2023 – Rhetoric and Civic Life with Reese Skalicky

November 10, 2023rms7412 No Comments

PAS 8: BMI Country Awards

The 2023 BMI country awards took place on November 7. Broadcast Music Inc., the company that hosts the awards, was founded in 1939. They host these awards annually for country singers. I just learned about these awards a few days ago, but I saw some compelling videos and pictures and wanted to know more about them.

The picture that first caught my eye was on Instagram. I was scrolling through and saw a post from Jason Aldean’s Instagram of him and his wife. They were dressed nicely and were clearly on a red carpet. The following picture I scrolled down to was on Nicole Combs’s account. This picture was very similar to the one Brittany posted, as it was of her and Luke Combs, also on the red carpet.

The post that had me wondering the most was in TikTok. I saw a video of Luke Combs and Morgan Wallen singing each other’s songs on a stage together. Considering they are my two favorite artists, I had to know why this happened.

After looking, I found out they performed together at the BMI Country Awards. Only a few awards are given out, making it a real honor to receive one. Luke Combs and Morgan Wallen tied for this year’s Songwriters of the Year award. They performed each other’s songs at the ceremony in Nashville, Tennessee, which was the video I saw.

Them singing the songs was a huge surprise; people loved it, including me. Morgan Wallen sang “Going, Going, Gone” by Luke Combs and Combs sang Wallen’s song “Thought You Should Know.” These are both artists’ hit songs, and it was amazing to see the two most famous country artists sing them.

What I found most interesting was how easy it was to pick up on their different singing styles. Combs has a deeper voice with some edge, while Wallen’s voice is younger with a country tone. They are both spectacular country singers who have written unbelievable songs. It is astonishing to see how they can sing each other’s and sound so good live, which is one of the things I love so much about country artists and their music.

There were many other famous singers there who won awards that they deserved. I plan to continue to follow these awards in later years. I could not have asked for a better performance, and I hope Morgan Wallen and Luke Combs continue to work together in the future.

November 10, 2023rms7412 1 Comment

RCL 7: Doctor’s feelings

The image I chose is one I have come across a few times and greatly impacted me. While you might see little at first, minimal background knowledge of the image is needed for the impact to be significant. This image shows a doctor outside of a hospital after failing to save the life of a 19-year-old boy.

This image argues that doctors are real people with emotions that sometimes get to them. Doctors can be considered workers who are just doing their job, and that’s it. It can be challenging to understand how it must feel to be a doctor, to try your best to save a life when it’s hopeless.

This image has an impact due to how it was taken and the atmosphere. It is not a staged photo and is very authentic. The scene is gloomy and dark, which causes a sad aura. It is a bit blurry, which shows it was taken at the exact moment of the event, and you can almost feel the emotion coming from it.

It can be inferred that the doctor is on top of, or outside of, the hospital building and is in agony. He is bending down and holding himself up with the wall. The arrangement of the photo allows the viewer to understand how upset he is.

The doctor’s coat shows that he is a doctor, and the story behind the photo evokes such emotion from him. Doctors save people and don’t, but will often remain composed as they are taught. They must tell people crushing news and keep going on with their day.

The image uses lighting, emotion, and an in-the-moment approach as visual rhetoric to argue doctors’ feelings. Anyone’s life is meaningful, but losing someone young is more impactful than anything, and this image shows that in every way.

The picture may not have been intended for rhetoric, but it ended up getting spread around on social media with the caption about the doctor not being able to save a young boy because it carries so much despair.

For most of my life, I was under the impression that doctors did not care much and were doing their job. This picture helped me learn that that is not true. They may not always be able to save everyone, but they try and are impacted to a great extent. Being around sad situations daily must be extremely difficult, and I will forever appreciate their work for people worldwide.

November 1, 2023rms7412 No Comments

PAS 7: Zach Bryan

Zach Bryan is a 27-year-old country singer who has become very famous. He was born in Japan but is from Oklahoma, where he started his career in 2017. He started in a different way than some of the previous artists I have mentioned, which was through YouTube. Bryan posted videos of him singing his songs on the website until one finally blew up. The song is one you may have heard titled “Heading South,” as it recently has been used for many TikTok videos. As one can see, social media has done a lot for country artists.

I was never a huge fan of Zach Bryan before, but he released a new album not too long ago that I enjoy. The album consists of 16 songs that he released in 2023 called Zach Bryan. While I have not listened to the whole album, I have heard a few songs I love. One in particular that stood out to me is “I Remember Everything.”

He wrote and sang this song in collaboration with Kasey Musgraves. A common theme in this album is collaborations with other artists, including The Lumineers and Sierra Ferrell. He did a collaboration on a fourth of his songs on the album, which I found interesting and a creative way to make it a little different from a lot of other albums.

