Indecision

Before the class started my views upon the Iraqi War were established. Like most Americans, I believed that we entered into war to protect the interests of the American public and to keep our country safe. But after reading the events that have unfolded from the war I’m not quite sure staying in there is a worthwhile endeavor.

I had read many stories about the trials and tragedies of war but only one post gave an experience that stuck in my head. The experience that created my indecision was watching the video entitled “Like a Rock.” Words and stories can be easily forgotten but images last for a long time. Just watching so many men and women dedicated to serving our country made my heart sink. Knowing that some of these fine soldiers are putting and possibly losing their lives makes me question my beliefs. I began to wonder if the ordeal was worth all the pain of the soldiers and their families.

As of this moment I am indecisive on my position on the war in Iraq. On the outward appearance our involvement seems to have global affect with foiled terrorist plots and the capture/execution of Saddam Hussein. But also more conflicts have arose in the Middle East and many soldiers have lost their lives in the process. The death toll is closing in on four thousand and hopefully we are able to resolve the conflict that ensues in Iraq quickly so that our troops may return home.

All a Matter of Opinion

All of these claims are very controversial and have many loop holes in their structure. To consider graphic novels as serious literature can be viewed as absurd. Most graphic novels are deemed as comics and the naming comics as serious reading material is questionable in itself. Furthermore this definition evokes the idea that labeling items of a fictitious nature as “serious” is appropriate. So fairy tales would also be serious literature under this assumption.

To say burning the nation’s flag is a hate crime is ignorant. It is completely based upon one’s opinion. Someone could also contend that burning the nation’s flag is the ultimate expression of freedom of speech. Where else would it be legal to burn the symbol of a country? It demonstrates how few restrictions we have in America and could be regarded as a great asset by some. As a follow up, to state the Bushes have become America’s royal family is opinionated. It has no factual basis except for what some people believe is true.

The statement “Matt Drudge and Larry Flynt are legitimate journalists.” would have to be followed by another question: is pornography a form of art or just derogatory? The idea that plagiarism can be an act of civil disobedience is loosely based concept. Some may say that plagiarism is a form of flattery. Once again, these are based upon one’s personal opinion and are not set in stone as the statements would have you believe.

The concept that college sports have become big business is mostly true. It is true they have received more attention over the past few years but their popularity still pales in comparison to the major leagues. Some say Satanism as a religion that is protected by the Constitution. While I agree with the statement that we should not judge someone because of their religious preferences I would also argue that the Constitution was written on very broad terms and is subject to different interpretations.

To say campaign contributions are acts of free speech one should also ask are they indeed free or is something needed in return? “The District of Columbia should have the privileges of an American state.” is an opinion just like the statement, “committed gay and lesbian couples should have the legal privileges of marriage.” All of these are subject to one’s personal opinion.
Overall, these supposed “concrete” statements all differ in legitimacy from the person whom you ask. Some may agree with the burning of the flag, some may not but at least one can assert their opinion as they see fit, and that makes these statements loose.

The Geek in the Pink

Peril’s concept of “pink think” has some standing in today’s society, but for the most part it has been regarded as an outdated and sexist ideal. Nowadays it is not uncommon for women to behave in any fashion they see fit. Whether it is how they dress or converse, women do not shun themselves to set principles. It is even regarded as an accomplishment is one breaks free the shackles of the concept of “pink think.”

Today it is considered rude to subjugate women to the ideals of “pink think.” Although, in the first half of the 20th century it was nearly unheard of for a woman raise a family by herself or to even have a job. Women were expected to act “lady-like” around others and to participate in their duties of motherhood. The events that broke these concepts and brought new rise to women’s rights were the 19th Amendment and the riveters of World War 2. These events helped display that women can perform just as well as men and should have the same opportunities as they do.

Another stereotypical behavior that I have been affiliated with is geek think. “Geek think” is an ideal that has affected many adolescents and even adults for their entire lives. People who are incorporated in this ideology are those who are intelligent but don’t have a necessarily handsome appearance. This concept is derived upon popularity. Many students will tell you that there are three classes of people at their school; the jocks, the geeks, and everyone in between. Although today many people of this category are beginning to receive much recognition worldwide. Many famous geeks such as Albert Einstein are becoming a part of everyday pop culture. But I wonder if the recognition they receive is for what the did or their awkward appearance.

I Hate Britney Too

Based on the criteria of the essay I would give Nisey Williams essay Why I Hate Britney an A. She begins her assertion about hating Britney with a situation through which she draws an emotional relationship with the reader. This displays an exceptional writing characteristic; she can evoke emotions. Nisey continues to divulge her distaste for Britney Spears citing multiple examples from both popular and almost unheard of resources. Her extensive external examples add to the illustration of Britney’s inappropriate sex appeal.

I don’t know about others but when I watch television and hear the reports of soldiers killed in Iraq in a thirty second time slot followed immediately by a ten minute slot about Britney’s alcoholism I get nauseated. Nisey reminisces upon the many aspects of Britney that cause her disgust and hate with excellent representation. She even covers the other end of the spectrum by stating “in all fairness, Britney’s not the only one.” which is another benchmark of a great writer. Her essay is well-written, cited, and definitely worthy of an A.

