I do not have any really solid ideas for this project yet, but I was just trying to think of some controversial topics that I know of. One that came to mind pretty quickly was the controversy over roe v wade and specifically the pro-life versus pro-choice debate. I think there is definitely a lot of history behind this topic and it could be expanded on a lot. I do get worried that it could get a little too personal and emotional as some people have extremely strong opinions on this topic so I don’t know if it is a good topic in that sense. I do think it would be interesting to delve into the ideas that both sides have in this controversy and dissect the issues with both.

These are all pretty common controversial topics so I don’t know if any of them are what we necessarily want for this project but other topics to consider would be gun control, vaccines, animal testing, separation of church and state, or the effects of video games.

The evolution of female strippers and exotic dancers

I apologize for the terrible lighting and really awkward and strange elevator pitch. This was done at 2 am, I barely had a voice left, and I was covered with and smelled like sheep’s blood. So please take pity. I also do not think I attached the link correctly, but I was struggling. My computer hates me.

evolving-ideas-elevator-pitch

I choose this Ted Talk by Simona Francese where she described how useful fingerprints can be in solving crimes and much more. She gives an example case where she explains how they can detect chemicals from just two overlapping fingerprints and can even map out where the chemicals are present on the fingerprints. After identifying certain chemicals that are only present in certain suspects, they could limit the possible suspects and eliminate certain ones. After separating the two prints, they identified one as the victim and thus knew the other one belonged to the killer. Then they identified it with one of the suspects and made the arrest. I think this is fascinating because they were able to complete a blurry, barely there finger print just based on the chemical locations of the fingerprint. They overlapped all these maps and got a completed fingerprint. This can help solve cases with very little evidence or leads and I think this is very valuable to society and can help many people find peace when they find the killer or criminal.

For my unit two projects, I think my topics will be centered around the idea of how the perception of the internet has evolved over time and how people thoughts about the internet and technology have changed. I think I will start with how technology has recently evolved quite significantly and many older generations are wary of this and do not necessarily see the importance of it. I will then transition into how younger generations incorporate the internet into their daily lives and consider it somewhat of a necessity. Hopefully I can find some information or events that support this idea on the Penn State library databases. If not, I may need to change my topic or use some personal examples that I have witnessed or experienced in real life.

I watched Dante’s speech on Trump’s billboard artifact. I really liked how he explained the whole artifact in the beginning to give a good idea of the image and bring attention to all the small details. I also thought he maintained good eye contact and had a good presence in front of the camera. I really like his description of Trump’s teeth and how they were the only bright point in the image. For myself, I felt like I struggled with memorizing my words and speaking them smoothly. I struggle to speak off my mind without stumbling and stuttering a lot so it is easier for me to have words preplanned that I can say in a certain order. This means I had to refer to my notes a lot which resulted in me not being able to look at the camera as often. I think one of my slightly stronger points was my organization and pointing emphasis at the parts of my artifact that I was directly referring to at the time. I used a lot of arrows and circles to direct attention to specific details and I hope this made my points very clear and easy to understand. I learned that I need to get better at having a strong video presence and being confident enough to speak from my mind without constantly referencing notes. I also need to get better at using different tones and pitches when speaking. I feel like I tend to go monotone and not show much emotion when talking on video. I need to learn how to emphasize certain words or phrases and bring more character to my speeches.

essay draft:

Plastic bags kill! Nobody wants to be a murderer or responsible for the death of any animals or living things. This is a common theme in many sustainability promoting ads or content. They often enforce the idea that our actions are impacting animals and places beyond us and that we need to stop or change these habits in order to save these things. There are many artifacts out there today that try to bring awareness to the climate crisis and call for action, but they all do it through different ways. The two civic artifacts that I am analyzing both place blame on the consumer, use an interpersonal lens, and tackle multiple United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.

