Summer Classes for Spring/Summer 2011 was not easy but definately challenging! Thanks for having Mr.Paszek as my teacher, I learned a lot!!
-Viktor
Wednesday, August 3, 2011
Legalizing Prostitution in Michigan.
I. “Literature Review”
i. Liberator, Mark. "Legalized Prostitution: Regulating the Oldest Profession." The Liberator -- Iconoclastic Electronic Magazine. The Liberator, 5 Dec. 2005. Web. 28 July 2011..
“Legalized Prostitution: Regulating the Oldest Profession,” is an accurate persuasive positional paper on legalizing prostitution in the United States. The paper uses accurate sources that are footnoted at the bottom of the paper. The source is a great introduction to the topic of legalizing prostitution because it gives broad information on many issues concerning prostitution. For example it compares how the prohibition was a social policy that was a detriment to society and compares it to the illegality of prostitution.
ii. Bovard, James. "The Legalization of Prostitution." Welcome to The Future of Freedom Foundation. The Future of Freedom Foundation, Sept. 1998. Web. 28 July 2011..
“The Legalization of Prostitution” written by James Bovard provides a clear insight and position on why prostitution should be legalized in the United States. It clarifies on how and why the police in the United States are using illegal methods to catch prostitutes and the money spent on catching prostitutes alone is enormous. The piece gives examples of how the police force in the U.S have used entrapment in order to catch prostitutes. Bovard then elaborates on how the police use soo much resource and money on catching prostitutes when it is a victimless crime.
iii. Jeffreys, Sheila. Brothels without Walls. 2nd ed. Vol. 17. Oxford UP. Project MUSE. Web. 29 July 2011..
“Brothels without Walls” is an article written by John Hopkins University. The source provides useful counter-arguments against the legalization of prostitution. The source mainly argues that there is no way of controlling or regulating prostitution because many prostitutes operate privately. In addition, the article argues that there is no way of making prostitution “safe” because even if prostitution was legalized and operated under “Brothels,” it would still have some of the same problems we have with prostitution now. The article describes legal prostitution in Melbourne, Australia and prostitution in Netherlands and explains the problems associated with it.
iv. NA. "Decriminalization of Prostitution." California State University, Northridge. Web. 29 July 2011..
“Decriminalization of Prostitution” article put together by California State University offers numerous useful sources on the topic of prostitution and legalization of prostitution. It provides statistics, and it also explains the difference in decriminalization v legalization and the paper also introduces us to the North American Task Force on Prostitution (NATFP).
v. "100 Countries and Their Prostitution Policies” - Prostitution - ProCon.org." Prostitution ProCon.org -- Should Prostitution Be Legal? ProCon, 04 Aug. 2010. Web. 01 Aug. 2011..
“100 Countries and Their Prostitution Policies” provide useful statistics and information regarding prostitution laws around the world. There are statistics to back up the argument for the proposal part of the project.
II. “The Argument”
According to ProCon a non-profit public charity organization that collects statistics, over 60% of countries in the world have prostitution legal or limited legality, however in the United States all states except for Nevada have it illegal. Prostitution in the eyes of the public has always been a hotly debated topic. From the definition itself to the morality of the act, it has always been a questionable profession society look down upon. There have been numerous problems associated with prostitution, but most importantly, crime and health issues.
As many have said, prostitution is the oldest profession known to man. It is a profession greatly influenced by religion and historically patriarchal control. In order to understand the legality and illegality of prostitution one must consider the cultural differences in different countries. First of all because prostitution is illegal in the U.S with violators facing up to a year in jail and $1,000 in fines (Michigan law), law enforcement spend a significant time and money to crack down on prostitution. The money spent alone on these cases far outweighs the risks these perpetrators might pose towards the general public; it is a victimless crime. Instead of concentrating on cracking down on minor criminal acts such as prostitution, taxpayer dollars should be spent on catching the real criminals, the drug traffickers, human traffickers, murderers etc…
The reason why the U.S and other countries have prostitution illegal and punishable by law is to reduce the problems that surround prostitution and because society do not approve of this act based on religious and moral grounds. Problems associated with prostitution are drugs, human trafficking, rape, pimps and the spread of STD’s. Mark Liberator compares Prohibition during the 20th century to having prostitution illegal in the United States. He argues that when Prohibition was set in place, the demand of alcohol skyrocketed and the number of people consuming alcohol remained the same. More importantly the government spent way more money and resources on controlling alcohol related crimes than before Prohibition was enacted. To put this in perspective, Prohibition backfired on society. Mark Liberator said, “Instead of managing the problem through the medical and social interventions accompanied by regulation of the industry, critics of legalized prostitution would rather adopt prohibition and cold abandonment.” Liberator argues that instead of managing prostitution in the U.S, American society chooses to be ignorant and control the problem by banning prostitution. Society and law enforcement agencies however, fail to understand that the root cause of some of these problems associated with prostitution such as the spread of STD’s and pimps is because we have prostitution illegal in this country.
There are numerous problems associated with prostitution, however some of these problems can be eliminated or eased by institutionalizing prostitution in the state of Michigan. Institutionalizing prostitution in the state of Michigan not only solves numerous issues, but it also provides benefits. If prostitution was legal in the state of Michigan, the state government could tax and gain revenue that can be dispersed back into the public. In addition, by making prostitution legal, law enforcement in Michigan could cut costs and resources, and police officers can take more time on cases that really do matter. Health is also a grave problem concerning prostitutes today. Because there is no governmental control over how these people “work”, many have STDs that could be managed if there was mandatory health check ups imposed by the government.
Prostitution should be legal not only for economical reasons but it could also reduce crime rates, get prostitutes off the streets, improve public health, increase tax revenue and help people out of poverty.
The key word to legalizing prostitution is profit. Prostitution is a moneymaking business and by legalizing it, the state can tax prostitutes. Registered prostitutes will be required to pay taxes for what they do. Depending on how much they make from their work, they will pay a certain percentage of tax for the state of Michigan. This will increase the states tax revenue. With more money in the state hands it will open up doors for many people especially the poor. Prostitutes will be able to receive health care, government assistance and students will be able to go to school with the help of the government. At the end of the day everyone will be happy, just with a little change in the law.
Many critics who argue against the legalization of prostitution argue that prostitution is unsafe and it is the cause of wide spread of sexual transmitted diseases (STD’s). We have come up with a solution for that. Prostitutes will have to be registered in the state and receive weekly or monthly checks up from a specialized physician at clinics. With this in place, doctors will be able to keep up a record for each prostitute. And if the prostitute did acquire a STD, depending on the level of danger the disease poses to the public, the prostitute may have to stop working. An STD such as HIV/AIDS is one that has no cure at the moment, so if a prostitute tested HIV positive, he or she would have to stop working immediately sanctioned by the state of Michigan. This alone will prevent the spread of one of many serious problems with STDs in the U.S. In short, there will be a higher demand for health clinics and specialized physicians and governmental control over prostitution will create more jobs for the state of Michigan, a state in dire need of a brighter future.
Keeping prostitutes off the streets is an important goal by itself. Once prostitution is institutionalized, prostitutes will no longer need “pimps” to manage their shady business and they can register to the state to be legally working as a prostitute. By keeping prostitutes off the street, drugs, trafficking, and other criminal activities might not be eliminated but it could reduce these crimes affiliated with prostitution. In addition, institutionalizing prostitution will ease the stigma associated with being a prostitute. By legalizing prostitution and having concrete definitions of what is and isn’t prostitution, prostitutes will have a more solid place in society, no longer considered the outcasts of society.
III. “Audience Analysis and Delivery”
The argument on legalizing prostitution will be geared toward the general public but especially to the educated public who can vote. Our proposal is a change of law in the state of Michigan, specifically legalizing and institutionalizing prostitution, so putting together a video that persuades as many people as possible is the best outcome we can achieve. In order to persuade as many people as possible, YouTube is used. YouTube allows the free flow of opinions and arguments in the comment section of any video. This allows the public to voice their view or perspective of an issue; in this case it is the legality of prostitution. In addition, because YouTube is modeled after a search engine website, the people who are interested and are supporters of legalizing prostitution in the state of Michigan will search and see the video because of search tags. This allows the unification of people who support this proposal therefore it will only strengthen the proposal in the comment section of YouTube. Supporters of legalization of prostitution will also be able to read about supporting documents on legalizing prostitution and be able to support this proposal.
Not only being able to achieve high number of viewers who support legalization of prostitution in Michigan, posting in Xtranormal format will open the eyes of the general public. Michiganders will realize that legalizing prostitution in the state will improve our economy and potentially ease the economic situation in our state.
IV. “Design”
After searching and checking out Xtranormal.com, we were able to discover many different backgrounds and characters that fit our proposal. First, we were undecided on the background of our video. The first background setting was located in a bar; the other was a bedroom. The bar setting was a good opportunity to show the audience that this could be a prime establishment to pick up costumers for sexual innuendos. We resulted in using a bedroom. A bedroom is a more discrete place to handle business transactions; in this case it is sex for money. It is also primarily the location where sexual activities take place.
While looking through the website, we searched for specific characters that would make a good connection with the background that we selected. We wanted to use a male and a female character. The first character that we discovered was our female character. We looked for a woman who dressed provocatively and fit a description of a prostitute. A half-naked lady was perfect for our video. It is an epitome of a prostitute nowadays. For our male character we used in our short movie, we gave the impression that he is an undercover police who totally disagrees with legalizing prostitution. Overall our male character could definitely pass as an undercover officer, possibly someone who works for the FBI or CIA. Our specified audience is the general public and the choice of characters and backgrounds of our video can easily relate to the general public because the characters we choose are just like anyone in real life, a friend, a family member and so on.
V. “Translation Exam”
Building the theory of online rhetoric through Xtranormal software was a creative challenge. Xtranormal has the option to choose characters from a variety of genres. The characters could be male/female, male/male, female/female, superheroes, robots, even crash dummies. Picking our characters in Xtranormal in a short movie is just like being a director. After choosing our cast, Xtranormal gives you the option of choosing your background and the tone of voice for your characters. There is a sound selection that offers features of background sound and background music. The sound selection must be chosen wisely because it can become a distraction. The tone of the background music and sounds needs to match with the voice so the audience can hear the conversation clearly. The background music should also be relevant to your video and make the video more interesting. And finally, Xtranormal offers the option to add custom motions, facial expressions and pauses to make your video more convincing. The character’s lines must be reviewed with changes in the formatting to decide on which scenes needs adjustments for story lines, sound and background.
In an animated video, humor is one of the best rhetorical strategies. Because it is an animated movie and not a conventional camera shot video, the audience doesn’t expect something too serious. If a very serious argument and proposal was to be presented in cartoon format, one must take in consideration how the audience will consider the video. If the video is presented in a way that is too serious and boring, they will dismiss the proposal before it is even presented. We primarily used humor in the beginning of the video to start off strong and keep the audience watching. No one wants to watch a video with a lousy start. By using humor, the characters connect to the audience, and therefore it will make your rhetoric stronger. In addition, because of the complexity of our topic we tried composing a video that clearly outlines the solution in an easy to understand way, something that appeals to the general public. Keep in mind that the video tries to appeal to as many people as it can because we are trying to change the law on prostitution in the state of Michigan. In short, we wanted to make a short but cohesive video that clearly outlines the issue and proposal in a way that appeals to the general public.
