I will be analyzing the shift in integrating trash as art and as a means of advocacy.
We have all heard the saying “one man’s trash is another man’ treasure”. With total municipal solid waste near 267 million tons, there seems to be a lot of trash to go around. The idea of using non-conventional objects as art started in the mid-twentieth century with the abstract movement and the idea of repurposed art. The definition of what is art was being stretched in every way possible to give new meaning and bring about new perspectives on art and life in general. From there, the definition of art changed further to incorporate trash into well respected and high-quality works of art. So, in this project, I want to explore the meaning of art and trash. What makes something art and what do we consider trash. What does this have to do with capitalism and throwaway culture? How can we turn art pieces into advocacy for the environment and continue to make big impacts? What does this say about the increasing awareness about the detrimental effects humans have on the environment?
Ok, so this week’s species is totally adorable and has some interesting history/ facts about their living status. I also had a domesticated version of the species (lol trying not to give it away) and they were one of my first pets. I loved her (and him because we got a second one later on) to pieces 🥰 But ok… onto what we have been waiting for…
Endangered Species of the Week: The Black-Footed Ferret
Mustela nigripes
Black-footed ferrets are one of the most endangered mammals in North Americaand are the only ferret species native to the continent. Their recovery in the wild signifies the health of the grassland ecosystem which they depend on to survive. However, once thought to be globally extinct, today, recovery efforts have helped restore the black-footed ferret population to nearly 300 animals across North America.
They are slender, wiry animals with a black facemask, black feet and a black-tipped tail. The rest of their body is short and sleek, with fur that is a yellow-buff color, lighter on the belly and nearly white on the forehead, muzzle, and throat.
Black-footed ferrets once ranged throughout the North American Great Plains wherever prairie dog colonies thrived, from southern Canada to northern Mexico. Today, they have been reintroduced into parts of their former range in Wyoming, South Dakota, Montana and Arizona.
Fun Facts:
Black-footed ferrets are very playful, especially as juveniles. Young at play will wrestle, arch their backs and hop backward with their mouths wide open, in a display known as the “ferret dance.”
Today, all wild black-footed ferrets are descended from 18 BFF’s Eighteen (Black-Footed Ferrets) that were caught to establish a breeding colony.
Ferrets have a high metabolic rate and require large quantities of food in proportion to their body size. One ferret may eat over 100 prairie dogs in a year, and scientists calculate that one ferret family needs more than 250 prairie dogs each year.
Black-footed ferrets are primarily nocturnal.
What is Threatening Them?
Black-footed ferrets once numbered in the tens of thousands, but due to a combination of human-induced threats, they were believed to be extinct twice in the 20th century.
Despite significant recovery successes, the BFF remains one of the most endangered mammals in North America. The primary reasons the species remains at risk are the same that nearly caused the animal’s extinction: disease, loss of habitat, and related declines in prey.
Conversion of native grasslands to agricultural land, widespread prairie dog eradication programs, and fatal, non-native diseases, such as plague, have reduced BFF populations to less than 2% of their original range. Much of the remaining habitat is now fragmented, with prairie dog towns separated by expanses of agricultural land and other human developments.
What is Being Done?
by 1986, due to disease, only eighteen individuals were known to exist in this isolated wild population. Scientists captured these remaining BFFs and they became the foundation for a successful captive breeding and reintroduction program that continues today. This Service-led BFF program has annually released BFFs into the wild at a number of different reintroduction sites across the West. Currently, there are approximately 280 BFFs living at captive breeding facilities. These recovery efforts are managed by the Service’s National Black-Footed Ferret Conservation Center in northern Colorado and partners in multiple states.
Despite the many threats facing BFFs, wildlife managers believe the recovery of the species is attainable. There are more than 50 federal, state, tribal and non-governmental agencies working together in a recovery team effort to conserve this native species. Due to these partnerships, BFF recovery goals are within reach.
And that’s it for this week! Sorry some of the pics were blurry, but I hope you appreciated them anyways haha.
