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An Idea I Don’t Understand, But I’m Glad Was Shared

November 6, 2014 by Hannah Conroy

As I was playing around on the TED Youtube channel, attempting to find an engaging talk, I came across one by comedian Reggie Watts. I know Watts as a musical comedian (and a legitimately talented musician) from the IFC TV show “Comedy Bang! Bang!”. I enjoy Watts’ weird brand of humor, and found it interesting he gave a TED Talk, so I decided to watch.

The talk is titled “Reggie Watts disorients you in the most entertaining way”, and can be viewed here. This talk is the most entertaining ten minutes of total nonsense I have ever seen; I love it. The talk begins with Watts speaking in several different languages and then accented English. What he says is nonsensical, but you find yourself going along with it, attempting to understand. “It’s not so much, as so little, as to do with what everything is” is a quote I found particularly interesting. Watts then transitions into a song, using a loop pedal and sound board. The song itself is musically sound and enjoyable. It also makes absolutely no sense. At all. Watts claims it is about “people. And sasquatches”. It might be, I don’t really know. After his song, Watts then seamlessly transitions into more seemingly legitimate, but purely nonsensical, pseudo-scientific speech. Included in this speech is a sentence I don’t understand, but that struck me in a way, “And just remember everything you are — it’s more important to realize the negative space, as music is only the division of space; it is the space we are listening to divided as such, which gives us the information comparison to something other that gives us the idea of what the idea that wants to be transmitted wants to be”. Transitioning once again into a song, then another, Watts ends his talk.

Leaving my first watch thoroughly confused, I did some research and found out Watts’ talk is an example of metamodernism. To be honest, I understand neither metamodernism nor Watts’ talk completely. For one, there is no solid definition of metamodernism, it seems to just simply exist. However, I really like that. Everyone gets what they see out of Watts’ talk, there is no right or wrong takeaway, you’re just along for the ride. If you do get something out of it great; if not, at least you had fun. I think Watts wanted to show that people will find meaning in anything, and that meaning is informed by their own life and experiences. Also, reality can be disorienting, so we need to impose order on it. However, this is simply my interpretation of the the talk, using my own interpretation of a concept that is open to a multitude of interpretations. I enjoy this talk because at the end of all this, I learned something new. I had no idea metamodernism existed or that is could be expressed through song and speech. TED Talks are supposed to teach us new ideas, and I definitely learned a new idea.

Watts’ speech may not have made a lot of sense, but it sure was captivating. I willingly sat through ten minutes of nonsense, and I did it more than once. One particularly captivating aspect was the way Watts’ mixed up the way he communicated information; he used speech and song and accents and languages. In my speech, I can incorporate speech and images in order to keep the audience interested and effectively communicate information. Furthermore, Watts’ voice and inflection is inherently engaging, his stage presence is fascinating. Hopefully, I can channel some of that inherently engaging body language and manner of speaking. Lastly. Watts’ is teaching something new; you might not know what it is, but you want to know more. If I can channel at least a portion of that hunger for knowledge that Watts inspires with his talk, I will be happy. So guys, go watch this speech, or read a transcript here. Get what you get out of it, and tell me my interpretation was all wrong. It is so magically weird and wonderfully engaging.

More information about metamodernism:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/seth-abramson/reggie-watts-gives-the-we_b_3635871.html

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“The Clues to a Great Story” TED Talk

October 30, 2014 by Hannah Conroy

I found Andrew Stanton’s TED talk very entertaining. The most effective aspect was, I think, Stanton’s establishment of credibility. To achieve this he discussed movies he had worked on and showed clips. I have heard of the movies he mentioned, I know they are incredibly successful and critically acclaimed films. Stanton obviously knows what he is talking about, he is more than qualified to speak on telling stories. I also found the clips and other “evidence” to be especially powerful in making his case. He cited examples of characters who have an “itch”, a motor inside them pushing them to fulfill a certain goal. Characters such as Marlin from Finding Nemo and Don Vito Corleone of The Godfather are ones I have heard of and can relate to as being effective players in a story. I also really enjoyed Stanton’s rules and guidelines for telling stories. His list of official “rules” from Pixar was very entertaining, however his other guidelines were especially interesting to me. The concepts such as “show 2+2, not simply 4” and “make me care” are ones I can now identify as critical to a story, but which I had not considered before.

I think I can integrate several of his techniques into my essay and TED talk. However, I feel it will be easier to integrate them into my TED talk than my essay; the TED talk tells more of a story than the essay, in my opinion. I think both could benefit from proving why the reader or viewer should care about the information, proving what the impact is. Also, having an underlying theme or thread running through the paper in order to bring everything together seems especially effective. Furthermore, I feel I could make the audience “work for their meal” by presenting different pieces of the story (the decline of newspapers) and then having them work to figure out the ending (the societal implications and impact) before revealing it. Overall, I found Stanton’s TED talk to very entertaining and informative; it has provided me with strategies I hope to use to make both my essay and TED talk more effective.

