image from NIH News in Health

For my advocacy project, I want to advocate for spreading awareness about thyroid diseases and their symptoms and effects on people. I’ve struggled with several thyroid-related diseases since I was about 6 years old, and I feel as though many young people are not very familiar with these diseases. While they are very common among the general population, especially as people grow older, it’s important to recognize its presence in a younger population and what it may look like. If left untreated, thyroid diseases cause a plethora of issues in both physical health and mental health. My main goal is to build awareness about these diseases so that we can work towards a healthier population.

I envision the topic audience as young adults and parents of young children. Because the topic is so unfamiliar to people until they get diagnosed with it, it’s important to watch out for symptoms earlier so that treatment is more effective. I also want to target women as an audience, since the likelihood of women being affected by thyroid diseases is much higher than men. Especially during and after pregnancy, the body undergoes many changes that can impact thyroid function, causing further issues. While thyroid diseases are rather uncommon in young children, it is always a possibility, especially if it runs in a family’s genetics. The children are the most critical to treat, as the disease will likely develop as they grow. By becoming more aware of the thyroid’s function and what happens when it is impaired, the audience will have a better understanding of what thyroid disease looks like and how it may limit one’s abilities.

A value that the audience likely possesses is physical health, which is critically important in our everyday lives. Thyroid disease can severely impact one’s physical health if not treated, so I suspect that the audience will be interested in learning more upon this fact. An overactive thyroid can cause severe weight loss and muscle weakening while an underactive thyroid can cause severe weight gain and hair loss. These side effects severely impair physical health; however, they also align with the value of beauty and confidence. Such side effects may cause image issues among those impacted, and without knowledge of why, can cause further mental health issues. It’s important to note that these side effects may not even be present at all in some people and that blood tests are the most effective way in determining whether thyroid issues are severe enough to require treatment.

Another value the audience may possess is knowledge and understanding. By spreading awareness about the potentials of thyroid disease, members of the audience may feel more comfortable after learning more about certain medical information that not everyone is aware of. The importance of education to the general population is emphasized in the medical world as it makes the average person more aware of their own bodily function. It also encourages the audience to be aware of others, especially in the case of parents and children, since parents are likely to notice such changes before a child.

Awareness about thyroid diseases is important in creating a better educated, understanding, and healthy population. By advocating for awareness, I hope to help allow for the audience to become better acquainted in the topic so that those struggling with the disease can receive necessary treatment and live healthier lives.

image from CNN.com

The CPAC, otherwise known as conservative.org, is a conservative advocacy sight that works on spreading conservative sentiments and reflecting those within American policies. Unlike most advocacy sites, though, this site seems to devote more attention to countering other perspectives than fighting for unique and new policies. This can likely be explained from the general perspective of the conservative political battle, resting in traditions and the rights of the individual. It is clear that the modern conservative party has strayed further from these intentions, as this site and many others have begun to use conservatism as a way to mask hate and ignorance.

As an established organization, the site contains an About Us page, where they state the values of the group. More in-depth is the “What We Believe” page, where the CPAC states several of its core values that shape their perspectives on social issues. However, these We Believe statements become confusing as they relate to each other. While the first statement emphasizes the individuality and power of the Constitution, the second statement adds a religious sentiment that contradicts the individualism so valued by the group. It is within the Constitution that individuals may practice their religion without persecution, but it is also noted that there will not a single religion that will work into legislation. The opening page of the site contains a variety of recent articles and Twitter threads, where journalists and politicians will argue against certain legislation or values of opposing lawmakers due to their Un-Christian nature.

It is also interesting to note that the site claims to advocate for new conservative ideas, but the front page contains mostly opposition and hate to current events. For example, host and leader Mercedes Schlapp is shown expressing her own opinion against transgender individuals, with no further reasoning as to why she sees an issue or her proposed solution. The original message congratulates Dylan Mulvaney, a transgender American actress, on her recent collaboration with Kate Spade. Schlapp’s response is posted on the site, where she says only the phrase “this is an embarrassment.” The simple hate that is evoked in the message is clear, and the CPAC adds no further reasoning as to why they believe such hateful opinions. The value of individuals’ rights seems to fade once these advocates see someone who don’t fit their perspective, causing a split in the truth value of the CPAC’s beliefs.

