Writing Relationship

            I am going to be honest, I always hated writing because I write in a different tone than I would speak in, due to the feeling of separation. However, I could write a analyzing paper way better than I could ever do through a vocal presentation. Being an accounting major, I don’t feel like writing papers will be that big in the occupation, but I am happy that I consider myself adequate at writing papers at a high standard. Compared to high school college is a way more fun setting to writing papers, because in high school I had to “fill” in my essays rather than struggle to cut stuff out of the paper.

            I think I have improved on a important part of writing, and I that is the relationship between the “prickles” and the “goo”. I was most definitely a prickles writer going all the way through high school. That’s mostly due to the grading of my teachers encouraging leaving voice out of papers unless necessary. Gaining that extra voice, was a great relief because it made papers fun to write rather than feeling like a standardized test that everyone must follow.

            Overall my relationship in writing is no longer feeling like an abusive relationship where I feel terrible whenever I have to write a paper. The only things I think I will have to improve on is keeping a clear voice and tone throughout the paper, by not overwhelming the paper with the prickles of the paper. It seems that this class has allowed me to not write off a subject in my life as being worthless out of school. Now if only I can apply this to Calculus…

Note to future students

To future students,

Sean is an easy person to work with, he makes arguably the most boring subject for me easygoing and great for you to thrive in. Other writing teachers may have given you boring constraints that really limit your creativity or your own style of writing. However, Sean will allow you to work your style into the prompt and let you choose your own topic within the prompts limits. I am not going to lie the first few prompts seemed like a nightmare waiting to happen, because it was something I have not done before, but it works out really well in the end. You will find new things to add to your writing, while also cutting some bad habits.

            Honestly the only gripe I could have in his class was the dreaded blog posts I am sure most of you will know before the first day of class. I am not going to sugarcoat it, it kind of sucks and will not really get better throughout the year. Though one good thing to gain from the blogs is that it will help you retain the information throughout the year. For example, if you want to pull a writing style from a article you had to analyze, you have a fast summary to fill you in on what you need. The writing 300 words minimum is the probably the hardest challenge you need to overcome, because as Sean says it, “it will allow you to push out of your comfort zone and challenge you”. It most definitely does, and you will feel it throughout the year.

            Overall Sean was the most “human” professor I had, he was the most understanding, the best at helping me with problems I had in papers, and was just a very chill professor. The classroom was relaxing, and did not feel like a place to dread or get stressed about. He helps you pace your papers throughout the year by requiring group edits, and you can email him for more advice. You guys won’t regret choosing Sean as your writing professor and good luck!

intro 2

            There you are walking in your neighborhood, people smile at you, you haven’t felt this great in years. Why are you feeling this way? That’s because this is the first time you have walked since an accident took away your precious legs and left you wheelchair bounded. This is an amazing feat of human technology to restore people to their prior selves before an illness or accident. This is not without some drawbacks, while some kids are gleaming with intense joy as if they have seen a superhero strolling around in their neighborhood. There are some kids that fall in terror, run to their parents, or just flat out cry.

              While this is a harsh reality of bioengineering, nothing is perfect, especially the technology we have currently. While our current technology can allow the blind to see, the paralyzed move, or the disabled to live life to the fullest. It comes with the painful toll of either lugging around an exhaustingly heavy metal arm that is not comfortable in the slightest, or your arm can only work four hours of the day thereby teasing the user of restoration of his body.

            Fear Not! Technology is progressing faster than ever. The fear of this technology is the pressures on our scientists. While the demand is increasing everyday, the technology has to be built on a sturdy base to allow for progression to grow to the visions that we all dream of in our fantasies.

Intro 1

What can make the paralyzed walk, the blind see, and the hopeless have hope again. Is it magic? Is it some miracle? It can be seen that way, but no this is not magic, this is bioengineering. With the power of present day technology humans can soar to new heights that are only conceivable in comic books or movies. This is not to say the dawn of enhanced humans is on us. We are far from that, but are we progressing to make impossible things possible. Very much so. This is not all without some concerns however, there are tons of issues to fix before advancing the sci-fi and comic book realm of bioengineering. While the issues may either be of the ethical or actual problems with the technology will be explored.

            In Deus Ex, a video game about a dystopian universe where bioengineered humans are seen as lesser people and starts an all-out war. While something of that nature is not present in todays world, the ideology is. Whether we like it or not, some people will always be afraid of what they do not understand, or makes them feel beneath a superior individual. The image of prosthetics can be intimidating to some and causes the growth for the needed prosthetics to be stunted. The users of these technologies are also hampered by our current technology whether it be weight, durability, comfort, or other things. The state of our world is not being significantly affected on a large scale, but it has exponential effects for those involved. 

