Making Learning Fun with AAC_ How Gas Prices Affect Our Lives

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Corbin Puryear », economy », gas prices », Guest Writers », heroes », Hugh Jackman »,
oklahoma », staff writer »
Making Learning Fun with A.A.C.: How Gas
Prices Affect Our Lives
MONDAY, NOVEMBER 3, 2008
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A.A.C. Puryear STAFF WRITER
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Well, folks, I think I should consider myself a very happy
man. Two and a half weeks ago, I asked you all to start
sending me things that have happened in our society that
you would like to see written into one of my very own
cultural analysis articles. I was elated with the responses I
got, making me realize that you all are so awesome that I
need to start treating you better. For the past few months, I
have referred to you by demeaning generic terms like
“readers”, “fans”, “viewers”, and even the incredibly vague
“audience”. Occasionally, I’ll add PopSense in front of each
of these words, but it still doesn’t feel right to me. It’s too
easy. I guess if I wanted to be a little bit more personal, I
could refer to each of you by your real names, but that
would take an extremely long time. So instead, I am going to
take a page out of the book of Will Ferrell’s version of James
Lipton: I am going to make up a word to describe just how
awesome you really are.
PopSenthusiast! A merging of the words “PopSense” and “Enthusiast”!
Okay, I feel better. Now on to the heart of today’s article, the topic today comes from fellow
PopSenthusiast Ryan. Ryan comments, “If I could suggest something, it would probably be anything
related to gas prices.”
Ah yes, gas prices. I touched on this slightly in “A Call to Arms”, but the issue can be addressed
further.
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I remember the days when I was a freshman in high school and the upperclassmen generally only
carried five dollars in their wallets. Why? That was enough to pay for whatever gas they needed.
That was five years ago. Now you’d be lucky to get anything close to a mere two gallons of gas with
that kind of money. Thankfully, the price has dropped from the heinousness that it was this past
summer, but it’s still to the point that if we want to travel by car often, we have to fork over more and
more cash. Frankly, I just don’t drive much anymore. Granted, that might have to do with the fact that
car batteries and I haven’t been getting along recently or the fact that I live in the heart of a college
town where almost all of my daily excursions can be reached by walking, biking, or taking the bus.
However, not everyone’s in my boat. A number of people commute however many miles to work
everyday and anyone living in a small town is pretty much stranded if they don’t have access to a car
in some way (I know this from experience).
Solution: we all mimic Dr. Mohinder Suresh from Heroes and
figure out how to give ourselves superhuman abilities! Flight
and super-speed would completely eliminate the use of cars
and free us from the entire concept of gas prices! Problem
solved!
Okay, anyone has a decent grasp of reality and doesn’t
spend his or her free time daydreaming of what superpowers
would make life easier (guilty as charged) knows that this
isn’t possible. Furthermore, if you’ve been watching Heroes
this season, you also know that it would be a terrible idea if it
were possible. More on that for another time.
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There doesn’t appear to be some cure-all solution to this
problem. But thankfully, this blight has come with blessings in
disguise. This past summer, Time Magazine published an
article “10 Things You Can Like About $4 Gas”, illustrating
what new benefits we can indulge due to the fact gas prices
are higher. You can read the article yourself, but some of
2/11/11 9:54 PM
Making Learning Fun with A.A.C.: How Gas Prices Affect Our...
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these bonuses include cheaper insurance, less pollution, less traffic and car accidents, and less
obesity. Sounds like a good deal to me. Granted, these are all on the basis of people driving less
because of the high gas prices, but I think it’s safe to say people are actually doing this. We’re all
figuring out in what tasks in our lives really need the use of a car, and adjusting the ones we can do
without.
And guess what: some businesses are actually doing better because of the high gas prices. To explain
this, I turn to my economics professor, who will have his name changed like Dame’s Dude since I
haven’t asked him if it’s okay to use it. From henceforth, he will be known as Dr. Zing (“Dr.” since he
has a Ph.D. and “Zing” because it’s part of his real name, I’m having too much fun with wordplay
today).
