Rough Draft for Persuasive Presentation (4/16/14)

Posted on April 10, 2014 by Nicole

The topic of my persuasive essay is on videogaming, and how it affects us as species, and as individuals. A lot of people, both male and female, young and old, love to read for fun and watch movies in their spare time for the same reasons that people love to play video games. People can play video games alone as a relaxing pastime or to be more focused on its content, but they can also be played together, allowing friends and even families, to communicate with each other and bond like never before. These games are becoming increasingly convenient: they can be played on computers, console systems, or even handhelds, for more mobile access while on the go. They have become increasingly interactive: there are now specific learning games from LeapFrog for toddlers and small children, to the invention of Virtual Reality for medical, technical, and recreational reasons.  The average 8-18 year old plays video games for approximately 13.2 hours per week, and about two in four people consistently play some kind of video game often. It isn’t hard to ascertain that video gaming has been a popular medium for expression in our society for decades, and with each decade, the graphics and the storylines just get better and better, but with more refined, realistic video games, comes more pronounced opposition to the genre.

Why is that? Video games, for almost as long as they have been alive for, have bore the blame of being physically incapacitating, of being terrible overall for children (morally and cognitively), for creating anti-social teenagers and other members of society, and most of all, for violence. Specifically gun violence. With mass shootings by teenagers occurring quite frequently, take for example, Virginia Tech, Columbine, and Newtown, people have begun searching for probably causes as to why the shooters acted in the way they did. The media has centered on video games as a major culprit to this and other major problems. I’m writing to disprove this.

I believe that video games have many positive benefits, and in fact, I believe that playing video games can make you an even more well-rounded person than those who don’t. If you think about it, videogames are a lot like books or movies and with innovative technology, videogames aren’t so far behind either of these things in terms of quality story-telling and eye-catching cinematic features. A lot of people love to read for fun and watch movies in their spare time for the same reasons that people love to play videogames. The characters in videogames are oftentimes engaging and interactive, relatable and lifelike, where it is easy for the player to be emotionally attached to characters and readily immersed in an alternate universe much in the same way that a reader would for a book or a movie-goer for a specific movie. Knowing this, it shouldn’t be at all surprising to hear that a lot of well-done, popular videogame series’ and franchises in our society are being turned into movies so that they can reach and enlighten a wider audience. Videogames are awesome. You like music? Videogame soundtracks. You like books? Videogame storylines. You need a friend? Videogame characters. You like beautiful scenary? Video game graphics. Videogames have the potential to be powerful, meaningful, motivating, and totally thought-provoking and it is a shame that a scores of people will dismiss them and miss out on these special messages just because it’s from a medium that is unfamiliar to them. For as long as I can remember, I’ve played video games, and they’ve taught me more about love and loss, bravery and resilience, strategy and quick thinking, than anything else in my life.

I take each common criticism and refute them one by one, and that’s mainly how I set up my essay. First, I talk about how video games can bring everyone together, then I discuss their role in the violence claim, then after refuting that with evidence, I move onto talking about the technology vs. real world debate, about the educational drawbacks and then about the physical liabilities that are commonly associated with video games.

I’ve researched things from a bunch of different sources: mainly various psychological studies in various countries in which the correlation between different aspects of the brain match or don’t match up with video game playing. My research has concluded that there is actually no correlation between video games and violence (even for the more violence genre of games like zombie-killers and shooters) and there’s a positive correlation between brain development and maturation and playing video games, too. Playing video games actually makes you a healthier person: they are enjoyable, educative, and healthy. 

I believe the “way forward” would be to dismiss the incorrect allegations and negative stereotypes surrounding video game playing in the general public. Even though this form of expression is so prevalent in every corner of the globe, and in almost every home, video games have been the brunt of a multitude of insults and misrepresentations in the habits of children and teens for some time now. Video games should be better represented and given more credit for their many positive effects, rather than their incorrect misrepresentations in the media and beyond. They should be given more credit for what they do right, rather than what some people think they do wrong.

 

 

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Counting…Blog Posts?

Posted on March 27, 2014 by Nicole

Counting Stars – One Republic

Hey, guys! So the method I was using now to write about songs in my previous passion blog post has worked a lot better than what I was doing before, plus, it’s much less tedious. So, that’s always a positive. Without further ado, let’s get into it.

“A lot of time I just lay in bed awake, stressing out,” Tedder said. “Everybody does it. And I just thought, I can’t wait until I’m counting stars and not counting dollars anymore. Things will be so much better.”