"Does Race Exist" article

“Does Race Exist” discusses the issue with the perspective of humans regarding “race”. It differs across the world whether it be white, light skinned, black, and etc. The article is discussing the genetic makeup of the humans across the world determining their race.

            The authors both have tremendous amount of ethos, just in the language they speak in, and the fact they are renowned members towards the field of genetics. The article itself is obviously written for a more specialized group of people. This is shown in the manner of using scientific words and terminology. Given that it is published in Scientific American, it does make sense for it to be expected to have an audience with prior knowledge on the subject. With the purpose of informing the audience about their research results on the genomes. How the DNA is distinguished between the humans across the global according to their “races”. How the authors view their research was a good point. They wanted the research to flourish and spread to others for others to see.

            They could make this better for a more general audience would be to simplify the words to “English” for easier reading. When I see many scientific words, I just got bored and started browsing the internet due to being sidetracked. This is obviously hard because they can’t just modify their research to make it easier to read for the general public. However, the way they approached writing their article could change by using things in the “Black Holes” like imagery, figures, and examples.

            This article was very dry compared to “Black Holes”. The scientific vernacular was very difficult to push through at times as I was reading it. The “Black Holes” approached a complex scientific field while letting a general audience completely feel informed while not babied. Or not completely lost in the scientific jumble of words. The imagery in “Black Holes” was very easy to understand, in what could not be just put into a textbook definition to explain things. Things like grinding Mt. Everest into sand in a second is a very strong image, while getting across the point of how much energy is going on in a dying star. They could also give some info on how their research has impacted society. This could allow other fields to come into play to give more chance for wider audience.

iGod reading

This reading was kind of a letdown to me because the articles we have been reading recently have been getting better and more interesting. This seemed to be just like the article about women on the internet. It was very repetitive and lacked any singular focus. It felt all over the place jumping from topic to topic. The article was primarily about artificial intelligence and technology’s role in society. 

            This article compared to “Black Holes” was very opposite in the overall take of the article. First many, many different topics were talked about in this article, while “Black Holes” was primarily focused on black holes. There was a lot of imagery, and use of descriptions to help make a complicated subject simple. The “iGod” article was clearly not meant for a generalized audience, but rather a well-educated audience with a focus in technology.

            The facts in this article are a high point, as the author is clearly well informed on the topic pulling a lot of different sources for his variety of topics. He focuses on experts in each respective field to help his argument and provide more in depth knowledge in each subject. The article feels however very overloaded with all this information.

            The abstract idea is also prevalent in this article as it describes the uniqueness of technology. It has no shape or form and continues to grow exponentially, how it is becoming part of human thinking. How universal technology is how the author connects into the abstract idea of Huxley’s 3 ideas.

            The personal aspect is clearly noticed with the urgency of this integration of humans with technology is inevitable and upon us. This directly connected with me as it really opened my eyes on how intertwined I am with technology and my life is almost impossible without it.  

            

Black Holes

This was a very engaging article. It kept my interest throughout the whole article without inserting any fluff or overly complicated writing. It allowed for the readers to stay interested in the article using a variety of techniques such as imagery, comparisons, and overall interesting facts.

            For the factual aspect of this article, it uses many facts from the scientific community in regards to its history of the theory of black holes and the actual science. The history of Einstein and how black holes were the fictional imagination of scientists. Then how it progressed onto present day of a 99.9 percent acceptance that black holes are real. Things like debunking common myths about black holes, such as the sucking; in which black holes don’t suck harder than the original star, just at a smaller size with the same power. Or how comparing the power of black holes’ gravitational forces to things like nuclear bombs. The fact if we had a nuclear bomb going off every millisecond of the universe’s life, and it still wouldn’t have as much energy being given off as a dying star. Also using the imagery how mountains of iron the size of Mount Everest were being grinded to sand in a blink of an eye, just really draw in the audience.

            The autobiographical aspect isn’t very apparent in this article as it uses the scientific community’s history and its scientists as examples. Nothing is from the authors own history or his personal experiences. This was to keep this article from seeming biased or having too much personal touch to take away from the factual side of the article.