An interesting concept with both of these artifacts is that they attempt to make the consumer feel guilty for using their product. The first artifact makes it appear like you are strangling an animal after your most recent purchase while the second artifact has the appearance of destroying South America as you take a paper towel. They both attempt to use pathos to make you feel guilty for the decision you are making or have made. They both make the consumer feel shame for contributing to the problem and potentially cause them to stop doing this specific action. It is also interesting to note that it does not appear that either of these objects exist in real life ($BBDOAsia). It seems like they were both just created as ads to promote sustainability but were not actually implemented in real life (seanblake96).

Another similarity between these two artifacts is their use of an interpersonal lens to connect with the viewer. In the first artifact, a bag is used to show the killing of animals by plastic and this everyday object is something most people can relate to. Not just that, but if this object existed in real life, it would force the holder to be involved with the message. It could potentially go beyond just a visual artifact, but make the consumer interact with it and look like they are actually strangling and killing an animal. The second artifact connects with the viewer through its use of paper towels. Most people have used a paper towel at some point in their life and can personally relate to this image of pulling a paper towel and decreasing the amount left. Just like the plastic bag artifact, if this one existed in real life it would go even farther as it would force the person to pull out a paper towel and actively contribute to the destruction of trees or choose a different way to dry their hands. Both these artifacts are able to connect with the viewer with just a photo, but could become even more interpersonal if they existed in real life. This idea of forcing the person to physically interact and be blamed for these issues often makes them seem much more personal and can cause a higher motivation for change among common people.

The UN’s SDGs were a universal call to end climate change, poverty, and overall provide a better world for everyone (Sustainable Development). There are seventeen total goals that try to bring all major issues to a resolution and solve the biggest issues first. They also acknowledge that all these issues are intertwined and can not be fixed without solving the others as well. Both of the artifacts that I am analyzing both fit the goal of life on land. The first one obviously shows the death of a duck and how plastic bags contribute to this problem. The second one is referencing the destruction of forests and trees for the production of paper. They both are showing the depletion of these living organisms and how they need something to happen if we want to keep alive. Both artifacts also deal with the goal of responsible consumption and production. They both are showing how people in general are too careless with their daily purchases and waste and do not realize how much they are truly consuming and in turn causing to be produced. The first artifact deals with the whole concept of shopping and how large corporations are contributing to the climate crisis and by supporting them, it is just like supporting the climate crises. This forces the consumer to think about better ways to consume and find places that use more ecologically friendly ways to produce. The second artifact shows the consumption of paper towels and how this seemingly inconsequential waste object actually has a large impact on the world and its environment. It forces people to think about how often they use these disposable paper towels that are forcing trees to be cut down and subsequently forcing forests in South Africa to be destroyed. Both artifacts could also probably be associated with the climate action goal. They both seem to be calling for a change in some way by demonstrating what is currently happening with current conditions. They indirectly imply that these things are not good and things need to be done in order to change this. Now unlike the second artifact, it seems like the first also can be included in the goal of life below land with the turtle bag. This just goes beyond the second artifact to include even more SDGs and attempt to promote sustainability in even more aspects.

In terms of differences, these artifacts have theirs as well. The first artifact makes their point very clear and states in a large font on the bag how this economic choice is causing the death of animals. The paper towel dispenser on the other hand is not as straightforward and only includes a small font up top that suggests saving paper can also save the planet. The first artifact also uses a more gruesome and depressing image to grab attention. While the second artifact also symbolized the destruction and death of forests, the first artifact is much more graphic and shows a goose with its neck snapped. Something that the second artifact does differently however is use a temporal lense to convey its message. It implies the passage of time as the green disappears and the paper towels are used. This is replaced with black which signifies the emptiness and darkness that comes as more paper is used and the trees are killed. It shows how over time, the problem only gets worse and the consequences could be devastating.

*this is a very early draft and I clearly haven’t even written a conclusion, yet it is a lot further along than I was earlier

speech outline:

intro

explain how everyone uses paper towels

temporal lense

use of green and then black

commonplace of “green” and symbolism of black

interpersonal lense (a literal hand pulling the paper towels)

is from a “credible” source WWF

shaped like South America

artistic lense yet the object does not actually exist in real life, it is only an ad

UN SDGs

Thank You