As you’ve probably guessed, One Republic, known previously for hit singles like “Apologize” and “Secrets” finally come to rise again with the chart-topper you see playing on loop in grocery stores, spas, the mall, and frankly, everywhere else even across the United States and the world, “Counting Stars”. This is with good reason, too, because it carries an important message. Not about drugs or alcohol or partyin’ it up, or living “the good life”, but one that everyone who’s anyone could easily relate to and should take comfort in.

Money is the antidote to and the killer of all things, speaking realistically. It puts food on our tables, puts a roof over our heads, buys gifts and other special things, assigns us to a specialized socioeconomic bracket, and essentially controls almost every single aspect of our lives: even down to our love lives, one of the most personal aspects of who we are. Scary, right? Financial burdens rack and tear through otherwise stable relationships, and because of this problem, a lot of marriages and partnerships end in divorce, thus there is more external pressure to get a stable, well-paying job to maintain what a person has and to get more of what they want.

The lead singer said Native (the other group they worked with to produce the song) was inspired especially by how people choose to spend their time on Earth. Put very simply, think this song is about how some people spend their lives chasing coin and money instead of what really matters to them, what is most important. The value of some things are simply priceless, and sometimes, people forget these things in search of something they think is worth more.

Again, this is definitely something everyone can relate to — we’ve all wanted that fancy new car, that new laptop, or whatever else, but then we have a tendency to forget about family, friends, and the simpler pleasures in life. Like watching the sunset, eating your favorite food, getting a letter or a message from a relative or a long-time friend, etc. You can’t put a monetary value on these things; it’s all about the heart and soul. Take time to appreciate these small things in your daily life because they have a lot of value in and of themselves.

It seems our interpretation was correct. Ryan Fedder, singer and songwriter, recently said on the show, “The Voice” he wrote this song about the money problems he and his wife had when they were first married. He worked a lot of jobs, most unpleasant for him and strenuous as you can imagine, and he always told her one day they would have money to burn and would never have to worry about bills again, they’d be counting stars.

 

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

WIP Blog #2: Persuasion and Advocacy Project

Posted on March 20, 2014 by Nicole

Hey, guys! For my persuasion and advocacy project, I’m highly considering writing about the controversy surrounding videogames (why or why not they should be played) and what I claim to be the positive values and attributes associated with them. I may or may not be collaborating on this with someone from another RCL section. It isn’t a huge, widespread issue like airport security or LGBTQ rights, but it’s something I’m super passionate about, and I truly believe that videogaming as a hobby can positively influence someone’s life.

If you think about it, videogames are a lot like books or movies and with innovative technology, videogames aren’t so far behind either of these things in terms of quality story-telling and eye-catching cinematic features. A lot of people love to read for fun and watch movies in their spare time for the same reasons that people love to play videogames. The characters in videogames are oftentimes engaging and interactive, relatable and lifelike, where it is easy for the player to be emotionally attached to characters and readily immersed in an alternate universe much in the same way that a reader would for a book or a movie-goer for a specific movie. Knowing this, it shouldn’t be at all surprising to hear that a lot of well-done, popular videogame series’ and franchises in our society are being turned into movies so that they can reach and enlighten a wider audience.

This is why I’ve decided to write my persuasive essay and advocate on this specific topic. Videogames are awesome. You like music? Videogame soundtracks. You like books? Videogame storylines. You need a friend? Videogame characters. You like beautiful scenary? Video game graphics. Videogames have the potential to be powerful, meaningful, motivating, and totally thought-provoking and it is a shame that a scores of people will dismiss them and miss out on these special messages just because it’s from a medium that is unfamiliar to them, or one that is commonly accepted by some to be broadcasting unnecessary violence and killing as a positive thing, or as something to only waste time with that has no cognitive or material value and I want to try to change that.

 

Posted in Uncategorized | 3 Comments

Love is Love

Posted on February 27, 2014 by Nicole

Driving Question: Now that we know the difference between sex and gender, what does the sexuality spectrum encompass?

open

“Arizona is open for business for everyone”

For those of you who are unaware, today, February 26th, 2014 was the day that Governor Jan Brewer of Arizona vetoed the bill SB-1062, otherwise known as the anti-gay law, that she had previously passed when it crossed her desk on Monday. 20, 000 emails, phone calls, and letters from Arizonians and people across the United States flooded in to try to influence the governor’s hesitant decision to accept or deny the measure originally. “I assure you, as always, I will do the right thing for the State of Arizona,” Brewer says to the press more than one time (Sanchez). This bill was crafted in such a way that religious beliefs could be used as a basis for refusing service to gays and other non-conforming individuals.

