Essays

Compare and Contrast Essay
Online communication vs in-person communication.

    What is so different about talking online versus talking in person with others? Communication over the internet is unquestionably handier and quicker. But is it wiser? We do not really miss opportunities to make friends, but we do miss a more social connection and even risk our safety because the person on the other side of the wire may not have so much integrity. People tend to behave in two wholly separate manners when it comes to these forms of interaction, and it is up to us to determine which is greater.
     When we meet someone in person for the first time, we like to make eye contact, in order to relate with the other. We are social beings, and we want to find a few friends who share common interests and ideas. We (mostly) do not like to disagree and desire to have everything be in diplomatic harmony. For this reason, we have adopted the rules or our predecessors: If you don’t have anything nice to say, don’t say anything at all. In order to keep the peace, it is better to hide one’s opinions to prevent a potential argument. Therefore, we are more polite to each other. We want all to coexist, and to achieve such tranquility, we should be good, nice little human beings, who are oh so kind to one another.
     If, however, something arises to anger or upset us, or even causes us any amount of displeasure, we do have means to let our feelings be known in a “good” way. Very subtly, we let slip a certain phrase that just might catch the attention of the other person. Of course, in context, it was just a harmless opinion, but if said in a particular manner or tone, can mean a great deal more. For example, I once witnessed a peculiar scene in a mall: a man was selling t-shirts at a kiosk, and a very large, heavily obese woman approaches. She takes an interest in the shirts and asks for the price. The man gave her the price, and added, “By the way, they come in all sizes.” (He put an awful lot of emphasis on the word all.) So, it seems that even if something may cause us the least bit of annoyance, our instinct to keep the day peaceful definitely comes into play.
     The same goes for flirting. If someone makes an obvious move and is rejected, it’s embarrassing, humiliating! Hopefully a move can be done very cleverly, and if it turns out to be a blind alley, nobody needs to notice.
     Our personal image is a significant key part in social behavior. We not only want everyone to be in harmony, we also want others to like us. It’s so aggravating to know that some moron wants to look down on us and our thoughts and ideas, and maybe perhaps even trod upon them. We allow enemies to ruin our day. They are so infuriating! Why can’t we all just be nice?
     However, when it comes to online behavior, my goodness, how the wild and outrageous behavior proliferates. It is as if our world and the other person’s world are entirely separate. All rules, walls, boundaries, and limitations have vanished into a void along with the connection that would naturally come with eye contact. It doesn’t matter the number of abuses that are flung out or received, we can still have a nice day because they never actually happened to us directly.
     There is no way to see the other person’s reaction, therefore, we haven’t the vaguest idea how much peace we have just disrupted by throwing that very direct insult out there (man selling t-shirts: “That woman is such a hideously fat pig!”). Honestly, if we don’t feel it, no bother. We can lash out at those annoying fools who think they know everything, or tell our ex-boyfriend or ex-girlfriend what a stupid jerk he or she was in a rather vicious email, and then go about our day as happy and normal as can be, thinking about such nice people we are. It is nothing less than amazing how being online can detach us so absolutely from what we call the “real world.”
     Need I mention that the flirting reaches incredible levels too? On MySpace, some random guy asked me to add him as a friend, and also requested in the same message if I would like to have phone sex with him sometime! (I was sure to flag the guy’s account as well as his message as inappropriate immediately.) Nobody is really watching except for the people involved in the conversation, so anything goes.
     Oh, and what is perhaps both the best and the worst thing about online communication, is the fact that it can be totally anonymous. One never knows who one is talking to. Is it really your friend from school? Or has her trouble-making little brother hacked her Facebook account while she went to the bathroom? That guy you met online, is he really a twenty-four-year-old, six-foot-two, National Champion linebacker at a prestigious college? One can talk up a storm about one’s friends, and they’ll never know. Of course, anonymous online transactions can be used to track down and arrest criminals (if you watch Dateline), but then, those same criminals can use the system to lure in their next victim.
     The question is which method is better, safer, and smarter? Online is definitely more convenient, but also risky and potentially dishonest. Talking in-person is certainly more sincere in many cases, but also quite reserved with rules on politeness, and therefore more difficult.
     The behavioral aspect is what determines which is superior in communication. Some people cannot stand the abused verbal freedom of the internet. Others cannot stand holding their tongues. One could suppose that we must choose for ourselves which is the better choice; personally, I simply wish that we could reach that point of honesty where the decision isn’t so significant.

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Example Essay
Does a leader's private life have anything to do with his/her public life?

    A leader’s private life has almost everything to do with his or her public life. Whether this person is honest or untrustworthy in his personal environment will reflect upon his treatment of those lower than him in rank and authority. Why would a politician have a reason to be insincere? Is it a reason that concerns us, the people? Leaders who give lies to deceive the people for their individual advantage reveal something about their personality that they would never say aloud: that they are ready to walk on others in order to gain something for themselves.
     Former president Bill Clinton cheated on his wife with Monica Lewinsky and then lied to cover up his trail. This revealed that he was willing to do something morally wrong and then do whatever it took to get away with it. A person like this should not be in power, as he or she may be prone to commit unjust acts against other politicians or the people.
     Usually when we are in public, we are occasionally inclined to put on a façade. We don’t want people to see a certain something about us, something that may demean our image. A woman may have ugly teeth, so she won’t smile too broadly. A man might think others will be annoyed with his political stance, so he will just pretend to be on everybody else’s side. Or perhaps a political leader doesn’t want the public to see his affinity for drastic over-spending, so he’ll try not to play with his big-boy toys too much while everyone is looking.
     While some of these fronts are inconsequential and harmless, others mean a great deal when the occupants of any given country may suffer for them. A man or woman in office who holds him/herself in such high regard may ignore the wants and even the needs of those beneath him: the public people, like you and me.
     A leader’s true character shows in his or her private life. If a State Representative says his first concern is the welfare of his country, but has instead done detrimental things to the community for his own benefit (such as buying a personal jet with money that could have been used to promote education or cancer research), this man is obviously deceitful and cannot be trusted in office. If a Congresswoman claims that she is pro-life but has made no effort while in power to reduce the amount of abortions taking place, then she is a dishonest person, whether or not abortion is wrong.
     It is nothing less than a character study. If a person in power makes a fabrication, what is he or she trying to cover up? Is it a severe flaw in personality? Should it be taken seriously? The woman mentioned earlier who wouldn’t be caught dead with a wide grin on her face because of her horrifying teeth isn’t likely to hurt anybody. Perhaps the most important thing to be determined about deceitful politicians is whether they are being two-faced in order to achieve personal gain at the expense of the people. How can we have confidence in such a treacherous hypocrite?
     If, however, a leader’s private life correctly reflects his or her public life, we see not only honesty, but possibly other great virtues as well. If a mayor backs up her stance on care for the helpless by paying out of her own pocket for others’ benefit, she validates her own kindness and loving nature. This person is not only truthful but is also justly concerned about the good of the country as well.
     Of course, this does not mean that we should bury ourselves in our politicians’ private lives—they do want a bit of solitude, the same as us—but we should be aware of how they behave when among, say, their closest friends or family. Clinton temporarily abandoned his wife and children for another woman. A man who leaves the one closest to his heart so easily should have no individual problem forsaking his people in a moment of opportunity.
     The important thing is to know about our politicians, and that does not imply searching the latest local tabloids. The most effective way would be to do research. How does this man’s voting record hold up with his assertions for improved government spending? Has she really worked hard to make more jobs for the unemployed? Honesty is the key for these politicians as much as it is for us.