Political Ponderings

As many of you (or maybe not… we’ll see) probably know, this past Tuesday was the 2014 Midterm Election Day. On this day, people across the country pick their senators, representatives in Congress and governors. They also vote on state ballot initiatives.

I don’t know if you can tell based on the topics I choose for my RCL blog posts, but I’m certainly no political junkie. How did I know it was Election Day on Tuesday? My high school brother told me he had off from school. That, and the Google banner keyed me in.

Google's banner on Tuesday
Google’s banner on Tuesday

In the spirit of Election Day, my friend (who takes even less interest in politics than I do) and I got into a debate that left me thinking for quite some time.

Knowing that we are on the same page politically, he originally had asked me if I plan on ever voting other than for the presidential election. I explained to him the internal conflict I’ve been having about voting since before I even turned 18 (maybe it started during my participation in Kids Voting USA back in 2008).

Anyway, what I’m struggling with is that I’m torn between carrying out my “civic duty” by voting and myself being politically uniformed, and thus making a vote for an undeserving candidate.

My friend said that he doesn’t think he will vote in the future because he doesn’t anticipate that he’ll be able to make an informed decision. He used his dad as an example: he was confident in his vote for George W. Bush in 2000, then regretted his choice later on during Bush’s two terms. Even when he was sure he knew who he wanted as President, he was wrong.

I told my friend that it seems like the only solution is to be well informed. Easier said than done.

Not everyone who votes can be 100% informed; that’s just impossible. In fact, I’d be willing to be most people who vote don’t meet the standards for well-informed citizens.

To start, I searched for what percent of the national population votes in any election throughout the year. FairVote.org gave the following stats:

The graph of voter turnout from FairVote.org
The graph of voter turnout from FairVote.org

The results seem pretty stable across time. As I would expect, less people vote during midterm years than during years with presidential elections.

But I also wondered why about half the population doesn’t vote. For instance, why did 41% of people not vote in 2012? Did they have the same reservations that I do, or are they just negligent of their duty?

According to a survey conducted by The California Voter Foundation (CVF), 28 percent of infrequent voters and 23 percent of those unregistered said they do not vote or do not register to vote because they are too busy. Others reported that voting takes too long.

Interestingly, 93 percent of infrequent voters and 81 percent of nonvoters agreed that voting is an important part of being a good citizen. Yet they still choose not to…

I’d love to hear some other opinions on this topic. As an adult, I don’t want to neglect my civic duties, but I don’t want to make ill-advised decisions for our nation. Many political activists plead that “ignorant people” stay away from the polls. But is a vote really representative of our country as a whole without about half the people’s votes?

Hopefully, I can find a personal solution in time for the 2016 elections.

 

“Sexy Ebola Nurse” Costume Stirs the Cauldron this Halloween

Halloween costumes have been a popular topic of conversation for the past few weeks. With Halloween having just passed this Friday, I saw a wide range of creative costumes around campus, from corn on the cob to CatDog (a couple’s costume).

One getup I did not see out and about this Halloween, however, was the “sexy Ebola nurse,” a costume that generated quite a bit of online controversy in the weeks leading up to Halloween.

 

Sexy Ebola Nurse costume from Brand One Sale
Sexy Ebola Nurse costume from Brand One Sale

The costume was first made available through online costume retailer Brands On Sale for $59.99. The description of the costume reads as follows:

As the deadly Ebola virus trickles its way through the United States, fighting its disease is no reason to compromise style. The short dress and chic gas mask will be the talk of Milan, London, Paris, and New York as the world’s fashionistas seek global solutions to hazmat couture. Ending plague isn’t the endeavor of a single woman, so be sure to check out our men’s Ebola containment costume for a great couple’s costume idea.

That’s right – there’s a men’s costume too. The description on that one even goes as far as to make the joke, “This will literally be the most ‘viral’ costume of the year.”

The men's Ebola Containment Suit Costume from Brand One Sale
The men’s Ebola Containment Suit Costume from Brand One Sale

It’s all so clever, right? Turns out, many people don’t think so. The complaints go beyond the usual ones that object to the seeming lack of respect for women surrounding all “sexy” Halloween costumes. Online commenters propose that the costume insensitive to the thousands of people who have died from Ebola in the current outbreak.

