For my Advocacy Project I plan to break away from what I have written about in my issue brief and focus on a different topic more tailored to the Penn State community. I want to advocate for the implementation of wellness days into regular (non-COVID) semesters at Penn State. I want to write about the toxicity of “grind culture” (all nighters, long cram sessions, few breaks) and talk about the value of having days off from classes. I personally find wellness days to be very productive days for me. I don’t just sit around, but I catch up and get ahead, in a relaxed format. I think I can present this project in a cool way, maybe by interviewing peers about how they use their wellness days and whether or not they feel burnt out by “grind culture”. I think this topic plays perfectly into the valued expressed in the hierarchy of needs. A second topic I am considering advocating for is the reduction of wasteful plastic products at the Penn State dining hall. I plan to talk about the negative effect that excessive uses of plastic bags and Styrofoam containers have on Penn State’s indirect carbon footprint when considering production, dive into the staggering numbers of meals served in wasteful containers each day and encourage Penn State students to refrain from grabbing plastic bags when getting food from the dining hall, especially when they are eating their food in the building.
When reading “Photographer as Witness: A Portrait of Abuse”, I was struck by the imagery and was left wondering how in the world a man could lash out like that ESPECIALLY when there is a professional photographer documenting him. When I sat and thought about it, I came to the conclusion it was because the man was so clouded by his own thoughts, and probably lost all sense of rationality. This is why I think the photographers work is both art and advocacy. It is rare that images like these are captured, and they are so powerful to me because it really shows the irrationality of domestic violence. I think this has the capacity to be an advocacy piece because if I were a domestic abuser looking at these photos, I would see how brutal and unacceptable these actions are, regardless of what one is feeling inside. I do think advocating against domestic violence through this mode is a long shot however, because just like any crime, most offenders know their actions are wrong in some capacity and choose to act anyway. I view this article as a piece of art as well, because it captures a human family in a natural form, and is an extremely raw documentation. I definitely feel that this documentation of this family is ethical. It seems that this project was observational. I do not think that there were underlying assumptions in this message, because the message was not even supposed to be pertaining to domestic violence in the first place. I wouldn’t even say that the photographer made an argument, but rather let her undoctored photos create its own natural argument.
I love both of your advocacy topics! I think the wellness ides is excellent, and you would get a substantial amount of student feedback. The plastic topic is one that also needs attention, especially during the era of covid. I found the amount of styrofoam waste to be disgusting. Boxes pilled up in garbage cans in East during the fall, overflowing so much that piles were stacked next to the bins. I look forward to reading/watching/listening to whatever topic you chose for your project. Regarding the photo essay, I think your point about how someone could commit an act of domestic abuse with a photographer present is an excellent analysis… however, I would not consider the essay art by any means.
I love the idea of advocating for wellness days regularly and I agree that it is something that could benefit a lot of students because grind culture really takes a toll on both mental and physical health. Although I didn’t read the abuse photo essay, I cannot even fathom how a photographer could justify taking photos of a woman being abused without intervening.
Your first advocacy project idea is so unique and definitely a newer issue that is super relevant for not only PSU students, but college students in general. As for the second, it is also great! I definitely support getting rid of so many single use plastics and unnecessary trash. As for the photo essay, at first I could not understand viewing it from an artistic standpoint, but you make a compelling argument. The piece is powerful and raw… I just wonder if art is too dismissive a term to refer to a piece such as this.