See y’all later! 🐾
P.S. The title pun is supposed to be don’t fret haha. I am not a punny person at all so plz don’t judge
Ok so, I don’t really watch TED Talks. There, I said it! I think I briefly remember putting them on to fall asleep to when I was in middle school? So, given this, I don’t have a favorite TED Talk because I have not watched any (that I can remember). In order to find a favorite, I looked through the titles of many different videos and searched up topics that may be of interest to me. I didn’t watch many, but I did notice in my search on YouTube that one video already had the red line on it indicating I started watching it at some point. I was very intrigued. This video was…
Honestly, as you may remember, my interests are anything happy and meaningful. Whether that be traveling, cats, crafts, or saving the environment, these are the things I lean towards. However, this video, upon watching (or rewatching?), I was intrigued. As the title states, it is about the mother of one of the shooters in the Columbine shooting that took place on April 20, 1999. The topic of mental health, gun control, and school shootings have never been more prevalent than they are today with issues regarding them being ongoing. Seeing this one mother’s courage to speak up about her feelings to crowds of people is amazing. I think it is always assumed that those who do bad things must have had something happen in their childhood or family issues that lead them to have mental issues. Here, the mother was just as affected as the child and had no clue what was happening. After the shooting, she questioned herself and began to have mental issues thinking that everywhere she went, someone would be from the family of a victim of her son. However, instead of succumbing to these thoughts, she started to speak out. 6 years after the shooting occurred, she decided to speak out about the affects of mental illness on not only the one afflicted, but the loved ones of those afflicted. She is advocating for more mental health awareness through her own experiences, which is so powerful to me as she exposes her own family’s problems in order to help others. So, while I can’t say this is my favorite TED Talk, it is definitely interesting to see this view point and inspiring to see how one victim is making strides for the greater good.
Ok, for the Paradigm shift paper, I still have no clue what to do. My only idea (surprise), has to do with the environment. I think there has definitely been a shift in society becoming more aware of the environment and wanting to be more sustainable. This can be seen in restaurants and chains serving more than one type of milk, having veggie or Impossible meats, trying to limit their plastic usage, etcs… I think this has also been seen in the uprising of brands that promote their sustainable manufacturing and shipping and base their brands around being eco friendly. Although, greenwashing is definitely an issue, but that also means industries are recognizing that their customers are interested in being eco friendly so they are trying to “follow the trend” and be eco friendly too (when in reality they are not). This can also be seen in pop culture such as the VSCO trend of being a vsco girl with a reusable water bottle and metal straws to sksksk save the turtles. Hilarious, but I think looking at how the young generations act definitely shows this shift in social thinking. There have also been very popular art pieces and music released that have to do with saving the planet or exposing what is happening. This is all I have for now, and I will definitely keep thinking about it, but at least it’s a start!
This week’s species has always been a favorite of mine. Honestly, I was shocked that they are endangered because I remember seeing them so often in pictures or at the zoo. I even have a plush at my house because they are so cute ☹
So drumroll….
Endangered Species of the Week: The Red Panda
Scientific Name: Ailurus fulgens
Yay! So we already looked at the Giant Panda, but don’t get these two confused!
Red pandas, like giant pandas, are bamboo eaters native to Asia’s high forests. However, the two species are not closely related. Red pandas are much smaller than giant pandas and are the only living member of their taxonomic family.
The belly and limbs are black, and there are white markings on the side of the head and above its small eyes. Red pandas are very skillful and acrobatic animals that predominantly stay in trees. Primarily an herbivore, the name panda is said to come from the Nepali word ‘ponya,’ which means bamboo or plant eating animal.
There are less than 10,000 left.
Fun Facts:
Red pandas share the giant panda’s pseudo-thumb, a modified wrist bone used to grasp bamboo when feeding.
In very cold temperatures, red pandas can become dormant, lowering their metabolic rate and raising it every few hours as they wake up to look for food.
Their red coat color acts as a camouflage within the canopy of fir trees where branches are covered with clumps of reddish-brown moss and white lichens.
Red pandas scent-mark territories using anal glands and urine, as well as scent glands located between their footpads. These scent glands on the bottom of red pandas’ feet exude a colorless liquid that is odorless to humans.
Bamboo constitutes about 95% of the red panda’s diet.
What Is Threatening Them?
Their primary threats are habitat loss and degradation, human interference, and poaching.