Just one of many social media posts criticizing the costume
Just one of many social media posts criticizing the costume

The instance is not unusual; many Halloween costumes in the past worn in the spirit of having fun have perceived as disrespectful and offensive to others (14 of the Most Controversial Halloween Costumes).

Many Halloween costumes, such as this "Mexican Man" costume, have been argued to be politically incorrect
Many Halloween costumes, such as this “Mexican Man” costume, have been argued to be politically incorrect.

I can’t help but agree with the public opposition. Like others in the past, this costume really takes it too far. According to USA Today, more than 10,000 people have been infected and nearly 5,000 have died. As for the nurses being characterized by this costume, at least 450 health care workers have been infected with Ebola in West Africa and 244 have died. In essence, there just isn’t much lighthearted fun surrounding the outbreak.

According to the Inquisitr, Brand On Sale executive Jonathan Weeks defends the product: “Halloween is supposed to be fun. It is supposed to be outrageous. People need to lighten up and have a sense of humor about this holiday.”

Might be a little hard to have fun with a deadly native African virus attacking every organ and tissue in your body, Jonathan.

Despite of the costume’s supposed political incorrectness, representatives from the company say they’ve sold quite a few of copies of it.

Why you can’t Can Competitively

As I’m certain every Penn State Student knows, the first canning weekend of THON 2015 fundraising season just passed. Springfield, the THON organization that I’m a part of, achieved huge success, breaking all previous whole-weekend records by Saturday evening. I anxiously await the “big reveal” of our whole-weekend total, which should be out sometime this week.

My canning group this weekend counting our weekend profit
My canning group this weekend counting our weekend profit

From what I’ve heard, other THON orgs experienced similar success this weekend. I know that, like us, many of them sent canners out before sunrise to claim corners. As we drove through my hometown at 5:45 a.m. Saturday morning, I saw PSU students in neon tutus and nittany lion ski hats at almost every intersection.

From what I’ve heard, other THON orgs experienced similar success this weekend. I know that, like us, many of them sent canners out before sunrise to claim corners. As we drove through my hometown at 5:45 a.m. Saturday morning, I saw PSU students in neon tutus and nittany lion ski hats at almost every intersection.

A few of them (members of Atlas in particular) were sitting on the corners at which my group had intended to can on Saturday. Now, I must say, it’s a little defeating to get up at 5:30 a.m. only to find that someone else beat you to your spot, especially when that spot is one of the most ideal canning locations in the area. As we pulled up to the main intersection in New Hope, we say drowsy kids in fuzzy pink hats (characteristic of Atlas) lounging on all four corners. We ended up driving around looking for a new location until 8:30. Rest assured, we found a pretty good one. Throughout the whole process, my trip leader remained remarkably peppy (especially considering what time it was). When I expressed my frustration at getting beaten out to my trip leader, she replied calmly, “it’s all FTK.”

The Atlas pink fuzzy hats
The Atlas pink fuzzy hats

Something that amazed me when I first started shopping around for a THON org to join was that the officers of the groups never tried to persuade you to join their org by talking down on other orgs. Rather, they simply focused on what made theirs super fun and exciting. I’m used to the competitive nature of high school cliques and sports team recruiters, so realizing that this was not a part of this system was both surprising and relieving. So many of the same kids are looking at all these groups, yet they refuse to talk smack.

Really, the noncompetitive nature of THON orgs makes sense. Sure, they’d each like to have the highest total at the end of fundraising season for pride purposes, but really, we’re all out freezing out butts off before the crack of dawn for the same reason: FTK.

blog-thon-FTK-300x1031

It’s a beautiful thing that so many people come together so passionately for one single cause. While a little friendly competition is perfectly civic, working together and appreciating each other’s efforts is even more so. Through the collaboration and support of thousands of people in all different orgs that contribute the THON, the event has become as successful as it is today. It’s a perfect example of how effective communication and teamwork can be used to attain an even greater good.

Penn State Yik Yak Threat

By Sunday, most every Penn State student knew about a threat to the school delivered via Yik Yak, an anonymous social media smartphone app that gives users a live feed of what people within 1.5 miles of them are posting. Yik Yak was released in 2013, but only became very popular in the beginning of this school year, particularly on college campuses.