TV Sitcoms vs. Navajo Rugs

If I had the choice of evaluating a subject I would definitely choose TV sitcoms. Several criteria needed to evaluate this subject would include the shows influence on pop culture, its ratings, reviews, and duration. Obviously the more influential the show is the more popular it becomes. The ratings and reviews give incite to how well the scripts are developed, how cohesive the plot is, and how pertinent the series is towards modern affairs. A sitcom does not have to have many seasons to be influential but history demonstrates that the best and most influential TV sitcoms (such as Friends or The Simpsons) do stay on air for many years.

A subject that I would need to research to evaluate would be Navajo rugs. Some key points that I would look for would be their origin, their influence on Navajo culture, how they are made (can they be made easily or do they take many years of practice), what are they made of, and what designs are weaved onto them and why. Areas I would research to find suitable criteria would be Navajo sites, museums, and actual Navajo Indians. To obtain the best evaluation I would have to take a personal interest in the subject but, unfortunately, I do not find the material very interesting.

Milblogs Session 3

After reviewing my blog posts I realized I had not published one, (uh oh!) so here it is. One of the blogs that I read was called Beauty in the Dirt. This is an excellent blog where the writer, Teflon Don, details that one can find solace in the most unlikely of places. He reminisces upon seeing the beauty of the desert in Iraq; the clear sky, bright lights, and abundant wildlife. The blog demonstrates that even though war and hardship ensue, many can find comfort in their surroundings. It seems to be a predominant observation among the men and women of the armed services to look at the world through a different perspective while most only look at the hardships.
Best of luck to all those fighting and God bless.

Crop Circles: Alien Communication or Farmers with Too Much Free Time

For my assignment I have chosen to write about the intriguing aspects of crop circles discussed on the website http://www.circlemakers.org/. I chose this website because it takes interesting approach towards an old myth. The website gives a glimpse at how older legends are being revised into a newer era.

The website utilizes a unique design that is consistent throughout the site. The designs are blueprint oriented with repetitive circular shapes arranged in several patterns to give the illusion of a detailed investigation of the phenomena. The text complements the designs by reflecting the same color, print, and structure. The size and position of the text blocks are disproportional to the artwork (i.e. the designs cover more of the site than the text). The color is simplistic borrowing a blueprint layout throughout the site except for the external pictures of supposed “circles” and related material. Each page is entirely the same except for a minuscule text box that changes per subject. The design itself is adequate at first but it rapidly loses appeal due to its repetitious nature.

Crop circles had never really interested me until I realized how wide-spread these strange events were. Some use them promotionally, some for entertainment, and others still believe that they are actual forms of alien communication. I hope to gain a better understanding of the phenomena through my research of this interesting subject.

Editorial Cartooning 2006

The editorial cartooning winner of 2006, Mike Luckovich, creates a statement through his cartoon (which ironically, is not funny). His argument contends that the 2,000 soldiers who had lost their lives had died for no proper cause. His cartoon appeals emotionally towards the audience to gain sympathetic favor. The cartoon derives the main ideals of the Democratic Party which deal heavily upon the hardships and misgivings of war. The conclusion that Luckovich creates is that the soldiers should be extracted from Iraq to prevent further bloodshed and loss.

Aloha "Wikis!"

The “wikis” are a fun interactive experience that helps to develop relationships with modernistic styles of communication and my peers. Even though mine is still very much in development I know it will be an accurate reflection of my person. I came across of few issues but overall the set-up was smooth. I hope to somehow be able to post videos upon my “wiki” as well but it has inhibited this action for some reason. Oh well, I’ll eventually figure it out.

http://dontbeadoormatt.pbwiki.com/

The DailyKos

After reading the blog posts on www.DailyKos.com I came across several interesting critiques that were used by kos to maintain appeal. He is able to locate fallacies and flashpoints in rhetoric of politicians and provide evidence to support it in peculiar ways. He clearly illustrates depth of knowledge and understanding of the political environment but often his agenda is concealed by “Bush” slander.

Kos critiques the material he links to by a directly addressing every significant section of the quote. Sometimes the quotes themselves are much lengthier than the blog post. This aids the notion that his argument must be factual given the vast nature of research. His critiques are poignant and easily understood (almost as though you were having a one-way conversation). He even addresses “hatemail” in a calm response filled with sagacious insight. He draws the reader to a personal level so that he can derive much more attention and approval to his ideas.

Kos adequately addresses the fallacies of the material he reviews. He will chime in from time to time with witty remarks elaborating upon the fallacy behind many bills and policies. In one instance involving the Abercrombie Bill he displays the question “does it even pass the logic test?” to support that this is indeed a non sequitor.