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Dr. Zing explains how every good has complements and supplements. Complement goods go with the
original good itself, so if people buy more of one, they are more than likely to buy more of the other.
Cars and gas fit this model pretty well; one can’t really fulfill its purpose without the other. Then there
are supplement goods, which take the place of the initial good for whatever reason a buyer might
have. In this case, someone might buy a bike in order to counteract the car’s ability to guzzle down
both gas and his or her money.
Yet, Zing takes this a step further; we don’t buy
as much gas, so we don’t use our cars like we
used to do, which can have quite an affect on
our social lives believe it or not. We’re not going
out as much as before because it’s too
expensive, so we stay in. Instead of going out to
the movie theater on Friday night to see
whatever just hit the big screen, we all flock to a
friend’s house to watch a movie ordered off of
Pay-per-View or rented from a video store, and
pop some popcorn you got from the grocery
store instead of paying for that stuff you get at
the movie theater. Or maybe a movie isn’t fitting
for the evening, so a friend breaks out Rock
Band and Guitar Hero and everyone has a blast
playing video games.
What’s the point I’m trying to make here? Sure, our buddies Exxon and Carmike are taking a bit of a
hit because of this oil problem, but Direct TV, Orville Redenbacher, and ActiVision are doing just fine.
And so are we. Yes, it is a little unnerving to think how the price of one product can start to have a
change on your life, especially when you start to think about everything that is currently happening with
our economy. We don’t really know what lies ahead or how our lives will be affected by the factors we
cannot control, but we can take solace in the fact that we can adjust to whatever problem we face.
With strife also comes benefit, so there will always be something in which we can put our hope, like
the fact that a new season of Lost is getting closer and closer to premiering as each day passes.
Okay, I kinda went all over the place with this article. Here’s the cliff-notes if I lost you somewhere in
my nerdy economics talk:
1) PopSenthusiasts (i.e. you) are awesome
2) Making up names and words is fun
3) Having superhero powers could solve most of the world’s problems (and probably create new ones)
4) Gas prices can have quite an affect on our lives
5) There is a good in everything, we just have to find it
This was Phase 1 in what I call the PopSenthusiast Interactive Initiative, or PII for short. In this, I plan
to take the your input and turn it into articles for you to read on PopSense. How did you think this one
worked out? What would you like to see next? You can send me any ideas, topics, or (what I’d really
like to see) newsworthy incidents that you think I can twist (i.e. Snoop Dogg going country) to
[email protected].
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http://www.popsense.com/2008/11/making-learning-fun-with-a...
Unfortunately, you will not see this in the near future, because I
am going to take a brief hiatus from PopSense. A combination
of schoolwork getting quite burdensome towards the end of the
semester and being in the musical “Oklahoma!” that opens in a
few weeks is making my schedule busier and busier. However,
I ask that you still continue to send me with what you want to
see, because come December, I will be back with more PII, TV
reviews, cultural analyses, and hopefully some brand new
surprises.
Peace, Love, and POPSENSE!
2/11/11 9:54 PM
Making Learning Fun with A.A.C.: How Gas Prices Affect Our...
http://www.popsense.com/2008/11/making-learning-fun-with-a...
5 comments »
Brian said:
mm, good one, i never saw the benefits of high gas prices, but you have a point!
November 03, 2008
Diane said:
cool, oklahoma, good luck! You will be missed, thanks for all the great articles! I'll try to think of
some ideas!
November 03, 2008
Anonymous said:
another winner AAC, enjoy your month of craziness, we'll miss you!
November 03, 2008
Christine said:
hmm, i have to think of some articles for you, it's so cool that you actually followed a suggestion
like that. great job!
November 03, 2008
Melissa said:
haha, love the references to Lost and Heroes within this very interesting article!
November 03, 2008
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2/11/11 9:54 PM