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Elevator Pitch

October 23, 2014 by Hannah Conroy

My elevator pitch discusses the recent decline of the newspaper industry. American culture is shifting from one that values print news sources to one that values online sources. Online magazines, news websites, and social networking sites, such as Twitter, are eclipsing newspapers as dominant news source in American society. I will begin my pitch by briefly discussing possible reasons for the shift to online sources. For example, online news sources offer convenience, cost, and up-to-the-minute information. I will then discuss the effects the rise of the internet has had on the newspaper industry; newspapers are struggling to make a profit due to competition from the internet. Furthermore, I hope to grab my audience’s attention with a statistic from Pew Research Center:

“From 2004 to 2012, the number of Americans who said they regularly read a daily newspaper fell from 54% to 38%.”

That is a very drastic decline, and something I think will shock many people. I feel it is common knowledge that newspaper readership is declining, but a drop as severe as this one may come as a surprise to many people. I also hope this fact will leave people curious, wanting to know more about the factors behind this decline. What has caused this decline, how did it happen? Why have internet news sources eclipsed print sources so quickly? Also, how have the newspapers reacted to this decline? I briefly answer these questions in my elevator pitch, but the audience will hopefully be curious to know more in-depth answers; they will want to seek more information. There is much more to this paradigm shift than can be covered in a 30 second elevator pitch, and I hope I have covered enough to give my audience an overview of the topic, and still leaving them curious about the underlying forces at work and overall consequences of the shift.

Source:

http://www.pewresearch.org/daily-number/number-of-americans-who-read-print-newspapers-continues-decline/

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Paradigm Shift

October 16, 2014 by Hannah Conroy

The article “Against Transparency” by Lawrence Lessig chronicles the paradigm shift of public support for transparency through the years. Originally, the public did not care if the government and other agencies were transparent. Today, the public the public would prefer if everything were transparent; total transparency of all information is the goal today. There is a much newer, emergent thinking, though, that not everything should be transparent; total transparency is detrimental to society. Lessig argues that the new idea of total, “naked” transparency has a dark side too.

Naked transparency could have negative effects on the culture of American politics. As a culture, Americans assume money has a lot of influence on politics. If a citizen were told a member of Congress received money from an oil company then voted for a pro-oil bill, the instinct is to say that vote occurred because of the donation. However, this is not necessarily true. The money could have been given to the Congressperson because they expressed support for the bill; the money came because of the vote. Or maybe the money had nothing at all to do with the vote. Thinking outside of the “money buys votes” is not the first reaction of most Americans, and having all the donation and vote and information for a candidate mapped out would only encourage this thinking. As Lessig puts it, “this default, this unexamined assumption of causality, will only be reinforced by the naked transparency movement and its correlations. What we believe will be confirmed, again and again”. The shift to wanting to know everything all the time could have unwanted side-effects. It is not realistic to want every American to closely examine all of the possible reasons their representative cast a vote, and it’s not doable either, there is really no way to know. Lessig argues however, “Yet even if rational, this ignorance produces predictable and huge misunderstandings. A mature response to these inevitable misunderstandings are policies that strive not to exacerbate them”. If releasing all of this information will lead to problems, the smart thing to do is not release it. The shift to total transparency is big one, as previously it was not thought of often. Lessig argues the shift will have negative cultural implications and alternatives should be examined before damage is done.

Honestly, I disagree with the Lessig; I think full transparency is a good thing. There definitely are downsides, as the author points out, but I think the positives outweigh the negatives. Especially concerning government, I think Americans have a right to know who donates to a politician and how they vote after the donation. An important part of democracy is freedom of information, the right for the people to decide for themselves what they make of information. People may just automatically assume the money is what caused a politician to vote the way they did, but they already think that right now. Keeping information secret is not going to change that. More information may confirm the belief that money has extreme influence on politics, but at least the public is deciding that for themselves. Information is necessary for the public to form their own opinions, and the public has a right to do so.

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Rhetorical Analysis Essay Revisions

October 9, 2014 by Hannah Conroy

One problem area of my Rhetorical Analysis Essay is the lack of background information regarding Emma Watson’s speech. I included background information on what feminism is and the common views of it. However, I did not include information on the speech or the HeForShe campaign. Originally, the information portion of the background paragraph read:

“Feminism today is often thought of as “man-hating”, and people are reluctant to associate themselves with the word or movement. A Huffington Post poll found that only 20% of poll respondents considered themselves feminists, however 82% believe that men and women should be equal (Swanson). Feminism is the simply the belief that men and women should be equal in all arenas of life, including society, business, and politics”.