Xtranormal offers many features we can use to translate our project into a convincing movie. In Xtranormal format making the characters act dramatic was a strategy to building ethos. Choosing humans to play our roles instead of robots or crash dummies is another way we incorporated ethos. We chose characters that are just like anyone in the real world; it could be your friend or your family member. This way the video can easily relate to the audience because they feel that the video is relevant to them. Making the characters act out rather than just talk was another one of our strategies. We made the characters perform certain motions in order to keep the audience focused and interested. We were able to type sources from our research in a conversational manner by stating where they got their information. Asking a question in precise wording can catch our audience’s attention because the wording will make the audience to want to answer that question and thereby they’ll become a part of the discussion. The strategies on Xtranormal also allow you to use your own voice as another feature. Composing our video in Xtranormal for the evaluation proposal project was a tricky obstacle. Creativity was key because making the characters act out a controversial topic was a challenge. The writing process of lines for the characters was like putting an actual movie together. But with the digital technology we were able to edit, save, listen, preview before publishing the video.
Many of these rhetorical strategies can be used on different online platforms. Rhetorical strategies such as humor, and just the general composition of your work can be used in many other online platforms such as Facebook, Blogs, and online interest groups. Video format allows the audience to interpret a rhetoric almost instantaneously so it is a necessity to always project a video or argument in a way that is cohesive but fast. We have done that in our video.
VI. "Xtranormal"
VII. “Platform Analysis”
Xtranormal is a site that brings movie making to the people. It allows every one to make a movie using customized script and animated characters on the site without the need of an actual video camera. Xtranomal has numerous amounts of settings, actors, and music you can choose when making your movie. The subject of our movie is prostitution, and in it we have a prostitute convincing a police officer to “buy” sex. The police officer turns her down and tries to take her to jail after he explains to her why it’s illegal. Then the prostitute explains to him why she thinks it should be legal and the officer agrees. In the video we use an exotic female in bra and panties and an undercover officer dressed in street clothes. The setting we choose was a bedroom setting. The default characters and settings both contribute to creating an authentic environment and situation just as it happens in real life. Xtranormal is a convenient site to use when making a movie but it does have some downfalls. Xtranormal might not be the best video making technique because it’s animated. Depending on your audience, animated characters might not be the best tool to convince your audience of a certain issue. The audience might not take the video seriously because of the very reason that it’s animated. However, this all depends on what your topic is. Prostitution is a very serious topic and the animation in the movie makes it hard to take it too seriously but we did balance this out quite well by claryfing our arguments and proposals. There were many items that we wish we could have done in our movie that were not available on the Xtranormal site. Some items we wished to have were to be able to choose from more characters and settings, and also to create our own characters and settings. In addition, having characters being able to move more, and be able to choose from more scenes would of made our video more versatile and much more convincing. Creating our own characters from head to toe, dressing them, picking the type of body, hair and facial features would have improved our video. Having more scenes and camera angles during the movie would make it just like a real movie. The use of low angle shots, high angle shots, etc… is one of the many methods filmmakers use to spur emotion in an audience. One of the biggest pitfalls of Xtranormal however is that the characters have no pitch in their voice. This creates a video that has creative characters, backgrounds and information, however the voices of the characters have no pitch, and sometimes they are incoherent. Instead of using Xtranormal video, we might of used a real video camera, and professional video editing software such as Sony Vegas and Adobe After Effects to create our video. But due to our time constraints we were not able to make that decision. By creating a professionally put together video, the audience might have been more convinced that prostitution should be legal. Many professionals who create advertisements, short films, and informative videos use Sony Vegas and Adobe After Effects to edit their video. Sony Vegas and Adobe After Effects can help generating a video that is professional depending on the skills of the editor. By using the programs such as the ones mentioned, the editor is capable of creating effects, transitions, and edits that would of made the video look professional thus creating ethos. These video effects and edits would have been able to catch the audience’s attention and interest.
In all, Xtranormal is a economical platform to make a video without the necessity of an actual video camera. It is convenient and fast; perfect for people who need to put a video together in a short period of time. For our topic, the use of an actual camera and the use of the video editing programs mentioned earlier would have been a better pick, however the project came in a short notice, and Xtranormal was there bail us out.
i. Liberator, Mark. "Legalized Prostitution: Regulating the Oldest Profession." The Liberator -- Iconoclastic Electronic Magazine. The Liberator, 5 Dec. 2005. Web. 28 July 2011.
“Legalized Prostitution: Regulating the Oldest Profession,” is an accurate persuasive positional paper on legalizing prostitution in the United States. The paper uses accurate sources that are footnoted at the bottom of the paper. The source is a great introduction to the topic of legalizing prostitution because it gives broad information on many issues concerning prostitution. For example it compares how the prohibition was a social policy that was a detriment to society and compares it to the illegality of prostitution.
ii. Bovard, James. "The Legalization of Prostitution." Welcome to The Future of Freedom Foundation. The Future of Freedom Foundation, Sept. 1998. Web. 28 July 2011.
“The Legalization of Prostitution” written by James Bovard provides a clear insight and position on why prostitution should be legalized in the United States. It clarifies on how and why the police in the United States are using illegal methods to catch prostitutes and the money spent on catching prostitutes alone is enormous. The piece gives examples of how the police force in the U.S have used entrapment in order to catch prostitutes. Bovard then elaborates on how the police use soo much resource and money on catching prostitutes when it is a victimless crime.
iii. Jeffreys, Sheila. Brothels without Walls. 2nd ed. Vol. 17. Oxford UP. Project MUSE. Web. 29 July 2011.
“Brothels without Walls” is an article written by John Hopkins University. The source provides useful counter-arguments against the legalization of prostitution. The source mainly argues that there is no way of controlling or regulating prostitution because many prostitutes operate privately. In addition, the article argues that there is no way of making prostitution “safe” because even if prostitution was legalized and operated under “Brothels,” it would still have some of the same problems we have with prostitution now. The article describes legal prostitution in Melbourne, Australia and prostitution in Netherlands and explains the problems associated with it.
iv. NA. "Decriminalization of Prostitution." California State University, Northridge. Web. 29 July 2011.
“Decriminalization of Prostitution” article put together by California State University offers numerous useful sources on the topic of prostitution and legalization of prostitution. It provides statistics, and it also explains the difference in decriminalization v legalization and the paper also introduces us to the North American Task Force on Prostitution (NATFP).
v. "100 Countries and Their Prostitution Policies” - Prostitution - ProCon.org." Prostitution ProCon.org -- Should Prostitution Be Legal? ProCon, 04 Aug. 2010. Web. 01 Aug. 2011.
“100 Countries and Their Prostitution Policies” provide useful statistics and information regarding prostitution laws around the world. There are statistics to back up the argument for the proposal part of the project.
II. “The Argument”
According to ProCon a non-profit public charity organization that collects statistics, over 60% of countries in the world have prostitution legal or limited legality, however in the United States all states except for Nevada have it illegal. Prostitution in the eyes of the public has always been a hotly debated topic. From the definition itself to the morality of the act, it has always been a questionable profession society look down upon. There have been numerous problems associated with prostitution, but most importantly, crime and health issues.
As many have said, prostitution is the oldest profession known to man. It is a profession greatly influenced by religion and historically patriarchal control. In order to understand the legality and illegality of prostitution one must consider the cultural differences in different countries. First of all because prostitution is illegal in the U.S with violators facing up to a year in jail and $1,000 in fines (Michigan law), law enforcement spend a significant time and money to crack down on prostitution. The money spent alone on these cases far outweighs the risks these perpetrators might pose towards the general public; it is a victimless crime. Instead of concentrating on cracking down on minor criminal acts such as prostitution, taxpayer dollars should be spent on catching the real criminals, the drug traffickers, human traffickers, murderers etc…
The reason why the U.S and other countries have prostitution illegal and punishable by law is to reduce the problems that surround prostitution and because society do not approve of this act based on religious and moral grounds. Problems associated with prostitution are drugs, human trafficking, rape, pimps and the spread of STD’s. Mark Liberator compares Prohibition during the 20th century to having prostitution illegal in the United States. He argues that when Prohibition was set in place, the demand of alcohol skyrocketed and the number of people consuming alcohol remained the same. More importantly the government spent way more money and resources on controlling alcohol related crimes than before Prohibition was enacted. To put this in perspective, Prohibition backfired on society. Mark Liberator said, “Instead of managing the problem through the medical and social interventions accompanied by regulation of the industry, critics of legalized prostitution would rather adopt prohibition and cold abandonment.” Liberator argues that instead of managing prostitution in the U.S, American society chooses to be ignorant and control the problem by banning prostitution. Society and law enforcement agencies however, fail to understand that the root cause of some of these problems associated with prostitution such as the spread of STD’s and pimps is because we have prostitution illegal in this country.
There are numerous problems associated with prostitution, however some of these problems can be eliminated or eased by institutionalizing prostitution in the state of Michigan. Institutionalizing prostitution in the state of Michigan not only solves numerous issues, but it also provides benefits. If prostitution was legal in the state of Michigan, the state government could tax and gain revenue that can be dispersed back into the public. In addition, by making prostitution legal, law enforcement in Michigan could cut costs and resources, and police officers can take more time on cases that really do matter. Health is also a grave problem concerning prostitutes today. Because there is no governmental control over how these people “work”, many have STDs that could be managed if there was mandatory health check ups imposed by the government.
Prostitution should be legal not only for economical reasons but it could also reduce crime rates, get prostitutes off the streets, improve public health, increase tax revenue and help people out of poverty.
The key word to legalizing prostitution is profit. Prostitution is a moneymaking business and by legalizing it, the state can tax prostitutes. Registered prostitutes will be required to pay taxes for what they do. Depending on how much they make from their work, they will pay a certain percentage of tax for the state of Michigan. This will increase the states tax revenue. With more money in the state hands it will open up doors for many people especially the poor. Prostitutes will be able to receive health care, government assistance and students will be able to go to school with the help of the government. At the end of the day everyone will be happy, just with a little change in the law.
Many critics who argue against the legalization of prostitution argue that prostitution is unsafe and it is the cause of wide spread of sexual transmitted diseases (STD’s). We have come up with a solution for that. Prostitutes will have to be registered in the state and receive weekly or monthly checks up from a specialized physician at clinics. With this in place, doctors will be able to keep up a record for each prostitute. And if the prostitute did acquire a STD, depending on the level of danger the disease poses to the public, the prostitute may have to stop working. An STD such as HIV/AIDS is one that has no cure at the moment, so if a prostitute tested HIV positive, he or she would have to stop working immediately sanctioned by the state of Michigan. This alone will prevent the spread of one of many serious problems with STDs in the U.S. In short, there will be a higher demand for health clinics and specialized physicians and governmental control over prostitution will create more jobs for the state of Michigan, a state in dire need of a brighter future.
Keeping prostitutes off the streets is an important goal by itself. Once prostitution is institutionalized, prostitutes will no longer need “pimps” to manage their shady business and they can register to the state to be legally working as a prostitute. By keeping prostitutes off the street, drugs, trafficking, and other criminal activities might not be eliminated but it could reduce these crimes affiliated with prostitution. In addition, institutionalizing prostitution will ease the stigma associated with being a prostitute. By legalizing prostitution and having concrete definitions of what is and isn’t prostitution, prostitutes will have a more solid place in society, no longer considered the outcasts of society.
III. “Audience Analysis and Delivery”
The argument on legalizing prostitution will be geared toward the general public but especially to the educated public who can vote. Our proposal is a change of law in the state of Michigan, specifically legalizing and institutionalizing prostitution, so putting together a video that persuades as many people as possible is the best outcome we can achieve. In order to persuade as many people as possible, YouTube is used. YouTube allows the free flow of opinions and arguments in the comment section of any video. This allows the public to voice their view or perspective of an issue; in this case it is the legality of prostitution. In addition, because YouTube is modeled after a search engine website, the people who are interested and are supporters of legalizing prostitution in the state of Michigan will search and see the video because of search tags. This allows the unification of people who support this proposal therefore it will only strengthen the proposal in the comment section of YouTube. Supporters of legalization of prostitution will also be able to read about supporting documents on legalizing prostitution and be able to support this proposal.