Habitat loss is primarily attributed to logging, grazing livestock, demand for firewood, human encroachment, and farming. This is so harmful because almost 50% of the red panda’s habitat is in the Eastern Himalayas. The loss of their unique habitat makes it hard for the panda population to come back up as they can’t live anywhere else.
Herds of livestock can also compete with red pandas for available bamboo leaves and degrade their habitat.
Red pandas are often killed when they get caught in traps meant for other animals such as wild pigs and deer. They are also poached for their distinctive pelts in China and Myanmar. Red panda fur caps or hats have been found for sale in Bhutan.
These threats to red pandas are intensified by climate change and natural disasters, inadequate enforcement of laws and regulations, and limited investment in red panda conservation by local governments.
What Is Being Done?
Red pandas are legally protected in India, Bhutan, China, Nepal and Myanmar.
TheInternational Union for Conservation of Nature has prioritized four major categories of action for conserving red pandas: protect against habitat loss, reduce habitat degradation, reduce deaths of red pandas (through poaching and removing man-made threats) and improve awareness.
What Can You Do?
Support organizations like the Smithsonian’s National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute that research better ways to protect and care for this animal and other endangered species. Consider donating your time, money or goods.
Stay informed about the environment and endangered species and make sustainable decisions!
Ok so this week’s species was inspired by an Instagram advertisement I got haha. I will post the video here so spoiler!
Endangered Species of the Week: The Pangolin
(Pholidota)
Pangolins are insect-eating mammals covered in tough, overlapping scales.
Pangolin species vary in size from about 1.6kg (~3.5 lbs) to a maximum of about 33kg (~73 lbs). They vary in color from light to yellowish brown through olive to dark brown.
All pangolins belong to the genus Manis in the family Manidae. Although pangolins share similar characteristics with Xenarthrans (anteaters, armadillos, and sloths), they are in fact more closely related to the order Carnivora (cats, dogs, bears, etc.).
Eight species of pangolins are found on two continents. They range from Vulnerable to Critically Endangered.
Where are they found?
Pangolins are found in a variety of habitats including tropical and flooded forests, thick brush, cleared and cultivated areas, and savannah grassland; in general they occur where large numbers of food (ants and termites) are found.
Four species live in Africa: Black-bellied pangolin, White-bellied pangolin, Giant Ground pangolin and Temminck’s Ground pangolin .
The four species found in Asia: Indian pangolin, Philippine pangolin, Sunda pangolin and the Chinese pangolin.
Fun Facts:
A startled pangolin will cover its head with its front legs, exposing its scales to any potential predator
If touched or grabbed it will roll up completely into a ball, while the sharp scales on the tail can be used to lash out
Also called scaly anteaters because of their preferred diet
These scales are made from keratin (the same protein that forms human hair and fingernails)
A pangolin’s tongue is attached near its pelvis and last pair of ribs, and when fully extended can be up to half the length of the animal’s head and body
One adult pangolin can eat 70 million insects each year
What is Threatening Them?
Pangolins are killed and trafficked in great numbers because their scales are used in traditional Asian medicine, their meat is considered a luxury food in many parts of Asia, and their skins and other parts are used for various purposes such as fashion. As a result, there is a rampant illegal global trade in pangolins and their parts. The demand comes principally from China and Vietnam. Rapid loss and deterioration of available habitat places added pressure on the dwindling numbers of remaining pangolins.
Warning: sad image :'(
What is being done?
All eight pangolin species are protected under national and international laws.
In June 2020, China increased protection for the native Chinese Pangolin to the highest level, which closed an important loophole for consumption of the species in-country. Additionally, the government will no longer allow the use of pangolin scales in traditional medicine, a big win given that an estimated 195,000 pangolins were trafficked in 2019 for their scales alone
Save Pangolins aims to inspire people to conserve pangolins, change behavior that drives the illegal trade, and increase the capacity of conservation on the ground where pangolins live. They provide expertise and leadership in coordinating global pangolin conservation efforts and run campaigns that engage the public and generate funds for conservation.
Donate: You can donate online and know that your donation goes directly to pangolin conservation where it is needed most.
Shop Their Store: 100% of profits from the sale of t-shirts, stickers, mugs, hats, bags and other fun items go to pangolin conservation.
and as always…
Spread The Word: Tell your friends and family about pangolins. In recent years, more people around the world have learned about pangolins and the threats to them. This has directly led to more support for policy reform, scientific research, and more conservation efforts. You can help by spreading the word about pangolins and how they’re in trouble.
