RCL Discussion Blog

Passion, It is what separates the good from the great, and in this picture Obama showed what really made him great his passion for what he believes in. During his speech on gun violence in the United States, he began to tear up when mentioning the 1st graders who died during the Sandy Hook Massacre. As I watched his speech he showed that he truly cared; however, through his emotions he showed the real passion he had. The tears showed he truly cared for the lives that are lost and could put himself in their position as a father and the empathy he had for all of those affected by gun violence as he sought to bring about meaningful change so it could never happen again.

Presidents are usually seen as stoic leaders of the free world, and Obama never failed to provide this image, yet in this moment, he showed the nation that it is okay to cry and feel these emotions as the damage and hurt guns had brought to many people’s lives needed to be remembered. While Obama shed some tears, he still remained stoic as he addressed the nation. Even as tears came down his face he showed he was stoic in his mannerisms and also just in his dress. Professional and presidential was the look as he came out in a somber tone to address the nation. This is impressive as he allowed himself to be open and emotional in front of a nation, while still remaining presidential. This is a unique way of leading a nation as it shows that it is okay to show emotions towards these tragedies

What is lastly important about this picture is the faces of the people behind Obama remaining strong throughout his speech. They had faced these issues also and were impacted, yet they remained strong as the president was shook to tears, and that is one of the most important aspects of this picture. This holding strong shows the passion of the president being one of the few people in tears at this moment, and also the strength of the people affected to remain strong and stoic as they support the new gun control measure.

The juxtaposition in Obama as he cries, yet remains stoic, and the involvement of others shows the true impact of this photograph and speech. Passion and empathy in the highest office of the United States was perfectly exemplified in this photograph which shows its true power.

Obama Photograph

Pamela Meyer’s TEDtalk on how to spot a liar to me seemed like a very interesting topic; however, the talk itself failed to keep me interested. While not to say that it was not informative on the art of catching a liar, overall it just failed to engage me.

The main thesis is that it is easy to catch a liar if we understand the under mannerisms that liars usually have. This was very interesting as many of the mannerisms that would be expected of a liar are actually not true. Like one of the mannerism that would be expected of a liar would be avoiding eye contact, but liars actually try and keep eye contact so it seems like they are not lying. This is actually the opposite, and it is now suspicious to keep constant, extreme eye contact. There were other lying ques like avoiding connection and keeping a formal tone. Also how people lie more to strangers than people they know. These are very unexpected things to know about lying and are very important to know in avoiding being lied to.

“We rehearse our words, yet we don’t rehearse our gestures”

This is one of her best points as it shown as many of the lying tells are in the gestures; however, I also liked her point that while it is good to know these things they are just signs of lying not 100% confirmation of this. This is one of the main important aspects in this, as while we can learn to spot lying and learn to understand the mannerisms, as humans we make these actions naturally, but when a large amount of them show up it is clear there is a lie going on.

After watching the TEDtalk a second time while writing this blog, she did seem to keep me interested as I realized the many interesting aspects and unexpected tendencies of liars. The style and variety may not have been the best; however, the content kept me engaged.

Body language is very important in discussing how effective a speech is and Jon Ronson broke many of the usual expectations for how you would present yourself in a speech. Usually for body language in speeches it is better to be open and welcoming of the audience as it helps them to engage and connect with the speaker but  Ronson did not do that. In the beginning of his speech he is very closed up, yet it connects to the content of his speech. Mental disorders are usually seen as a closed of topic and his body language worked to show that also, yet in his speech he made it somewhat connectable.

However, I think he excelled especially in making a usually distant issue of mental disorder more relatable in his speech. He made many light jokes about how he had 12 self diagnosed mental disorders after reading the list of them which helped the audience connect and get interested in what he was saying. It made it sticky to the audience as they really cannot connect with having a mental disorder as most people do not, or at least do not realize they do have one, yet he made it relatable to everyone. Humor is sticky as it is showing us something we have not seen before and giving us a unique perspective on it, which causes us to laugh. Also we just innately enjoy comedy, and if we realize we are listening to a speech that is going to make us laugh, our attention span lasts longer. The standardized tests ted talk that we watched of a student is a perfect example of this as she began with a joke about rating a guy with a number, an eight, and then connected it to how we rate ourselves on a score. Her speech, as with this speech, shows how humor can be very effective in grabbing the interest of the audience at the beginning and keeping that attention through to the end.