Back to the song, it hit number 1 on the Billboard 100 List shortly after it was released. This song made history for the Billboard because it was the fourth country song in a row over four weeks to hold the number one spot. People latched onto the meaning of the songs and the male and female voices that connect throughout it.

The song is sad and slow, telling a story of despair over a relationship that he remembers and cannot forget. People can relate to this song and it has a wonderful melody with two soothing voices singing. Bryan’s voice tends to be a bit rugged, while also calming. One of his popular songs that shows his ruggedness is “Something in the Orange.” His tone is unique and allows him to stand out from other country artists.

Another publicity standpoint that caused me to start listening is his relationship with Barstool’s Brianna ChickenFry. I would like to start listening to more of Zach Bryan’s and experience more of his music. He is currently on tour and is coming to State College to perform. While I will not be going, I am sure it will be memorable and a great experience.

October 24, 2023rms7412 1 Comment

RCL6: The Legalization of Marijuana in the United States

The story I will be telling revolves around the growth of marijuana use in the United States. The periods being covered range from the early 1900s until the present times. Marijuana, or weed, has become a widely used substance in America in the past century, and there is an ongoing debate on if it is a good thing.

This is an important topic to be discussed because of the massive growth. Marijuana use has jumped significantly in recent years, and we still do not know much about long-term side effects. Not only has it grown in usage, but the government has been behind this growth. Knowledge of this substance can help you stay informed of the harm it can cause and why the country is allowing it.

This topic interests me because of what my parents have said about it versus what I see now. They not only call it ‘pot,’ but they also know little about it and say it was not around when they were in high school in the 80s. I have noticed a growing number of people my age being involved with smoking weed and can get it very easily.

This craze started at the beginning of the 1900s when Mexican immigrants brought marijuana for recreational use, which was not a thing in the United States before. The substance quickly started to get banned in many states until the decriminalization of weed starting in 1973.

The full legalization of marijuana began in 1996, starting with California. At this time, it was only legal for medical purposes. In 2012, the substance was legalized for recreational purposes in many states. Now, more information about weed has been collected, and it has been linked to mental illnesses such as depression and schizophrenia. There is also a big scare about it being laced with fentanyl and more issues about the research and selling of the drug.

The book I picked out from the Penn State library is called In The Weeds. It is by Clayton J. Mosher and Scott Akins, and the book was published in 2019. It covers all of the governmental processes regarding the banning and legalization of marijuana in different states. The book also goes on to cover the areas needed for improvement and the issues arising from this legalization.

This is a vastly growing substance in the United States that has many differing areas to cover. The government has expanded the use of marijuana and it has affected the people in the country. The paradigm-shift is ongoing and a lot has happened regarding it in the past century.

October 24, 2023rms7412 No Comments

PAS6: The Country Genre

Country is a particular genre of music. Some people love it, and others hate it, but everyone can pick a country song when they hear it. Country music started more recently than most might think. I did some research, and I was shocked by my findings.

The country genre did not originate until the 1920s. While other genres similar to country, such as folk music, started beforehand, the actual genre still needed to be invented.It began in the southern parts of the United States. It mainly emerged from Tennessee, which is still a significant hotspot for country artists, the most notable place being Nashville.

This is one of the things that makes country music so unique. When looking at almost every other genre, you will find that artists move out to LA to pursue their careers. Country artists are different in that they move to Nashville or somewhere southern, like Texas. All genres are different, but I believe that country has something exceptional to it.

When listening to genres of music, one can typically pick out significant things about that one style of song. Country music tends to mention everyday common things like beer, trucks, and a love story. This is a stereotype, but also very accurate. The big idea that some people miss is that the song often has a deeper meaning.

One of the reasons that I love country music and country artists so much is that they are more real than most other artists and songs in modern times. While I listen to other genres, there is often lots of electronics driving the song.

In country music, that is typically not the case. Most artists still use authentic instruments, and their voices sound just as good in person as they do on the track. The songs are wholesome and have actual storytelling beyond them. Take rap for example. While many people thoroughly enjoy rap, it is often very techno and fast, with little meaning behind it. I personally prefer the authenticity of country music, but I do not mind a rap song here and there.

People have all different tastes when it comes to music. I like all different kinds, but my favorite will most likely always be country due to the unique nature of the songs and artists. I encourage everyone to listen to all genres of music to find what they love listening to.

October 18, 2023rms7412 No Comments

RCL5: Gentle Parenting

The Ted Talk I picked to analyze is said by Becky Kennedy and is titled “The Single Most Important Parenting Strategy,” which I have linked above. She is a parenting psychologist who helps parents with issues they may encounter when raising kids.