            The abstract ideas in this article are touched near the end in referencing things like the Big Bang Theory, multiverses, what would happen in the black hole. Things that are just so big in topic and interesting to everyone. What if the universe was started by a singularity? The time travel aspect, made me feel like Marty Mcfly for a second if I got near a black hole. Except for the whole being ripped apart from gravity it all seems so mind boggling awesome.

            

350 word extra part

The first week of this experiment started exactly how I expected it to go, complete and utter hell. Perseverance is the hardest part of this experiment. The fact of having to wake up at 630 in the morning to do one of the most exhausting yet boring sports was going to be a challenge. The hardest part is just willing myself out of bed in darkness where even the most devout of people would agree waking up is the hardest part. The first week I even cheated, mostly due to it being test week, by only going 3 out of the five scheduled days. I confirmed my beliefs and will continue to have this thought train, running is by far the most boring thing to do whilst being the most exhausting sport in my experience. This is mostly in football, soccer, or basketball I can be able to focus on other things than that of the actual running or jumping.

            Now getting on the greatest component of running that translates to other parts of life the trait of consistency. Consistency is the number one rule of running; have consistent good form, train consistently, have steady breath, and pacing. The benefits directly translated into my diet and workout routine. I consistently have breakfast right after running in the morning at D2, and do some homework/study. Then proceed to do weightlifting at night and by the end. The time I gained by waking up at 6:30 as opposed to 10 allowed for me to actually eat breakfast and get more schoolwork done. I also for some reason even with less sleep, feel more energized throughout the day.

            Now about what my actual routine is during this experiment for sprints and speed work. The only consistent part of the routine was the warmup and cooldown. Warmups started off with running two laps around the track and then proceeding to do a plethora of dynamic movements such as lunges, butt kicks, and etc. This approximately takes about half an hour to finish all the warmup exercises. To the actual sprints, my trainer/friend has been doing a variety of exercises to do. For example, sprinting 100m eight times, then moving onto 30m sprints, and then finishing off with a couple of 400m sprints. By the end I feel like my chest is going to explode from how hard I am breathing, but there is a sense of accomplishment in finishing the exercises.

intro 2 experiment

            There I am at the break of dawn. Me versus the track. It’s icy cold, each breath causing my body to shudder, the sun just starting to rise, and it is dead silent. Just me and my friend trying our best to keep from shivering. We start what we came for, sprinting and speed work. The track is an unforgiving opponent that drained me of the little stamina I had built up from previous years of running. I am here because I decided to try a different method of cardio versus the standard distance running to that of sprints. This is to help me live a healthier life, make more use of my day to do other things, and keep my knees healthy. The knees part is important to me because of the constant shin splints I had through running distance in previous years.

Intro 1 experiment

The ice cold air hits my lungs, my feet sink into the soft red ground, and I look up where the sun is supposed to be and take in the darkness. Where might I be? What am I doing at 6:30 in the morning freezing to death in paper thin shirt and shorts? I am flying through the air, although that would be more accurate of my training partner, I am more like what seems to be running through mud. Every piece of my body is on fire; whether it be my lungs and face from the cold, or my legs from what seems a never-ending pounding on the ground. I am training every day like this doing speed work and sprints very early in the morning. This early morning suffering is to help me make more use of my day and expand other parts of my life. 

Inequality: Can Social Media Resolve Social Divisions? Analysis

        This article was by far the most well written in terms of structure and the amount of research. It uses interviews, her own experiments and interviews with people. While the other articles was based mostly on personal experiences. This article is just filled with footnotes indicating the amount of research that was used in the writing of this article. The article is broken up into different sections with a great intro about an interview with a young teen about gang problems affecting life. Then it transitions to incorporate the segregated divisions from the interview to address the divisions in social media. The splitting of the article allows for the author to focus on specific topics under the overall theme of the article. Which was not evident in the other two articles we read.
       There are subtle biased divisions with technology whether it be image recognition on Kinect being able to detect white skin better than black skin and major racism on medias like Twitter. This relation of the fine line between outright racism and subtle divisions is evident. When a girl going to a school known for its diversity was very divided on things like Facebook, but was didn't seem noticeable in school. These types of experiments are what separates this article from the previous two as she combines a personal story with research rather than definitely dividing it. This combination allows for readers to recognize the ethos of a intelligent writer that has done her own research while combining the draw of personal story.
        The simple view of perspective became another point of debate for divisions between people. Things like the just layout of sites like Myspace and Facebook would cause divisions between people just because of perspective. It showed how something simple as that would cause divisions in race and groups of people to stick together. How things like simple vs clean looking would vary between races seems trivial but cause huge divisions. The author finishes the article with a quote from Hilary Clinton to provide how even very influential politicians even take note of the Internet. This article was better than the previous two articles due to the combination of all the types of evidence and implementation of them versus the previous two.

consider the lobster

This article starts out with the author visiting Maine and writing about the culture of the lobster industry. The author writes about a very big festival called the Maine Lobster Festival. It is a huge even with coverage even from news networks like CNN. Where a ridiculous amounts of lobster is eaten, 25,000 pounds to be exact. The author goes about the history of the lobster to issues about eating lobster.