At first I was confused on how this connected to a paradigm shift, yet I now realize how vastly important it is to consider. With over 100 studies being conducted and only 39 being replicated it shows how challenging it is to make sure the study chosen for the paradigm shift is actually accurate. Basing an argument on incorrect data would damage the credibility of the essay as it goes on, and basing it on shaky ground would make the entire essay shaky. Thus it is concerning that a low amount of studies are correct. A paradigm shift does need to be backed by evidence to show it which is why I feel like you do need to use some studies to create the essay.

There is another fear that comes from this article and that is if the thought is in fact a paradigm shift. With only around 40% of the studies being replicable it shows that they were in fact not factual studies and thus it is concerning that that could also be the case for the paradigm shift. Thus this article very much needs to be considered in the paradigm shift essay on what topic is chosen and if the evidence and studies brought to back that paradigm shift are factual. While 40% of studies is very bad, it is also noteworthy to consider that these were leading studies and thus that they were well thought out and groundbreaking.

In my specific paradigm shift essay I feel like it is important as allot of the data and studies on public opinion and also party alignment are influential in my argument. They need to be correct in order for the idea that there was a paradigm shift in political polarization to be correct. A large amount of my arguments in the latter half of my essay is going to be based on facts in the present day in comparison to the past and thus studies on the political polarization that are correct is gonna be required. Overall it is very important to consider the factual nature and correctness of the studies used in the paradigm shift essay as providing factual information is of utmost importance. 

Photo Website

The entire political climate that we live in currently is dramatically different from the way it was in the past. We currently live in a time where many people feel as if their politicians that they elected are not perfect embodiments of their wishes as the politicians become more polarized in a country composed of many moderates. While we currently may be facing this issue it was not always like that as within the past 30 years. Our country went under a paradigm shift in the polarization of politics over these past recent year. This has had a wide impact on our society, and while there has been constant changes in the political system since the founding of our country, the political changes I want to be focusing on is the more modern changes in our political system. There were many things that were leading up to this political change, yet the main paradigm shift came within the twenty-first century. While there was a unification by parties during the beginning of the twenty-first century after 9/11 and the declaration of war, this soon changed with the election of Obama and the republican response.

Overall this shift in the political polarization is very important in our current society. These politicians are the people who are influencing our current lives by creating policy that is very influential, take for example Obamacare and the healthcare industry. If people become sick and have to pay for their treatment, the price they pay and the quality of care they receive is widely dependent on the health care policy of the United States. The implementation of these bills that affect our health care policy are very important, and with an increase in political polarization, there also is an increase in gridlock as the rival sides are less working to work with each other to pass bipartisan policies. While the health care is just an example, this is working in almost every sector of politics as they fail to pass legislation, and only work to remove their predecessors accomplishments. With less legislation being able to be passed, as a country we are no longer to adapt to our issues and thus are failing to adapt to our ever changing world. This increase in polarization is hurting our future as a country and thus it is very important to learn how it came about it and what changes can be made to fix it.

Political Mind Picture

Political Animals picture

Each generation comes with its own unique aspect that makes it different from the previous generation, so the question that I feel like the article is in fact addressing is that is there enough evidence to constitute calling it a paradigm shift.

