Category Archives: RCL

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0O496Sn9yS4

After watching my TED talk I thought I did fairly well. I spoke clearly and slowly and I think my topic was interesting and engaging. My slides really helped to emphasize and clarify some of the things I was saying and were not distracting from my actual talk.

However, I looks off screen a bit to often and took to many pauses. It’s also very evident when I had to stop and think because some of my transitions were a bit awkward. Also I could have elaborated on some of my points a bit more because my speech was a bit short.

Overall my TED Talk went well and I made all of the points I wanted to make in a clear and concise way.

For my TED talk I will be discussing tattoos and particularly how they have become more popular over the years due to an increased desire for individuality. I will make the argument that tattoos have always been associated with counter-culture and so people view them as “rebellious”. With the increasing rise of individuality people want to be seen as rebellious and non-conformist so therefore there has been an increase in the number of tattoos.This is of course ironic because how can being an individual be a “fad”. I’m going to argue that tattoos are a way to change the way people perceive you and so although tattoos can have meaning,wanting to get a tattoo is superficial.

I’m going to start my TED Talk by mentioning my own desire to have a tattoo and why I wanted one. I’m also going to ask the audience to think about if they would ever want a tattoo and if so why? I’m going to use visuals to aid my presentation. Of course I will include images of tattoos when talking about tattoos. I will also include images of people who helped contribute to this shift and their tattoos. For example Angelina Jolie. Angelina Jolie is a prominent figure in this shift because she is someone famous who wasn’t ashamed of her tattoos and wasn’t afraid to display them.

Thesis: Tattoos have become more popular in the last two decades due to an increased emphasis on individual expression and the evolution of tattoos into a fine art.

Tattoos as a Fine Art

-Tattoos are increasingly being referred to as “body art”

-Increase in Tattoo shows show being a tattoo artist as a unique and technical skill

-show beautiful tattoos that took time and truly represent something about a person

-86% of people with tattoos say they have never regretted getting them

-Again people see tattoos as a way to “personalize” their bodies

-This is helping to lift the taboo on tattoos because they are beginning to be seen as beautiful or meaningful

-They represent something about this individual they want to emphasize for themselves and for others

Increasing Emphasis on Individuality and Personalization in Every Aspect of Life

-Obvious negative connotation associated with the word conformity

-Want to personalize everything even their own bodies

-People want to be recognized as individuals just by being looked at

-Tattoos can give people the ability to control how they are initially perceived

-It’s not really individualismà it acts the same way conformity does

-An attempt to gain more control and “fit in” with the times

-It’s easier to change people’s perceptions of you than to change yourself

-Being a non-conformist isn’t liking things that are unpopularà it’s liking whatever it is you enjoy despite what is popular

The Idea of Tattoos as Rebellious

-there is an increasing acceptance of rebellion that has been displayed by the increasing number of tattoos

-50% of people who don’t have tattoos say that having tattoos makes people seem more rebellious

-29% of people with tattoos say that having tattoos makes them feel more rebellious

-In today’s society it is seen as “cool” to be rebellious and not follow the rulesà first became an idea during the 60’s and 70’s (Vietnam War) continued in different ways into the 21^st century

-60’s -70’s à anti-Vietnam war /hippie movement

-80’s à classic rock/ metal/ hair bands

-90’s à grunge/emo/ punk

-2000’s àpunk/alternative

-2010’s à hipsters/ anti-government sentiment

-rebellion against societal norms vs. rebellion against the government and its practices

-these trends all emphasize anti-establishment/ rebellious behaviors/ non-conformist behaviors

What does this increased emphasis on the individual mean for society?