This may be background on feminism, but doesn’t really tell the reader anything about the HeForShe campaign. To remedy this, I added some information to the beginning of the paragraph. Now, The paragraph reads:

“Emma Watson’s “He for She” speech was the launching of the HeForShe campaign for the United Nations. The campaign is described as “A solidarity movement for gender equality” by the UN. In other words, the campaign aims to bring men into feminism. In her speech, Watson describes why she believes men need to be involved in feminism and why feminism is important”.

Now, I hope, the reader knows more about the campaign and can better understand Watson’s message.

Another area of my essay that needed some improvement was the conclusion of my essay. It does not leave an overarching, lasting impact, and the conclusion sentence reads almost like a thesis. Originally, the closing sentence of my essay was:

“Her speech aims to persuade men to join the feminist movement and employs several rhetorical techniques to do so”.

I like this sentence, as I think it adds summary and closure to the essay. I do agree with my peer-reviewers, though, that I should close a big, lasting impact, and not the thesis-like statement I had originally. To think of a new closing sentence, I tried to answer the “so what?” question again. Why is this persuasion important? What’s the point? My answer is: because the movement is important. Real change needs to be made in regards to gender equality and everyone needs to be involved to do it. My new closing sentence reads:

“People of both genders need to be involved in the feminist movement if real change is be accomplished”.

Hopefully, this statement connects the persuasion of the speech to it’s overall goal and leaves the reader with a message.

Where do you think I could improve more? Are these improvements effective? Let me know!

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Rhetorical Analysis Thesis Statement

October 2, 2014 by Hannah Conroy

My thesis is based on the “He for She” speech recently given by Emma Watson. I will argue in my essay: “By demonstrating the need to bring men into feminism, Emma Watson hopes to make the world better for everyone”. In reaction, someone else may argue: “Through her speech, Emma Watson is demonstrating the need for feminism in the world, as it will help women live better lives”. I argue the goal of Watson’s speech is to better the world for both men and women, while another may argue her primary goal is to help only women.

Another person may argue that she is using her speech to help only women, to make the world a better places for females. I, however, am arguing that she is working to improve the world for both genders. She is using rhetorical devices to persuade, and the goal of her persuasion is to being men in feminism. But “so what?”, why does she want men involved in feminism? Having men involved will make the world better for men too, not just for women. If women have equal power and pay and social standing, everyone benefits, not just the women themselves. Men reap rewards also. Helping men step outside of their prescribed gender roles helps women to step outside theirs. The issue of gender equality is a very current one, it is an issue faced by women around the world every day. By commenting on who can participate in feminism I would be bringing more people into the conversation, inviting more input.

I believe this message is relevant to everyone, men and women. As Emma Watson is saying, you do not need to be a certain gender to participate in feminism, anyone can. I feel this is may be particularly relevant, though, to men who feel they are not feminists because they cannot be, their gender disqualifies them from participating. I Fathers could especially benefit from this, as they want their daughters to feel equal and have equal opportunities, and they want their sons to feel comfortable in their own skins. However, as Watson is saying, this message benefits everyone, men and women, young and old, and all across the world.

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Rhetorical Analysis Essay Ideas

September 25, 2014 by Hannah Conroy

I recently watched the speech Emma Watson gave at the United Nations, launching the “He for She” campaign. I am considering using the speech as my text for the rhetorical analysis essay. A transcript of the speech can be found here if you are interested in reading it. I found the speech very moving and felt as if it articulated the feelings of many women and feminists. The speech also aimed to bring men into feminism and persuade those watching to join the “He for She” campaign. The speech is persuasive, and does it’s persuading using ethos, pathos, and logos. The speech builds upon the commonplace that “feminism is just for women”. Then, Watson aims to persuade her listeners that “feminism is important for men too”. Watson draws on pathos, citing times of gender discrimination in her own life and around the world. She also uses logos to convince the listener. She accomplishes this by incorporating statistics about men and the effects of gender discrimination on them. Finally, Watson’s credibility, or ethos, is established through a reading of her accomplishments, including her position as the UN Women Goodwill Ambassador. Watson’s speech promoting the “He for She” campaign includes an audience, a social context, and a commonplace, as well as ethos, pathos, and logos.

A second text I am considering for my rhetorical analysis essay is the Dove “Real Beauty Campaign”. The ad campaign has been going on for several years but it has stuck with me all this time, it always makes me stop and think. Some examples of the ads can be found here. Essentially, the campaign tries to make viewers consider their view of beauty and hopes to make that view of “what is beautiful” wider. It establishes the commonplace of female beauty, then challenges it. The campaign primarily appeals to pathos, the emotional, beauty-judging aspect of humanity. However, it also evokes logos, as many people would say the “ugly” women in the campaign are beautiful. Dove is an established beauty brand with a well-known name, establishing the “ethos” of the campaign.