Hopefully we will see some movies with a pangolin as the star!!! They are super cute and I would def watch haha.
This past weekend, our rhetorical analysis speech was due. My artifact was an image of Greta Thunberg. I talked about how this one image utilized the rhetorical proofs of Kairos, pathos, logos, and commonplaces in order to urge viewers to uphold their civic duty of being proactive in fighting for societal and global changes.
I am a horrible public speaker. Just the thought of presenting in front of people has my face turning red, my eyes tearing up, and my hands go shakey. However, here are some of my reflections of the speech:
Invention: Invention is the process of coming up with material for a text. In writing, this is the brainstorming or prewriting stage.
I think I spent a lot of time on invention. I researched a lot about Greta and her movement and tried to incorporate enough context in my speech to not overwhelm the main analysis part. However, I did think I wasted a lot of time here falling into a loophole of there being so much information. I kept finding new things I could talk about, but with the time restraint, I had to cut a lot out. I had many, many drafts. I hope for next time that I am able to pinpoint the information that I need and not waste time.
Arrangement: Arrangement is the process of deciding how to order the material in a text. In writing, this is still part of the prewriting stage.
I tried to make my speech very organized, with each PowerPoint slide relating to a rhetorical proof. However, I am not sure if the connection between each slides was very apparent, and with so many different things going on, it may have been confusing. For next time, I will need to focus on making my speech more connected, rather than slide by slide based.
Style: Style is the process of coming up with the actual words that will be used in a text. In writing, this canon is first approached in the drafting stage and continues in the rewriting stage.
I tried to make my style concise, but impactful, yet also talking as a young person would in order to relate to the younger audiences this is directed a lot towards. I think I definitely could have been more clear with my words and used more eloquent language, but my speaking style is not that advanced yet, and I was super nervous.
Memory: Memory is the process of committing a text to memory.
I have horrible memory. It was so challenging to memorize this speech. I actually printed and cut out my little blurbs about the slides and pasted them around my laptop so I could reference them. In the beginning, it was definitely hard, but as I kept retaking the video, the memorization was definitely easy. I noticed I tried to stick to my pre written sentences word for word, but for next time I should try just making bullets and just adding things of my own to make the speech flow better. It will definitely be hard, but I noticed the more I practiced, the more I was able to be more expressive with the words and add extra things. I definitely need to make sure I am not crunched for time. Having the 5 min max limit was super hard to stay under for me haha.
Delivery: Delivery is the process of presenting a text to an audience.
I tried my best to have a good delivery and be engaging. I tried incorporating hand movements and looked at the screen camera a lot. However, being crunched for time forced me to rush the entire things and left no room for dramatic pauses or time for comprehension. I think my delivery definitely could have been better, but given the circumstances, I tried my best.
What can one individual do to attack a global issue?
On Friday August 20, 2018, a 15 year old girl decided to skip school to protest outside parliament for more action against climate change. Bringing only herself and a simple message, she sat and waited. Not even a year later, more than 17,000 students in 24 countries joined this girl and took part in protesting in Friday school strikes for climate change.
Slide 2: Artifact
So, my artifact is an image of Greta Thunberg at her first school strike for climate protest in Sweden. This image calls its audience to act out their civic duty to be proactive in advocating and fighting for the changes you want to see, no matter how big the change is, and no matter how small you start out.
Slide 3: Rhetorical Situation
The rhetorical situation of this artifact calls the audience to uphold their civic duty of being globally aware of issues and voting for politicians who will take action and protesting against those who don’t. This image was taken because Greta decided not to attend school until the 2018 Swedish general electionon September 9 2018 to draw attention to climate change. Every day for two weeks, Thunberg was sitting quietly on the cobblestones outside parliament in central Stockholm, handing out leaflets that declare: “I am doing this because you adults are shitting on my future.”
In addition, her protest began after the heat waves and wildfires during Sweden’s hottest summer in at least 262 years.