Not only being able to achieve high number of viewers who support legalization of prostitution in Michigan, posting in Xtranormal format will open the eyes of the general public. Michiganders will realize that legalizing prostitution in the state will improve our economy and potentially ease the economic situation in our state.
IV. “Design”
After searching and checking out Xtranormal.com, we were able to discover many different backgrounds and characters that fit our proposal. First, we were undecided on the background of our video. The first background setting was located in a bar; the other was a bedroom. The bar setting was a good opportunity to show the audience that this could be a prime establishment to pick up costumers for sexual innuendos. We resulted in using a bedroom. A bedroom is a more discrete place to handle business transactions; in this case it is sex for money. It is also primarily the location where sexual activities take place.
While looking through the website, we searched for specific characters that would make a good connection with the background that we selected. We wanted to use a male and a female character. The first character that we discovered was our female character. We looked for a woman who dressed provocatively and fit a description of a prostitute. A half-naked lady was perfect for our video. It is an epitome of a prostitute nowadays. For our male character we used in our short movie, we gave the impression that he is an undercover police who totally disagrees with legalizing prostitution. Overall our male character could definitely pass as an undercover officer, possibly someone who works for the FBI or CIA. Our specified audience is the general public and the choice of characters and backgrounds of our video can easily relate to the general public because the characters we choose are just like anyone in real life, a friend, a family member and so on.
V. “Translation Exam”
Building the theory of online rhetoric through Xtranormal software was a creative challenge. Xtranormal has the option to choose characters from a variety of genres. The characters could be male/female, male/male, female/female, superheroes, robots, even crash dummies. Picking our characters in Xtranormal in a short movie is just like being a director. After choosing our cast, Xtranormal gives you the option of choosing your background and the tone of voice for your characters. There is a sound selection that offers features of background sound and background music. The sound selection must be chosen wisely because it can become a distraction. The tone of the background music and sounds needs to match with the voice so the audience can hear the conversation clearly. The background music should also be relevant to your video and make the video more interesting. And finally, Xtranormal offers the option to add custom motions, facial expressions and pauses to make your video more convincing. The character’s lines must be reviewed with changes in the formatting to decide on which scenes needs adjustments for story lines, sound and background.
In an animated video, humor is one of the best rhetorical strategies. Because it is an animated movie and not a conventional camera shot video, the audience doesn’t expect something too serious. If a very serious argument and proposal was to be presented in cartoon format, one must take in consideration how the audience will consider the video. If the video is presented in a way that is too serious and boring, they will dismiss the proposal before it is even presented. We primarily used humor in the beginning of the video to start off strong and keep the audience watching. No one wants to watch a video with a lousy start. By using humor, the characters connect to the audience, and therefore it will make your rhetoric stronger. In addition, because of the complexity of our topic we tried composing a video that clearly outlines the solution in an easy to understand way, something that appeals to the general public. Keep in mind that the video tries to appeal to as many people as it can because we are trying to change the law on prostitution in the state of Michigan. In short, we wanted to make a short but cohesive video that clearly outlines the issue and proposal in a way that appeals to the general public.
Xtranormal offers many features we can use to translate our project into a convincing movie. In Xtranormal format making the characters act dramatic was a strategy to building ethos. Choosing humans to play our roles instead of robots or crash dummies is another way we incorporated ethos. We chose characters that are just like anyone in the real world; it could be your friend or your family member. This way the video can easily relate to the audience because they feel that the video is relevant to them. Making the characters act out rather than just talk was another one of our strategies. We made the characters perform certain motions in order to keep the audience focused and interested. We were able to type sources from our research in a conversational manner by stating where they got their information. Asking a question in precise wording can catch our audience’s attention because the wording will make the audience to want to answer that question and thereby they’ll become a part of the discussion. The strategies on Xtranormal also allow you to use your own voice as another feature. Composing our video in Xtranormal for the evaluation proposal project was a tricky obstacle. Creativity was key because making the characters act out a controversial topic was a challenge. The writing process of lines for the characters was like putting an actual movie together. But with the digital technology we were able to edit, save, listen, preview before publishing the video.
Many of these rhetorical strategies can be used on different online platforms. Rhetorical strategies such as humor, and just the general composition of your work can be used in many other online platforms such as Facebook, Blogs, and online interest groups. Video format allows the audience to interpret a rhetoric almost instantaneously so it is a necessity to always project a video or argument in a way that is cohesive but fast. We have done that in our video.
VI. "Xtranormal"
VII. “Platform Analysis”
Xtranormal is a site that brings movie making to the people. It allows every one to make a movie using customized script and animated characters on the site without the need of an actual video camera. Xtranomal has numerous amounts of settings, actors, and music you can choose when making your movie. The subject of our movie is prostitution, and in it we have a prostitute convincing a police officer to “buy” sex. The police officer turns her down and tries to take her to jail after he explains to her why it’s illegal. Then the prostitute explains to him why she thinks it should be legal and the officer agrees. In the video we use an exotic female in bra and panties and an undercover officer dressed in street clothes. The setting we choose was a bedroom setting. The default characters and settings both contribute to creating an authentic environment and situation just as it happens in real life. Xtranormal is a convenient site to use when making a movie but it does have some downfalls. Xtranormal might not be the best video making technique because it’s animated. Depending on your audience, animated characters might not be the best tool to convince your audience of a certain issue. The audience might not take the video seriously because of the very reason that it’s animated. However, this all depends on what your topic is. Prostitution is a very serious topic and the animation in the movie makes it hard to take it too seriously but we did balance this out quite well by claryfing our arguments and proposals. There were many items that we wish we could have done in our movie that were not available on the Xtranormal site. Some items we wished to have were to be able to choose from more characters and settings, and also to create our own characters and settings. In addition, having characters being able to move more, and be able to choose from more scenes would of made our video more versatile and much more convincing. Creating our own characters from head to toe, dressing them, picking the type of body, hair and facial features would have improved our video. Having more scenes and camera angles during the movie would make it just like a real movie. The use of low angle shots, high angle shots, etc… is one of the many methods filmmakers use to spur emotion in an audience. One of the biggest pitfalls of Xtranormal however is that the characters have no pitch in their voice. This creates a video that has creative characters, backgrounds and information, however the voices of the characters have no pitch, and sometimes they are incoherent. Instead of using Xtranormal video, we might of used a real video camera, and professional video editing software such as Sony Vegas and Adobe After Effects to create our video. But due to our time constraints we were not able to make that decision. By creating a professionally put together video, the audience might have been more convinced that prostitution should be legal. Many professionals who create advertisements, short films, and informative videos use Sony Vegas and Adobe After Effects to edit their video. Sony Vegas and Adobe After Effects can help generating a video that is professional depending on the skills of the editor. By using the programs such as the ones mentioned, the editor is capable of creating effects, transitions, and edits that would of made the video look professional thus creating ethos. These video effects and edits would have been able to catch the audience’s attention and interest.
In all, Xtranormal is a economical platform to make a video without the necessity of an actual video camera. It is convenient and fast; perfect for people who need to put a video together in a short period of time. For our topic, the use of an actual camera and the use of the video editing programs mentioned earlier would have been a better pick, however the project came in a short notice, and Xtranormal was there bail us out.
Tuesday, July 26, 2011
Legalizing Prostitution.
So far this is what I have come up with for the group final.
Part One: "Literature Review"
So far I have found one good source for our project. Pretty much all information on the site is cited correctly and many of them are from academic sources.
http://www.liberator.net/articles/prostitution.html
Part Two: "The Argument"
*rough outline*
1. Evaluation: Problems with having Prostitution Illegal in the U.S.
I. Promotes and/or supplies Crime
-Trafficking
-Drug use
-Rape, Incest etc...
-"Pimps"
-Money generated to criminal organizations
II. Social Problems
-Stigma
-Transmission of venereal diseases such as HIV
-Issue of morality, right v wrong, or argument based on religious grounds
III. Definition itself
-What is the meaning of "Prostitution" itself?
2. Proposal: Institutionalizing/Legalizing Prostitution in the U.S (Consider if we should legalize just by state laws (Michigan), or legalizing at a federal (U.S) level.
I. Legalizing Prostitution in Mich or U.S would solve many problems
-By institutionalizing prostitution, income would be generated for the state or federal government
-Reduce drug use and some crimes
-By legalizing prostitution, you would require "Prostitutes" to do mandatory health visits thus preventing and or reducing the spread of venereal diseases.
-By legalizing prostitution, it will reduce stigma and be introduced as a actual job or profession.
-Having legal rules, definitions, laws regarding "Prostitution," it will become a more concrete item in society, (becomes less of a vague term).
Some things to consider:
-Many countries have already legalized Prostitution such as Germany, Netherlands, Nevada (legalized at a state level) etc...
Connect it to our proposal and say how it has solved certain issues.
*statistics & facts* http://prostitution.procon.org/view.resource.php?resourceID=000772
-Historical/Religious grounds
-Issue of morality
arguments - someone shouldn't pay someone for sex. It is ethically or religiously wrong.
- sex should not be sold as an object, it is more than that.
Part One: "Literature Review"
So far I have found one good source for our project. Pretty much all information on the site is cited correctly and many of them are from academic sources.
http://www.liberator.net/articles/prostitution.html
Part Two: "The Argument"
*rough outline*
1. Evaluation: Problems with having Prostitution Illegal in the U.S.
I. Promotes and/or supplies Crime
-Trafficking
-Drug use
-Rape, Incest etc...
-"Pimps"
-Money generated to criminal organizations
II. Social Problems
-Stigma
-Transmission of venereal diseases such as HIV
-Issue of morality, right v wrong, or argument based on religious grounds
III. Definition itself
-What is the meaning of "Prostitution" itself?
2. Proposal: Institutionalizing/Legalizing Prostitution in the U.S (Consider if we should legalize just by state laws (Michigan), or legalizing at a federal (U.S) level.
I. Legalizing Prostitution in Mich or U.S would solve many problems
-By institutionalizing prostitution, income would be generated for the state or federal government
-Reduce drug use and some crimes
-By legalizing prostitution, you would require "Prostitutes" to do mandatory health visits thus preventing and or reducing the spread of venereal diseases.
-By legalizing prostitution, it will reduce stigma and be introduced as a actual job or profession.
-Having legal rules, definitions, laws regarding "Prostitution," it will become a more concrete item in society, (becomes less of a vague term).
Some things to consider:
-Many countries have already legalized Prostitution such as Germany, Netherlands, Nevada (legalized at a state level) etc...
Connect it to our proposal and say how it has solved certain issues.
*statistics & facts* http://prostitution.procon.org/view.resource.php?resourceID=000772
-Historical/Religious grounds
-Issue of morality
arguments - someone shouldn't pay someone for sex. It is ethically or religiously wrong.
- sex should not be sold as an object, it is more than that.
Monday, July 25, 2011
Evaluation Proposal Final.
So far for the class we have come up with a couple of topics.
-Legalizing Prostitution
-Gas Prices
-Institution of Marriage
-Legalizing Prostitution
-Gas Prices
-Institution of Marriage
Wednesday, July 20, 2011
Definition Paper: "Terrorism."