 

the Yik Yak app logo
the Yik Yak app logo

The creators of the app had good intentions: “with Yik Yak we want to connect people in an open way based on location and experiences,” Droll, one of the creators, told the Today Show. The app clearly lays out certain guidelines regarding what is expected for users and the quality of content they should be posting. Certain posts, however, have contributed to the rampant growth of cyber bullying. Others have even posed threats that have required police involvements.

A screenshot displays the “Rules & Info” page available on Yik Yak’s extra options tab
A screenshot displays the “Rules & Info” page available on Yik Yak’s extra options tab

In fact, Yik Yak threats seem to be trending in recent news. Two California high schools were placed on lockdown after a bomb threat back in March. A University of Southern Mississippi student was arrested after making a threat against the campus over Yik Yak in late September. A male student at a New Jersey university posted a link to sex tape on Yik Yak without the permission of a female student just two weeks ago. An 18-year-old freshman at Towson University was arrested and charged for promising a “Virginia Tech Part 2” on October 4th through a post on the app.

Sure enough, the trend reached Penn State Sunday night. The post pictured below, taken down within minutes of being posted, reads, “I am going to kill everyone in penn state main on Monday. i got 5 beta mags of ar 15 and shoot everyone in the HUB at 12:00. this is a warning.”

Shim's Yik Yak post from Sunday afternoon
Shim’s Yik Yak post from Sunday afternoon

According to Onward State, the arrest of 20-year-old off-campus student Jong Seong Shim followed just hours later. University Park Police worked with Yik Yak officials to confirm the mobile device used to post the note, as well as the location. According to a Penn State News report posted Monday night. Shim admitted to posting the threat, claiming that it was a “prank.” He faces charges on multiple accounts, including terroristic threats with intention to terrorize another, terroristic threats causing serious public inconvenience, and disorderly conduct with a hazardous physical offense.

The HUB, understandably, was rumored to be a ghost town Monday afternoon.

As I mentioned, Yik Yak threats are not unique to Penn State. Washington Post reports that in the past week alone, over a dozen high schools and universities have had high-profile incidents with the app.

How does Yik Yak appeal to users? It’s basically the new ask.fm (if anyone can think back to that 2009 middle-school trend). Yik Yak has one main attraction: total anonymity. Virtually no personal information is required upon signing up. Furthermore, the app shows users when other people around them are experiencing similar things. It’s used as an emotional outlet in that sense. Look at the screen shot I’ve posted below of my feed at this very second. Whether you’re currently concerned with this afternoon’s exceptionally crappy weather, the Ebola outbreak, or the reoccurring disappearance of chicken fries, someone is right there with you.

A screen shot of my Yik Yak feed today
A screen shot of my Yik Yak feed today

The problem of course arises when people post hurtful slanders (especially personally directed ones) and the types of threats like the one at Penn State. People abuse the power of anonymity and use it for evil, rather than its entertaining intent.

Surely, Yik Yak will meet its death sooner or later, but will it be by school/government banning, or by settling into its place in the social-media’s-past graveyard, right between MySpace and Google+?

If Yik Yak is outlawed, people are going to continue doing stupid things, pulling these stupid “pranks,” per say, somewhere else. Fortunately, none of the threats were followed through with (in other words, they might very well have been bluffs), and sources were able to be easily identified in each case. Maybe the key to preventing this issue is spreading awareness that a Yik Yak post is not truly anonymous. This way, potential offenders might reconsider before pulling such an insensitive “prank.”

The College Application Process: Potential Improvements or Further Inadequacy?

The college application system has always seemed a little off to me. It was unbelievably stressful and tedious, that’s for sure. There’s a significant amount of debate as to whether the process is fair. A New York Time’s article titled, “Throw Out the College Application System” explores the viewpoint in opposition to the current process and proposes a new system. I also came across an interesting response to this article called, “A Better Way to Evaluate College Applicants?

The author of the original article, Adam Grant, argues three main points. First, teacher recommendation letters and interviews with alumni reveal just as much about these people as they do about the applicant. Second, nontraditional students are disadvantaged by the fact that many colleges still rely heavily on grades and test scores to admit candidates. These tests focus more on book smarts than on wisdom and practical intelligence. Lastly, it is impossible to tell what portion of the materials an applicant submits, such essays and portfolios, were produced by the student alone, and what portion was done by/with the help of parents or mentors.