This is the perfect moment to make a change. Voting for elections is one of the most civic actions an individual can take to select leaders they want to represent them and their values. Greta kairotically took advantage of this critical moment by protesting every day before the election. In doing so, she raises awareness for her cause and calls for those individuals to rethink their relation to climate change. She is also calling for the politicians to prioritize the climate question in a place where they are directly feeling the effects of it.
Slide 4: Kairos
This artifact is also kaoirotically directed towards the modern day, technically advanced youth by the artifacts medium of being a phone photograph posted on social media. This is so effective because we are in a technology age. All age groups, genders, cultures, etc.. have access to social media and this platform connects individuals around the world. In just one post, this artifact was made available to everyone everywhere and went viral. By using such a popular medium and taking advantage of the popularity of social media, Greta is able to become an inspiration to those who want to also protest for the things they believe in.
In addition, the quality of the photo is not professional, and Greta isn’t posing. The photo seems completely authentic and gives Greta credibility in that her actions are not for one photo and then done. Greta is serious about what she is out there fighting for and this can make her seem very relatable to her audience and once again inspire others who see her photo to do the uphold their civic duties.
Slide 5: Pathos
This artifact uses pathos to sway the emotions of the viewers. When looking at the picture, the first thing we see is Greta: a lone, young girl with pigtails, sitting on the ground, a stoic facial expression, and her limbs closed in on herself. This imagery evokes an emotional response from all views, especially parents who have children just like Greta. It plays on the trope that children are innocent and should be protected to urge others out there to want to help this girl. In order to help her, you need to listen to her message and understand what she wants, which is to fight for urgency on the issue of climate change.
Slide 6: Logos
The next thing we see is her striking white sign with bold black letters. Her sign reads Skolstrejk för klimatet (School strike for climate). Notice how simplistic and minimalistic her sign is. There is no color, there are no designs, there is no anything except for her message, or her reason for being there. Using her clear and simple wording to call attention to the climate, she is appealing to her audiences sense of rationality and logic by making her statement seem easy to understand and follow. While unfortunately there is a complex solution to a global issue of climate change, Greta urges that we all need to first make the steps to cause change, and that politicians need to start acting. And this sign is the same sign she uses as she continues to protest all around the world spreading this simple, but urgent message wherever she goes.
Slide 7: Commonplaces
In addition, this artifact plays on a commonplace of ideals similar to the American Dream to call its viewers to take civic action: If we work hard, we can create the changes we want to see. While this protest started in Sweden, Greta has shown that all it takes is persistence, passion, and willpower to achieve the attention you want in order to create the changes you want. One girl has become the face of an environmental revolution that started with her using her human rights to protest and speak her mind.
Slide 8: Beyond the Picture and Closing
Greta’s main point is that the adults of large corporations and in political positions are not doing enough to prevent and reverse the effects of global warming. Their failure now lays in the hands of children.
Since this artifact was published to the world, Greta has given many speeches and been very active using her newfound public attention. She protests with young activists everywhere and continues to use social media to call individuals to attention and protest. Which, in my mind, is the very definition of civic engagement.
This one picture started a global revolution in calling urgency in young people to fight for the changes they want to see in the world.
Greta Thunberg. 15 years old. Swedish environmental activist. diagnosed with Asperger syndrome, obsessive–compulsive disorder (OCD), and selective mutism. daughter of opera singer Malena Ernman and actor Svante Thunberg.
Occasion
On Friday August 20, 2018, Greta decided not to attend school until the 2018 Swedish general electionon September 9 2018 to draw attention to climate change. Every day for two weeks, Thunberg was sitting quietly on the cobblestones outside parliament in central Stockholm, handing out leaflets that declare: “I am doing this because you adults are shitting on my future.”
In addition, her protest began after the heat waves and wildfires during Sweden’s hottest summer in at least 262 years.
Audience
Youth, adults, people in power (corporations and politicians)
Purpose
Promoting the view that humanity is facing an existential crisis arising from climate change
criticizes world leaders for their failure to take sufficient action to address the climate crisis
Subject
Activism, youth, climate change, act now
Tone
Urgent, straightforward, serious, passionate
Appeals to
Ethos
Made lifestyle changes first (not just talk). Got her parents to change their lifestyle (persuasive). School strike based off the march for our lives protest (knowledgeable about world affairs).
