29
Nov 12

Baby It’s Cold Outside

We had the first snow on campus this past Tuesday which raised the question on how to stay warm this winter season. Ear muffs? Fuzzy mittens? Puffy jackets? FOOTIE PAJAMAS. Yes. FOOTIE PAJAMAS. They are the most thermally practical: your body is encompassed from neck to toe keeping almost all of your body heat on the inside. Do a few jumping jacks in these before you head off to class and you are ready to face the cold.

To models this season’s  footie  prints, we have none other than yours truly,  and my roommate Colleen Tygh. You may recognize her from last week’s fanny pack   issue,  but she is back for more.

“Footie Pajamas are awesome. I put them on before I go to bed and then I don’t have to change in the morning. I tend to make a lot more friends while I am wearing them”- Colleen

“Footie Pajamas allow me to take naps anywhere, even standing up, but are simultaneously  flexible enough to run in, so I can wear them to the gym no problem. Sometimes people ask me to describe how I feel in my footie pajamas. Instead I rhetorically ask them, ‘How would you feel in body mitten? “-Jenny Dobson

Thanks for reading today. Stay warm. Stay comfortable.

Featured Stylists Facts: Jenny Dobson (me) and Colleen Tygh

Year: Both Freshman

Major: Biology -neuroscience and Psychology (me); Actuarial Science(Colleen)

My style in 3 words or less: (You guessed it) Footie-Pajamas

Ninja Turtle Footie Pajamas- Pajama Party, King of Prussia Mall $29.99

Snoopy Christmas Footie Pajamas-Pajama Party, King of Prussia Mall $29.99

 


29
Nov 12

The Dark Side to America’s Achievement Culture

Our team for the History of  Public Controversy is planning on going to the viewing of  “Race to Nowhere” this Friday afternoon. I am hoping that the audience that will be in attendance will have strong opinions on our issue.  My task for this project is to get the Professors’s/professional’s perspective on this issue. I have called Education and Behavioral Sciences Library and the Education Policy Studies Student Organization (EPSSA) who is hosting the event. They did not pick up but I will call again tomorrow. Hopefully they will be able to give their perspective on this  issue on campus and/or why they decided to host this viewing. For the interviews, I am envisioning short clips of professors  with sleek bold writing across the bottom with their name and maybe a quote or statistic. Also after the viewing they are hosting a 45 minute group discussion to “offer a critical examination of Abeles’ (the producer’s) narrative”.  Because the people hosting describe this as a “critical” examination, I think they will provide various perspectives and point of views. I would love to film and include parts this discussion in our video  because I think it will enhance exigence of this issue on campus. Including this discussion I think will help provide various perspectives on the issue.  Towards the beginning of our video, I want to show both sides of the issue but slowly progress towards persuading the audience to understand the education system is too blame.

As for the personal interviews of professors or students I think it would look effective to have all of the same backdrop (like a white wall). This could be a challenge because we are interviewing different parties at different times, but maybe we could at least have the same body position of chest up. Also if after we film we decide the videos are not consistent, we can still use them as voice overs to other powerful images.

For the opening scene I am imagining piano music with a black screen and bold letters with a quote or title, maybe the Race to Nowhere slogan “The Dark Side to America’s Achievement Culture”. We talked about an epigraph in class on Tuesday and I think that would also be effective for the self-reflective tone we are trying to give off.

 


28
Nov 12

Waiting for Superman: Daisy Deserves More Than a Chance

Waiting For Superman: Daisy deserves more than a chance

The clip starts with Daisy, an  ambitious young girl explaining her dream to become “a nurse, a doctor and a vetranarian”. The sweetness and innocence of Daisy draws the audience in immediately, and right from the start the audience wants Daisy to succeed as well.  The scenes that follow add to the tone of encouragement include Daisy’s teacher and parents explaining  her potential and how they believe she can do it. During the first thirty seconds of this clip, the producers reveal no problem to their audience.  Waiting to reveal the issue  makes the audience  intrigued on what will come next.

The following few scenes have a new narrator with a strong serious voice implying that no longer is this video simply about one girl’s dream. The narrartor describes Daisy’s future academic track with statistics on the public school while simultaneously providing visuals of the schools on the map.

“By the time she leaves Stevenson Middle School only 13% of students will be proficient in Math. Stevenson leads into Roosevelt, one of the worst performing high schools in Los Angelas.”

Interestingly before revealing the most devestating statistic, the visual changes to Daisy sprinting on a play ground.

“Only 3 out of 100 students at Roosevelt will graduate with the classes necessary for admission to a four year university. And 57% of Daisy’s classmates won’t graduate. “.

The audience begins to lose hope in Daisy’s chances of reaching her dreams. As a visual parallel Daisy runs on the playground and the viewer begins to doubt her chances of winning the race.