jb

As can be expected, opposition came in swiftly and strongly, “from large corporations and athletic organizations” like “Delta Air Lines, the Super Bowl host committee and Major League Baseball” (Shoichet). It was a little late, and wasn’t entirely necessary to begin with, but the bill finally reached a dead-end after the veto. “To the supporters of the legislation, I want you to know that I understand that long-held norms about marriage and family are being challenged as never before. Our society is undergoing many dramatic changes,” (Shoichet) Brewer said, “However, I sincerely believe that Senate Bill 1062 has the potential to create more problems than it purports to solve. It could divide Arizona in ways we cannot even imagine and no one would ever want.”

nope

So who exactly are the kinds of people who would be discriminated against for entering these kinds of establishments where religious preference reigned supreme? The answer? Everyone on the sexuality spectrum that isn’t heterosexual. “Who are those, you may ask, well I’ve got the answers for you here in list form.

 Asexual: Someone who has no interest in maintaining a sexual relationship with someone of the same or opposite sex, but may pursue a romantic one. Some asexuals want no romantic attachment to a partner, and others do. It all depends on the individual’s person’s preference.

 Bicurious: A person who is bicurious has had no sexual experience, or very little with another member of the same gender, but may continue to self-identify as bi-curious if they do not feel they have adequately explored these feelings yet.

 Bisexual: This is one of the more common ones. When a person identifies as bisexual, it generally means they are attracted to both genders, emotionally and physically.

 Heterosexual: The most accepted sexuality. When a person is heterosexual, or straight, it means that they are only attracted to members of the opposite gender.

 Homosexual: Becoming increasingly common, consists of gays and lesbians. When a person is homosexual, it means they are attracted to only members of the same gender.

Pansexual (Or Omnisexual): A person who is Pansexual feels physical and emotional attraction to members of all genders. This includes male, female, and everything in between, like gender non-conforming individuals. Pansexuality is based more on the personality of a person, rather than their physical aspects, or their gender. Some Pansexuals may find it hard to find someone physically attractive, because, more often than not, looks mean absolutely nothing to them

Polysexual: Those who are Polysexual are attracted to more than one gender, but do not wish to identify as bisexual, because that would imply there are only two binary genders. It is not to be confused with Pansexual, because Pan means all, whereas Poly means many.

Questioning: Someone who is questioning is usually still in the process of trying to figure out their sexual orientation, their gender, or their sexual identity. Sometimes people apply this label to themselves if they do not wish to be labelled by any of the above categories.

Assuming all of these people actively voiced their sexualities to these restaurant owners, the only group out of all of these and more that would have not been turned down by a religious establishment would be the people who identify as heterosexual. Not only is this morally and fundamentally wrong and creates the bed seat for social and political unrest, but the local economy would also surely suffer as a loss of retrieved income.

Not only would individuals of all other sexualities be forcibly turned away, but individuals who also did not conform to the “normative” gender associations, where their sex matches their gender, would also be turned away. Singling out not only those who were not straight, but also trans* individuals. So now that we’ve looked at the sexualities through the lens of this bill, it’s more than apparent that this is more legalized segregation than anything we’ve faced in America in the last decade. Now can we learn from this set-back (believe me, I have) and understand this and see how retrospective such a decision would be to natural rights and civil liberties, so we can all look forward to a brighter future.

Discrimination has no place here, or anywhere else for that matter. Loving ourselves and each other is a core value that we all must embody to make the world a better place. As Brewer said herself, “”Religious liberty is a core American and Arizona value. And so is non-discrimination” (Brewer, Shoichet).

Citations

1. Abdullah, Halimah, Leigh Ann Caldwell, Ana Cabrera, and Dana Bash. “Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer Vetoes SB 1062.” CNN. Cable News Network, 26 Feb. 2014. Web. 26 Feb. 2014

2. Sanchez, Yvonne. “Gov. Jan Brewer’s office’s gets more than 20,000 communications.” USA Today . USA Today, February 26th, 2014. Web. 26 Feb 2014. <http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2014/02/26/arizona-gay-rights-bill-emails/5838719/>.

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , | 4 Comments

Let Her Go…or do you ever really?

Posted on February 26, 2014 by Nicole

“Let Her Go” – Passenger

I’m going to try a different kind of blog set-up this time around. I found it very tedious and dry in past weeks to fill each entry with a bunch of the lyrics of popular songs, and not get to say that much about them in the way of their meaning. The take-aways and interpretations are the most important things about a song, and even though I mentioned the meaning, I never put it into a broader perspective, and didn’t touch on it as much as I could have. SO, this is a little bit of a experiment, and you guys can tell me if you like this way or the old way better.