Pathos
When looking at the picture, the first thing we see is Greta: a lone, young girl with pigtails, sitting on the ground, a stoic facial expression, and her limbs closed in on herself. This imagery evokes an emotional response from all views, especially parents who have children just like Greta. It plays on the commonplace that children are innocent and should be protected to urge out there to want to help this girl. In order to help her, you need to listen to her message and understand what she wants.
Logos
The next thing we see is her striking white sign with bold black letters. Her sign reads Skolstrejk för klimatet (School strike for climate). Notice how simplistic and minimalistic her sign is. There is no color, there are no designs, there is no anything except for her message, or her reason for being there. Using her clear and simple wording to call attention to the climate, she is appealing to her audiences sense of rationality and reasoning by making her statement seem easy to understand and follow. While unfortunately there is a complex solution to a global issue of climate change, Greta urges that we all need to first make the steps to cause change, and that politicians need to start acting. And this sign is the same sign she uses as she continues to protest all around the world spreading this simple, but urgent message wherever she goes.
Commonplaces
Fight for what you believe in
Every action counts
Be the change you wish to see in the world
In addition, this artifact plays on a commonplace of ideals similar to the American Dream: If we work hard, we can create the changes we want to see. While this protest started in Sweden, Greta has shown that all it takes is persistence, passion, and willpower to achieve the attention you want in order to create the changes you want. One girl has become the face of an environmental revolution that started with her using her human rights to protest and speak her mind.
United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres endorsed the school strikes initiated by Thunberg, admitting that “My generation has failed to respond properly to the dramatic challenge of climate change. This is deeply felt by young people. No wonder they are angry.”[105] Speaking at an event in New Zealand in May 2019, Guterres said his generation was “not winning the battle against climate change” and that it was up to the youth to “rescue the planet”
Democratic candidates for the 2020 United States presidential election such as Kamala Harris, Beto O’Rourke, and Bernie Sanders expressed support after her speech at the September 2019 action summit in New York.[107] German Chancellor Angela Merkel indicated that young activists such as Thunberg had driven her government to act faster on climate change.[108]
Thunberg and her campaign have been criticised by politicians as well, such as the Australian prime minister Scott Morrison,[109] German chancellor Angela Merkel,[110] Russian president Vladimir Putin, OPEC (Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries) and repeatedly by U.S. president Donald Trump.[111] The criticism ranges from personal attacks to claims she oversimplifies the complex issues involved.
In December 2019, President Trump again mocked Thunberg after she was named Person of the Year for 2019 by Time magazine: “So ridiculous”, Trump tweeted. “Greta must work on her anger management problem, then go to a good old fashioned movie with a friend! Chill Greta, Chill!”
Britain’s secretary for the environment, Michael Gove, said: “When I listened to you, I felt great admiration, but also responsibility and guilt. I am of your parents’ generation, and I recognize that we haven’t done nearly enough to address climate change and the broader environmental crisis that we helped to create.” Labour politician Ed Miliband, who was responsible for introducing the Climate Change Act 2008, said: “You have woken us up. [T]hank you. All the young people who have gone on strike have held up a mirror to our society … you have taught us all a really important lesson. You have stood out from the crowd.”
In February 2019, Thunberg shared a stage with the then President of the European Commission, Jean-Claude Juncker, where he outlined “In the next financial period from 2021 to 2027, every fourth euro spent within the EU budget will go towards action to mitigate climate change”.[125] Climate issues also played a significant role in European Parliament election in May 2019[126] as Green parties recorded their best ever result,[127] boosting their MEP seat numbers from 52 to 72.[128] Many of the gains came from northern European countries where young people have taken to the streets inspired by Thunberg
Other Notes
Fridays For Future
2018 UN Climate Change Conference speech
2019 coordinated multi million student strikes globally
sailed to North America where she attended the 2019 UN Climate Action Summit. Her speech there, in which she exclaimed “how dare you”, was widely taken up by the press and incorporated into music.
Multiple honors: honorary Fellowship of the Royal Scottish Geographical Society; Time magazine’s 100 most influential people and the youngest Time Person of the Year; inclusion in the Forbes list of The World’s 100 Most Powerful Women (2019)[11] and two consecutive nominations for the Nobel Peace Prize (2019 and 2020). https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greta_Thunberg
Artifact 2: Emma
Soapstone
Speaker
American activist and advocate for gun control. 18 years old. co-founded the gun-control advocacy group Never Again MSD. Her mother is a math tutor and her father is a cybersecurity attorney[11] who immigrated from Cuba to New York City in 1968.