"Terrorism"
Winston Churchill once said, “The truth is incontrovertible, malice may attack it, ignorance may deride it, but in the end; there it is.” In the world of global politics, things are seemingly black and white. However, that is not the case when uncovering the truth behind the clever tactics used by politicians and the news media, reflecting the several shades of gray in between. This scenario is especially visible in the world of politics in Western governments. The media often bends the truth behind events to label certain governments or faction groups with different political perspectives as evil or many times as “terrorist organizations”. The term “terrorism” and “global terrorism,” are phrases used by the media and western governments alike to justify military actions. From a neutral standpoint, the terms “terrorism” and “global terrorism” are politically and emotionally charged, but they are also highly ambiguous. From a western standpoint, however, the term “terrorism” allows certain actions performed by western governments deemed politically correct. For example, the War in Afghanistan bluntly labels opposing governments or faction groups as “terrorists.” In order to fully understand how the two terms work, the public must know the history behind them, as well as the truth in how western governments use biased and/or ambiguous language to further their agendas of reaching certain political goals.
The diction western governments choose in their political advancements is always chosen for a specific purpose. This powerful, rhetorical strategy is administered to align the public to think and feel a certain way. An example is the misuse of the word “jihadi” or “jihadist” during post 9/11 times, when both the U.S government and news repeatedly labeled “global terrorists” as “jihadist” or “jihadi”. The U.S government and news media used these particular words to portray the opposing forces as religious extremists. When informing the general American public about religious terms, most will not know what the words truly mean, but they may have preconceived notions of what the definitions could actually be. For many, “jihadi” or “jihadist” is a term for one who will do anything in order to terrorize or make a point to certain groups of people, even if it means to commit suicide for a “holy war”. However, the actual meaning is much different from the one created by society. “Jihad” literally translates to “struggle.” Every Muslim has within themselves a struggle, categorized into a greater and lesser struggle. Greater struggles for a Muslim is are spiritual conflicts: a struggle for self-improvement, against vices such as greed and selfishness. Similarly, lesser struggles are wars in defense of Islam, which can be only waged if the enemy has struck first. During post-9/11 times, the U.S government and media labeled the entire Muslim population of the world as “terrorists,” significantly aiding the U.S in the war against so called “terrorism.” By broadening the scope of the enemy by simply stating that the U.S. military opposed “jihadi” or “jihadist”, it was convenient for the U.S. to unjustly label all Muslims as terrorists.
Aside from current examples, the words themselves have a history of their own. The term “terrorism” was first introduced in the 1790’s during a period known as the Reign of Terror in the French revolution as Terrorisme (In French). It was an onset of violence started by two rival faction groups fighting for the revolution, the Girondins and the Jacobins. The two forces fought for the Revolution, primarily against the old tyrannical leaders of then France.
During the Afghan-Soviet war in the 1970’s, the U.S government fully supported the Afghan people against the Red Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. At the time, the U.S was ready to fight another war against a superpower and political ideology, Communism. This war is also known as the Cold War. The U.S government supported local Afghani freedom fighters called “The Mujahideen” by providing billions of dollars in military support. Ironically, at the onset of the “War on Terror” around thirty years later, the U.S. currently wages war with the same country that accepted financial support. As a result, “The Mujahideen” that were once known as “freedom-fighters” are now labelled as a terrorist organization along with the Taliban. To reiterate the point, the term “terrorism,” is used by western governments to label a certain faction or group of people as the enemy of the state who will commit atrocious crimes against humanity. In this case, however, the term lacks any real legitimacy because of the inconsistency and the significant subjectivity of the term for the interpreter.
The term “terrorism” is surrounded by much controversy and debate in recent times. The terms “terrorism” and “global terrorism” are obscure terms because there are no absolute definitions, reflecting that world issues are indeed not starkly black or white; rather, a multitude of greys. Additionally, in a study done by Jeffrey Record for the U.S Army, there are over 109 different definitions for “terrorism.” However, George W. Bush implemented the term “War on Terror” to describe the deployment of troops against extremist organizations in Iraq and Afghanistan. The choice of words Bush decided to describe the war in Afghanistan was greatly debated on, because of the broadness of the term “War on Terror”. Even Donald Rumsfeld, one of the masterminds of the war in Afghanistan, attempted to persuade Bush in using a less subjective term. In fact, he proposed the phrase “global struggle against violent extremism,” which remains a much more precise description of the who or what the U.S was fighting against. As of now, President Barack Obama’s administration has stopped using the term “War on Terror” to describe the current war in Afghanistan; instead the administration has started using the term ‘overseas contingency operations'. Obama’s administration has realized that the previous administration has misused or abused the language, especially the terms “terrorism” and “jihadi,” in order to gain the upper hand of the people. In addition, Reuters news networks has banned the term “terrorist” because of the term’s subjectivity and biased connotations.
In recent events, Osama Bin Laden, the symbolic leader of Al-Qaeda was found and shot inside his compound in Pakistan. One of the operational leaders of Al Qaeda, Ilyas Kashmiri, was also killed by a U.S drone. Thus the question arises, after the deaths of these leaders, are we still waging war against these so called “terrorists” or are we fighting something else now? The Americans’ sole presence in Afghanistan certainly incites Afghani civilians to rebel against U.S. forces because of the unwanted intrusion of foreigners. If American troops left Afghanistan and surrounding areas, there stands a hope for peace in the contingent areas of Afghanistan.
As mentioned previously, the terms “terrorism” and “global terrorism” have no universal definition. As many say, “one man’s terrorist is another man’s freedom fighter,” which holds true in every logical sense. The term “terrorism” is simply a tool used by western governments to create an emotional appeal of the public to fight against a faction group or government that the western governments agree on. The U.N and other organizations have contemplated on a collective definition of what terrorism is; however no universally accepted definition has emerged for over 30 years. The news media and western governments practically spoon feed their ‘news’ to “educate” Americans as to what to think and what to believe in. Many students and college educators must fully understand how both governments and news media bias their information to make the public think one way or another, even if it may not be true. In short, the educated should mind the words portrayed in the media and reported by the government, instead of believing everything the government and media releases as the truth.
Works Cited:
Burkeman, Oliver. "Obama Administration Says Goodbye to 'war on Terror'"Guardian.co.uk. Guardian News, 25 Mar. 2009. Web..
Kinsley, Michael. "Defining Terrorism - By Michael Kinsley." Slate Magazine. Slate Magazine, 5 Oct. 2001. Web. 20 July 2011..
"Hamas: Government or Terrorist Organization? : NPR." NPR : National Public Radio : News & Analysis, World, US, Music & Arts : NPR. National Public Radio, 6 Dec. 2006. Web. 20 July 2011..
Ganor, Boaz. DEFINING TERRORISM: IS ONE MAN’S TERRORIST ANOTHER MAN’S FREEDOM FIGHTER? Vol. 3. Herzlia, Israel: Routledge, 2002. 2002. Web.
Winston Churchill once said, “The truth is incontrovertible, malice may attack it, ignorance may deride it, but in the end; there it is.” In the world of global politics, things are seemingly black and white. However, that is not the case when uncovering the truth behind the clever tactics used by politicians and the news media, reflecting the several shades of gray in between. This scenario is especially visible in the world of politics in Western governments. The media often bends the truth behind events to label certain governments or faction groups with different political perspectives as evil or many times as “terrorist organizations”. The term “terrorism” and “global terrorism,” are phrases used by the media and western governments alike to justify military actions. From a neutral standpoint, the terms “terrorism” and “global terrorism” are politically and emotionally charged, but they are also highly ambiguous. From a western standpoint, however, the term “terrorism” allows certain actions performed by western governments deemed politically correct. For example, the War in Afghanistan bluntly labels opposing governments or faction groups as “terrorists.” In order to fully understand how the two terms work, the public must know the history behind them, as well as the truth in how western governments use biased and/or ambiguous language to further their agendas of reaching certain political goals.
The diction western governments choose in their political advancements is always chosen for a specific purpose. This powerful, rhetorical strategy is administered to align the public to think and feel a certain way. An example is the misuse of the word “jihadi” or “jihadist” during post 9/11 times, when both the U.S government and news repeatedly labeled “global terrorists” as “jihadist” or “jihadi”. The U.S government and news media used these particular words to portray the opposing forces as religious extremists. When informing the general American public about religious terms, most will not know what the words truly mean, but they may have preconceived notions of what the definitions could actually be. For many, “jihadi” or “jihadist” is a term for one who will do anything in order to terrorize or make a point to certain groups of people, even if it means to commit suicide for a “holy war”. However, the actual meaning is much different from the one created by society. “Jihad” literally translates to “struggle.” Every Muslim has within themselves a struggle, categorized into a greater and lesser struggle. Greater struggles for a Muslim is are spiritual conflicts: a struggle for self-improvement, against vices such as greed and selfishness. Similarly, lesser struggles are wars in defense of Islam, which can be only waged if the enemy has struck first. During post-9/11 times, the U.S government and media labeled the entire Muslim population of the world as “terrorists,” significantly aiding the U.S in the war against so called “terrorism.” By broadening the scope of the enemy by simply stating that the U.S. military opposed “jihadi” or “jihadist”, it was convenient for the U.S. to unjustly label all Muslims as terrorists.
Aside from current examples, the words themselves have a history of their own. The term “terrorism” was first introduced in the 1790’s during a period known as the Reign of Terror in the French revolution as Terrorisme (In French). It was an onset of violence started by two rival faction groups fighting for the revolution, the Girondins and the Jacobins. The two forces fought for the Revolution, primarily against the old tyrannical leaders of then France.
During the Afghan-Soviet war in the 1970’s, the U.S government fully supported the Afghan people against the Red Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. At the time, the U.S was ready to fight another war against a superpower and political ideology, Communism. This war is also known as the Cold War. The U.S government supported local Afghani freedom fighters called “The Mujahideen” by providing billions of dollars in military support. Ironically, at the onset of the “War on Terror” around thirty years later, the U.S. currently wages war with the same country that accepted financial support. As a result, “The Mujahideen” that were once known as “freedom-fighters” are now labelled as a terrorist organization along with the Taliban. To reiterate the point, the term “terrorism,” is used by western governments to label a certain faction or group of people as the enemy of the state who will commit atrocious crimes against humanity. In this case, however, the term lacks any real legitimacy because of the inconsistency and the significant subjectivity of the term for the interpreter.
The term “terrorism” is surrounded by much controversy and debate in recent times. The terms “terrorism” and “global terrorism” are obscure terms because there are no absolute definitions, reflecting that world issues are indeed not starkly black or white; rather, a multitude of greys. Additionally, in a study done by Jeffrey Record for the U.S Army, there are over 109 different definitions for “terrorism.” However, George W. Bush implemented the term “War on Terror” to describe the deployment of troops against extremist organizations in Iraq and Afghanistan. The choice of words Bush decided to describe the war in Afghanistan was greatly debated on, because of the broadness of the term “War on Terror”. Even Donald Rumsfeld, one of the masterminds of the war in Afghanistan, attempted to persuade Bush in using a less subjective term. In fact, he proposed the phrase “global struggle against violent extremism,” which remains a much more precise description of the who or what the U.S was fighting against. As of now, President Barack Obama’s administration has stopped using the term “War on Terror” to describe the current war in Afghanistan; instead the administration has started using the term ‘overseas contingency operations'. Obama’s administration has realized that the previous administration has misused or abused the language, especially the terms “terrorism” and “jihadi,” in order to gain the upper hand of the people. In addition, Reuters news networks has banned the term “terrorist” because of the term’s subjectivity and biased connotations.
In recent events, Osama Bin Laden, the symbolic leader of Al-Qaeda was found and shot inside his compound in Pakistan. One of the operational leaders of Al Qaeda, Ilyas Kashmiri, was also killed by a U.S drone. Thus the question arises, after the deaths of these leaders, are we still waging war against these so called “terrorists” or are we fighting something else now? The Americans’ sole presence in Afghanistan certainly incites Afghani civilians to rebel against U.S. forces because of the unwanted intrusion of foreigners. If American troops left Afghanistan and surrounding areas, there stands a hope for peace in the contingent areas of Afghanistan.
