Protest, protest, and more protests! Hands up, don’t shoot! Read this for a chance to win one million dollars! Sorry, I do not have a million dollars to give you but I figured the last few sentences would get your attention. Attention is defined as the focusing on specific features of the environment or on certain thoughts or activities according to our text, (Goldstein, 2011). People crave attention and seek attention to get things said or done. Whether it is to further a cause, get a point across, or to accomplish a goal, attention is needed. When you look at the recent events going on in America right now, everyone involved is using attention or seeking it in some way. The protesters are looking for attention to get their voices heard, the police are paying attention to every move they make to stay safe and the media is seeking the attention of the public through racy headlines and continuous media coverage.
When you look at all the recent protests around America against police brutality, racism, and injustices it is clear that the protesters want the attention of the federal government and lawmakers. Most of the protesters are using selective attention, which is defined as the focusing of attention on one specific location, object, or message according to our textbook. Their message is no justice, no peace and that all lives matter. In the majority of cities, the protesting has been peaceful with a few antagonizing individuals mixed in with the crowds. In Dallas, the protest was peaceful until the end when the domestic terrorist showed up and participated in the tragic events we all know about. It is very sad and unfortunate, and ultimately words cannot describe the pain all those people involved must feel.
The police officers involved at all these rallies and protests are using divided attention, which is defined as attending to two or more things at once. When the police officers are on the scene of these protests they have to constantly be paying attention to what is directly in front of them, above them, and around them. The police also have to use overt attention, which is shifting attention by moving of the eyes. Police officers have to constantly monitor everything and find every threat. Covert attention is also used by police officers when at these protest. Covert attention occurs when attention is shifted without the moving of the eyes, which is commonly referred to as seeing something “out of the corner of ones’ eye” as defined by (Goldstein, 2011). All these types of attention are used by police to maintain the safety of everyone at these rallies and protests.
The media loves to have the public’s attention. They constantly tease us with headlines and tell us to stay tuned at 5 or 6 for more information. The media wants our undivided attention so that not only can they report a story, but also so that their ratings rise. Every time I turn on CNN, Fox News, or any other media outlet I usually see a headline across my television screen. Sometimes I think that they believe, the more outlandish the headline the faster we will give them our undivided attention.
Attention is something that is very valuable and meaningful to get things accomplished. Attention is something that is used and gained every day. In the protestors’ case, I believe that the peaceful protests are bringing meaning to their cause and getting the attention of lawmakers and people in charge. Every day I see more athletes and celebrities speaking up about various issues in regards to all the recent protests. The police officers are trying to keep everyone safe at these rallies while focusing their attention to various places. The media is also doing a great job in covering all the things that are going on and giving the public an unfiltered look at the issues and things going on in America right now. Overall, I think that if every citizen uses their attention to focus on unifying, the America I love will heal and be a much safer place to live and thrive.
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I love this post so much. I do agree with what you are saying. Everyone is trying to get their voices heard either to make a change or to make a rebuttal. We are at a sad time in America, trying to end a war on race that was established in this government from the beginning, or as others see it beginning a war on race. Perception and attention are tricky concepts. They make people see things in a different concept. We have some people that do not understand what these black lives matter rallies are about and only selectively attend to what they want too. Then we have other people who are taking in everything that goes on around them and not being played for a fool. This type of thinking reminds me of the bottleneck model proposed by Broadbent. This model states that the large amount of information that we hear is filtered based on how fast the person is speaking and the pitch of the speaker (Goldstein, 2011). In relation to what is going on in the world news reporters who are supposed to be bias represent their information very differently across the board. For example, how some races are introduced in public news, which can alter our perception of certain people. In other words, I do hope that we all join together as one. We all need to realize we are all the same, but inhibit different cultural aspects. Which we should understand that different cultures are a good thing and make the human race special.