            The autobiographical aspect of this article is top heavy in that he writes about his experience at the lobster festival. He gives good detail in that feeling of being there; whether it be the crowded benches, lines of people, or world’s largest lobster cooker. He gives imagery into cooking it at home, and the imagery of experience.

            The factual part is the heaviest part of this article as it is the main point of the article. The author gives points about the history of the lobster from early in American history. How it was ironic how lobster was the “poor man’s food” compared to the luxury today. He then moves onto the argument of whether lobsters can actually feel pain or not using heavily detailed information about the biology of the lobster. He is very well informed into the argument for both sides and the scientific aspect as while as the moral argument from groups like PETA. He does not have a bias in the argument but just presents it from either side.

            The abstract idea is the main argument in that is it immoral to cook lobsters alive. It juggles the desire to have it at its freshest point when cooked. That it’s a novelty nowadays to see the live lobster before eating. However, groups like PETA provide a good argument in that if we did this to other animals it would be easily animal cruelty of the highest levels. Imagery of having the “world’s largest cow killer” or how lobster react to boiling water much like to that of a human. The whole ethics and moral values behind lobster preparation is brought to question whether humans are being barbaric in nature by eating the animal this way instead of more humane ways.

Experiment essay topic

For the experiment essay I plan on doing various types of sprinting types of exercise every weekday. I chose this experiment because I have had bad cardio for most of my life, but also have gotten really bad shin splints and knee pains when doing long distance running. I want to see if doing sprinting exercise will help with my cardio and become more overall fit without the nuisance of injury or issues of longer distance running. I have never thought of doing sprinting exercises until my friend recommended it to me. I also have been weightlifting every weekday as well, so I want to see if doing these exercise will hamper my routine or further boost it.

            For training purposes, I have decided to join my friend in running club and join him in his sprint workouts. He is pretty qualified as a sprinter, as being invited to nationals in high school and being an All American sprinter for club. I will also use articles online for help in training and others experiences with proceeding this route for cardio exercise.

            This experiment I feel will help me change me for the better, the worst thing would be if it hampered my weight training progress. I already have built one solid habit since coming here to Virginia Tech, I feel this one will much harder for me however. To track my progress, I will set goals in simple things such as times for certain distances, feeling in running, and how good my technique is in things like breathing or form. I hope to gain strength, overall cardio, speed, and stress relief.  

Improving my cardio will allow me to improve in other aspects of my life that I love. Things like sports will improve if my goals are achieved, in that speed and fitness will be stronger. I will gain stronger work ethic in pushing through with routine. The stress relief may help me with my studies and social life. This may be the routine that leads to the overall change to a better student and person. 

Pissing in the Sink

The reading “Overly Documented Life” is the author’s experience of documenting everything he has done in a day by video camera, Fitbit, mood trackers, and meal trackers. The main point of the article is that the author wants to combat the things humans forget throughout the day; through the use of “lifelogging.

            The personal, autobiographical part of Huxley’s 3 directions is obviously the biggest part of the article. As the article is mostly about his personal life through the view of his camera. The main point in the article combatting the forgetfulness of the human mind in everyday events is shown through the massive amounts of details of his personal life. He even references how the human mind can make up things or fill up the forgotten memory. For example, he references arguments between him and his wife, also peeing in the sink. The touch of personal info makes the article easy to read as it isn’t just an informative reading, but draws you in with imagery and humor.

            There is not that much factual information or data for this subject, as he is one of the few people who does it. He mentions things like Apple making devices subject to be turned off in certain areas due to copyright issues that could be foreseen. He mentions Google Glass as a product that could put lifelogging as common thing, sorry that didn’t happen.