As mentioned previously, the terms “terrorism” and “global terrorism” have no universal definition. As many say, “one man’s terrorist is another man’s freedom fighter,” which holds true in every logical sense. The term “terrorism” is simply a tool used by western governments to create an emotional appeal of the public to fight against a faction group or government that the western governments agree on. The U.N and other organizations have contemplated on a collective definition of what terrorism is; however no universally accepted definition has emerged for over 30 years. The news media and western governments practically spoon feed their ‘news’ to “educate” Americans as to what to think and what to believe in. Many students and college educators must fully understand how both governments and news media bias their information to make the public think one way or another, even if it may not be true. In short, the educated should mind the words portrayed in the media and reported by the government, instead of believing everything the government and media releases as the truth.
Works Cited:
Burkeman, Oliver. "Obama Administration Says Goodbye to 'war on Terror'"Guardian.co.uk. Guardian News, 25 Mar. 2009. Web.
Kinsley, Michael. "Defining Terrorism - By Michael Kinsley." Slate Magazine. Slate Magazine, 5 Oct. 2001. Web. 20 July 2011.
"Hamas: Government or Terrorist Organization? : NPR." NPR : National Public Radio : News & Analysis, World, US, Music & Arts : NPR. National Public Radio, 6 Dec. 2006. Web. 20 July 2011.
Ganor, Boaz. DEFINING TERRORISM: IS ONE MAN’S TERRORIST ANOTHER MAN’S FREEDOM FIGHTER? Vol. 3. Herzlia, Israel: Routledge, 2002. 2002. Web.
Sunday, July 17, 2011
Rough draft of my Definition Paper.
Exigence-> Due to the unfolding events recently in the “War on Terror,” namely Osama Bin Laden’s death, What is the U.S fighting now, after the death of Osama Bin Laden and Ilyas Kashmiri (One of the top leader of Al-Qaeda)? What is “War on Terror” now that these leaders are dead?
Intro-> (Two or Three Paragraphs) Focusing on giving background on the term “Terrorism” specifically on how the term “War on Terror” was used in order to justify the U.S’s military actions in Iraq and Afghanistan. Then explain because of the ongoing controversy of the term, why was the term removed from use from the U.S government. (Use the source from the Guardian Article that talks about how this term was discontinued in Obama’s Administration). Explain how situations in the global arena are never ‘black and white,’ or ‘good’ v ‘bad,’ and explain how governments around the world facilitate many emotionally charged terms in order to control the public.
The term “Terrorism” and “Global Terrorism,” is a phrase often used by the media and governments alike to justify their actions in war. From a neutral standpoint, the terms are politically and emotionally charged but more importantly more ambiguous than they seem.
Body Paragraph One-> Explain the term “Terrorism” and “Global Terrorism,” in a historical context. Use examples such as the Iraq-Iran war from 1980, and the Afghan-Soviet war from 1979 and explain how back then we use to help these groups that we now consider to be “Terrorist” organizations. Use many other examples to further elaborate on how the term “Terrorism” and “Global Terrorism” was used historically.
Body Paragraph Two-> Possibly look at the controversy and problems the term “War on Terror” has caused and what are the criticisms against the term and why has the Obama administration and numerous other organizations have stopped using the term.
Body Paragraph Three-> Investigate on what is “War on Terror” now, after the death of two of the top leaders of terrorist organization Al Qaeda.
I’m still thinking about the third body paragraph and my conclusion, however I have already have created some thoughts on how to write my paper, especially my introductory paragraphs.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/mar/25/obama-war-terror-overseas-contingency-operations
Intro-> (Two or Three Paragraphs) Focusing on giving background on the term “Terrorism” specifically on how the term “War on Terror” was used in order to justify the U.S’s military actions in Iraq and Afghanistan. Then explain because of the ongoing controversy of the term, why was the term removed from use from the U.S government. (Use the source from the Guardian Article that talks about how this term was discontinued in Obama’s Administration). Explain how situations in the global arena are never ‘black and white,’ or ‘good’ v ‘bad,’ and explain how governments around the world facilitate many emotionally charged terms in order to control the public.
The term “Terrorism” and “Global Terrorism,” is a phrase often used by the media and governments alike to justify their actions in war. From a neutral standpoint, the terms are politically and emotionally charged but more importantly more ambiguous than they seem.
Body Paragraph One-> Explain the term “Terrorism” and “Global Terrorism,” in a historical context. Use examples such as the Iraq-Iran war from 1980, and the Afghan-Soviet war from 1979 and explain how back then we use to help these groups that we now consider to be “Terrorist” organizations. Use many other examples to further elaborate on how the term “Terrorism” and “Global Terrorism” was used historically.
Body Paragraph Two-> Possibly look at the controversy and problems the term “War on Terror” has caused and what are the criticisms against the term and why has the Obama administration and numerous other organizations have stopped using the term.
Body Paragraph Three-> Investigate on what is “War on Terror” now, after the death of two of the top leaders of terrorist organization Al Qaeda.
I’m still thinking about the third body paragraph and my conclusion, however I have already have created some thoughts on how to write my paper, especially my introductory paragraphs.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/mar/25/obama-war-terror-overseas-contingency-operations
Sunday, July 10, 2011
Thoughts for the Definition Paper.
Definition Paper.
1. Defining “Terrorism” or “War on Terror”.
2. My audience is the educated public.
3. Exigence. Due to the unfolding events recently in the “War on Terror,” namely Osama Bin Laden’s death, What is the U.S fighting now, after the death of Osama Bin Laden and Ilyas Kashmiri (One of the top leader of Al-Qaeda)? What is “War on Terror” now that these leaders are dead?
I haven’t come up with a concrete thesis yet, but I will soon.
One source: http://www.salon.com/news/opinion/feature/2009/05/19/chomsky
1. Defining “Terrorism” or “War on Terror”.
2. My audience is the educated public.
3. Exigence. Due to the unfolding events recently in the “War on Terror,” namely Osama Bin Laden’s death, What is the U.S fighting now, after the death of Osama Bin Laden and Ilyas Kashmiri (One of the top leader of Al-Qaeda)? What is “War on Terror” now that these leaders are dead?
I haven’t come up with a concrete thesis yet, but I will soon.
One source: http://www.salon.com/news/opinion/feature/2009/05/19/chomsky
Friday, July 8, 2011
What I learned from English 1020.
The top two things that I have improved on from my English 1020 class was the use of Rhetorical Strategies and improvement of my grammar. Rhetorical Strategies that include Ethos, Pathos, and Logos but also other strategies writers use to make their argument. I have used these strategies in my paper and it has improved my writing substantially. In addition, my grammar has improved. I'm more familiar with correct quoting, and what to underline or italisize or what not to italisize or underline. I also learned how to introduce a quotes properly and then elaborate afterwards in order to properly quote a outside source. I also learned to critically think before writing a paper, there must be a reason for writing it. Questions such as "So what? Who cares?" should be asked.
Defining Technology
Technology [Téchne + Logía]
Most people consider Technology as a tool such as a computer or video camera that makes their lives easier and convenient. However, Technology was the most important invention to develop human kind. The invention of the application of fire was the catalyzer that evolved humans to begin the 'hunter gathering' style of life. Technology to me is application of science to improve the human condition. The application of science could be in any category of science including social sciences. Many ignore the daily tools in their lives as just appliances, and don't consider tools such as the typewriter, a book, etc... People will have different definitions for the word Technology. Depending on the person, of his or her background and environment, they may consider Technology completely differently than me.
Most people consider Technology as a tool such as a computer or video camera that makes their lives easier and convenient. However, Technology was the most important invention to develop human kind. The invention of the application of fire was the catalyzer that evolved humans to begin the 'hunter gathering' style of life. Technology to me is application of science to improve the human condition. The application of science could be in any category of science including social sciences. Many ignore the daily tools in their lives as just appliances, and don't consider tools such as the typewriter, a book, etc... People will have different definitions for the word Technology. Depending on the person, of his or her background and environment, they may consider Technology completely differently than me.
Definition Paper
Definition Paper
-Criteria Match
X is defined by A B & C.
-Resemblance
Compare two objects or one subject fits into a larger subject based on criteria
X is actually Y because of A B & C
1. Exigence <- Important
2. Go Beyond
Cultural Summary
Definitional
3. Think who your audience is
[It doesn't have to be a positive definition paper, you can have a negative definition paper]
-Criteria Match
X is defined by A B & C.
-Resemblance
Compare two objects or one subject fits into a larger subject based on criteria
X is actually Y because of A B & C
1. Exigence <- Important
2. Go Beyond
Cultural Summary
Definitional
3. Think who your audience is
[It doesn't have to be a positive definition paper, you can have a negative definition paper]
Wednesday, July 6, 2011
Third Culture Kids (TCKs)
Third Culture Kids
Many people don’t know that President Barack Obama and a number of his cabinet members were Third Culture Kids (TCKs). According to the U.S. State Department, “a Third Culture Kid is known as someone who, as a child, has spent a significant period of time in one or more culture(s) other than his or her own, thus integrating elements of those cultures and their own birth culture, into a third culture.” Although many people are not familiar with this term, it is necessary to acknowledge different cultures especially when countries are becoming more interdependent: economically, socially, and politically. The term “Third Culture Kids” was first coined by sociologist and TCK Dr. Ruth Hill Useem forty years ago, when the Internet and dozens of networking tools did not exist for people like her. Many agree that this is the age of Information Technology, when a person can instantly reconnect with a friend thousands of miles away. In today’s society Internet is available for most parts of the world, technology has become a positive tool that transforms the TCK culture today.
Technology has progressed significantly from the invention of electricity by Thomas Edison to the advent of the World Wide Web. This intricate network has connected billions of people across the world; it is needless to say that technology has changed all forms of cultures, even becoming a culture of its own. According to a Gallup poll, “Americans' frequent use of the Internet has almost doubled over the last five years; 48% now report using the Internet more than one hour per day compared to 26% in 2002.” This is an important fact because it provides information as to how many Americans are being influenced by the Internet, thereby including the TCK population. However, the most important change the Internet has brought upon the global community is the democratization of information among those who have access to the World Wide Web. In today’s Internet culture, anyone has the right and ability to interpret opinions online and also voice their own. As third world countries develop into an industrial society, TCKs will solve problems that might arise from neo-colonialism, defusing potentially insidious threats that may ruin many lives in a country.The ongoing ‘Arab Spring’ situation is a direct result of the free flow of unaccountable information on the Web, but it demonstrates the fact that the Internet has brought change across all cultures in the world including the TCK culture.
The ‘Internet’ has become a culture in itself. As Dave Healy describes it, “From one perspective, the Internet represents, for community-minded citizens, an almost limitless potential for an associational life. No longer limited by geographical happenstance to the interactions that might develop in a town or neighborhood or workplace, individuals can free themselves from the accidents of physical location to create their own virtual places.” (University of Exeter) Healy explains that communities are no longer bounded by physical distance, and people can connect with each other regardless of the physical limitations. Even when isolated from others, a person is simultaneously connected to a global community. The Web is such that anyone can be immersed in a culture that is almost limitless in knowledge, whether desired or not. When the United States was first discovered, it was known to many as the ‘new frontier’ or the as the ‘new world’, likewise the Internet has arguably become this ‘new frontier’ for American society.
Third Culture Kids stem from all nations across the globe, as sons and daughters of diplomats, businessmen, army personnel, and preachers. Often, these kids are immersed in as many as three or four different cultures and also speak many languages. Though they seem worldly and educated of different cultures, many do not have a definite identity of what they are. When asked the simplest question, “Where are you from?,” answers will be more than complicated but also very personal. Most TCKs are also very accepting of other cultures and are open in their way of thinking. Ruth Van Reken, author of Third Culture Kids, exclaims, “Many ATCKs are now in positions of influence and power. Their capacity to often think “outside the box” can offer new and creative thinking for doing business and living in our globalizing world. But that same thinking can create fear for those who see the world from a more traditional world view.” Reken summarized the importance of TCKs and their influence towards the globalizing society, but on the other hand it creates problems for those who are very conservative in terms of globalization and diversification.