Occasion
González and other students, including fellow Parkland survivors Hogg, Kasky, and Sarah Chadwick, organized and participated in the nationwide March for Our Lives protest on March 24, 2018, with a focus on speakers and a march in Washington, DC.González spoke for six minutes, the length of time of the Parkland shooting, and paid tribute to the victims by mentioning each one by name and giving examples of things they would never again be able to do. She followed this by several minutes of silence
Audience
Children, teens, young adults, adults, NRA, politicians
Purpose
calling for advocacy and empowering young people to speak out against school shootings. Gun control
Subject
Advocacy, youth activism, gun control
Tone
Emotional, passionate, furious
Appeals to
Ethos
As a high school senior she survived the February 2018 Stoneman Douglas High School shooting in Parkland, Florida.
Pathos
Eyes closed. Painful expression. Very expressive. Young.
You can be next. Relates to school children and their families.
Teens feel a deeper connection
Very personal
Logos
Clear message on sign. The message is something that should be obvious, but corporations who profit off of guns prohibit the full potential of change
$1.05 fact. That’s how much a student is worth. Eye opening
Commonplaces
School is a safe space for learning
Children should be protected
Every step counts
If you work hard, you will get result
Change requires hard work
Kairos
Everyone paying attention to the aftermath of the school shooting. Lots of media focus.
Note:
Background is empty with no people. Just the repeated message. Professional photo
In March 2018, the Florida Legislature passed a bill titled the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School Public Safety Act. It raises the minimum age for buying firearms to 21, establishes waiting periods and background checks, provides a program for the arming of some teachers and the hiring of school police, bans bump stocks, and bars potentially violent or mentally unhealthy people arrested under certain laws from possessing guns. In all, the law allocates around $400 million for implementation. Rick Scott signed the bill into law on March 9. The governor commented, “To the students of Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, you made your voices heard. You didn’t let up and you fought until there was change.”
González was attacked for her Fort Lauderdale speech by many from the political right wing of American politics and press. She has also faced derogatory comments made by internet trolls about her sexual orientation, short hair, and skin color. She was verbally attacked by Leslie Gibson, then the Republican candidate running unopposed for the Maine legislature and lifetime NRA member, who referred to her as a “skinhead lesbian”, whereupon 28-year-old Eryn Gilchrist filed papers to run against him, thus providing an opponent; Republican former state Senator Thomas Martin, Jr., who said that Gibson’s remarks did not represent the Maine Republican Party, and that he planned to contact the survivors to commend their courage, also filed to run for the seat. A few days later Gibson himself dropped out of the race.
González was the target of many right-wing conspiracy theories and hoaxes since the shooting. Conspiracy theorists have falsely accused the students, including González, of being crisis actors. Benjamin Kelly, an aide to Florida state Representative Shawn Harrison, was fired after making such accusations. Donald Trump Jr. faced criticism for appearing to support the crisis actor accusations. The conspiracy theories spread about González and other Parkland survivors were named PolitiFact’s 2018 Lie of the Year.
Following her highly publicized speech at the March for Our Lives, pro-gun activists doctored fake photos and video showing González ripping up a copy of the United States Constitution, spreading them widely on internet forums and social media. Snopes.com observed that the video was in fact a digitally manipulated Teen Vogue video of her tearing up shooting range targets.[48] Adam Baldwin defended spreading the fake video, saying it was “political satire.”
On Friday August 20, 2018, a 15 year old girl decided to skip school to protest outside parliament for more action against climate change. Bringing only herself and a simple message, she sat and waited. Not even a year later, more than 17,000 students in 24 countries joined this girl and took part in protesting in Friday school strikes for climate change. How did this happen?
Slide 2: Who is Greta?