The central theme of Becky’s speech is the idea of repairing any arguments you may have with your children and self-reflecting. She states how all parents yell at one point or another but that parents need to relax and think. Kennedy believes apologizing is not the best option, but instead, trying to repair the relationship by talking and reflecting.

I linked this Ted Talk to the idea of gentle parenting and how that has been a paradigm shift in recent history. Parents used to be strict with their kids and would yell and occasionally lightly hit them as punishment for their misbehavior. Kids were also hit with a paddle in school. In today’s day and age, that would be shunned and completely unacceptable. The shift in thought over this type of punishment has been immense over the past decade.

This has been a shift in both thinking and actions because it changes how people think about parenting and how they act on it. Parenting used to be viewed as a thing where it was your kids, so you could do whatever you wanted. It was also harsher because that seems to be the only way for kids to behave. Now, people think that gently talking to kids and being nice is how to make them behave, and it is ‘terrible’ to be aggressive when punishing your child.

This speech was very knowledgeable and focused on one specific topic. Becky talked about the psychology of kid and parent relationships and how people have trauma from being yelled at from a young age. She also made the strong point of parents having self-blame that leads them to be depressed and think they are a bad person. She says to take responsibility and be open; this is another shift because parents used never to take blame and would parent the kid to not step out of line instead.

The speaker had strong hand signals and used her voice well to portray emotions. She was clear and kept the speech interesting the whole time. She was a bit over the top and dramatic at points, but that could work in her favor most of the time. The speaker was energetic and gave a speech to teach people something, not a presentation with slides next to her describing an object. Overall, there has been a paradigm shift in the idea of parenting and this speech was an example.

October 17, 2023rms7412 No Comments

PAS5: Morgan Wallen

Morgan Wallen is an American singer who has overtaken the country world over the last few years. His first big debut was his album “If I Know Me” in 2018. This album included several popular songs that kick started his career. His second album, “Dangerous: The Double Album,” came out in 2021 and was number 1 on the Billboard 200 list for many weeks.

This was the proper start-up for Morgan Wallen as his music reached a much broader audience, and his following confusion increased. He started his career by auditioning for The Voice and working with music producers while on the show. He then released his third album in 2023, “One Thing at a Time,” which was an even bigger hit than his second album.

This album included 36 songs and was on the Billboard 200 list and in the number-one spot for over 12 weeks. Morgan Wallen began his world tour for “One Thing at a Time” on May 9, 2023, in Hershey, PA.

Unfortunately, he had to cancel some concerts throughout June and July due to a vocal cord issue. I was supposed to attend one of these concerts, which has now been rescheduled, and I cannot wait for it! These cancellations, though, did cause an uproar among many of his fans and sparked many rumors about his well-being. He denied any accusations and replied with numerous videos addressing rumors and saying his doctor said he could not sing for six weeks to protect his voice.

He began touring again in mid-July and rescheduled all of his postponed performances. His tour consists of traveling to three countries and spreading his music worldwide. He went from a boy who grew up in Tennessee to a major country music star in a matter of years.

He has won several awards, including Best Country Artist at the Billboard Music Awards and Album of the Year for “Dangerous” by the Academy of Country Music. He has broken records and logged 86 weeks in the Billboard Top 10 list.

Morgan Wallen is my favorite artist in country music and all other genres. I was recently given a signed “Dangerous” album, my favorite one. More specifically, I enjoy his song “Sand in My Boots” the most out of all of them. It is a bit slower and sad, but I love the tone and message.

I also love his newest album and many of its songs. The lyrics mesh together so well; I can understand everything he portrays through his music. To me, he is the, and his songs are some of the only songs I listen to on every occasion. If you have not heard Morgan Wallen’s music, I highly encourage it!

October 11, 2023rms7412 1 Comment

RCL4: Opinions on Gas Prices

This sticker caught my eye as I was scrolling through political bumper stickers. Maybe because it is white on a black background or has a cartoon aspect when most were just a nominee’s name, but the viewpoint was apparent as I looked at it.

While this sticker shows a specific debatable view, it also endorses a political view, which is why I thought it would be perfect to analyze. When looking at this bumper sticker, What it is trying to portray is obvious. The saying on the sticker reads, “thanks Biden,” and hints at the rising gas prices the United States saw in many areas around the country.

Now, what is stated is different from what the sticker means. It is not meant to thank Biden but to thank him sarcastically. It implies that the gas prices are too high and would be lower if someone else was in office.

The cartoon depicts a cartoon person trying to pull the empty gas arrow to full. This expresses the struggles of getting gas at the moment and how the expense was too much for some people’s income to handle. The cartoon allows the bumper sticker to be slightly lighthearted while expressing the person’s views.