I am leaning more towards using the “He for She” speech by Emma Watson because I am more interested in it, and especially because it is so current. Which do you think I should use?

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Reflections On My Speech

September 18, 2014 by Hannah Conroy

I’m not quite sure how my speech went, to be honest. I was so nervous that I just cannot remember it now. I believe I spoke loudly enough, and clearly enough. I found a good volume and confidence to go a long way in other’s speeches, so I hope I achieved this in mine. I was very nervous about not being able to do so, though. I also think, hopefully, that I did not use too many filler words. I may have said “so” a few times, but I believe I avoided “like” and “um”. I do think my speech was a little repetitive; I could work on avoiding repetition in future assignments. Also, I do not know how long my speech was. When I practiced it I was always a little over three minutes, but I am worried that I spoke too quickly during the presentation, making my speech too short. Overall, I think my speech went fairly well. I think that I made the points I wanted to and got my message across.

Viewing other classmates’ speeches, I have noticed that speaking confidently goes a long way. When someone speaks loudly and confidently there speech seems much more practiced and, honestly, more believeable. Personally, I was very nervous, and I hope that it could not be heard in my voice. Also, when a speaker did not look down too often and made eye contact it improved the speech greatly. I hope I did this, as I did try to consciously make eye contact with everyone, however I worry that I did look down fairly often. Overall, a delivery style that seemed well practiced, loud, and confident worked very well. The most common pitfalls I noticed were the usage of fillers, such as “um”, and looking down at notes too often. I hope to take what I have learned from this assignment about what makes a good speech and apply it to future public speaking opportunities.

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Elections

September 11, 2014 by Hannah Conroy

Elections are civic events present here at Penn State, in my hometown, and all over the world. Elections hold a lot of meaning; they represent the whole of a community coming together to make their voice heard. They are also a representation of the great privileges we have here in America. We can go out and tell our representatives what we want they do, after we get to choose them. We decide what happens in our community, and we decide who gets to make it happen. Elections are meaningful civic events, the people are making their voice heard, and exercising a right that not everyone has.

Election day can be a bit chaotic; I have never voted or worked at a polling place, but I have witnessed the election day chaos at my high school, which was a polling place. The lines to vote can be very long as everyone tries to vote after work or on their lunch break. Also, the number of choices on a ballot can overwhelming, sometimes there are candidates for positions you have never heard of (what exactly does a county commissioner do?). However, once you get into the voting booth and make your choices, you have participated in a great event of democracy. You have exercised your right to have a say in government.

Elections occur within the larger context of a democracy. they are just one aspect of participation. Citizens can also write letters to elected officials, campaign for candidates, and introduce legislation through referendums (in certain states). However, none of this can happen without elections and voters. I think elections, and other forms of political participation, can produce real change.

Elections are a demonstration of the power citizens hold over the government, a direct line between the citizens and what gets done in government. Voting and elections are very important forms of civic engagement everywhere they are held and within the larger of context of democracy.

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RCL Blog #1

September 4, 2014 by Hannah Conroy

The main character of Americanah, Ifemelu, gets her blog ideas from the world around her. She observes situations and engages other people to learn their opinions on certain topics. She wants her audience to consider her takes on race on America and add their own thoughts. It is often hard to a real, honest conversation about race, and Ifemelu hope to encourage that kind of conversation on her blog. She wants her audience to really consider the issues she brings up, and the way they relate to race. For example, she mentions racial motivations underlying adoption. Ifemelu also wants to help educate other Africans who come to the United States. She was very confused by many of the traditions and customs of America, especially the view of race. Through her blog she hopes to explain these confusing aspects of American life to other Africans. The goal of her blog is two-fold. Ifemelu hopes to educate her readers about race in America, while encouraging discussion, and she hopes to educate other Africans about the complicated world of race in America.

If I could contribute to Ifemelu’s blog, I would comment on how informative her blog is. I honestly had not considered some of the things she mentions having written in her blog; such as racial motivations behind adoption. I also had not considered how confusing it must be to come to America and have to attempt to untangle the complicated web of racial relations in this country. There is so much history behind every relationship with every race in America, and coming in blind to all of the past events and prejudices between each group must be very overwhelming. I had never considered how complicated this all must be to someone who has no background knowledge. Ifemelu mentions the need for Non-American Blacks to be offended at racial slurs, even though they may not understand the background behind a word or phrase. The complexity of America’s relationship with race has never struck me quite like it did when I read about Ifemelu trying to explain it. I would comment on how informative and eye-opening her blog is.

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