But just when the audience thinks there is hope for Daisy, the narrator introduces a new option: Kipp La Prep School where “students get triple the classroom time in Math and Science”.

Daisy is coloring on her bed as the Narrator explains that Daisy’s parents entered her into the Kipp Lottery, a chance to go the school. Subtle text pops up on the corner of the screen reading, “10 spaces 135 applicants”. The next scene shows parents and their children lining up outside the school with faces of hope and anxiety waiting to know if they or their child will get on a better path. No longer is this story only about Daisy’s dream but it is about the dreams of the 134 applicants that surround her as well.  2 kids names are drawn and their our cheers in the crowd but the camera zooms on Daisy’s face, quietly staring at the announcer and  text pops up on the screen “8 spaces”. The audience begins to fear for Daisy’s chances and they realize 125 kids will go home hopeless. Don’t these kids deserve more than a chance? Daisy’s Dad tell her to cross her fingers. It sounds ridiculous at first, but it helps the audience remember that Daisy’s future comes down to luck. The clip ends on Daisy’s uncrossed fingers placed in her lap with piano chords in the background. Without finding out whether she got picked to go to the school , the scene quickly fades to all black and then   “Waiting for ‘Superman'” slides across the screen in white letters,  reinforcing the idea that they are just waiting to be saved.

 


13
Nov 12

Fannypack Comeback

The accessory we all thought was gone for good is back: the one, the only, the  fannyback.

For those of you who have avoided the humiliation never gotten the chance to sport a fannypack, it is a pouch  you strap onto your hips. And apparently they are  known world-wide. In venezuela they call them koalas. In south Africa it is a moon bag. But maybe the most accurate term comes from the UK where they call it a bum bag.

Fannypacks first emerged in the mid-80s and erupted from then on into the 90s. You may remember them looking at little something like this…

During that time it was most likely for you to see a fanny pack  on a lost tourist or hip -hop dancer. People in 80s especially liked the  neon fanny pack featured above.   But this year it seems the fashion industry is trying to make a once nerdy accessory “trendy”. Let us see if they succeed. They don’t.

Today we have Colleen Tygh, my roommate and our featured stylist, wearing Urban Outfitters newest velvet magenta fanny pack.

Colleen explains,

“I almost considered buying it until I realized it was $30 and then realized it was a fannypack”.

The fanny pack has made a new appearance in trendy stores like Urban Outfitters. They may disguise its origin by calling it a hip purse, but we all know the truth– it is a fanny pack.

Although I respect an attempt at retro-fashion, fanny packs should stay where the belong–in the past. I wonder why Urban Outfitters truly tried to market them in first place. I cannot help but think it is some psychological study testing how influential the fashion industry is on the consumer. I can imagine their board meeting: If we say fanny packs are trendy, then people will believe they ARE trendy.

Anyways if you have a strong calling towards fanny packs or just want to look trendy this season, walk on over to Urban Outfitters and buy a velvet fanny pack. This particular one  comes in black and magenta.

BONUS: fanny pack means NO HANDS are necessary.

Featured Stylist: Colleen Tygh

Major: Actuarial Science

Her style: Plain preppy and comfortable


13
Nov 12

Ted Talk Reflection

  I completely underestimated the pressure of that sp0tlight. Once it came on I felt like my brain left my body.  I was  running through memory but felt disconnected from the moment. I could not stop myself from repeating phrases over and over. The TED talks I remember most are the ones where the speaker sounds like they are having a conversation with a friend;they are so present. However I feel like today I lacked presence and was also nervous to follow their friendly lead with such a serious topic like divorce.   I was afraid a joke would disrespect someone but looking back I think something lighter is what my speech needed.   I think I came off rather stiff and solemn but I wish I had been a bit more untamed and natural. The TED talk was something I could of had a lot of FUN with, but I cannot help but think I missed the chance.   Excluding my natural energy overall  led to a less engaging speech.    

Also throughout my TED talk I could not help but feel that I was generalizing too often and I ended up sounding a bit too preachy. In my essay I was allowed to have a gradual build up of details and facts placed strategically to convince my audience of my perspective, while letting them think they came up with the point on their own. However with such a lack of time throughout the TED talk, I feel like my order of thoughts was not nearly as smooth. I was so afraid my audience was going to miss the point that I tried to make it sound explicit. I think that may have come off a bit radical and instread of spreading idea, I was forcing ideas.

Overall even if I did not perform to the highest standards, I definitely learned from this experience and will take it with me. I will without a doubt have to make similiar presentations in my lifetime. We live in a world where effective communication matters and it is a skill I want to master. For now, I will consider myself a communicator in training and learn from the mistakes I made this round.


08
Nov 12

New Kind of White Out

 

It was refreshing to see the sea of white in the HUB today as riled up as we are at the football games. People  in white t-shirts were wearing their 100 days until THON shirts, all excited and filled with hope. The t-shirts symbolize not only our fight but the children’s fight. We are counting down the days to THON as they are counting down the days to a cure.