If you’ve ever heard the song (and you probably have) you’d be able to glean that the song has two main meanings. In fact, the writer of the song, Mike Rosenburg (aka Passenger) said, “In my mind the song has two meanings the first is quite literal as I wrote it after a break up and it is about letting her go. But then there is a bigger idea going on and is more about not really understanding and knowing what you have until it is gone and I think everyone can definitely relate.”  Let’s take each one at a time.

Letting her go. Something so simple is made so difficult. To most people, yes, this is first and foremost a break-up song. You can usually interpret the song’s second meaning after first realizing this one. He is remembering her now that they are no longer together as a couple. He realizes he loved her, while he was maybe unsure or didn’t realize it while they were still a couple. This is the literal first meaning, and it is pretty self-explanatory.

There is a lot of truth to this song, especially in the second meaning, since a lot of people both young and old don’t realize they were really in love until after it is over. That also holds for other people and things, not just significant others. As human beings, we miss what we no longer have. Sometimes in relationships of any kind, people take significant things for granted until it’s too late to go back and get it back. That’s where the gloom and doom starts up.

In a way, he is taking responsibility for the relationship ending with lines like:
“And you let her go
Maybe one day you’ll understand why
Everything you touch, oh it dies.”

You don’t truly know happiness until you’ve seen the deep pits of despair. . It seems you learn a lot about someone during the breakup, or loss period period too. You are constantly learning new things about people and things that you previously did not know. Sometimes it’s even more telling than the relationship itself was.

The song alludes to the fact the protagonist is still reeling from the breakup. It’s fresh because he has an attitude that paints the relationship as better than perhaps it really was, and that’s actually something very typical of relationships once they are over. People have a tendency to idealize and idolize the past, the good and the bad, and that’s just human nature. Sometimes its better not to go back to those times, but that can be hard to see in hindsight, or at least until something better comes along to stay.

As a final take-away, we should always make it a point to appreciate important things in our lives before they disappear. Taking all of this in stride, it’s important to take time out of our lives to reflect on who we are and how we got to this point in our lives, and to thank those in our lives that we love and cherish that have got us here. Just some simple things to remember as we go into March. 🙂

 

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Roar like the Lion!

Posted on February 13, 2014 by Nicole

Roar – Katy Perry

I was considering doing a lovey-dovey song for Valentine’s Day and all, but thankfully for all you guys who aren’t big fans, I took the opposite route. Sure, it’s important to tell your significant other, best friend, family, etc WHOEVER YOU LOVE that you love them so very much, but what better way to celebrate a holiday like that than by loving yourself? Yay, here we go.

To me, this song by Katy represents overcoming the complex struggles of a confrontation, or an abusive relationship even, and a rising above of the self.

First, the lines: “I used to bite my tongue and hold my breath. Scared to rock the boat and make a mess. So I sat quietly, agreed politely” accurately describes how many people feel when faced with troubles with someone else, or with someone who holds them down (possibly an abuser). This particular person apparently has an innate ability to inhibit the wishes and actions of the speaker, which makes the victim feel as though they are walking on eggshells, or “scared to rock the boat.” So in order to avoid upsetting the person attempting to control her and risking them acting violently, she “sat quietly and agreed politely.” This shows clearly in the video when after the cartoon opening cinematics, she appears from behind the truck, misshapen and shy as the other explorer in the jungle shamelessly takes selfies of himself on his iPhone, clearly not giving two craps about her. What a catch.

The next lines: “I guess that I forgot I had a choice. I let you push me past the breaking point. I stood for nothing, so I fell for everything” describe how many victims feel when in these kinds of controlling relationships, or in any kind of abusive relationship. There is a sort of learned hopelessness that occurs that is reoccuring until the victims wake up and realize that they deserve better. Abusers isolate their victims and tactfully (and gradually) introduce abuse. Victims often times “lose their sense of self” because they become accustomed to the mistreatment of the other individual. Victims will devalue themselves over time, and often times endure the controlling atmosphere and abuse, forgetting that they deserve to be loved, valued, and appreciated, and to know that the things that they hold dear are also important. “I let you push me past the breaking point” indicates instead of getting out of the problem or relationship, the victim endured the continuous abuse. Clearly the wrong thing to do. The video elaborates on Katy’s strained tolerance to this other narcissistic explorer, who clearly wants everything to be about him, and to have Katy wait on him hand and foot.