As mentioned earlier in the paper, President Obama was a TCK, and a number of his cabinet members were TCKs. However, many people were unaware of that fact, or even the term itself. President Obama spent several of his formative years overseas in Indonesia from 1968 to 1971 in an Indonesian elementary school. In addition, a number of his cabinet members including Valerie Jarrett, a senior advisor for President Obama, grew up in Shiraz, Iran and London, England. Other members of his political team were also TCKs, including Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner and National Security Advisor James L. Jones. Political pundits and the general public have focused on determining Obama’s racial identity, but they have ignored his cultural identity. This lack of knowledge about the TCKs is detrimental to society as a whole. It is necessary to know about certain cultures, especially TCKs, when many of them become political figures and important members in the global community.
Ultimately, Internet technology and TCKs have become one. TCKs use and live by Internet technology in order to solve their problems today. While most people do use Internet technology to connect with friends and family members, TCKs have high importance in using Internet technology to go on with their lives. Many TCKs have identity conflicts arising from their complex cultural backgrounds. They struggle with self identity and many are detached from friends. They often struggle with relocating to new places, some even encounter depression in failing to adjust to their new environment. According to the U.S State Department, “By the time a TCK is a teenager, he has either become adept at coping as the new kid on the block or has withdrawn into himself, no longer making the effort to make new friends over and over again.” (Kay Eakin) However, this has changed in the past five years. No longer do TCKs have to say goodbye to their friends once they relocate to another country. Thanks to the age of Information Technology, anyone can reconnect with friends or family thousands of miles away. These social networking tools did not exist 20 years ago and that is why many TCKs struggled with self-destructive problems. However, TCKs now have the chance to be able to keep their friendships and relationships alive, by using tools such as Skype, Facebook, Twitter and so on. In short, Internet technology and TCK culture have become a distinct, yet diverse culture. It has become a necessity for TCKs, to avoid possible problems such as depression, addiction, and other negative behaviors. Thus, Internet technology has saved the TCK culture.
TCKs will only have a greater importance in a growing global community, making it important for the uninformed to know about the TCK culture. As TCKs don’t have a concrete identity; they associate themselves with many ethnic cultures, and many have aloof personalities. A prime example of someone who possesses this personality trait is President Obama, he presents himself as someone who is above all problems, someone who understands the global society; someone who feels empathy towards others. Internet technology has changed and has been infused into the TCK culture. Internet technology, especially Facebook and Skype has had an especially big influence on TCKs. It has changed many cultures, though it is uncertain as to how Internet technology will affect third world countries and cultures.
Works Cited:
Morales, Lymari. "Nearly Half of Americans Are Frequent Internet Users." Gallup.Com - Daily News, Polls, Public Opinion on Government, Politics, Economics, Management. Gallup, 2 Jan. 2009. Web. 03 July 2011. <http://www.gallup.com/poll/113638/Nearly-Half-Americans-Frequent-Internet-Users.aspx>.
<http://services.exeter.ac.uk/cmit/media/texts/porter1996/healy1997_cyberspace_and_place.pdf>.
Van Reken, Ruth E. "Third Culture Kids - Telegraph." Telegraph.co.uk - Telegraph Online, Daily Telegraph and Sunday Telegraph - Telegraph. The Telegraph, 13 Nov. 2009. Web. 04 July 2011.
Tuesday, June 28, 2011
Cultural Analysis Rough Draft/Outline
Cultural Analysis “Third Culture Kids (TCKs)” Introduction Rough Draft
Introduction & Background → Did you know that President Barack Obama and a couple of his cabinet members were Third Culture Kids (TCKs)? According to state.gov, “a Third Culture Kid is known as someone who, as a child, has spent a significant period of time in one or more culture(s) other than his or her own, thus integrating elements of those cultures and their own birth culture, into a third culture.” Exigency → Although many people are not familiar with this term, it is important to know different cultures around the globe especially when countries are becoming more interdependent on each other economically, socially, and politically. The term, Third Culture Kids was first coined by sociologist Dr. Ruth Hill Useem 40 years ago who was a TCK herself, when the internet and dozens of networking tools did not exist for people like her. Many agree that it is known as the Information Technology age today, where a person could instantly reconnect with a friend thousands of miles away. Thesis →In a world where the Internet has become widely available for most parts of the world, it has become a positive tool that changes the TCK culture today.
Main Paragraph One, Defining Technology → This paragraph will define Technology as the Internet and how social networking tools such as Facebook, Skype, and online communities have changed the global community and then connect it to my thesis. Use statistics from gallup.com or other reputable sources to back up my main point.
Main Paragraph Two →, Supporting paragraph about how the Internet Technology positively and possibly negatively changes the TCK culture today. Develop points and use personal examples of how these technologies changes the culture. Interview → I’ll be interviewing a friend of mine who is a TCK abroad and ask some questions and back up my point.
Conclusion → Reiterate my main points and summary. My conclusion is awareness for the general public about different cultures in the world and explaining why it is important for you. Why it is important to know about different cultures around the world, not just TCKs.
Sources so far:
Eakin, Kay Branaman. "According to My Passport, I'm Coming Home." State.gov. U.S Department of State. Web. 28 June 2011. <http://www.state.gov/documents/organization/2065.pdf>.
Sunday, June 26, 2011
My topic for Cultural Analysis.
After our class on Wednesday, I have finally picked a topic that I can very well relate to. As a kid I was born and raised in Hungary (Europe), but my parents are Japanese & Chinese. That makes me a 'third culture kid', a culture that is, and defines me. There are numerous publications on this culture, and I can also interview friends of mine who are also a part of this culture, which is a plus. So now that I have picked a culture that I can write about, I just have to narrow my topic or broaden it, but also figure out my exigency to write about this culture.
After taking notes on the Cultural Analysis paper, it is much easier and a whole lot easier to figure out what I need to think and research about. So having a rubric or a notes sheet for a paper like this greatly helps someone understand what he or she needs to do.
Anyways, I'm looking forward for the research of this paper, because I want to use reliable and accurate sources to back up my point. It will greatly effect the conclusion and reliability of my points. My plan is to use at least one interview as a source, and two or more sources from reliable internet or published sources.
After taking notes on the Cultural Analysis paper, it is much easier and a whole lot easier to figure out what I need to think and research about. So having a rubric or a notes sheet for a paper like this greatly helps someone understand what he or she needs to do.
Anyways, I'm looking forward for the research of this paper, because I want to use reliable and accurate sources to back up my point. It will greatly effect the conclusion and reliability of my points. My plan is to use at least one interview as a source, and two or more sources from reliable internet or published sources.
Saturday, June 18, 2011
Update on Class.
After reading Nicholas Carr's piece Is Google Making Us Stupid?, it made me think about where human society is moving towards. It makes me think critically about what will our future look like, and made me think about how new technologies are changing our society and human nature. In addition, there are a lot of negative things that technology has caused that will not be uncovered until some period of time.
On the note of the Cultural Analysis paper, I really haven't found a topic that has caught my attention. I've been thinking about the movie "The Birth of a Nation," and how even though it is and was a very racist movie, it is a good film production in terms of film technology, and it also gives people today an understanding of what the sentiment was on race back in the day. I have also looked around other topics for cultural analysis such as Surf & Skate culture, but I'm not convinced on the amount and quality of information available that can be used correctly for my paper. Cultures such as Surf & Skate don't have concrete information, like X Y & Z, and it is difficult to define anything. It is vague.
Is Google Making Us Stupid?
"Is Google Making Us Stupid" written by Nicholas Carr is a persuasive opinion piece on Internet Technology. Carr makes the argument that the Internet technology is changing the 'human condition' both at a biological and and psychological level that will worsen humanity. Throughout the argument, Carr uses ethos throughout this persuasive piece. He uses credible University studies, book authors, and bloggers to say that the way we read is changing, and that deep level thinking in readings is diminishing because the need is simply not there. Carr also uses personal anecdotes of professional writers who have lost the ability to deeply read, and focus on writing. These examples can relate to the problems of many students today. The persuasive argument also presents the counter argument stating that Internet Technology may be embedded in our human core for the better in the future, because it will open up human intelligence into an immeasurable space, where the necessity of a brain might be replaced by something that is robotic which runs in a "algorithm". He wraps up his persuasive argument saying that even if Internet Technology will improve the 'human condition'; that our brains will be replaced something that will process information at an imaginable level, we might lose something that is the essence of what makes us, us, something that can't be lost at any cost.
Article:http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2008/07/is-google-making-us-stupid/6868/
Article:http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2008/07/is-google-making-us-stupid/6868/
Wednesday, June 15, 2011
Does Culture change Technology or Technology change Culture?
After reading the article on Technology and Culture, and thinking about the topic, I feel that culture changes technology and technology changes culture both at the same time. Different cultures around the world might use technology differently, and also use technology for different purposes, but at the same time still use new technologies. New technologies definately change our culture, especially in the United States. It changes how we communicate; it also changes our language. The most important change however is that technology is changing the way we talk to one and another. We no longer do things that was common 60-70years ago since things such as Facebook, Twitter, Myspace and all those social networking mediums have brought upon us. Social networking mediums such as Facebook, Myspace etc... have made communicating more democratic and open so to speak. Everyone has a say on what you have to say, and everything is more open and public to the world.
Article:http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1902836,00.html
Article:http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1902836,00.html
Tuesday, June 14, 2011
The American 'idea'
According to gallup.com in 2009, 45% of the American public feel that Guantanamo Bay should be closed down, even though it is generally known to be a detention camp that violates international human rights laws. (U.N Declaration of Human Rights, Article 9). In “Our Unending War on Terror" an opinion piece written by world renown linguist, social activist, and historian, Noam Chomsky, takes on the topic of torture, terror and its' legality by deeply examining its' current use in Iraq, Guantanamo Bay, and its' roots in American history dating back to the nations’ infancy. The opening parts of the opinion piece analyzes the historical context in which the United States adopted imperialist policy for its’ national interest and how torture techniques developed from these imperialist policies, but more importantly how fundamental American ideas and goals of our country differed greatly from the reality at that time. The opinion piece then proceeds to elaborate on how both the Bush, and Obama administration continue to tolerate torture techniques in Guantanamo Bay and elsewhere and how the practice of ‘torture’ is creating negative repercussions. In Noam Chomsky’s opinion piece, “Our unending war on terror,” the author uses ethos, historical rhetoric, and repetition of the phrases and main points in order to convey the message that American perspective on foreign policy of freedom, and justice is completely skewed from the reality of the situation, the American public is smoke screened from the greater truth.
Throughout Chomsky’s opinion piece, historical rhetoric was employed in order to convince the reader that even in the founding years of the United States, when the constitution and “ ‘national purpose’ ”(Chomsky) was laid in its’ foundation, it was merely an idea that the country would strive for, however what happened was completely different, it was an “ ‘abuse of reality’ ” (Chomsky). As explained by Chomsky, a great example of this would be the eradication of Native Americans by the Colonists, Chomsky quotes John Quincy Adam’s perspective on the slaughter of Native Americans, “that hapless race of native Americans, which we are exterminating with such merciless and perfidious cruelty … The merciless and perfidious cruelty continued until the West was won. Instead of God's judgment, the heinous sins today bring only praise for the fulfillment of the American ‘idea.’, ” the quote clearly explained how greater truth was ‘put under the rug,’ and the hypothetical American ‘idea’ was emphasized in order to show only the ‘good’, not ‘the ugly’ of American history. This hypothetical American ‘idea’ of freedom and liberty was yet again employed in the colonization of the Philippines as explained by Chomsky “ ‘the blessings of liberty and civilization upon all the rescued peoples of the Philippines’ (in the words of the platform of Lodge's Republican Party), however as Chomsky explained these “blessings of liberty and civilization”(Chomsky) only reached out to those who weren’t murdered or killed by the collateral damage the Philippine-American war caused, and yet again, the bigger picture of what the American ‘idea’ has directly caused, which is death, was simply buried under the dirt. By using historical facts backed up by quotes from reliable sources, Chomsky effectively builds trust with the reader, and also makes the reader feel that they are reading the truth.