Bush seems to be the focal point of much criticism on both ends of the political spectrum. From jokes that depict his, what seem to be often, mannerisms to his questionable legislature and stance there seems to be no end to the criticism. The President may have somewhat of a deficient vocabulary but this, in itself, is a fallacy. These ad hominem remarks that kos and other political bloggers repeatedly make towards President Bush are loosely tied. Do public speeches and political insight have any common ground? Not much, if you ask me.

Political bloggers, like kos, seem to thrive upon the fallacies and flashpoints of others and use them as a means of gaining attention. They create a whirlwind of political attacks upon ideals and principles of others. But when these prove to be unsuccessful in grabbing audiences they can always count on exploiting a blunder to regain attention. Kos has many substantiated, well-developed political views but the “Bush” and republican jokes overshadow his political prowess.

Overall kos accurately interprets many fallacies found in today’s political system. He has instilled many intriguing democratic views in his work and is well-developed. I wish he would keep the “Bush” slander to minimum; it lessens the effectiveness of his views.

Milblogs Session 2

By visiting the milblogs again I derived a more personal relationship with the website. The article So It Goes Forward details the events of the last day before two soldiers headed back to Iraq. One of the soldiers seemed depressed about returning so the other gave him a clover for luck and a safe return after his duty was fulfilled. At the end he replies “Paying it forward is always better than simply paying it back.” The simple act of passing a clover can raise one’s spirit to give them a reason to move on.

The next article I read, Recreational Warfare, chronicles the events of a man disillusioned by, or what he sees as, the ignorance of others. The Iraqi War wages only a few miles away but the people of Kuwait do not even give heed to its existence and go about their days. It is astounding how we can pretend the issues don’t effect us until the come knocking at our doorstep.

Youtube: Broadcast Your Argument

Like many people around the world, I am a youtube addict. When I’m bored I consult the videos that are posted onto this amazing website. The website is a great way of presenting visual material because of its simplicity, flashy appeal, and few restrictions. Before youtube the internet had a stagnant problem; how could someone post visual and audio material so that it can be viewed by many people? You could create your own website, but that would tiresome and unnecessary just to display one video (and who knows if it could gain much attention). Then youtube emerged with an easy and effective manner of demonstrating one’s creativity through visual recording.

The advantages of presenting videos on youtube, as opposed to oral/live demonstrations, are in its efficiency and capacity to be seen by a wide array of people. Rather than performing an oral display to a select group of people, a person can now post material to many hundreds, thousands, or even millions of people! Needless to say, this helps get one’s point across much more effectively.

Translating youtube’s website to an oral/live presentation or documented format would be either impractical or impossible given the vast nature of the site. That is why youtube is so incredible; it can’t be summed up into anything else. The diversity and grandeur of youtube has not been paralleled nor, in my opinion, will it ever be.

Translation into any other format would be a useless endeavor that could only serve to dilute youtube’s flashy appeal and its simplicity. Who could honestly say that they could translate every single piece of video on the youtube? Due to its extensive nature, it stands triumphant as one the most recognizable sources of media and has allowed millions to expose their creativity so that anyone my view it. So go ahead, broadcast yourself!

Playwrite Presentation

While attending the week-long honors course at IPFW I was allowed to witness several professors giving speeches on the topics they specialized in. All of them were intriguing but one presentation caught my attention and has remained imbued in my mind. It was the presentation given by the professor of playwriting and design, Mr. Steve Sarratore. Although he gave little waiver to this notion, his argument was to persuade us to join in some of his classes or latter presentations. He presents in a manner that envelopes the audience into his presentation and keeps them fixated upon his every word.

Mr. Sarratore is a very visual performer, but he does not use any external props. He captures and holds the audience’s attention through specific hand and face gestures. When Mr. Sarratore mentions an astonishing moment his face opens up and he displays a wide-eyed facial movement that lures the listeners towards him as if they were having a one-way conversation. When a he wants to express an issue that is more important he becomes more dramatic with his movement, moving and flowing in sync with his words. All of these attributes contribute to drawing attention to the audience and furthering his points.

Mr. Sarratore grasped my attention most when he spoke of the importance of expression in playwriting. His stance became rigid and posed, his voice elevated slightly, and his hand gestures became frequent. He cited the example of the single word, “yes” in The Glass Menagerie. Mr. Sarratore signified the importance of word expression through an effective display himself.

Another interesting tool Mr. Sarratore used in his demonstration was involving the entire class into a project. We each created a character and then combined two of them in a story. The event helped to build a closer relationship with the instructor and become more in tune with what he was saying. This helped to develop his argument by gaining respect and interest from his audience.

Finally, Mr. Sarratore evoked the audience’s regard by relating himself to others. He gave humorous anecdotes, situations, and acts that made him seem like he could be your best friend. He created a figure that was less dominant, more cooperative, and thus furthered his ideals.

Mr. Sarratore utilized many techniques that can only be performed by veterans of theatre. His argument to invite others was obtained through visual appearance, body gestures, and relating to others. Proving that Mr. Sarratore’s presentation was effective, he intrigued me enough to start reading The Glass Menagerie. His speech has been imprinted within my mind as one of the best demonstrations I’ve ever witnessed.