The commonplace and ideology of the American people was that gas prices had risen significantly, but the two political sides claimed it happened for different reasons. The political view of the person with the sticker is related to the pipeline shutdown. Stopping the pipeline inhibits the United States from producing oil for gas and causes us to rely on other countries.

Biden stopped the pipeline for environmental reasons, and conservatives did not agree with it. This leads to conservative people putting stickers like this on their cars. The ideology of the American people tends to be that conservatives care about foreign relations and not relying on other countries’ goods for the good of the economy, while liberals care about the harm oil could do on the environment.

This topic is political and can be debated by the two sides. People use items like bumper stickers to express their views to other people and try to get a quick message across. I believe this sticker is effective because it has short wording, and the cartoon is easy to understand without being too political or aggressive.

Bumper stickers show the freedom of speech the United States provides for us, and we should be grateful that we can express our views to the world without repercussions.

October 11, 2023rms7412 No Comments

PAS4: Country x Outer Banks

While country music is a distinct genre, it has been influenced by pop over the years. Many known country artists have reverted to country music, with a mix of music on the radio, such as Taylor Swift. One of the prominent country pop artists is Kelsea Ballerini.

She is 30 years old and signed her first contract in 2014. She wrote music as a child and gained fame, which allowed her to start making music for real. She has many songs that have made it to the top of the charts. While she is an awe-inspiring artist, I want to address a bit of a different topic than her music.

Kelsea Ballerini has been in the spotlight recently because of her relationship. She is dating Chase Stokes from the popular Netflix show Outer Banks. This show had an influx of viewers during COVID-19, and now they are filming the fourth season. Some drama has appeared with the actors and their love interests, involving Kelsea.

The main characters in the show are John B and Sarah, whom Chase Stokes and Madelyn Cline play. Chase and Madelyn were together in the show and in real life until their relationship ended. As viewers noticed the disdain, this caused awkwardness on set and in the show.

In a short time, rumors started that Chase Stokes was dating Kelsea Ballerini. People had differing opinions about this because many fans still wanted Chase and Madelyn together, but now most people find their relationship adorable.

The reason I am mentioning this relationship is I think it helped Kelsea gain more fans being a country pop artist, as people knew who she was, but many did not know much more. Many people of all different ages latched onto Outer Banks and watch it right when a new season comes out. These people also tend to follow information about the actors and actresses on the show.

This has allowed Kelsea to gain a new following and more publicity. She has become a more prominent name in the country and pop industries. She has now gone on to perform at music awards and do many more with a much bigger following, not only for her music but also for her life.

She had a fantastic outfit change at the Video Music Awards that went viral and has shown a loving side with Chase. I am excited to see what more she has in store with her music career and the development of her and Chase Stokes.

September 22, 2023rms7412 1 Comment

RCL3: Balenciaga Scandal

When thinking of a poorly done ad, I thought of the Balenciaga scandal in 2022. When Balenciaga released the ads above as part of their holiday ad campaign, it uprooted many people. There was a popular hashtag saying to cancel Balenciaga, and people were throwing away things they had bought from there. The stores were being boycotted, and celebrities were cutting all ties.

I am here to directly discuss the ad and why it was so negatively viewed. As you can see, the ad depicts two children holding teddy bears wrapped in bondage and on a couch and bed. There are Balenciaga pillows and other designer-brand items scattered throughout. The colors of the ads are mainly pink, purple, white, and black, and they remind me of Halloween.

A significant issue makes this a terrible ad that caused people to turn away instead of buying the items as intended. The ad is wildly inappropriate and does not appeal to anyone for the most part.

It appears as if the brand is sexually promoting very young children. The visual elements of the child standing on a bed holding a teddy bear in bondage-like clothes are uncomfortable for viewers. The one ad appears to be in the child’s bedroom with an odd layout of jewelry and sunglasses. It is also inappropriate that one of the ads in the duo had wine glasses (which is cut off in the picture above) and is hinting towards alcohol.

Children being depicted like this is frowned upon and inappropriate for any audience. It makes it seem like the company is for child pornography, which is illegal and a horrible thing in general. I can’t imagine what they were thinking and who they were targeting with this ad.

The intended audience is people of the higher class buying designer items. This would not persuade people to buy this brand but rather avoid it, which is exactly what happened when no one would go into the stores or buy anything from the brand. It made people very upset and did not do the job of persuading in any right.

I believe Balenciaga mistook what the ad portrayed as a play on high fashion. They must have been trying to do something different and get people’s attention, but it came off as aggressive and highly inappropriate. Their runway show at Fashion Week also had this theme, but with adults walking, it was not seen in that light. They must have been trying to make the ad innovative, but it ended up being just another terrible ad.