Chomsky gives the reader an interesting perspective on how the U.S used ‘torture’ techniques in historical chronology but more importantly gives the reader an understanding on how ‘torture’ is still practiced to this day by the Obama administration; only now, the practice is less transparent. This fits in together with the greater message Chomsky is trying to convey to the readers throughout the article, that the greater truth in American foreign policy is masked and hidden. Chomsky makes a strong argument in the beginning of the paragraph on ‘torture’ by paraphrasing a theme from a book written by a credible historian Alfred McCoy, his main point being, that torture techniques developed from the 1950’s by the CIA in comparison to the torture in Iraq’s Abu Ghraib prison, has not changed. Even though Chomsky explains how ‘torture’ techniques has not changed, he then gives the reader a revelation that even though ‘torture’ techniques on prisoners has not changed in the past 50 years, the way the U.S is enforcing ‘torture’ has. Chomsky explains, “In ordinary American practice, torture was largely farmed out to subsidiaries, not carried out by Americans directly in their own government-established torture chambers,” (Chomsky) the quote explains how ‘torture’ is carried out by Americans, just not in a direct way. Chomsky then continues with the use of historical rhetoric and the use of credible sources in order to back up his main point. Chomsky says in the same paragraph, “Sometimes the American engagement in torture was even more indirect. In a 1980 study, Latin Americanist Lars Schoultz found that U.S. aid "has tended to flow disproportionately to Latin American governments which torture their citizens… Not surprisingly, U.S. aid tends to correlate with a favorable climate for business operations, commonly improved by the murder of labor and peasant organizers and human rights activists and other such actions,” (Chomsky) in that quote Chomsky clearly explains how the U.S uses ‘torture’ indirectly but also uses it for its’ national interests. As mentioned earlier this argument is backed up by credible sources such as Lars Shoultz who is a famous professor, and it also uses historical facts by quoting something that happened in the 1980’s. Again, throughout the opinion piece, Chomsky makes the reader feel that his point is valid and verifiable, because he quotes from reliable sources backed up by historical facts, even though his argument can be debated and scrutinized. This eliminates the thought of doubting his rhetoric, questioning his reasoning and sources, and makes the reader feel that he is reading the truth.
Chomsky reiterates the point that the truth is hidden by using historical rhetoric about past presidents policies on the use of ‘torture’ to the Obama administration. He first explained how mental torture techniques versus physical torture developed by the CIA was a much more effective way of retrieving information from captives and how ‘mental’ torture was left out of International Torture Convention convened by the U.N. As Chomsky said “ ‘fly your abducted prisoners to Guantanamo and they have constitutional rights, but fly them instead to Bagram and you can disappear them forever with no judicial process’ ,” the quote clearly explains how ‘torture’ techniques are still supported by the U.S.
The phrase ‘abuse of reality’ is mentioned over four times throughout the article, and it is a rhetorical strategy Chomsky uses in order to convince the reader his point. The phrase ‘abuse of reality’ in context of the article is understood as the nations’ national goal of freedom and liberty that overshadows the greater darker truth from the American public. As mentioned earlier, we can draw many examples of this through out our history, such as the murder of Native Americans, the Philippine-American war, ‘War on Terror’, etc… Chomsky not only gives examples of how ‘abuse of reality’ has happened in our nation, but then he continues on how ‘abuse of reality’ happened many times throughout the world in places such as the Sino-Japanese war, Algeria, and Vietnam.
In later paragraphs of the article, Chomsky conveys another meaning of ‘abuse of reality,’ it is when a single event is focused in the public’s eye, however the greater picture is obscured because of the overwhelming focus on that single event. A better elaboration of this would be by Chomsky himself. “As long as such "exceptionalist" theses remain firmly implanted, however, the occasional revelations of the "abuse of history" often backfire, serving only to efface terrible crimes. The My Lai massacre was a mere footnote to the vastly greater atrocities of the post-Tet pacification programs, ignored while indignation in this country was largely focused on this single crime,” that quote gives the reader an idea of what has happened and what is happening today. For example, the government and the media focus on single events such as Guantanamo Bay, while ignoring the clear fact that there are thousands of civilian casualties lost under the Iraq war. The effect Chomsky is trying to accomplish by repeating the phrase ‘abuse of reality,’ is trying to make the reader focus his attention on that single idea or rhetoric, in which in this opinion piece, is that American foreign policy and the American ‘idea’ greatly differs to what we actually do and practice. The focus on that rhetoric also makes the opinion piece more coherent, and understandable; it makes the reader on task and keeps him interested.
Chomsky’s uses many rhetorical strategies in order to convince the reader that America’s goals and foreign policy is not all in black and white, and that there are things that are covered up from the American public. He uses many historical examples to support his claim, and by using those examples backed up by credible sources, it gives the reader a better understanding of what is happening today. The greater question this article raises about our nation and the world is the question of transparency of the government from the public. It asks us if our government and if foreign governments are telling us the truth, and more importantly what is their actual goal or interest apart from hypothetical perceived purpose of the usual: ‘freedom and liberty’. A recent event that uncovered many classified documents showing how U.S government has covered up mishaps that happened in the Iraq war, was released by a private organization called WikiLeaks, and it truly uncovers the truth from obscurity.
Works Cited
Chomsky, Noam. "Our Unending War of Terror - George W. Bush - Salon.com." Salon.com - Salon.com. 19 May 2009. Web. 12 June 2011..
Morales, Lymari. "Americans Send No Clear Mandate on Guantanamo Bay." Gallup.Com - Daily News, Polls, Public Opinion on Government, Politics, Economics, Management. 21 Jan. 2009. Web. 12 June 2011..
Throughout Chomsky’s opinion piece, historical rhetoric was employed in order to convince the reader that even in the founding years of the United States, when the constitution and “ ‘national purpose’ ”(Chomsky) was laid in its’ foundation, it was merely an idea that the country would strive for, however what happened was completely different, it was an “ ‘abuse of reality’ ” (Chomsky). As explained by Chomsky, a great example of this would be the eradication of Native Americans by the Colonists, Chomsky quotes John Quincy Adam’s perspective on the slaughter of Native Americans, “that hapless race of native Americans, which we are exterminating with such merciless and perfidious cruelty … The merciless and perfidious cruelty continued until the West was won. Instead of God's judgment, the heinous sins today bring only praise for the fulfillment of the American ‘idea.’, ” the quote clearly explained how greater truth was ‘put under the rug,’ and the hypothetical American ‘idea’ was emphasized in order to show only the ‘good’, not ‘the ugly’ of American history. This hypothetical American ‘idea’ of freedom and liberty was yet again employed in the colonization of the Philippines as explained by Chomsky “ ‘the blessings of liberty and civilization upon all the rescued peoples of the Philippines’ (in the words of the platform of Lodge's Republican Party), however as Chomsky explained these “blessings of liberty and civilization”(Chomsky) only reached out to those who weren’t murdered or killed by the collateral damage the Philippine-American war caused, and yet again, the bigger picture of what the American ‘idea’ has directly caused, which is death, was simply buried under the dirt. By using historical facts backed up by quotes from reliable sources, Chomsky effectively builds trust with the reader, and also makes the reader feel that they are reading the truth.
Chomsky gives the reader an interesting perspective on how the U.S used ‘torture’ techniques in historical chronology but more importantly gives the reader an understanding on how ‘torture’ is still practiced to this day by the Obama administration; only now, the practice is less transparent. This fits in together with the greater message Chomsky is trying to convey to the readers throughout the article, that the greater truth in American foreign policy is masked and hidden. Chomsky makes a strong argument in the beginning of the paragraph on ‘torture’ by paraphrasing a theme from a book written by a credible historian Alfred McCoy, his main point being, that torture techniques developed from the 1950’s by the CIA in comparison to the torture in Iraq’s Abu Ghraib prison, has not changed. Even though Chomsky explains how ‘torture’ techniques has not changed, he then gives the reader a revelation that even though ‘torture’ techniques on prisoners has not changed in the past 50 years, the way the U.S is enforcing ‘torture’ has. Chomsky explains, “In ordinary American practice, torture was largely farmed out to subsidiaries, not carried out by Americans directly in their own government-established torture chambers,” (Chomsky) the quote explains how ‘torture’ is carried out by Americans, just not in a direct way. Chomsky then continues with the use of historical rhetoric and the use of credible sources in order to back up his main point. Chomsky says in the same paragraph, “Sometimes the American engagement in torture was even more indirect. In a 1980 study, Latin Americanist Lars Schoultz found that U.S. aid "has tended to flow disproportionately to Latin American governments which torture their citizens… Not surprisingly, U.S. aid tends to correlate with a favorable climate for business operations, commonly improved by the murder of labor and peasant organizers and human rights activists and other such actions,” (Chomsky) in that quote Chomsky clearly explains how the U.S uses ‘torture’ indirectly but also uses it for its’ national interests. As mentioned earlier this argument is backed up by credible sources such as Lars Shoultz who is a famous professor, and it also uses historical facts by quoting something that happened in the 1980’s. Again, throughout the opinion piece, Chomsky makes the reader feel that his point is valid and verifiable, because he quotes from reliable sources backed up by historical facts, even though his argument can be debated and scrutinized. This eliminates the thought of doubting his rhetoric, questioning his reasoning and sources, and makes the reader feel that he is reading the truth.
Chomsky reiterates the point that the truth is hidden by using historical rhetoric about past presidents policies on the use of ‘torture’ to the Obama administration. He first explained how mental torture techniques versus physical torture developed by the CIA was a much more effective way of retrieving information from captives and how ‘mental’ torture was left out of International Torture Convention convened by the U.N. As Chomsky said “ ‘fly your abducted prisoners to Guantanamo and they have constitutional rights, but fly them instead to Bagram and you can disappear them forever with no judicial process’ ,” the quote clearly explains how ‘torture’ techniques are still supported by the U.S.
The phrase ‘abuse of reality’ is mentioned over four times throughout the article, and it is a rhetorical strategy Chomsky uses in order to convince the reader his point. The phrase ‘abuse of reality’ in context of the article is understood as the nations’ national goal of freedom and liberty that overshadows the greater darker truth from the American public. As mentioned earlier, we can draw many examples of this through out our history, such as the murder of Native Americans, the Philippine-American war, ‘War on Terror’, etc… Chomsky not only gives examples of how ‘abuse of reality’ has happened in our nation, but then he continues on how ‘abuse of reality’ happened many times throughout the world in places such as the Sino-Japanese war, Algeria, and Vietnam.
