Category: Uncategorized

Painting by Danny Quirk via Pinterest 

There wasn’t any context of the painting but the painting can be used to argue that even the strongest people may need help even if it doesn’t seem like it. In the painting the soldier is kneeling while crying but also holding a mask of his that seems to be ok. Even if someone looks happy they may not feel the same way inside. The painting does a great job of capturing two different perspectives of what’s in the inside and what is shown on the outside.  Soldiers are seen as brave and sometimes people forget the effects that war can have on a person’s mental state.

The painting is very somber and uses a dark shadow background which can be used to show the darkness of war. The things that stand out the most is his two faces, everything else is more dull and muted. he soldiers in his uniform to show how important it is to him to fight for his country. He is also holding a rifle to keep him balanced which can be interpreted as even though it is helping him in the war and helping him stay balanced in the painting it is also hurting him because he isn’t happy.

Since war is something that will always be around, we should try to make sure that we can help people in need. The picture really makes us sympathize with those in the military. We will never truly understand what it is like because we aren’t there. This makes us think about our family members, friends, or other servicemen and women. This could be how they feel inside but we might not know because of the smiles they wear to mask the pain.

Mental health is something that has really been a big topic this year and has been taken more seriously. We can use this picture to remember that even the strongest soldiers need a shoulder to cry on.

In this Ted Talk by Dao Nguyen, she talks about what makes things go viral. Dao Nguyen is a publisher at Buzzfeed and she explains why many of their posts go viral. The main theme in her talk is that things go viral because of how it makes the viewers feel. People are more likely to share things that they can relate to, male them feel good about themselves, or funny. She discusses content cartography and how things have a job for the reader/viewer. The speech did a great job at expanding my knowledge about the subject. Everyday there is something online that goes viral. The question of “how does something go viral” is best explained by telling why something goes viral. It is more about what people are thinking and feeling rather than what is actually happening in the video or post. I like this topic because it is something that I see in everyday life. Most things go viral on social media which I personally use everyday and since it is a way to connect people most memes go viral because of the connection people make to themselves or others in their life. One of the viral Buzzed videos she discussed was the watermelon and rubber bands video which I actually watched when it first happened. She explained how it was the anticipation of seeing what will happened that kept us watching. Dao Nguyen also made the point that people like to feel like “this is me” or be able to humble brag, this is something that I do and see other do. How many times have you commented on a post or sent something to your friend saying “this is so me”?

The speaker did a great job organizing her speech. Everything flowed together and the visuals worked very well with her presentation. She didn’t didn’t just speak just to give a speech, she presented her topic. I like how she “warmed up” the audience by giving an anecdote first. She told a short story that related to her topic then explained why it was important. The difference between delivering a speech and doing a presentation is that with doing a speech you just cite your thesis and speak about your topic. With a presentation you have visuals and find a way to interact with your audience. Overall, Dao’s presentation definitely made me understand more about vitality and how  the subject has a specific job for the viewer or reader.

For this video I will be analyzing the beginning up until 2 minutes ( 0:00-2:00).This video shows a politician by the name of Phil Davison who is running for the Stark County treasurer position. Unfortunately Phil’s speech wasn’t very good and definitely wasn’t persuasive. Phil’s speech didn’t have a good start. In the beginning he started off bad by looking down at his speech that was written down and moving around the podium instead of staying in one spot. His eye contact was horrible because he couldn’t stop reading his speech. It was very obvious that he didn’t practice or go over his speech ahead of time. Throughout the entire speech, he yelled at his audience instead of speaking calmly to them. He also stumbled on his words a lot.

Organization: For the part that I am analyzing it is kinda organized. He started off by introducing himself and what he was running for then. He also talked about his education and his accomplishments.

Persuasive Appeal: His persuasive appeal is really bad. Even though he is passionate about his topic, he is too passionate about it. He doesn’t give his audience a chance to think about what he is saying he is just pointing and them and ranting. It is ironic that he has a master’s degree in communication but doesn’t communicate well with his audience. The delivery of his speech was off. If he would have taken is time and had an appropriate tone, his speech could have been better.

My overall assessment of his speech is that it was really bad. Honestly I thought it was joke when I first watched it. The only thing he did well was speak loud enough for  everyone to hear him. He relied to much on his paper instead of making sure he had good eye contact. If he rehearsed or practiced I think he would have done better. It was hard to take his serious because he kept moving around and yelling.

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.

Via Etsy

This bumper sticker relates to the issue of gun control. A lot of people have different opinions about this topic and there has been many arguments about whether there should be stricter gun control laws. People who are against stricter gun laws believe that their 2nd amendment right will be violated. This sticker appeals to people are against gun control.

The sticker says “I Carry A Gun Because A Cop Is Too Heavy” and the message implied is that people should be allowed to carry their guns because they can’t rely on protection from police all the time. The implied message is also that  The ideology that this sticker appeals to is the ideology that everyone has the right to protect themselves by baring arms. The logical appeal comes from the line that says “A cop is too heavy”. It’s a logical statement because no one would be able to carry a police officer, it’s not practical. The statement is easy to get even if you have different views about this topic.

Stricter gun laws has been a very big topic recently due to many mass shootings. There has been mass shootings at schools and other public places. People feel unsafe and want guns not to be so easily accessible to people who abuse this right. There has been many marches, walk-outs, and protests to call for gun control and to keep our children and communities safe. The commonplace is that everyone should be safe and protected but there is a disconnect in how people believe we should go about it. This sticker works logically but it is a very over dramatic statement. The sticker could have made a statement about their views but without such a sarcastic tone. Gun control is a serious issue but the sticker makes it seem like a joke by saying that a cop is too heavy to carry.

A photo of a walk-out held at my high school. Image by Mya Rivers/PicsByMyxx

http://https://youtu.be/-grjIUWKoBA

Video via The Guardian

Colin Kaepernick has become a very symbolic person in our lives when it comes to protesting and standing up for what we believe in. Kaepernick is an American football player who in 2016 protested racial injustices by kneeling during the national anthem before the start of NFL games. By kneeling during the national anthem he caused a lot of controversy. People began to call his actions unpatriotic and disrespectful.Ultimately Kaepernick became a free agent and filed a grievance against the NFL accusing them of collusion after not being hired after the protests.Fast Forward to now. Colin Kaepernick is still advocating for equality and social justice and has won multiple awards.

This Nike commercial  was released September 5, 2018 and is titled “Dream Crazy”. The ad enforces the importance of acting now no matter the hardships or sacrifices. The ad features Colin Kaepernick, Serena Williams and Lebron James who have all been through struggles but have been successful in the end and has earned multiple awards. This commercial comes at a time where people are scared to speak up, follow their dreams, or do what they believe is right in fear of what others may say or think.

The commercial was released before the start of the NFL football season. The kairos of the commercial comes from the fact that Colin Kaepernick who is the narrator of the commercial still doesn’t has a job because he spoke up about injustices. It is relevant now because as the beginning of football season starts it is a reminder that Kaepernick has sacrificed his football career by protesting. Nike’s slogan is “Just Do It.” and the message is to do whatever you believe in and do it now. Colin Kaepernick’s message is still relevant, there are still injustices and he is still dealing with the effects of protesting. Kaepernick’s message at the end of the video was to ” Believe in Something. Even it it Means Sacrificing Everything”, this means that you have to take action now no matter what may happen. Kaepernick’s way of protesting definitely gave him attention so that he could make his message clear, he didn’t wait around thinking about if he should  do it not, he just did it. The video sends the message that if he can do it, so can you and you should do it now.