So surprise, that 15 year old girl I just mentioned is a climate change activist names Greta Thunburg. Chances are, you may have heard of her and have an awareness of what she does. You may have seen her in a youtube video or clip of her famous speech when she told world leaders at the 2019 UN climate action summit in NY, ‘You have stolen my dreams and my childhood with your empty words,’, ‘We are in the beginning of a mass extinction and all you can talk about is money and fairy tales of eternal economic growth – how dare you!’. you may have seen her face on the cover of Time magazine when she was proclaimed person of the year in 2019. Orrrr youo may have seen her on social media as a meme. Some uplifting, some in innocent humor, and some not so much. You could have also seen her twitter argument with the president. But that’s enough of that. So, once again, how did this happen? How did Gretas movement sky rocket? How did she make it into mainstream culture? Where did it start?
Slide 3: Artifact
And that leads us into my artifact; an image of Greta at her first school strike for climate protest in Sweden. That same situation I explained in the beginning. This image is the cause of a chain reaction known as The Greta Effect: an increase in youth activism for environmental issues, usually through social media.
Slide 4: How did she gain traction?
Let’s look at the Kairos of the scene:
Greta decided not to attend school until the 2018 Swedish general electionon September 9 2018 to draw attention to climate change. Every day for two weeks, Thunberg was sitting quietly on the cobblestones outside parliament in central Stockholm, handing out leaflets that declare: “I am doing this because you adults are shitting on my future.”
In addition, her protest began after the heat waves and wildfires during Sweden’s hottest summer in at least 262 years.
This is the perfect moment to make a change. Voting for elections is one of the most civic actions an individual can take to select leaders they want to represent them and their values. Greta took advantage of this critical moments where adults are reevaluating their values and looking for a leader to represent those value. By protesting every day before the election, she raises awareness for her cause and calls for those individuals to rethink their relation to climate change. She is also calling for the politicians to prioritize the climate question in a place where they are directly feeling the effects of it.
Another reason why she gained traction is because of her usage of media: a photograph likely taken from a phone camera. Greta took pictures of herself protesting and posted it to social media. This is so effective because we are in a technology age. All age groups, genders, ethnicities, etc.. Have access to social media and this platform connects individuals around the world. In just one post, this artifact was made available to everyone everywhere and went viral.
In addition, the quality of the photo is not professional, and Greta isn’t posing. The photo seems completely authentic and gives Greta credibility in that her actions are not for one photo and then done. Greta is serious about what she is out there fighting for and this can inspire others who see her photo to do the same.
Slide 5: How did she call people to attention?
So let’s analyze the picture itself and why it caught the attention of people of a global scale.
When looking at the picture, the first thing we see is Greta: a lone, young girl with pigtails, sitting on the ground, a stoic facial expression, and her limbs closed in on herself. This imagery evokes an emotional response from all views, especially parents who have children just like Greta. It plays on the commonplace that children are innocent and should be protected to urge out there to want to help this girl. In order to help her, you need to listen to her message and understand what she wants.
The next thing we see is her striking white sign with bold black letters. Her sign reads Skolstrejk för klimatet (School strike for climate). Notice how simplistic and minimalistic her sign is. There is no color, there are no designs, there is no anything except for her message, or her reason for being there. Using her clear and simple wording to call attention to the climate, she is appealing to her audiences sense of rationality and reasoning by making her statement seem easy to understand and follow. While unfortunately there is a complex solution to a global issue of climate change, Greta urges that we all need to first make the steps to cause change, and that politicians need to start acting. And this sign is the same sign she uses as she continues to protest all around the world spreading this simple, but urgent message wherever she goes.
In addition, this artifact plays on a commonplace of ideals similar to the American Dream: If we work hard, we can create the changes we want to see. While this protest started in Sweden, Greta has shown that all it takes is persistence, passion, and willpower to achieve the attention you want in order to create the changes you want. One girl has become the face of an environmental revolution that started with her using her human rights to protest and speak her mind.
Slide 6: Beyond the Picture and Closing
Greta’s main point is that the adults of large corporations and in political positions are not doing enough to prevent and reverse the effects of global warming. Their failure now lays in the hands of children.
Since this artifact was published to the world, Greta has given many speeches and been very active using her newfound public attention. She protests with young activists everywhere and continues to use social media to call individuals to attention and protest. Which, in my mind, is the very definition of civic engagement.
This one picture started a global revolution in calling urgency in young people to fight for the changes they want to see in the world.