-Not necessarily good or bad

-There is more people who think, act, and look differently

-this increases the possibilities for debate and rhetoric because there are more opposing viewpoints

-However, people identify with these ideas causing a lack of understanding of other types of people and an unwillingness to change their ideas

-People can lose sight of the fact that they do belong to a community and society and slack in their civic duties

Links to Possible Sources

http://www.harrisinteractive.com/NewsRoom/HarrisPolls/tabid/447/mid/1508/articleId/970/ctl/ReadCustom%20Default/Default.aspx

http://web.ebscohost.com/ehost/detail?vid=5&sid=38729e2b-38ef-45db-b05e-610ff2f29af3%40sessionmgr115&hid=128&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3d%3d#db=a9h&AN=91279947

There are four pre-writing questions one should use in applying Stasis Theory. The first conjecture is the use of facts. In our paradigm shift paper we must gather facts to support our points and to find evidence that the shift is occurring. The second is definition, or the meaning of the issue. In our paradigm shift to analyse a shift we first have to understand it and what exactly is happening. Quality is the severity of the issue. If the issue is not severe then no one will care about the issue because it does not seem important to them. It is our job in our paradigm shift paper to show the issue as severe and that action needs to be taken. The final question policy deals with what action needs to be taken. There are many possibilities for this and in our paradigm shift paper we need to argue for our specific policy.

Using these questions should lead to stasis. All points would have been made and both parties agree. Stasis theory will allow our papers to be more convincing and much stronger. It will give us a clear direction to head with our paper and tell us which key elements we should discuss in our paper.

A paradigm shift that is very prevalent in modern society is a shift in family dynamics. It seems that over the past two decades families spend less time together. Less and less people eat family dinners at the table every night and more and more eat separately. This shift could be caused by multiple things including an increase in the amount of hours we watch television. Rather than eating together may families instead watch television separately and eat. This shift could also be caused by an increase in households where both parents work. With both parents being around less it’s harder to spend time as a family.

Another shift is the increasing partisanship in politics  It seems now that every political conversation is seen as an opportunity to advocate/defend a political party rather than reach a solution to a conflict. Although there have always been political parties in the last decade it seems that more people are identifying with there political parties in a stronger way. This could be due to the idea of group polarization. When you only talk and listen to people that agree with you your ideas on that topic become more and more extreme. Especialll with the increasing popularity of partisan new channels like Fox News and CNN people are closing themselves off to multiple view points and only listening to one.

http://www.ted.com/talks/elizabeth_loftus_the_fiction_of_memory.html

I liked this ted talk because it’s interesting how memory works. The idea that memories can be planted and these planted memories can affect future behavior is unsettling  but also eye opening. People need to be aware that there memories are not always accurate and be open to the idea that they may be remembering falsely.

Storage Wars

People in New York City love to ride bikes. It makes sense when you think about all the traffic and congestion, why wait at a stop light on 34^th and Lex when you can peddle right through it? Unfortunately, unlike most Manhattan apartments, bikes aren’t small, especially when you own three. The statement “I can only ride one bike at a time, but I have three” hits home with a lot of New Yorkers. Manhattan Mini Storage knew this when they put up their billboard sporting this phrase last year. Every year Manhattan Mini Storage begins a new themed ad campaign, in the spring of 2011 they chose to use simple blue and yellow letters and particularly dark humor. The phrases Manhattan Mini Storage uses show an acute understanding of specific New York commonplaces. Many of the statement they use imply that it’s worth it to live in New York despite the small amount of living space. The ad campaign is also assuming that most New Yorkers are democratic and that they’ll find jokes about the Republican candidates in the 2012 election humorous. This is also utilizing kairos, Manhattan Mini Storage is using current events and their awareness of commonplaces to instigate conversation about their billboards as well as make themselves seem more relatable and interesting than their many competitors.