In later paragraphs of the article, Chomsky conveys another meaning of ‘abuse of reality,’ it is when a single event is focused in the public’s eye, however the greater picture is obscured because of the overwhelming focus on that single event. A better elaboration of this would be by Chomsky himself. “As long as such "exceptionalist" theses remain firmly implanted, however, the occasional revelations of the "abuse of history" often backfire, serving only to efface terrible crimes. The My Lai massacre was a mere footnote to the vastly greater atrocities of the post-Tet pacification programs, ignored while indignation in this country was largely focused on this single crime,” that quote gives the reader an idea of what has happened and what is happening today. For example, the government and the media focus on single events such as Guantanamo Bay, while ignoring the clear fact that there are thousands of civilian casualties lost under the Iraq war. The effect Chomsky is trying to accomplish by repeating the phrase ‘abuse of reality,’ is trying to make the reader focus his attention on that single idea or rhetoric, in which in this opinion piece, is that American foreign policy and the American ‘idea’ greatly differs to what we actually do and practice. The focus on that rhetoric also makes the opinion piece more coherent, and understandable; it makes the reader on task and keeps him interested.
Chomsky’s uses many rhetorical strategies in order to convince the reader that America’s goals and foreign policy is not all in black and white, and that there are things that are covered up from the American public. He uses many historical examples to support his claim, and by using those examples backed up by credible sources, it gives the reader a better understanding of what is happening today. The greater question this article raises about our nation and the world is the question of transparency of the government from the public. It asks us if our government and if foreign governments are telling us the truth, and more importantly what is their actual goal or interest apart from hypothetical perceived purpose of the usual: ‘freedom and liberty’. A recent event that uncovered many classified documents showing how U.S government has covered up mishaps that happened in the Iraq war, was released by a private organization called WikiLeaks, and it truly uncovers the truth from obscurity.
Works Cited
Chomsky, Noam. "Our Unending War of Terror - George W. Bush - Salon.com." Salon.com - Salon.com. 19 May 2009. Web. 12 June 2011.
Morales, Lymari. "Americans Send No Clear Mandate on Guantanamo Bay." Gallup.Com - Daily News, Polls, Public Opinion on Government, Politics, Economics, Management. 21 Jan. 2009. Web. 12 June 2011.
Monday, June 13, 2011
Rough Draft Two.
According to gallup.com in 2009, 45% of the American public feel that Guantanamo Bay ‘no, should not’ be closed down, even though it is generally known to be a detention camp that violates international human rights laws. (U.N Declaration of Human Rights, Article 9). In “Our Unending War on Terror" an opinion piece written by world renown linguist, social activist, and historian, Noam Chomsky, takes on the topic of torture, terror and its' legality by deeply examining its' current use in Iraq, Guantanamo Bay, and its' roots in American history dating back to the nations’ infancy. The opening parts of the opinion piece analyzes the historical context in which the United States adopted imperialist policy for it’s national interest and how torture techniques developed from these imperialist policies, but more importantly how fundamental American ideas and goals of our country differed greatly from the reality at that time. The opinion piece then proceeds to elaborate on how both the Bush, and Obama administration continue to tolerate torture techniques in Guantanamo Bay and elsewhere and how the practice of ‘torture’ is creating negative repercussions. In Noam Chomsky’s opinion piece, “Our unending war on terror,” the author uses historical rhetoric, logical rhetoric, and repetition of the phrases and main points in order to convey the message that American perspective on foreign policy of freedom, and justice is completely skewed from the reality of the situation, the American public is smoke screened from the greater truth.
Throughout Chomsky’s opinion piece, historical rhetoric was employed in order to convince the reader that even in the founding years of the United States, when the constitution and “ ‘national purpose’ ”(Chomsky) was laid in its’ foundation, it was merely an idea that the country would strive for, however what happened was completely different, it was an “ ‘abuse of reality’ ” (Chomsky). As explained by Chomsky, a great example of this would be the eradication of Native Americans by the Colonists, Chomsky quotes John Quincy Adam’s perspective on the slaughter of Native Americans, “that hapless race of native Americans, which we are exterminating with such merciless and perfidious cruelty … The merciless and perfidious cruelty continued until the West was won. Instead of God's judgment, the heinous sins today bring only praise for the fulfillment of the American ‘idea.’, ” the quote clearly explained how greater truth was ‘put under the rug,’ and the hypothetical American ‘idea’ was emphasized in order to show only the ‘good’, not ‘the ugly’ of American history. This hypothetical American ‘idea’ of freedom and liberty was yet again employed in the colonization of the Philippines as explained by Chomsky “ ‘the blessings of liberty and civilization upon all the rescued peoples of the Philippines’ (in the words of the platform of Lodge's Republican Party), however as Chomsky explained these “blessings of liberty and civilization”(Chomsky) only reached out to those who weren’t murdered or killed by the collateral damage the Philippine-American war caused, and yet again, the bigger picture of what the American ‘idea’ has directly caused, which is death, was simply buried under the dirt.
Chomsky gives the reader an interesting perspective on how the U.S used ‘torture’ techniques in historical chronology but more importantly gives the reader an understanding on how ‘torture’ is still practiced to this day by the Obama administration; only now, the practice is less transparent. This fits in together with the greater message Chomsky is trying to convey to the readers throughout the article, that the greater truth in American foreign policy is masked and hidden. Chomsky makes a strong argument in the beginning of the paragraph on ‘torture’ by paraphrasing a theme from a book written by a credible historian Alfred McCoy, his main point being, that torture techniques developed from the 1950’s by the CIA in comparison to the torture in Iraq’s Abu Ghraib prison, has not changed. Even though Chomsky explains how ‘torture’ techniques has not changed, he then gives the reader a revelation that even though ‘torture’ techniques on prisoners has not changed in the past 50 years, the way the U.S is enforcing ‘torture’ has. Chomsky explains, “In ordinary American practice, torture was largely farmed out to subsidiaries, not carried out by Americans directly in their own government-established torture chambers,” (Chomsky) the quote explains how ‘torture’ is carried out by Americans, just not in a direct way. Chomsky then continues with the use of historical rhetoric and the use of credible sources in order to back up his main point. Chomsky says in the same paragraph, “Sometimes the American engagement in torture was even more indirect. In a 1980 study, Latin Americanist Lars Schoultz found that U.S. aid "has tended to flow disproportionately to Latin American governments which torture their citizens… Not surprisingly, U.S. aid tends to correlate with a favorable climate for business operations, commonly improved by the murder of labor and peasant organizers and human rights activists and other such actions,” (Chomsky) in that quote Chomsky clearly explains how the U.S uses ‘torture’ indirectly but also uses it for its’ national interests. As mentioned earlier this argument is backed up by credible sources such as Lars Shoultz who is a famous professor, and it also uses historical facts by quoting something that happened in the 1980’s.
Chomsky reiterates the point that the truth is hidden by using historical rhetoric about past presidents policies on the use of ‘torture’ to the Obama administration. He first explained how mental torture techniques versus physical torture developed by the CIA was a much more effective way of retrieving information from captives and how ‘mental’ torture was left out of International Torture Convention convened by the U.N. As Chomsky said “ ‘fly your abducted prisoners to Guantanamo and they have constitutional rights, but fly them instead to Bagram and you can disappear them forever with no judicial process’ ,” the quote clearly explains how ‘torture’ techniques are still supported by the U.S.
The phrase ‘abuse of reality’ is mentioned over four times throughout the article, and it is a rhetorical strategy Chomsky uses in order to convince the reader his point. The phrase ‘abuse of reality’ in context of the article is understood as the nations’ national goal of freedom and liberty that overshadows the greater darker truth from the American public. As mentioned earlier, we can draw many examples of this through out our history, such as the murder of Native Americans, the Philippine-American war, ‘War on Terror’, etc… Chomsky not only gives examples of how ‘abuse of reality’ has happened in our nation, but then he continues on how ‘abuse of reality’ happened many times throughout the world in places such as the Sino-Japanese war, Algeria, and Vietnam.
In later paragraphs of the article, Chomsky conveys another meaning of ‘abuse of reality,’ it is when a single event is focused in the publics’ eye, however the greater picture is obscured because of the overwhelming focus on that single event. A better elaboration of this would be by Chomsky himself, “As long as such "exceptionalist" theses remain firmly implanted, however, the occasional revelations of the "abuse of history" often backfire, serving only to efface terrible crimes. The My Lai massacre was a mere footnote to the vastly greater atrocities of the post-Tet pacification programs, ignored while indignation in this country was largely focused on this single crime,” that quote gives the reader an idea of what has happened and what is happening today. For example, the government and the media focus on single events such as Guantanamo Bay, while ignoring the clear fact that there are thousands of civilian casualties lost under the Iraq war.
Chomsky’s uses many rhetorical strategies in order to convince the reader that America’s goals and foreign policy is not all in black and white, and that there are things that are covered up from the American public. He uses many historical examples to support his claim, and by using those examples backed up by credible sources, it gives the reader a better understanding of what is happening today. The greater question this article raises about our nation and the world is the question of transparency of the government from the public. It asks us if our government and if foreign governments are telling us the truth, and more importantly what is their actual goal or interest apart from hypothetical perceived purpose of the usual: ‘freedom and liberty’. A recent event that uncovered many classified documents showing how U.S government has covered up mishaps that happened in the Iraq war, was released by a private organization called WikiLeaks, and it truly uncovers the truth from obscurity.
Sunday, June 12, 2011
Reflection on English Composition Class.
Watching the movie Diary of The Dead gave me a better understanding on how the use of media technology can be used in order to create multiple themes in a movie. Even though the movie wasn't as scary as lets say Paranormal Activity, it had great depth in terms of theme, and creates many thoughts for the audience to contemplate on. Diary of The Dead, was also shot in first person view, so the camera techniques differed greatly from the usual omnipotent third person view camera angles, which was very interesting. The rhetorical strategy most prominent in the movie Diary of The Dead in my opinion was the use of logos. In the movie within a movie The Death of Death, the video focused on uncovering the truth by revealing almost raw video of what was happening... I think that was the strongest rhetorical strategy in the movie...
Wednesday, June 8, 2011
Rough Draft One.
According to gallup.com in 2009. 45% of the American public feel that Guantanamo Bay ‘no, should not’ be closed down, even though it is generally known to be a detention camp that violates international human rights law. (U.N Declaration of Human Rights, Article 9). In “Our Unending War on Terror" an opinion piece written by world renown linguist, social activist, and historian, Noam Chomsky, takes on the topic of torture, terror and its' legality by deeply examining its' current use in Iraq, Guantanamo Bay, and its' roots in American history dating back to the nations’ infancy. The opening parts of the opinion piece analyzes the historical context in which the United States adopted imperialist policy for it’s national interest and how torture techniques developed from it, but more importantly how fundamental American ideas and goals of our country differed greatly from the reality at that time. The opinion piece then proceeds to elaborate on how both the Bush, and Obama administration continue to tolerate torture techniques in Guantanamo Bay and elsewhere. In Noam Chomsky’s opinion piece, “Our unending war on terror,” the author uses historical rhetoric, logical rhetoric, and repetition of the phrase “abuse of reality” in order to convey the message that American perspective on foreign policy of freedom, and justice is completely skewed from the reality of the situation, the American public is smoke screened from the greater truth.
Throughout Chomsky’s opinion piece, historical rhetoric was employed in order to convince the reader that even in the founding years of the United States, when the constitution and “ ‘national purpose’ ”(Chomsky) was laid in its’ foundation, it was merely an idea that the country would strive for, however what happened was completely different, it was an “ ‘abuse of reality’ ” (Chomsky). As explained by Chomsky, a great example of this would be the eradication of Native Americans by the Colonists, Chomsky quotes John Quincy Adam’s perspective on the slaughter of Native Americans, “that hapless race of native Americans, which we are exterminating with such merciless and perfidious cruelty … The merciless and perfidious cruelty continued until the West was won. Instead of God's judgment, the heinous sins today bring only praise for the fulfillment of the American "idea.", ” the quote clearly explained how greater truth was “put under the rug,” and the hypothetical American “idea” was emphasized in order to show only the “good”, not “the ugly” of American history.
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