One of the first pieces of evidence that shows the shift that occurred in the kids is their want for independence and ability to leave. Kids wants to leave the home and start driving is one of the key markers of being a teenager throughout all past generations, yet our generation is one of the few generations that is bucking that trend. It no longer is a fun thing to get a driver’s license as many people feel that is a chore. I feel like I am a perfect example of this. I got my permit six months after I turned 16, yet I let my permit expire while only having driven for five hours total. I then proceeded to wait another 6 months after my permit expired to renew it, and to this day still do not have my liscense. I feel like this is a perfect sign of the times as people are now able to survive without a license. Because of the growth of the iPhone, I can easily get in contact with my friends to drive me places, thus the iPhone had a large shift in the way kids get their license and work to leave the home.

The best example of how the iPhone caused a paradigm shift in the emotions of the kids. I feel like it is best described by Jean Twenge when they say “So what are they doing with all that time? They are on their phone, in their room, alone and often distressed.” There has been a sharp rise in the suicide rate in our generation and that is one of the main shifts in our society. Because the kids are less independent and more isolated, this leads to a large mental health crisis. I feel like the true paradigm shift in between generations stems from the iPhone. It allows kids to avoid social contact which is leading to this sharp change in the feelings of students

Overall I feel like this in in fact a paradigm shift as kids in this most recent generation live vastly different lives from kids in previous generations. Due to the iPhone, kids are in fact feeling more lonely and are less likely to be independent.

For my Civic artifact, I chose graffiti in general which does not have a specific artist but it does have a basis primarily in urban cities, so the artist usually comes from the city. There are a whole variety of reasons why they do it like to fight gentrification or beautify their city.

For Berlin on the wall however, there were many artists and now a committee that works to retouch the artwork. This artwork came as a response to the communist government stripping rights from the Berliners.

The Graffiti argues that it is okay to break rules you may disagree with if something better is coming from it like their artwork.

I personally am drawn to graffiti as an artifact as it offers a good juxtaposition to the graffiti on the Berlin wall. The graffiti on the Berlin wall is seen as artwork and is actively preserved, while graffiti all around the world is actively cracked down upon. People who are caught spraying graffiti can be arrested and fined thousands of dollars, and it is only recently that some cities are actually beginning to appreciate graffiti. I also think it is worth analysis because of the changes in perception that it is going through in some cities. Many political messages are being done in graffiti both by professionals and amateurs. It also very much connects to the Berlin Wall in that it gives a voice to many voiceless people as people in the poor urban city centers usually do not have a political voice, but this helps them harness that to spread their message.

Overall I feel like graffiti is a unique artifact as it currently is in a gray area as cities each take their own position on it. Some side with active cracking down on any actions, while others even celebrate it and host festivals to show off many of the great works. I feel like while it may differ from the Berlin wall, graffiti in general is a great artifact to contrast to the Berlin Wall.

Link to Graffiti picture

Link to Berlin Wall Graffiti

Messages do not need length to create a meaningful impact, they need to provide information and ideas, and take up as much space as they need to achieve this goal. Bumper stickers with a message have a unique challenge as they have very little space to encapsulate their message. Bumper stickers have to use symbols, images and words in conjunction to best portray their message while still having the luxury of being small on the back of the car. This bumper sticker does a great job at spreading its message in a small amount of space

At this moment there is allot of tension in politics and the world in general over religion, yet this sticker attempts to combat that in a quick and meaningful slogan “Coexist.” Coexist is defined as living in peace with each other especially as a matter of policy, so the use of the word already works to provide a message of peace; however, this bumper sticker expanded that message. This bumper sticker worked to connected all of the main ideologies in the world in its message as it is trying to get all of them to come together by using them to spell out coexist. The bumper sticker begins with the star and crescent of Islam, then a peace sign to better exemplify the message that we need peace. Then it goes to both the men and women gender symbols which help to show about the connections and peace that needs to be had between the genders as we fight sexism. Then it continues on to more religious symbols with the star of david, the Yin and Yang symbol, and the cross. These are all symbols that the audience is expected to know as everyone knows these ideologies and religions.

It also presumes that people would know the commonplace of the word “coexist.” People are expected to know the underlying context of the word in relation to the world right now. They used the symbols also as a great way to connect to each and every person, man and woman, and of every big religion as they need to coexist. Its use of these symbols to connect to each person allows it to connect to the big message of peace between these religions.