“You held me down, but I got up. Already brushing off the dust. You hear my voice, your hear that sound. Like thunder, gonna shake the ground. You held me down, but I got up. Get ready ’cause I had enough. I see it all, I see it now” indicates both the physical nature of many abusive relationship in which abusers will physically restrain, or hold down, if you will, their victims, but also the emotional and psychological nature of abusive relationships (both with friends and lovers alike) in which victims feel restrained and held captive are perhaps even more commonplace than physically abusive ones. The victim is gaining her sense of self back and voicing her own opinion and realizing her worth as a human being, in spite of the belaborings of the other explorer who is mainly using her for his own benefit and potential popularity and fame at the end of the exploration. Often times, it takes a victim in an abusive relationship a long time to recognize how severe the abuse is and that they need to escape the relationship, but it inevitably happens, and these lines here showcase it. The lines “I see it all, I see it now” indicates the victim’s awakening and healing, right before the big chorus and change-up of tone and attitude.

Now, we see a dramatic turn for the best in the chorus. The lines: “I got the eye of the tiger, the fire. Dancing through the fire. ‘Cause I am a champion, and you’re gonna hear me roar. Louder, louder than a lion. ‘Cause I am a champion, and you’re gonna hear me roar” show that the victim is slowly but surely overcoming the struggle and is championing herself; she finally realizes that she has to live her own life, not brought down by other people, especially those who have terrible expectations of her and only wish to use and control her. She is better than them. She is stronger than them. She is fighting to take her life back from whatever it is that is restraining her. She has had enough of the external control and abuse and realizes she deserves so much better. Upon seeing the reflection of the tiger in the water in the jungle, she dons a new white garb and is clearly in transition to reflect her inner strength and courage. Now that she’s looked deep within herself and found her sense of worth, she is ready to fight back and reclaim what was once hers–her posture and attitude clearly shows.

The lines referencing Muhammed Ali, “Now I’m floating like a butterfly, Stinging like a bee I earned my stripes” indicate she now has the strength to fight. “I went from zero, to my own hero” show her rising up from her depression and helplessness of the situation that she was once in. It just goes to show that she is strong and capable. It is reinforcing the notions from the first chorus, and continues again right after this.

Now we see a new coming of the chorus, and with the arrival of it comes revitalized uplift again. Perhaps even stronger than the first time around. After emerging from the cave in the video, she sees the symbol (and realizes the symbolism) after the tiger once again, and she is revitalized by a fire almost. Her passion and courage is aflame with motivation. This is shown in her flashy new outfit (with a pretty short skirt…but that’s besides the point) She is now more open, and she is ready for the healing. The song continues on as such until the end.

It doesn’t have to be just about relationships, or love. It takes a lot of guts and courage to rise above your problems, even daily ones that you encounter quite frequently. Sometimes little things can cause big problems, and those big problems then need to be faced. Everyone needs to have the strength to carry on and to support themselves; without our own sense of righteousness and bravery, we would never truly be ourselves.

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , | 3 Comments

Not Broken, Just Bent, and We can Learn to Love Again

Posted on February 5, 2014 by Nicole

Just Give Me A Reason – Pink (Feat. Nate Reuss)

It’s about time that I’ve taken a step back from the intensely charged, controversial posts (which ended up being like, woo, really super intense feminism!) and take a little breather for this week before stepping back under the fire and flames again. I’m going to focus on P!nk’s “Just Give Me A Reason” this week, for many reasons. One, because it is particularly memorable to me, not only because I could relate to it on more than one occasion in my life (and who can’t really…?) but also because two, I’ve performed this acappella with some cool kids from my high school a year ago, and the song has really stuck with me ever since. Also, the harmonies between P!nk and Nate just give me goosebumps. Sorry, crazy music buff here, moving right on.

It is a song about second chances, and not just in love, but in life, too. About digging deep enough that when you’ve reached that point when things get stale and complacent and you’re ready to get out, you don’t actually give up or give in, no, but you fight. Instead of giving up, you fight back. Fight back for what you desire. Fight back for what you cherish. Fight back for what you love. All to realize that you are stronger than any misfortune that life has thrown your way, and that your resolve will always, always overcome. Even if life or love has tossed you down headfirst into the dirt, you should get back up kicking because you CAN learn to love again.

The video opens with P!nk front and center, with all of the attention and eyes on her, and quickly we see her move into this mystical raft-bed scene admist a lake of some kind, with a TV gently flickering in the background. We now hear the lines: “Right from the start…” to “And with every touch you fixed them”. I’m no P!nk, but I’d have to say that I don’t think the seemingly bizarre atmosphere is all completely for show-and-tell.

My analysis of it goes a little like this: she is adrift on the ever-changing course of her life (the water) and she feels as though she is alone, which is the reason why she is curled up on her mattress without another person in sight. The ominous teddy bear in the background seems in many ways, to me, to represent something heart-warming that once brought her comfort, that now only serves to alienate her further. Much in the same way that her real life husband made her feel, in particular.

