Raytown High School - Ramizzou Yearbook (Raytown, MO)

Page 11 text:

t :1 f. teehnetegr er a:aea aliena Elan Frustra tion and aIiena tion are often the products of technical advancements that solve old problems but create new ones. For example, the computer industry revolutionizes all facets of American life. Raytown High School utilized computer services in 1984 to grade papers and keep records of ' attendance and grades. Raytown families joined the masses buying home computers and playing Video games; however, as contact With machines increases, contact, With humans de- creases. Sociologists question what a lack of human interaction may mean to us. If we continue to work closely With machines, Will we become unemotional robots ourselves? In a popular summer movie thar Gamesfh a teenager accidentally taps into the U. S. military defense system. Following the movieis release, govern- ment officials assured us that such a threat to national security could never occur, but within weeks the FBI arrested groups of hackers Who had penetrated security systems of busin- esses, hospitals, and, indeed, the U. S. government. Such arrests promoted editoriah'sts to call for htmoral instruc- tion in computer classes to promote responsible eomputer use rather than selfish abuse for entertainment. Another technical innovation changing the lifestyle of Raytown residents in the 805 is cable TV which allows the community to become part of the hhglobal Villagett predicted by media analyst Marshall McLuhan. Although cable Viewers have the opportunity to be better informed about the world FGive us 18 minutes and wetll give you the worldtll, the average student Viewer watches more than 40 hours of TV per week becoming a spectator rather than a partitipant in life. Psychologists study the effects'of such heavy doses of TV on students who see over 1,000 TV murders by the time they are 16, and Witness all problems unrealistically solved within the confines of an hour program. TV also frustrates the average viewer as he tries to participate in a world of commercial perfection where models with perfect bodies sell products he can possibly never hope to afford. ;-;;-:be 19:32:;fw.L,.s-:;;....'.';.n.,.nL--wr- ranch- An;- .- . ,. , .. w; ' , 3.1:. .-. :-- :1 -..:-'- :1 .n,--:.-,;;...;r -,'-;y:w;,;.;

Page 10 text:

Page 12 text:

team. from pg. 7J Another concern brought about by technology is the deterioration of our environment by oil sp1'115 and strip mining in efforts to access unlimited and cheap energy sources. In 1983 the threenhouse Effecth, caused scientists to worry about increased temperatures and subsequent melting of ice Hoes and rising levels of ocean waters due to destruction of the ozone layer of the atmosphere. After two summers of numerous heat related deaths, the potential of higher temperatures and other side effects due to our interference with the environment offered another source of worry and frustration for the concerned citizen. Technology also offers hope, but strangely enough, more frustrations. Medical knowledge provides Iife-support systems and transplants to prolong life but forces individuals to make choices regarding life and death. Although we weICome cures for diseases and anxious- 1y anticipate the elimination of birth defects and .a cure for cancer tor even the common coIdL we face the choices medicine gives us with confusion and frustration when they invoIve moral dilemmas. In the late 70s thf it feels good, do ith became a popular and common attitude. Consequently, people whose value system was dictated by personaI pIeasure became known as the hhmeb generation. Unfortunately, this selfish attitude has been passed down and is now a realistic part of the 803. More frequently, future spouses sign marriage contracts designating ihwho does whathh and hhwho gets what after the marriageb, before the actual ceremony takes place. Although this may be a realistic way of j avoiding future problems, it also shows a lack of trust already existing before the marriage begins. Too many people ' get married with the attitude of thf it doesn,t work out, we can get a divorce. h, Marriage is a way of fighting isolation and loneliness, but if either of the partners is inconvenienced in any way, divorce creates greater frustration and alienation. Divorce obvioust splits two adults, but the Iong-reaching effects on children of divorce I. have not been