“Shakespeare’s Sister” by Virginia Woolf
After reading Shakespeare’s sister, I wanted to thank Virginia Woolf for reminding us of the hardships of being a woman. The way she phrased how women evolved was delivered in a serious manner, expressing how she viewed and analyzed historical events that placed women in a disadvantaged position. By using Shakespeare’s sister as a metaphor, she paints the picture that in the olden days, regardless of your skill, talent or dignity, your fate is determined at the day you were born just because you are a woman. A woman is more than a housewife, more than a cook and seamstress, just as man, we are capable of leading hundreds, solving problems, and are just as capable of creative expression.
This writing prompted deep reflection on today’s society, even though gender inequality still exists, we still have come a long way. I am thankful to all the feminists who stood up for one another, who stood up for what is right, allowing us to have the capacity of freedom of speech, voting rights, financial freedom and access to education. Woolf wrote “ You have never shaken an empire or led an army into battle”, this reminds us that although it is written in stone that women may not have had the same authority or representation as men, but it should not stop oneself from achieving their full potential
“How Companies Learn Your Secrets” by Charles Duhigg
I remember reading about the story mentioned in the article last year, where the father knew the news that his daughter was pregnant through mail, and not from his own daughter. It does seem a little scary, the idea that large corporations know more about your family than you do. At the start of the article, it did give the idea that consumers should be aware and in fact scared of corporations using our data. However, as I read on, I am seeing why companies really do this.
I think we should look at it like the process of evolution, and businesses inevitably have to adapt to survive. The article shows in how companies achieve that by using psychology to create targeted advertisements that shape consumer choices. I aspire to be a business analyst one day, where I will need to extract data to gain insights and produce recommendations for companies, and I’d say that it is very clever for companies to approach customers this way, it saves resources but also optimizes time and energy to connect with potential buyers who are actively seeking their products or services. With that being said, companies should strongly enforce data protection acts, as it remains a factor in ensuring the responsible use of consumer data.