 

Who really wrote that common app essay? (1)

Grant proposes that all colleges begin to use assessment centers, where an applicant would spend a day completing a series of individual tasks, group activities and interviews. Some assessments would be objectively scored for performance; others are observed by multiple trained evaluators looking for key behaviors. Grant believes that this system would provide more complete information about students’ “values, social and emotional skills, and capacities for developing and discovering new ideas

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1256422/Parents-unable-understand-teenage-childrens-homework.html
What would an assessment center look like, anyway? (2) 

Daniel Bronheim, the author of the response letter, argues that the assessment center system is just as flawed as the current system, and for similar reasons. The group of students who are currently advantaged in the application process (that is, those “achievement-oriented students from families with sufficient means”) will quickly put their money toward an expensive specialized industry that adequately prepares them for the assessment center processes. Further, because the assessment centers will not be testing on traditional high school content, students who can pay for this training will have an even greater advantage in these unlearned skills than before.

As a suburban white student from the upper-middle class who attended these preparatory courses for the SAT and ACT, I can confirm that they are both expensive and effective at what they do. They train students for a specific task. While you certainly use your educational background to solve the test problems, familiarity with the problems gained through these classes provides an inarguable advantage. For this reason, I think the assessment center process would a good solution. It isn’t fair that students’ whose families cannot pay for their enrollment in such courses should be disadvantaged in the college application process, even if they are equally as smart as the more privileged students. I also know from experience just how much help kids get in the college application process from parents and mentors, and how important it is to pick the teacher with not only the best opinion of you, but also the best writing skills, to write your recommendation letter.

I don’t think, however, that the testing done at the assessment centers should be searching solely for values and social/emotional skills. While I am in agreement with Garner’s Multiple Intelligences Theory, the sets of skills targeted by the current standardized tests are, according to the College Board, those “required for success in the 21st Century.” The ideal assessment center would find an objective way to test these skills in order to identify the true best applicants.

The components of Garner's Multiple Intelligences Theory
The components of Garner’s Multiple Intelligences Theory (3)

This debate is moving in the right direction of making the necessary change to this flawed system. Grant’s argument seemed stronger here only because he presented a solution, whereas Bronheim simply contended Grant’s point. Three of the four basic steps toward creating change are satisfied: awareness, accomplished through this article’s publication; interaction, such as the debate that ensued as well as comments on the article; and process, which is what I am doing here. The final step would be to take action and actually make a change to the system. Considering the success of College Board (according to the Huffington Post, their revenues hit $65.6 million in 2010), it seems we’re still years, maybe even decades, away from that.

 

 

Image Sources:

1: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1256422/Parents-unable-understand-teenage-childrens-homework.html

2: http://www.nytimes.com/2014/10/05/opinion/sunday/throw-out-the-college-application-system.html

3:  http://educ732.courseblock.com/2011/05/13/topic-4-2-gardner’s-multiple-intelligences-theory/

Toast to the Hosts

As I’m sure many of you are aware, the first canning weekend for THON is this weekend, October 17th to 19th. Over two hundred members of Springfield signed up to go canning this weekend, making this one of the largest groups in Springfield history! Hopefully, our profits will break records as well.

Springfield's Logo
Springfield’s Logo (http://www.springfieldftk.org)

I’m very excited to be hosting a group of canners from the THON organization I joined this year, Springfield (by the way, feel free to donate on our website). Eleven Springfield members, including myself, will be staying at my family’s house in Newtown, Pennsylvania this weekend.

The thing is, I kinda might have signed up without making sure my mom was 100% on board with hosting. Well, I’m lucky to have the most giving, kindhearted mother in the world. One of her most admirable ideologies is to always put others before yourself. She’s also a soccer mom, so she knows how to cook for a pasta- party crowd. Every year on Christmas Eve she cooks the traditional Seven Fishes Italian Dinner for around 30 people in our extended family. I figure this will be a breeze compared to that meal. Of course, when I told her we’d been selected to host this weekend, she was willing.

Christmas Eve Dinner 2014
My mom’s Christmas Eve dinner, 2014

She did, however, seem a little nervous. Neither she nor I know exactly what hosting entails. I know my group and I will spend the majority of the day on a local street corner collecting (and dancing), but a host needs to provide breakfast and dinner and place for the group to sleep. Understandably, my mom had a slew of questions: where in the house will everyone sleep? Will they bring sleeping bags? Is anyone allergic to our dog? Most importantly, what should she make for dinner?