Keeping up that same background, we come to “Now you’ve been talking in your sleep…” to “Of our love, our love”. Most directly, P!nk’s character in this song feels as though something is fading or slipping away in her relationship, or that something is amiss, and she feels as though she is the only one who feels the strain. Sometimes people think you’re crazy for “imagining” problems that aren’t there, but oftentimes, the disapproval of others to our feelings is what crushes us more than the actual problems. P!nk does a beautiful job of illustrating that feeling here.

On the onset of the chorus, we see that she is now in a flash-back and is consumed by memories. She is now floating on the bed again in the middle of the ocean, but she is now with her beloved (who, again, is apparently supposed to represent her husband) and she no longer has to brave the stormy seas of her own life and heart alone. She remembers having this companion and clearly still cherishes him.

Right after the chorus, we see Nate finally pop up, and it’s the start of many emergence of this kind. (Yay! I really like FUN’s lead singer a lot…yeah…a lot…) Anywho, we see great use of the TV here. It’s almost as though he is trying to communicate into her world where she feels isolated and alone, and attempts to call out to her, to reason with her, and to make her feel as though she is not as alone as she feels. These are the lines from, “I’m sorry I don’t understand…” to “Oh, our love, our love”. And he says, “And it’s all in your mind” to signify that she is psyching herself out for no reason, and that there is nothing stronger than their bond. Here we also see some amazing duet harmonies. ‘Nuff said.

After the chorus, we get into a bit of a disagreement between the pair that is arguably very real almost like an encounter in real life, aside from the obvious singing because as much as I love musicals, not everyone can possibly sing everything all of the time. Sadly. She feels as though he is not putting as much into the relationship as she is, and that he’s not taking what they have seriously, and although he doesn’t agree with her at first, clearly, he is quick to say that he will “fix it” for them and their relationship.

After the chorus repeats again, we see P!nk submerged under the water, still indicative of the trials of her life, and she is slowly sinking under the weight of her own burdens…until she realizes that she can, in fact, heal her broken self and learn to love again.

And that’s the whole song. Pretty deep stuff, especially for the trying times when we need it. And we definitely do. If I’d have to make a general assumption about all of the human beings on this earth, I’d say that everyone has been there at least once, and that’s why these kinds of songs are so important to listen to and comprehend. If we understand that we are not alone in our feelings, we can potentially gather the strength to pick ourselves up off the ground, and move on from whatever it may be that is troubling is. That is the true power of music. 

P!nk told music streaming service Spotify: ”Sometimes [one partner] can be like, ‘The way you passed me the butter this morning, I kinda feel like we’re going to be over in a month and we need to talk’ and he’s like, ‘I just passed you the f***ing butter, what are you talking about?’ and that’s how I felt the song should go, ‘We’re growing apart, you don’t spoon any more, like it’s all over, but in the end it’s not’.”

P.S: For comedic amusement, I’ve managed to dig up our acappella group’s cover to this song. If you happen to die from my singing, I’m not responsible for you.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lMsW3p_hlxs

 

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Is There Anything “Blurred” About Sexism?

Posted on January 29, 2014 by Nicole

Warning: This is an incredibly controversial and scathing (yet passionate) post.You, as the reader, are by no means required to accept my viewpoint as the only correct interpretation, but as this is a “passion” blog I figured that I would show my opinion and my passion, or lack of the latter thereof for this particular piece than go with a more neutral stance. You’ve officially been warned.

Blurred Lines – Robin Thicke

If you have ears, you’ve probably heard Robin Thicke’s chart-topping, smash-hit single, “Blurred Lines.” And if you have eyes, you’ve probably seen the censored, or the explicit video and beared witness to T.I. and Pharrell dancing alongside Emily Ratajowski, Jessi M’ Bengue, and Ellie Evans, three stunning models all shot completely naked (sorry, some have flesh-toned thongs and the occasional white booties) prancing around three, fully-clothed, impressive-looking men. The song has garnered all kinds of attention, both positive and negative, and since I took a stab at analyzing Miley Cyrus’ Wrecking Ball, I might as well continue my trend of dissecting controversial songs. For this one, someone needs to restrain my inner feminist because this one is about to get ugly.

Pharrell opens in the intro by calling out to everyone, “hey,” and to “get up.” A simple enough call to action that can’t really be misinterpreted. And while the lyrics here may be catchy and benign, the visuals to match the audio is well…not so much. We see various shots of the models strutting around the three men, as overly-sexualized and fetishized as ever. Unfortunately, this image of women has become all too familiar in our media landscape.