Another popular subject in conservative forums is the necessity of vaccination, with the CPAC supporting individuals’ rights, typical to their central claim. There is an entire tab dedicated to standing up against the CDC, titled “Stop the CDC Mandates!” This comes as a result to the possibility of requiring COVID-19 vaccinations to the childhood immunization schedule as a means of protection once children begin school. While regarding the CDC, the site makes no mention of any other medical professionals with differing opinions and only uses individual freedoms as their reasoning behind such an opinion. It is consistent with their central beliefs, but in order to establish a stronger argument against such a recognized organization in the medical field, it would make sense to include actual facts and data to support anti-vaccination beliefs.

It is undeniable that this site can easily catch the attention of viewers. The large text, bright colors, and many pictures of conservative politicians all strike the eye. However, it is important to look into the truth value of the site and to consider it in context of the events. Without much use of evidence or reasoning, this site merely gives atrocious and hateful opinions that appeal to a specific audience. The CPAC was intended for conservative advocacy purposes, but it provides little logical value and attempts to appeal to the emotion of viewers by emphasizing individuality.

Image from The Federalist Society

Prayer practiced in legislative settings is unjust on the basis of the Establishment Clause.

This issue first came to my attention this past summer, where I participated in an appellate court judicial competition concerning the issue of legislative prayer. For this competition, a scenario was made where two constituents argued against their county, which practiced Druid prayers and rituals prior to legislative sessions. Druidism was the majority religion of the county by far, and the two petitioners were of various Christian faiths. In forming arguments and determining a decision, we were provided with related prior landmark cases, such as Town of Greece vs. Galloway and Marsh v. Chambers. While reading these, I found myself disagreeing with the majority opinion, which found legislative prayer to be permissible under the tradition of the United States.

After writing about this issue in my Civic Issues blog, I found myself again interested in this topic and wanting a different ruling out of the Supreme Court. Obviously, it is important to consider these prior rulings, but I believe it is also worthwhile to look into the dissenting opinions, which provide opinions more similar to my own with support from a legal standpoint. Because the issue of legislative prayer is very specific and unique, the variety of opinions is more limited than for related issues, such as prayer in school settings. For my argument, I find that comparing the similarities and differences between these two settings will paint a clearer picture as to how the concept of legislative prayer falls beyond the bounds of the First Amendment.

In establishing these arguments, Edward Keynes’s book The Court vs. Congress: Prayer, Busing, and Abortion from 1989 can provide insight regarding prayer in both school and legislative sessions, building that connection and establishing the values of the United States. The book was a work of former Penn State Professor of Political Science, Edward Keynes, and his former student, Randall K. Miller. While the book itself is very large and covers a spread of different topics, the individual sections regarding prayer will aid my judgment of value in opposition of legislative prayer.

I also believe that it is important to recognize the social and psychological powers of legislative prayers and how the practice serves very little probative value in today’s legislature. The Supreme Court upheld the practices on basis of tradition, and I would like to combat the importance placed on tradition by describing the changing diversity and landscape of the country and its regions. Many believe that legislative prayer is in use for only specific persons; however, it is reasonable to conclude that the act of prayer effects more than just those who elect to participate in the practice. The rotation of religion in the practice does little to benefit the act, yet chambers have attempted this practice in hopes of appeasing opposers of legislative prayer.

The tradition of legislative prayer in the United States is undeniably unique and complex, and that is what makes the issue so hard to definitively rule on.

Image from nihaokailan.wikia.com

I grew up watching little cartoon songs in Chinese from CDs and VHS tapes my parents got from China. Characters were all drawn in the same style, and it wasn’t until I started watching American shows when I grew older did I realize a difference. Now, granted, that jump was just to Nick Jr. shows like Dora, Kai-Lan, and The Backyardigans, but it was enough for me to recognize different cultural practices among people. While commonly thought as a joke, Dora actually was a very strategic and beautiful representation of Latinx culture that educated kids. Even though they’re all animated animals, each Backyardigan adventure showed a new aspect of the world, crossing different cultures and practices. And in Kai-Lan, I saw a girl who came from a background like me thrive and have fun in the big world.

As I grew older, my connection to characters faded. The movies and shows I watched rarely starred other Chinese girls, and if they were present, they were just a side character. Stereotypes became more common in adolescent shows, with different races, genders, and backgrounds always behaving in a certain manner. While it may not seem generally important, representation in the films we watch has a serious impact on self identity and confidence, and a lack of that representation can be very hurtful to developing minds and perceptions of self.

An NBC News article, “Almost half of all Asian roles serve as a punchline, study finds,” looks at data and responses from the Geena Davis Institute on Gender in Media, the Coalition of Asian Pacifics in Entertainment and Gold House to draw conclusions on Asian representation in the media. The articles discusses how Asian characters within shows are often added just for comedic value, with their Asian identity often being the punchline of the joke. Filmmakers have a responsibility here: their decisions in representation shape how society reacts to those identities. These poor representations can cause insecurities in those being shown and prejudices to those who take inspiration from the shows.