I couldn’t answer any of these questions (I’m just a freshman, mom!). This will be a first for both of us. As a class, I think we’ve basically come to the consensus that being passionately involved in THON fundraising is civic. Hosting is a really cool way for parents and families to be involved with THON, too. Hosting is a big commitment; these families open up their homes to a large group of college students with even larger appetites, and have the responsibility of feeding them all. Indirectly, my family is doing service for THON because students wouldn’t have the ability to can for almost twelve hours two straight days without a place to stay and food to keep them energized. Some might say hosts are “civically engaged.” In fact, who could deny the service they’re doing? Sure, the canners they host aren’t a charity case – most of us Penn State kids are reasonably well fed and provided for here. And they’re not standing out on the corners with the kids (according to THONofficial rules and regulations, only current Penn State students are eligible to can). But hosts enable students to can, which accounts for well over half of Springfield’s profits. Just like Springfielders, hosts are definitely FTK.

 

 

Kairos: Roommate Rhetoric

After just finishing up reading chapter four in our class RCL textbook, devoted to the explanation of kairos, I started to think of what “hot issues” there were in my life that I am, or should be, seizing the moment for rhetorically. Then I saw a flyer for an apartment building advertising available rooms to students for next year. I’ve heard on multiple accounts that the time to start looking for a place to live next year is early October, if you want to walk less than a mile to campus everyday. Seeing that today is September 25th, the urgency of this issue is pretty indisputable. At first, this might not seem like a rhetorical situation, but in fact there are two clear sides of the conversation at hand. My roommate’s parents would prefer that she and I live on campus next year and reap the benefits of campus living one last time. I, conversely, am tempted by the idea of having my very own kitchen and bathroom. My roommate is pretty torn on the matter.

Well, my “window” of kairotic opportunity opened today, the day of the open house event for Calder Commons apartments. We were able to go in one of the apartments. I made sure my roommate saw the big, white oven (she loves baking) and the fitness center in the building. >>>>

But, of course, as a practicing rhetor, in order to maintain a kairotic stance I must examine the values and assumptions that drive the opposing argument, and even my own. I will begin with the conflicting viewpoint. On-campus living is safe, closer to classes, and allows students to be on a meal plan (and thus receive the 65% discount on campus food). The price of living on campus also includes electricity, heat/AC, and high-speed wireless Internet connection. One study even says that, in general, students living on campus tend to have higher GPAs than those who do not. For Penn State’s complete list of benefits of campus living, as well as amenities, click here.

I acknowledge these arguments and have indeed taken all these points into consideration; however, I have several points to support my side. Although I am enjoying campus living right now (especially the buffets in the dining halls), I predict that I will be done with communal bathrooms and the inability to make myself a hot meal by the time next year comes around. Living off-campus would be liberating! It truly provides students with the opportunity to become an adult. It involves increased responsibilities; besides the work they have for school, off campus students are usually responsible for paying their monthly rent, cooking, cleaning, and taking care of other financial matters regarding their living space. This situation gives students a chance to become adjusted to life in the real world. While some might argue that you have junior and senior year to do this, I figure the earlier the better. Besides independence, off-campus living could potentially provide students with better health, a smarter diet (no more warm cookies from West every day), fewer distractions, more space, the opportunity to build credit, and the ability to have a car. Besides, it’s usually less expensive.

I can see how my roommate’s parents’ opinions are derived from the values of a caring parent and, on the other hand, how mine coincide with the values of a typical college student, eager to break free from the nest. In any case, we have five days to come to a consensus on what our best option is for next year. Feel free to join the discussion – tell me what your plan is for next year, and why!

Pathos and Color

Color vs. B&W
1 Color vs Black & White
Changes in Hue, Saturation and Brightness
1 Color Variations

While flipping through the RCL course book today, I came across a section dedicated to explaining how pathos can be generated through many different sources, some of which I’d never considered. Obviously, we can find visual pathos in photos and other media sources (ever seen that tear-jerker SPCA commercial with Sarah McLachlan and the one paraplegic pets?). But a large portion of this chapter considers the pathos of color.