We’re still maintaining a shred of dignity (at least in the lyrics) as we transition into the first verse, sung by Robin Thicke himself. This is the verse starting from “If you can’t hear…” to a repetition of “Everybody get up.” This is the scene in the video where the three women are standing around one of the men, with one of them holding an animal. If you ask Robin Thicke about this particular scene, and the general motif for most of the song/video, he’ll tell you, just like he told GQ that, “We tried to do everything that was taboo. Bestiality, drug injections, and everything that is completely derogatory towards women. Because all three of us are happily married with children, we were like, ‘We’re the perfect guys to make fun of this.'” Hahahahahahah, how about…no. Because yes, men who respect women are the perfect people to completely degrade them, because you know, it’s super totally funny. And stuff. What underlies this frankly depressing statement is that if we respect women, it’s totally fine to demean them. Basically.

This is where I need to be restrained: we enter the pre-chorus, and it all goes downhill from there. This is the stanza starting from, “OK now he was close, tried to domesticate you” to “That man is not your maker.” Um, what? We continue to see that the men have all of the money and status and the women are only naked animals that have virtually no status at all and are totally open to being sexually and mentally exploited, ogled, and used.

Then there’s the chorus. Now, the people mainly calling this song offensive point to these lines here. After all, it only talks about “liberating” a good girl by showing her that she actually wants crazy, wild sex, and not non-consensual at all in that area, because I mean, after all, it’s all just about blurred lines anyway. Thicke keeps repeating, “I know you want it” while his musical partner goes, “I’ll give you something big enough to tear your ass in two.” So lovely, right?

As we approach the second verse, Thicke returns again starting with, “What do they make dreams for” into “Hey, hey, hey.” It’s apparent here that not only is it fine to demean women occasionally if you’ve respected them before at some time in your life, but that it’s also fun. Let this sink in for a little while.

Then we get the pre-chorus and the chorus again. Self-explanatory. But then we get to the third verse. Oh, god, what now? We see, “One thing I ask of you,” “he don’t smack that ass and pull your hair like I do,” and “not many women can refuse this pimpin'” Because none of this is totally reinforcing the fact that women’s objectification is a crucial issue and that is linked to any other serious social problem, like violence against women for example. Studies show that men who are more commonly exposed to these kinds of scenarios see women as “less human” and “more subservient.” Honestly, that’s just what we needed…but Mr. Thicke here says we should focus more on things that actually matter, like poverty or what’s going on on Wall Street. I’m sorry, what?

Then follows the pre-chorus with a mild change-up of lyrics, but nothing worth analyzing, and the song ends with the chorus again and the outro from Pharrell.

If the singer’s intentions weren’t obvious already, he makes it all painfully clear about ow he views the entire situation when he explains: “People say, ‘Hey, do you think this is degrading to women?’ I’m like, ‘Of course it is. What a pleasure it is to degrade a woman. I’ve never gotten to do that before.”

One of the models in video, Emily, says that she felt “empowered” by appearing naked on screen, and saw her nudity as a parody of other videos that do the same thing to women. Personally, for me, some women may feel revitalizing by having pride in their bodies and showing them off, but by them strutting around on my computer screen in front of me, all I see is the same exact misogynistic garbage flooding my screen that I’ve encountered hundreds of times before. The question to consider as we continue through this analysis is this: does the personal benefit that some women gain from this outweigh the much greater harm?

 

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , | 4 Comments

Works in Progress (WIP #1)

Posted on January 29, 2014 by Nicole

For my first works-in-progress blog post, I have an extensively large amount of things to say about the progress of my “This I Believe,” as enunciated by our in-class discussion today in groups.

One strength from my piece that I was able to glean from the opinions of others was my ability to create incredibly powerful, descriptive sentences. This was tied in heavily to my ethos and my pathos. I went back and forth a lot on whether to take on this assignment with a lighter, more mundane topic and redefine that experience, or write about something very personal or emotional to enhance my pathos and to move/persuade the audience. I’m glad that I chose to go with the later just because I feel I was able to have more leverage in terms of descriptive details which enhanced my message at the end very well. Granted, the whole essay isn’t littered with similes and metaphors and imagery, but the segments that I particularly wanted emphasized are, just to better get my point across, and I’m happy that from feedback from peer-review, I was able to get my writing to show that well both when written, and ESPECIALLY when performed (if performed correctly).