Every Manhattan Mini Storage billboard embodies a New York commonplace. A commonplace most New Yorkers hold is that they would be unable to live anywhere else. One ad that particularly draws on this idea is the one that says “Remember, if you leave the city, you’ll have to live in America.” New Yorkers would find this funny because there is a strong idea that New York is unlike any other place in America. In this way it appeals to the specific group that would view this ad. It’s also reminding viewers that they do not want to move from New York even if they don’t have the space, they can simply store their things at Manhattan Mini Storage. Another common place it emphasizes is the idea that New Yorkers are democrats. Many of the ads from their 2011 ad campaign are making fun of the republican candidates in the 2012 election. By analyzing their viewers and understanding what they like and dislike Manhattan Mini Storage is able to connect with them. An example of one of these politically targeted ads is “We have spaces big enough for Newt’s ego and small enough for Mitt’s personality.” The ad is assuming that most people who see it dislike these people and therefore will appreciate the humor.

The ad’s simplistic design is also used to highlight the statements made by the ad. The blue background and yellow lettering are purposefully contrastive to initially draw the eye towards the billboard and make it stand out from its typically stone surroundings. The 2011 ads were much more popular for this reason because they united all the ads together and made people recognize them immediately as Manhattan Mini storage ads before they were even read. Also, they lack of anything but the lettering makes the statement the emphasis of the ad and lets it be the funniest part. Unlike in the previous years there are no pictures to distract you from the message or make the ad seem gaudy or in ill taste as they tended to do in the years before. After presenting the viewer with whatever ridiculous statement the ad says, they then add in their own company’s prices and information to tie the ad back to their company. In this way the company is employing the mere exposure effect. They know the number of times you see their name the more likely you are to use their company. This is the purpose behind using such eye catching colors and ridiculous statements, to simply make you look.

These seemingly ridiculous unrelated statements are actually using kairos. They are aware of their audience and of the topics that are important to them. In this way the ad campaign is creating a kairotic opportunity for itself by provoking thought in the viewers. The audience is already willing to listen and look for political statements but not necessarily for storage ads. This set of billboards links the two together making a kairotic opportunity for the storage ads. Now the audience is willing to look for and pay attention to Manhattan Mini Storages ads in particular.  They saw the 2012 elections as an opportunity to create mass appeal and draw lots of attention to themselves. They’ve now found a way to present their company relatable to other New Yorkers. By exploiting current events Manhattan Mini Storage has begun a dialogue with New Yorkers that they hope ends in renting storage space.

Manhattan Mini Storage, through these billboards, finds a way to connect with their audience. They had an opportunity to catch the public’s eye and they took advantage of it. They took the time to understand what their audience wanted to hear and presented it in a way that they could relate to. Overall, Manhattan Mini Storage was able to identify the commonplaces that define New York City which is why their ads were so successful. It just shows that to create a successful ad campaign you have to understand your audience and take advantage of any opportunity that arises, especially when you have as many competitors as Manhattan Mini Storage and in a city where, in the words of one of their billboards “all you need is a million dollars and a dream.”

Everyone has seen Geico ads because there are so many. There newest ad campaign plays on this idea. When someone is about to say the Geico slogan the other person says “everybody knows that” and then the next person follows with a funny comment. I think this is clever because they are addressing the fact that they’re commercials are so popular. It seems in the commercial they are barely even mentioning there own company and policies and instead are just using random jokes. However, they are actually using they’re already popular status to quickly say that they are a reputable and cheap car insurance company. They then entertain the viewer so they remember the commercial and hopefully remember Geico and what a clever, fun, and well known car insurance company they are.

Another ad campaign that uses a similar idea is the billboard campaign for Manhattan Mini Storage. Their billboards have absolutely nothing to do with storage but they grab the viewers attention. They usually have commentary on them about something happening or something that viewers would think is funny. In this way they are just trying to make you aware of they’re company and get you to remember Manhattan Mini Storage. This uses kairos because it’s using current events as an opportunity to grab the audience’s attention.It’s also using kairos by being aware of who it’s audience is. A lot of their billboards are political jokes and would appeal more to a democratic audience. They are aware that they’re audience, which is New York City, is mostly democratic. It’s also using humor to try to convey what a nice, lighthearted company they are and that they will be the same way towards their customers.

