in society, because foul actions of hundreds of such companies, in which they take advantage of innocent individuals, are regarded as fair. Consumers continue to buy the products and therefore continue to contribute towards the success of the foul company.
ReplyDeleteSports such as ice hockey serve as another example of the existence of this theme in society. Though hockey plays a significant role in Canadian culture, and though the game brings out promise, hope, and collectiveness amongst fans and players, several violent and foul aspects of the game are evident. For example, fighting plays a major role in the sport. Most hockey teams also have a special role for an enforcer or a “goon” on the team, as this player serves primary purpose of aggravating, intimidating, and fighting players of the other team. Concussions and long-term brain damage are amongst the few serious injuries that result from fighting in hockey. The deaths of several famously-known enforcers in the game, such as Derek Boogard and Wade Belak, have been linked to the damage caused by fighting in their respective hockey careers. Thus, one may ask, if the long-term consequences of the foul action of fighting in hockey is clearly visible, why does it continue to progress? This is because though the action is clearly foul, modern society continues to see fighting in hockey as fair. Society enjoys and encourages fighting in hockey, and several fans only watch hockey games to witness and encourage these fights. The foul is seen as fair simply for the amusement of the general public.
The reversal of this theme in society is difficult, as the selfish nature of human beings often interferes with our ability to distinguish between what is essentially good or bad. To allow for the extinction of this theme in society, we must put aside the self-centered attitudes that are concerned only about making money, personal gain, and personal amusement.
The theme, “Fair is foul and foul is fair" is a paradox. It is a message that lets the reader know that the characters in the play will change. Just as the statement above, it holds a twisted meaning. Simply, it means, “whatever good is bad, and whatever bad can be good”. It starts with Macbeth; a trustworthy and praised hero. He leads and wins an edgy battle against rebels and invaders, proving him worthy as kinsman of King Duncan. The tables turn, as we are able to see at the start, the downfall of Macbeth, as his ambition for killing Duncan intensifies. We are beginning to see him as a villain; good (fair) becomes evil (foul).
ReplyDelete“Fair is foul and foul is fair”, represents itself in numerous ways in society today. For example, today, on a daily basis we are able to see, hear, and even do things that might seem right to one, yet is actually bad. We see this in multimillion dollar corporations where they commit acts that harms earth, yet all they want is profit. Deforestation for example, there are millions of reasons why doing it is bad, yet we sit back and let it happen. Do they realize that Trees are one of the biggest providers of oxygen to the atmosphere, and remove greenhouse gasses? Hundreds of tree living species are being wiped out? We are slowly killing cycles that were once here, and now is vanishing. However, I do understand the reasoning behind it, as the world we see now, it’s modernizing every day. Back in the days, there were no such worries, everything was good (fair), now all of this (foul).
"Fair is foul and foul is fair" can be defined in numerous ways. For example in reality this would apply in cases such as our society runs on this specific quote. People in general are always reaching for the stars but when they make it to the top, the ones left behind end up making it much more difficult then necessary. In this example the definition is when good things happen to a person it is considered a threat for other people, and to make themselves feel better they often feel the need to insult thoses who are living their dreams.
ReplyDeletePeople in general often feel threaten with others success which causes the quote "foul is fair and fair is foul" to come .
I strongly agree with this and I can't help but think of means girls, the movie. It's typical girl attitude to bring down someone's
DeleteAchievements by saying they can do better or that the person sucked. The person who actually did good is fouled and the person who brought the other person done feels good about taking down their competition - sam .
18 comments (excluding this) and its past 6. (y)
ReplyDeleteThe statement fair "Fair is foul and foul is fair" pushes aside the notion that what is fair is reasonable. If what is fair is also foul then we have a never ending cycle of "foulness" in the case that we always want to be fair, but as we know, life is not fair, meaning that life is not always foul which may appeal to some as a relief. For real world application, what might be right for some might not be right for others. If killing a terrorist leader seems fair for us to do so that he does not cause us harm, it may also be foul to them as they lose a leader and an icon that lead their long help beliefs. Fair is foul and foul is fair.
ReplyDeleteThe idea of 'what might be right for some might not be right for others' (Dean's words) is a different approach than many others. I strongly agree with this statement, as your example of the killing of a terroist may be fair for one but foul for another. Discrepancy is greatly shown in 'fair is foul and foul is fair.' Everyone's perception of something can be different. I had previously written about child labour, in that it is fair for us for we recieve cheap clothing and foul in the light of children working in terrible conditions. However, the children working in these factories may see this as fair. They are working to get paid, in which they need for survival. Although we may see this as extremely foul, fair is what may come first to mind for these children.
DeleteDifferent opinions may be scattered around the world when considering what is fair, and what is foul.
I also agree with the role that perspective plays in judging what actions are fair or foul. Certainly, actions which appear foul to one may be fair for another. For example, the role of major corporations in the existence of “fair is foul and foul is fair” in society has been greatly discussed in this blog. Though most may view actions of the company, such as testing products on animals, as foul, the company itself may view their own actions as fair. The company may believe that by testing their products on animals, they are ensuring the product is safe for their human consumers. In the company’s opinion, these actions are for the benefit of consumers, and therefore the action is fair. In this case, the fair action of the company is seen as foul by society. Thus, an individual’s perspective can result in greatly varying examples of the existence of the theme of Macbeth in modern society.
DeleteI strongly agree with Rafal's idea of food. Though lots of the food we eat is not very good for you it tastes great, while the stuff that is very healthy for you is not always the best tasting. Many fast food restaurants use this idea,
ReplyDeleteMc Donalds probably knows that the food they're serving is crap so they make deals or lower some of the prices so we give in because it's cheap and easy. The fast food restaurant chains know the food is foul and not the best for us but the price is fair. To us the buyer, the price is fair but the food is foul. Like many others said, its just a big cylce, fast food causes obesity but people buy it anyways, really we are just feeding the fire to make the restaurants get bigger and bigger allowing them to distribute even more products.
I agree with Dean's idea that foul is fair and fair is foul applies to different people in different ways. I see this in action with many sports. For example, in hockey a big fair hit can cause an injury for the other team while the team that caused the injury will be satisfied knowing that their player is out. The other team will be angered over what just happened because it was foul but it was a fair hit. There is no true balance between what is fair and what is foul.
ReplyDeleteahhh sorry Mr O I forgot to the responses cause I had rugby and I fell asleep when I got home :( -Marley H
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