One thing that stood out to me in the second podcast was the effect the use of the word “mastermind” had on the portrayal of terrorists. I never noticed how much that word is used to describe the perpetrator of an attack till now. It was very interesting to see how it actually implies that the suspect came up with a well calculated plan, when that is rarely the case. I also liked how the speaker said that using the term mastermind helps to bring comfort to us because it gives us a sense of relief knowing that the terrorist attack did take some thought and effort, rather than being a random act of violence.

By painting the perpetrator as a “mastermind”, we feel better because it reassures us that terrorist attacks will not be common because these “masterminds” take time to come up with these attacks. We try to make sense of these attacks in a very logical manner because it brings comfort knowing that people aren’t going to randomly become radicalized and start their own attacks.

Using the term “mastermind”, like in the podcast, attributes brilliance to the attacker and even gives them credit for being able to carry out an attack. This is horrible because terrorists should not be painted in a positive light. Terms like “mastermind” give terrorist groups too much praise and may not even be an accurate description of the attackers themselves. Sometimes the attackers happened to have good timing or luck rather than a well thought out plan, so in those cases using the word “mastermind” would not be appropriate.

Another reason why this part of the podcast captivated me is because it points out that although using the term “mastermind” can help us make sense of terrorists attacks, it also causes us to lose a sense of security. If the media portray terrorists as being intelligent then we lose hope on actually being able to find a way to prevent and stop these attacks. So, although the term “mastermind” helps to bring  comfort to the public, it gives too much credit to terrorists groups, which causes the public to lose hope and optimism in the fight against terrorism.

Teniola Idowu

Dr. Kate Rosenburg

Rhetoric and Civic Life

INTRODUCTION

In the world there are a variety of things that make us different. From hair color to favorite foods, we subconsciously judge and separate ourselves from one another based on these differences. One main difference that has crippled the world for years is race. As a whole, black people suffer more discrimination than other groups and black women are probably one of the most disrespected groups in society. In order to combat the discrimination and to help uplift black women, the #melaninpoppin movement was created. It helps to promote black beauty and culture, which gives black women the confidence they have lost throughout many years of prejudice. Although it is a movement built on love, its interests tend to clash with the #alllivesmatter movement, which believes that their should be a celebration of all lives no mater the race. The #alllivesmatter movement undermines the #melaninpoppin movement by using the guise of “human equality” to disregard the present discrimination of black women.

BODY

The #alllivesmatter movement started as a retaliation to the #blacklivesmatter movement, and it utilized signs and minor protests to spread their message. Many people felt the #alllivesmatter movement was unnecessary, so it received negative feedback. One example of this is an image of a black girl whose mouth is being covered by a white hand that has #alllivesmatter written on it. The image also states: “What you’re really saying when you say “all lives matter”.

• Explain the text used in more depth.
• Compare the different perspectives of both movements.
• Explain how the text relates to ethos, pathos and logos
• Describe some similarities between both movements

CONCLUSION

• Restate the thesis
• Summarize the main points of the essay
• End with a question that leaves peers thinking

​Hello everyone, so I tried my best to get my main thoughts out, but I could not handle staying up too late. I added some quick bullet points on the direction I plan to go with my final essay, and I hope this gives you an idea of how my final essay will be. Please feel free to leave any comments or any questions you may have!

A civic artifact is one that relates to the society for which it was created. It holds some sort of importance, and it can also be the center of many controversial debates. The three civic artifacts I am considering are: tamagotchi’s, the FDA’s smokeless tobacco prevention campaign and the #melaninpoppin movement.

Tamagotchi’s were a staple in the early 2000’s and in many schools it became customary to have multiple, and to take care of them throughout the day. They are still available today, but they took over pop culture between 2000-2010. Consumers were able to feed, play with, and clean up after their pets. I like this artifact because I had one when I was in elementary school and I was addicted to it. I was always compelled to take care of it and made it a priority. The product had a huge following that consisted of pre-teens who were determined to create a loving environment for their pet. A question I have for my classmates is why do you think this toy had such a large and dedicated following? What human needs did this toy speak to?

The FDA’s smokeless tobacco prevention campaign consists of a series of  videos aimed to stop people from smoking tobacco. I like this artifact because it is very shocking and thought provoking. Often times people do not really weigh the consequences of their actions and these commercials show you the result up front without any sugarcoating.The commercials are straight to the point and easy to follow, which allows it to reach the underage and young adult population.  Although effective now, I would love to know your opinions on whether it would be applicable in the future as people move towards other sources of recreational smoking?

My final option for a civic artifact is the #melaninpoppin movement that encourages Black women to embrace their ethnic beauty and features. Although recent, I consider this a civic artifact because it encompasses the recent wave of  the pro-black movement. It is really focused on being inclusive to darker skinned women and it is a celebration of melanin, and the more the merrier. It is a movement that has reached the teenage to young adult crowd and is celebrated on various social media outlets like Twitter, Snapchat, and Tumblr. One search of this hashtag and one could find endless pictures of black women from various places and backgrounds such as the one below.

Citations