A major factor that I have to work on for the final draft and podcast is definitely shortened sentence structure for performance purposes, and added clarity to some portions of the piece. The person who read mine originally said that descriptors are incredibly strong, but sometimes extra clarification or background is needed for certain statements or there are places where the transitions between paragraphs (and also transitions between important ideas…how one inevitably led directly to another) is fairly weak and needs to be worked on a bit. Some paragraphs can be condensed down, and others can be elaborated more on with extra examples of what I’m talking about. There’s nothing drastically wrong, but a good series of editing for clarification and some for adding necessary points to strengthen my theme would definitely be helpful and hopefully reach more people in the audience.

On that note, the group effort was VERY productive in my opinion, and it opened my eyes to my peers’ interpretation of my work, their particular performance of my piece, and the way in which the other members of my group wrote their own pieces. It was nice to be able to compare and contrast the different genres, tones, and writing styles to be able to gauge which combination of rhetorical strategies could best describe the setting we are trying to create for our individual essays and podcasts. Other people may disagree, but I believe that the peer-reviewing that we did in class today was extremely effective and encouraging for the purpose of future editing before the final draft of the essay is due (and the accompanying podcast, of course) and hearing someone critique my work was exactly what I needed.

I’ve noticed that I personally have a tendency of thinking my work sounds/comes off as one way, and then when someone else reads it, they sometimes have a completely different interpretation than I do. Perhaps I’m slightly biased because it is my own work after all, but it’s refreshing and mind-altering to see someone else’s review and opinion of what you’ve written, granted the other person took time and effort into crafting their response for you (the kids in my high school English classes never took peer-review seriously, so to have a class period dedicated to focusing on peer-editing was soooo successful and opened my eyes to what real peer-reviewing can do for others and for yourself)

I hope we do more of these kinds of writing exercises in the near future!

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

I Came in Like an…Emotionally Vulnerable Young Adult who Clearly Misses her Fiancé?

Posted on January 23, 2014 by Nicole

“Wrecking Ball” – Miley Cyrus

Yes, I’m analyzing this song. No, it’s not a joke, I swear. Just hear me out for just a little bit. Really.

In the first verse, from “we clawed, we chained, to a love no one could deny” we see Miley’s bright lipstick clash with the white background as she speaks directly to us, our audience. Nothing else is happening so that we can take in the sheer magnitude of her words of a lost love. Presumably about her ex-fiance, Liam, or about the love she shares with her acting career.

Segwaying into the next verse, the that starts with “don’t you ever say I just walked away, to I will always want you” we see that movement starts to happen in the view. Everything is chaos and the rush of sounds and voices as we see Miley licking a hammer–she is tasting the pain of loss of the wrecking ball that shattered her emotional state, and his simultaneously. It wrecked both of them, in fact. She is wearing white to symbolize innocence and purity; she wants to be pure again after he falling out, and she wishes to be whole again, but she knows that she can never be.

Then the chorus chimes in, “I came in like a wrecking ball, to Yeah, you wreck me” and this is where the shattering of the walls comes in. In cue with the lyrics, the wrecking ball smashes the wall behind her, which is meant to represent Liam crashing down her emotional “walls” and helping her to believe in the essence of love. But then he leaves her shattered and broken, as she continues to ride on the curtails of the wrecking ball, the remnants of him that she wishes to still reach out and touch him with at all costs. She is naked (a highly controversial aspect of the video and of the song) for the simple reason that she is vulnerable. She represents physical and emotional vulnerability and impressionability as most humans are/have. This relationship has made her both strong and weak as a person. As most choruses go, this is one of the high-lighted, most important moments in the entire song, as it is repeated multiple times.

“I put you high up in the sky…to and now we’re ashes on the ground” grounds out the aftermath of the relationship and provides some important context as to why she is so emotionally distressed as a direct cause of the piece. Then the chorus comes to light again.

Finally, before the chorus is repeated for the third and final time, we as listeners hear, “I never meant to start a war. I just wanted you to let me in” to the repetitious lines of “I just wanted you to let me in. I guess I shouldn’t let you in.” Which brings the entire song to a head and full circle, she just wants to make the same impressionable impact on his life that he has on hers; she feels as though this has been a phenomenon that only he has made on her, and not vice versa. She feels unimportant, and wants to make her feelings and her legacy known. She isn’t the only one who should remember the relationship for all that it was worth.

Personally speaking, regardless of anyone else’s opinion of it. I don’t believe the song or presentation is promiscuous at all, but just a bit risky.  Her intentions were to show her intense vulnerability, not her low self-esteem, or for anything for show business. It was something created to be realistic, raw, and true, but most people have perverted it because of her past reputation of being Hannah Montana, or that they feel that she has taken everything way too far, which in some cases, is a possibility.

That’s it for now. I can’t wait for next week!

 

 

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , | 3 Comments