People today recognized that our clothing sends a message, and the message that we were saying is that we are not giving up. With such high criticism of Penn State this year,  I would like to know if any of them know how much the students dedicate to THON.


07
Nov 12

Reflection on TED talk

Knowing that my TED talk is tomorrow morning, I am getting more and more nervous. I wrote my paper on the sometimes unnoticed benefits of divorce. In comparing my paradigm shift essay to my future TED talk I am going to have to be extra cautious not to come off satirical or sarcastic. I think I naturally turn to sarcasm  to ease the pressure of a serious topic, but after reading Kyle’s comments on some of thediction in my paper I am realizing a serious tone in some parts of my speech is necessary and would be way more effective.  I also do not know how often I should switch tones in such a short speech. If I am jumping from happy to sarcastic, to casual, to sad all in one speech, my audience may not be able to follow my emotional roller coaster. On the other hand, remaining I do not want my audience to think I am boring and a variety of tones can sometimes enhance a performance  making it more engaging.  I am having trouble balancing my “performance” with my genuine concern for my topic.

Also in a paper I had so much more time to delve into the history of my topic and build up my ethos on why divorce is a “good thing”. I will not be able to include all of the historical context in this speech, but I still need to gain the audience’s confidence. Hopefully they can trust me through my body language and logical reasoning. Although I am trying to show the audience a specific perspective, I do not want to turn them away by being too radical or offensive. I want to show them I have a panoramic perspective and have considered the many aspects of divorces but I also do not want to confuse them by including too many perspectives. Because I am nervous I may offend someone whose parents are divorced I have made my friends whose parents are divorced listen to my speech. They have provided me with constructive criticism that I hope will ultimately allow me to portray an unpopular opinion without upsetting anyone. I want to ease people’s anxiety on divorce by showing them how high divorce rates reflect an individual’s freedom to make a choice towards happiness and new love.


07
Nov 12

Are we still thinking complexly?

I’m actually really excited for this project. Yesterday my team spent our class brainstorming and expressing what societal issues we were passionate about. We talked about presenting the pressure to fit a specific body image in society or the controversy over marriage equality for LGBTs. Although both are important issues, none of us expressed extreme interest in either.  As we continued talking Alyssa brought up her paper topic on the stress and  pressure  among students to get into the “top” schools, earn the highest SATS scores, etc. Her idea sparked everyone’s interest. We continued to discuss whether the United States education is still based on complex learning or whether students are just trying to get a piece of paper because society tells them to do so. Because this topic is so pertinent to culture today, we think making a video on it could actually benefit the Penn State community and we hope shed light on a sometimes covered perspective. We are hoping to interview students and professors on campus. I have also been in contact with Health Services to get statistics on stress. Just to give you an idea:

At Penn State, stress was reported as the #1 factor impacting academics (meaning received a lower grade on an exam, important project, or the course; received an incomplete or dropped the course; or experienced a significant disruption in thesis, dissertation, research, or practicum work.

A total of 49.4% of students (53.4% of females; 43.4% of males) reported that they had experienced more than average stress or tremendous stress within the last 12 months

A total of 87.2% of students (92% of females; 80% of males) reported that, at some time within the last 12 months, they had felt overwhelmed by all they had to do.

Of these students, 53.8% reported feeling overwhelmed in the previous two weeks.

64% of students were interested in receiving information about stress reduction from the university.

 

By creating a video on the education system and stress here at Penn State  we may be able to help students who are feeling this way by letting them know they are not alone. We will also try to include information on how to combat stress.  A challenge our group may specifically face is that none of us have expertise in iMovie, but we will hopefully be able to master it quickly so that we can make a movie we are proud of.


01
Nov 12

Confession: I am a pretentious bull-shitter

Throughout Morozov’s critique, he heavily warns against the manner in which TED talks with the  motto  “Ideas worth spreading” has transformed into “ideas no footnotes can support”. Morozov spends the majority of his article analyzing the work of Parag and Ayesha Khanna, the authors of Hybrid Reality, a short TED published book. Morozov uses Khannas’ superficial and loop-holed argument on the benefits of technology in society, to illustrate how our supposed intellectual-elite have a tendency to succumb to generalizations when arguing and analyzing. Morozov argues, the Khannas’ and many other TED talkers use of  reoccurring generalizations has lead to a masquerade of the complexity of reality and could be considered a product of the present pressure to find solutions quickly rather than honestly or panoramically.  While mocking Khannas’ theory of the Hybrid Age, Morozov effectively reveals the theory’s distortions in their definitions, “perhaps this is what the Hybrid Age is all about: marketing masquerading as theory, charlatans masquerading as philosophers, a New Age cult masquerading as a university, business masquerading as redemption, slogans masquerading as truths”. With so much literature jargon surrounding media, it is hard for audiences to decipher the credibility of really anything. It is a sad but common occurrence and as Morozov points out “charlatans are masquerading as philosophers” or in other words, people are purely selling ideas for money and fooling the public into thinking they are in the midst of altering the universe.

