Month: October 2018

Image via Hoax-Slayer

“Studies Are Usually Bunk, Study Shows” by Andy Kessler discusses how studies aren’t always complete true information. I agree with Andrew about how just because something says “studies show” it doesn’t mean that you should trust it. A lot of articles and research use that phrase to get us to believe they are reliable. I also agree with what he said in the end about just because there is a correlation between two things it doesn’t mean that one of those things are the cause of the other. I think that he could have used more information in his analysis. He only chose small examples of bunk information but he could went into more detail. He only talked about psychology studies. He also talked a lot of grad students like they are bad or not intelligent.

This is important when  considering research for my paradigm shift because there are a lot of research papers related to my topic. It’s hard to figure out which source is actually something reliable and can be proven.  When choosing what information I use I have to be cautious and keep in mind that just because there was a study on something it doesn’t mean that it’s entirely true. I should also make sure that their is a lot of details instead of just general information.

Image via The Chronicle

Image via Marvel

For my Paradigm shift I will be talking about the representation of African Americans in film. For quite some time there has been few roles for African Americans in the film industry. When casting black actors for films they would be subjected to the same stereotypical and degrading roles. Recently there has been a few changes in the industry but it still isn’t enough. Even though there is a small shift happening, there should be more.

In early films African American actors would usually casted as servants or maids. To get proper representation the had to make and produce their own films instead of relying on big companies in Hollywood. In my essay I will discussing several centuries up until present day. I want to show how films went from not using black people at all to using stereotypical roles, to now some films having positive representation of black actors. I also want to discuss  “Black Films” vs Hollywood films.

I think this shift should be explored because recently there has been  a lot of discussions about it. Recently the Marvel movie, Black Panther was released and it was such a big topic because of its representation and celebration of black culture. There has also been movies like Hidden Figures which told the story of  Katherine Goble, Mary Jackson and  Dorothy Vaughan, who were mathematicians and engineers that worked with NASA. This is important because it is showing the shift of how movies are now allowing African Americans to be represented in mainstream films and allowing them to be able to tell their stories.

 

 

Image via Stuff 

Smartphones have taken over the technology world. Almost everyone has a smartphone. We all spend hours on our phone texting, watching videos, and on social media. The takeover of smartphones has been one of the most noticeable paradigm shifts for people that have experienced life before and during this takeover. Society has went from face to face interactions to online interactions.

The article discusses how teens before used to value independence and spending time with their friends and family. Teens today would rather spend time on the phone instead of going out. The author compares how life was before smartphones and life during smartphones. Even though their are some benefits are this shift, there are also negatives.The article discusses how even though we are physically more safe, we are mentally weaker.

The article Have Smartphones Destroyed a Generation ? shows the shift in interactions and time spent.

 

Image via MADD 

Drunk driving has been an issue for many years. Since alcohol and cars have existed together there have been incidents of driving under the influence of alcohol. The first drunk driving arrest was made in London 1897 against a taxi driver. For my artifact I have chosen the Mothers Against Drunk Driving organization. This organization was founded by Candace Lightner, a mother who loss her daughter who was killed by a drunk driver. The organization was founded September 5, 1980, 4 months after Candace’s daughter, Cari’s death. The organization’s mission statement is “to end drunk driving, help fight drugged driving, support the victims of these violent crimes and prevent underage drinking”. The organization argues that drunk driving should be stopped.

I am drawn to this artifact because whenever the topic of drunk driving is discussed in the media, this organization is mentioned. MADD has also called out about what their true purpose is. The founder of MADD left the organization after saying that it has become more Neo-prohibition instead of focusing on the act of drunk driving. I think the organization is appropriate for an in depth analysis because of how much this organization has done to encourage a change. MADD has helped set the legal limit of blood alcohol level to 0.08% and encouraged states to suspend a driver’s license after the first offense.

I chose this artifact because in my speech I used Joyner Lucas’ Frozen video which talked about distracted and drunk driving. Joyner Lucas’ video talked about unsafe driving as a whole while the MADD organization focuses on drunk and  impaired driving. The video served as just an awareness but the founder of MADD decided to take action. I could compare and contrast the effectiveness of each artifact. Right now I have a lot of ideas about what I could do but I am not really sure.