In questioning good representation and bad representation, we also come across the question of forced representation. In other words, forcing representation of identities into the media without those identities adding much value. It’s much more opinion orientated than the mere question of representation itself, as many don’t see it as a necessarily harmful addition.

An opinion article from The State Press titled “Forced diversity is ruining your favorite forms of entertainment” provides new perspectives on representation within filmmaking. While a shocking title, the article actually discusses greater issues within forcing identities upon to characters, specifically tokenism. The author argues that the tokenism of minority characters (regarding race, economic status, disabilities, sexuality, gender, etc.) is more harmful than beneficial, as it shows that identity often in a stereotypical, foul fashion.

The article also advocates for greater diversity behind the scenes, arguing that filmmaker and production diversity is just as important as what is shown on the screen. Representation in film isn’t just an insignificant social annoyance that many perceive it to be; it’s a very important development to the growth of society and incredibly influential in seeing a self identity.

As we go in to deliberation, consider, what issues could the film industry face when deciding to diversify its screen representation? And in connection to that, how can the viewers in turn influence the production and what results regarding representation may appear from that?

NBC article: https://www.nbcnews.com/news/asian-america/almost-half-all-asian-roles-serve-punchline-study-finds-n1276103

The State Press article: https://www.statepress.com/article/2021/11/opinion-forced-diversity-ruining-characters-entertainment

Image from https://www.nevermanagealone.com/2020/11/15/21559079/messi-vs-ronaldo-lets-try-to-settle-the-debate

It’s been one of the most argued subjects in the world of soccer (or should we say, “football”) for the past few decades. It’s being constantly revised and rediscussed as time goes on and awards change. It’s the simple yet complex question of Messi or Ronaldo that has fans pulling out career details to advocate for their own G.O.A.T. (Greatest of All Time) and argue against the other.

Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo have long been considered rivals, having played on rival teams during their time in the Spanish League, La Liga. The FC Barcelona versus Real Madrid CF rivalry has calmed in the past few years since both Messi and Ronaldo’s departures, but in the past, their games — referred to as  “El Clásico” (The Classic) — would constantly spark both debate and deliberation among fans.

Every meeting the two have is exaggerated and glamorized by fans. The two are rather friendly towards each other, but their status and competition in the soccer world have caused this tension. Now being in post-World Cup era, there’s plenty more to compare: Messi fans showing his World Cup and Ronaldo fans attempting to undermine it.

A social media post on the video platform TikTok reflects this interaction of fans on a public forum. The post itself is rather unbiased, claiming the two stars are head-to-head in terms of stats. It shows a picture of each with the stats being listed below. The stats include number of games, goals and assists, Ballon D’ors, Golden Boots, trophies, FIFA Bests, and Playmakers. Minus the games and goals/assists, these are essentially all different awards given by different groups and organizations that recognize a “best player.”

While user @hakimi_footy7 may not have intended for this post to become a deliberation forum, it amassed 5.9 million views since November 26 and sparked some argument between both Messi and Ronaldo fans. The top comment from private user @emmettsteen says “Messi is just better it’s just the truth,” and was quickly met with responses from Ronaldo fans. Private user @bl4s3rr replied saying in short that Messi has natural talent while Ronaldo is a far harder worker, proving Ronaldo’s greater skill within the soccer field. This comment in particular is rather deliberative, providing new information regarding the two stars and responding to another opinion. This user was generally respectful to the original commenter and recognized his opinion in addition to providing another perspective of measurement.

The responses to that reply however were not quite as deliberative. User @edwin_g28 attempted to argue that both are naturally talented and work hard, but he started the response to @bl4s3rr with the phrase “this is the worst argument I’ve heard,” setting aside the deliberative tone and creating a more debate/argument style discussion. Had the user taken out this beginning phrase, perhaps the comments following could be more deliberative, in which both Messi and Ronaldo fans share different perspectives on athleticism. Instead, it caused for more users to reach out with deeply opinionated and close-minded responses, combined with insults to both the commenters and players.

Deliberation between fans on a social media platform is tricky, especially when those fans are so deeply opinionated towards one player over the other, sometimes refusing to consider other options. But Messi or Ronaldo will be a debate that continues to live on, even after both players retire from the captivating world of soccer.

link to Tiktok video: https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZTRGv6sBR/