Looking back on giving my speech I noticed several things I wish I would have differently. The number one thing is I wish I had made more eye contact with the class. I noticed that when I became nervous I avoided making eye contact, but when I actually did look at my audience it was relaxing and I was able to make my speech more like a conversation. I also wish I had made a power point or note cards. I just had a written outline and I feel like note cards or a power point would have made it easier to organize my thoughts and clearer about which point I wanted to make next.

On the other hand, I did have some successful elements to my speech.  I did a good job gesturing and engaging the audience. Many other people in the class also did a good job of this and I found some speeches very engaging. Many people also did a good job varying the speed and tone of their voice. This added with strong gestures made some speeches feel very passionate and well practiced.  Also I found that the speeches of people who used power points tended to be better organized and they had an easier time moving from one point to another.

Some common pitfalls I noticed were that some people had a lot of trouble making eye contact. They were looking at their outlines and notes too often and became to distracted by what they were going to say to focus on their delivery. Some speeches also felt to rehearsed. This made them seem a bit boring and lacking in emotion.

However, overall the speeches were well prepared and well delivered. I think all of the speeches had good and bad elements and there is certainly room for improvement.

Kairos is the moment where opportunity to engage in rhetoric emerges. The rhetor, the situation, and the audience are all correct to begin a specific discussion. When a moment like this makes itself apparent a rhetor must be ready to take advantage of it. One such time is when Micheal Bloomberg, the mayor of New York City, tried to pass a ban of soft drinks larger than 16 ounces.

Bloomberg argued that soda companies and chain restaurants’ serving sizes for soft drinks and other sugary beverages were way to big. He argued that this ban would inform people of what an appropriate sized soft drink should be and prevent health problems such as obesity and diabetes. The ban soon gained national attention and sparked debates on such issues as individual rights, states rights, obesity, healthcare, welfare. and even lobbying.

The ban also came right after Bloomberg passed several controversial anti-smoking laws and a law mandating food chains to post calorie counts. People were becoming concerned that the city, and specifically the mayor, were infringing on individual’s rights. Advocates for small government seized this opportunity to argue that the local and national government have too much power and that if this law is passed nothing is stopping the government from controlling every aspect of our lives. This was the main argument against the ban and it is the argument that eventually prevented the ban from going into affect.

Other people also used this ban to draw attention to the role soda and other sugary drinks play in causing obesity and diabetes. It’s been known for quite some time that the sugar content in soda can contribute to serious health problems and that drinking 32 ounces of soda in one sitting is far from healthy. However, not much has been done to prevent people from drinking soda in such excess. The ban drew attention to this fact and although it did not pass, it lead to a new educational campaign by the city called “pouring on the pounds.” The campaign’s main purpose is to educate people about how not only soda, but also juice and sweetened teas can lead to these health problems. The ban began discussion about these drinks and people are now more open to hearing more about the health risks involved with drinking them thanks to the ban. The city used the opportunity presented by the ban to further it’s cause and keep people interested in this topic.

The ban also lead to other debates about may other aforementioned topics. It served as a catalyst for kairos for may different groups and rhetors. It presented an opportunity that many people were waiting for.

“We can’t drink money” -Anti-Fracking Slogan

• Hydraulic fracturing  is the process of drilling and injecting fluid into the ground at a high pressure in order to fracture shale rocks to release natural gas inside.
• thought to contaminate drinking water
• chemicals used can be harmful to human health
• the anti fracking slogan “we cant drink money” uses rhetoric
• Uses logos and Pathos
• Idea that water is more important than money
• Idea of scarcity
• emphasizes importance of natural resources and preservation over economic gain
• calls people to action by appealing to there basic need to drink water
• Uses idea that it’s their civic duty to protect the environment for the sake of the community
• The banner I’m specifically using as an example includes images of water glasses. – shows the image of what they are trying to protect.
• the banner is bright contrasting colors to draw attention to it.
• People have to put the possibility of making money below the community’s need for clean water
• People sell their land to gas companies for large amounts of money- if no one sells their land then they cannot frack.