Overall this bumper sticker is effective in its message as it uses many of the symbols of many of the conflicting ideologies and religions and uses them in conjunction to spell out one simple word, coexist. With the definition of the word coexist and use of ideological symbols, this bumper sticker aptly spread their message of peace among conflicting ideologies.

Religious symbols information

Coexist bumper sticker site

 

The creation of the iPhone over 10 years ago is a great example of kairotic timing. Apple has been a powerhouse before the creation of the iPhone through their large history of selling computers as they succeeded in creating a large scale Computer company. They then branched out into the iPod which came with stunning success. It managed to fill a gap that many people saw in playing music on a portable device. Constantly improving on the iPod, and at a time when cellphones were now widespread, the combination of the two brought about a revolution in the phone market due to its ingenious invention at a time primed for its success.

The iPhone brought about a complete shift in the phone market, to a point now that regular non smart phones are almost nonexistent. There is a reason this is so. On June 29th, 2007 the iPhone was released and it was a success with lines waiting for days for its release due to kairotic timing. It came at a time when the the regular flip phone had become widespread enough for the product to have a market and a demand due to the success of the iPod. The flip phone industry was instrumental in the iPhone’s success as it improved on a product that was already known and beloved by many. If the timing had been not right and the flip phones had already created a market for cell phones, the iPhone may not have been as successful in taking over the phone market for over 10 years. The kairotic timing in waiting till there was a large market for cellphones and then improving upon it lead to the success of the iPhone.

One other reason that the iPhone’s success was bolstered by its kairotic timing was by following the success of the iPod. The iPod helped to show the quality of handheld products that Apple could make while warming up the consumer to pocket sized apple products. Timing the release of the iPhone to follow the success of the iPod helped the iPhone to take over the phone market.

Overall the iPhone was very successful in its bringing about a revolution in the cell phone market due to its perfect and well calculated timing.

Link to photo of Steve Jobs with the iPhone

Link to article about the first Iphone

South African Women’s day is a holiday meant to spread appreciation for women and exemplify their accomplishments. It is also meant to “help women and girls achieve their ambitions”.(International Women’s Day) ;however, exemplifying the accomplishments of women is the one thing that Bic failed to do. Companies recently have been getting involved in many efforts to help bring about change and help many causes, yet many more are using this as a way to connect themselves with a cause for free publicity without immense work to better the causes. Bic failed in this advertisement as they attempted to join the cause, yet ended up dealing more damage than good.

Beginning with the phrase “Think like a man”, Bic failed at their entire goal of portraying the accomplishments that women have.  The phrase portrays men in a higher regard intellectually than women, which is very detrimental to the entire cause and is entirely false.  As this advertisement most likely had to have been checked by numerous people before it was sent out, it seems like a clear failure on the part of Bic to spot the clear sexism in an advertisement that is meant to celebrate women and their accomplishments. This phrase may have gone by unnoticed in other advertisements, yet the entire premise of the Women’s day was to combat sexism that is faced by women all around the world. They failed the entire goal of the day and ended up causing damage to the cause and in their public relations department.

Bic also failed in their goal as they came off as both creepy and insensitive. The phrase “look like a girl” comes off as very off putting as they are asking women to look younger and less matured as for some odd reason they feel that this is the best way to be a woman. It mocks women who are attempting to be wiser more matured bosses.

Overall Bic failed to understand the premise of the South African Women’s day, as they involved themselves into an issue in which they are not aligned and attempted to use it for their own gain. While there should not be an issue with brands discussing and involving themselves in causes, they need to truly work the better the cause they claim to support. If Bic only noticed the failure of their advertisement they would have saved themselves from the PR nightmare that came with this advertisement that ended up forcing them to apologize (BBC Article of Bic apology). The root of this problem came when a pen company involved itself in a cause that it could have avoided.

BBC article about the Bic advertisement

International Women’s Day Article