I guess the idea of colors having emotional associations isn’t far fetched. I’ve heard of schools painting classrooms different colors to try to improve students’ moods and learning abilities, and of restaurants avoiding the use of blue plates because apparently blue suppresses appetite. But the book says that our emotional associations with colors are individually and, even for each person, are not fixed; rather, they depend on the context in which an individual sees the colors. The examples in the book are black and white, so I couldn’t really test myself on how the two color variations of the poster shown influence my response to its message. Instead, I decided to try it out myself.

My favorite cereal, Fruitty Pebbles, uses bright coloration to attract kids’ attention. So it makes sense that it probably wouldn’t be in their best interest to advertise in black and white. Just look at the picture I’ve posted. Which would you rather eat? If you’re like me (and you’re attracted to all things rainbow), you’ll definitely pick the one on the left.

But what about variations in coloration? The book mentions that to analyze and use color rhetorically, we use our cultural knowledge and our perception of hue, saturation and brightness. I decided to try changing around these aspects of the coloration of the cereal bowl picture a little, and seeing what effect these changes had on my appetite for the picture. Take a look for yourself at the second picture. Personally, I prefer the picture on the left still. The crisp, white color of the milk in that version is what sold me.

The use of visual pathos is not always as obvious as it is in the McDonald’s commercial with the group of forever-smiling children who’ve just been handed their Happy Meals. When we see are shown emotion, we usually feel similar emotions in response because we know these emotions ourselves. Less obvious sources of pathos, like color choice, are important advertising devices that, if used correctly, can be powerful rhetorical tools.

One of my career interests, consumer behavior research, is actually very concerned with this topic. Believe it or not, the majority of snap judgments made about products are based on color alone. When it comes to picking the best color, predicting consumer reaction to the correctness of color for a particular product is even more important than the color itself. For instance, if you know John Deere tractor owners buy the product in order to feel rugged, you would stray away from the pink sparkle edition when designing that product.

When designing products or advertisements, in order to analyze the use of colors, it might be tempting (and maybe at times, helpful) to identify the emotions or bodily responses you yourself feel. Yet you must be alert to how the differing backgrounds of others might influence their responses. In other words, as with all rhetorical interactions, you must be cognizant of your audience.

 

1. “White Fruity Pebbles | Jamba Juice Secret Menu – #SecretMenuholic.”#SecretMenuholic.

Secretmenuholic.com, 4 Mar. 2014. Web. 16 Sept. 2014.

A Citizen’s Utopia

Today in class, we discussed what, in each of our “ideal worlds,” being a good citizen would entail. As expected (who amongst this group doesn’t want world peace, right?), most of my classmates’ ideas followed along the same lines as mine. In my Utopia, there is no violence, nor are there hate crimes. Everyone who wants a job has access to one, and those who work honestly and diligently are rewarded for their efforts. Every citizen has an equal say in government and, to complement this privilege, every citizen has an equal say is well informed and up-to-date with current political issues. Everyone cares for his or her neighbors, so much so that no one struggles alone. Tolerance for all types of people is universal, and everyone is well versed in communication skills, both face to face and via technology.

My classmates added a few new ideas during the group discussion, most of which I agreed with, and some that I questioned. They thought, like me, that the ideal citizen population would be accepting of all types of people, politically informed, empathetic, and able to communication effectively, respecting the opinions of others without resorting to violence. An idea that one of my piers proposed that I found interesting was that all people should be well educated about the past. I agree with this notion; I remember my 9th grade history teacher stressing the idea that history repeats itself. In order to address societal issues that arise, it is often useful to be able to reference similar problems that occurred in the past.  Other students said that the people should be self-aware, and the society should be one that still permits individuality. Another major topic we discussed was the ability of the people to take action on their individual beliefs. This idea had no struck me before, and so it was particularly interesting to me. In my immediate conceptions, the phrase “acting on beliefs” would imply violent protest and upheaval; however, the student who mentioned it proposed that laws, not violence, serve as the means by which this is accomplished. Upon further consideration, I think this would be a very ideal process – that a group of citizens used the legal system to peacefully promote their beliefs. Nevertheless, this process would only be possible if it involved citizens equipped with the qualities mentioned above:  informed, educated, tolerant, and self-aware.