While reading Morozov’s article, I agreed with his points so thoroughly that I felt as if he was ripping the honesty out of me and forcing me to face the fact that I sporadically bullshit arguments.  Morozov uses philosopher and Princeton professor,  Harry Frankfurt to establish the definition of a bullshitter,  “[a bullshitter] is not interested in reality at all. The bullshitter “does not care whether the things he says describe reality correctly. He just picks them out, or makes them up, to suit his purpose.'” Often drowning in the complexity of arguments and pressed on time, I have noticed a sad tendency to take the easy way out and ignore the logic puzzle that my brain is itching to crack, if only I would give it the opportunity. Instead I pick and choose facts to obtusely fit my simple regurgitation of something I and the reader already know. Not cotempt but tired, I submit it anyway, hoping my GPA remains at least high enough to get me to the next rung in the ladder.

Trying my best to not bullshit now is actually really hard, and requires deep thought (imagine that) rather than simple words. It is three  in the morning, and  with a paper, 2 presentations, and 2 tests coming up, it is tempting to put thinking on the back burner and simply write.  With the continual push to perform my “best” and the constant fear of falling behind, I sporadically bull shit just to keep up, denying myself  the necessary time to actually reflect on the complex issues that are in front of me.

I fear, because I know this method of speed-writing comes off as narrow-minded when I truly fear worn out. I wish I had time to stop and think. Forbes magazine  recently published their “Top 10 Worst College Majors” and ranked #4 was philosophy with the justification that the median earnings for recent grads is $30,000.  But perhaps more philosophy majors is what we need in today’s world. People who dedicate their lives to thinking complexly and endlessly, without the pressure to produce or the  extrinsic economical motivator.

The pattern of lack of complexity coinciding with a lack of time routinely shows up in TED talks, as Morozov points out. Here is a prime example of oversimplifying, with Jenna McCarthy’s discussion on “What you don’t know about marriage”. In the eleven minute talk McCarthy attempts to encompass the huge of question of what does and does not make a marriage work, succeed, or survive. This is an overwhelming topic and she is not an expert nor should be even be considered a reliable source. The only credibility she holds onto is the fact that she is married. She uses humor throughout her talk  which prevents her speech from becoming preachy but ultimately confuses her audience because we cannot tell if her humor is just a mechanism to cover-up her generalized statistics she tries to apply to the married-public.  One specific trend she attempts  to apply is that “in the happiest marriages,  the wife is thinner and better looking than the husband”. She provides no further explanation to this trend other than a chuckle with a “It is obvious, right?” She never defines what a “happy marriage” embodies, nor does she explain how a study comparing the better looks between husband and wife was conducted. She ends up generalizing saying this makes sense because “women care about being good looking while men care about sex”. There was some hope that she might be using this  stereotype satirically, but as the talk continues the audience realizes that that is not the case. These generalizations are dangerous and I could imagine offensive, even if they were said in light humor. If attempting to talk about a massive topic like “what makes a marriage work” one should at least have a message that stretches further than  supporting stereotypes with unreliable statistics. Overall, my initial reaction after watching this was “that was a waste of time”.  Maybe I missed the point because I am not married, but I doubt it. She tries but fails to answer the complexity of original question and instead spends eleven minutes over-simplifying and generalizing.  This makes me question the TED talk company and I wonder if someone somewhere genuinely thought that Jenna McCarthy’s message was an “idea worth spreading”? How exactly do TED talkers ger picked? Would she have had a stronger speech if we let her explain herself in 22 minutes instead of 11?Where do we draw the line of bullshit? http://www.ted.com/talks/jenna_mccarthy_what_you_don_t_know_about_marriage.html

Having just criticized and mainly agreed with Morozov’s criticism’s, I wonder if  these criticisms of the TED talks may limit potential remarkable 10 minute speakers from performing: is it better to encourage bullshit or silence?

With assignments, encouraging silence is generally not an option.  But with this upcoming assignment, I am afraid my lack of skill and experience will result in “bullshit” no matter how dedicated I am to doing the opposite.

A challenge I will probably face is  becoming comfortable with not necessarily being able to solve an entire problem in 3 minutes. I can openly admit that I have probably been in Jenna McCarthy’s shoes multiple times. If anyone tries to cram  finding a solution to a complex issue into 3 minutes, he or she will almost always over-simplify and generalize. I need to take this into account moving forward and find a balance between illustrating something of importance without attempting to provide an simple solution to a complex problem.

 

 


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