            There is some abstract thoughts in that the author puts perspective on the human race regarding lifelogging. He asks questions like would crime or conflict be reduced due to everything able to be recalled on. With the absence of forgetfulness, you could find if your salesman is doing his job or ripping you off, he lists as an example. He also says that it would interesting on how the world would change through lifelogging and with this newfound lack of forgetting stuff how would society progress. 

blog endnote 3

The background context and info on what caused so much discourse about Hillary Clinton is very well written. There is a complete lack of which articles you are using which is an easy fix, just introduce each article as the others have written in. I would replace any pronouns involving yourself providing opinion, to just becoming a statement into the article. For example, instead of I think this was a strong article;write this is a strong article because/due to… This paper is not supposed to have your bias to be written into the paper, but rather the bias of your sources. As this is an objective assignment not subjective. Next, If you also have an article that is writing basically only facts, and is devoid of an actual argument. Then add the evidence in said article to give the reader an example and insight into the article. I would possibly add also the sources for the data or the ethos behind the author compiling this raw numbers. The second paragraph has a very good quote, but it also a very long quote and may seem just like a word filler for intents and purposes. I think you did very well in summarizing all three articles, especially the third, by putting insight behind each process of the advertisement and breaking it down. This just being a rough draft it’s alright you didn't put a conclusion but just add that to summarize your thesis using the three articles with what discourse happens. Overall very well written paper.

blog endnote 2

This paper is really solid. The lack of fluff or any bs in a topic that could easily be filled with. As the others said this paper is very good at being straight to the point and concise. The introduction gave a very straight forward yet interesting description of the topic and issue you chose. I would give more quotes or evidence for each of your sources. You would list that people would say something but then not show evidence or an example of said thing. Very good insight on authors using ethos in showing celebrities/athletes supporting Kaepernick. The third source is probably the best paragraph in the paper as it uses a powerful quote and imagery. It is transitioned to very well from the introduction. As a main argument against Kaepernick is that it insults the soldiers in our military and their service. The paper’s conclusion while being short is very straight to the point like the paper, however I would possibly give a little summary of the paper in the conclusion. This is mostly due to your paper being very short compared to the requirement, even though this is just a rough draft. You’re still missing out on like 500 words which is about another page and half. So while the paper is concise it needs more examples and evidence/ possible add a more in depth summary of the article to give a more complete feel. Overall a very well done paper and follows the prompt very well. 

blog end note 1

Really excellent paper. I have to agree this is the best paper to keep me interested and informed at the same time. I did not feel like I was forcing myself to connect points or just flat out keep reading. The transition from informal to formal was very well done, I would include some evidence from your most formal article to represent the tone of the article. As you did with your first article of the blog. This is true for the second article as well. It just seemed a little off, when you have many quotes for your first article to little to none in the latter two articles. For example in your conclusion you state about the calm, collected tone  but you actually list no examples of the evidence. I know this is nitpicky, but there is very little to improve on your paper.  The paper has a very good analysis of all the articles in finding the intended purpose toward its respective audience. You have a real good understanding on what the author was going for in each article, for example the second article providing a balance between students and adults alike. As the introduction and conclusion are very well done in providing background info and then wrapping the paper off by relating back to your thesis. There isn’t really anything wrong with your paper, and very few minor tweaks. Sorry to not really be helping in improving your paper, but it is really well done.

intro

The broad range of discourse across the media allows for individuals to express their prevalent views on topics and issues in society, and in this case whether or not college athletes should be paid. This range allows for diverse types of voice, purpose, and media context; all the while allowing for different types of audiences to find all kinds of articles for their pleasure or learning experience. Formal and informal articles have their key differences that separate them to convey different purposes. This is evident in how an informal magazine like Complex would have a different purpose compared to a more formal New York Times article. My informal article has entertainment purposes, all the while it keeps a common purpose of persuading the audience to be in favor of paying college athletes. The purpose is different slightly in my formal article in that while it has same view on persuasion, it elaborates on details, and shows how to actually execute a plan to pay college athletes. The biggest part of the issue is that the NCAA made $989 million in 2014 alone, and the schools in the FBS, the top tier of Division 1 football alone, made $2.7 billion dollars in revenue while accruing a $1.3 billion profit. All the while the athletes fueling this multi million dollar enterprise don't make a dime and have harsh restrictions against donations or benefits of any kind.  How they use voice is how the articles differ; The Complex article uses more of a voice of like that of a conversation, while the New York Times is a more of an informational use. This is suited to the media context and audience in that Complex wants to grab the reader’s attention and stay engrossed in the article of not as highlighted issue. This is not the case for the New York Times article in that it assumes the audience is more knowledgeable in the topic and uses things like counterarguments to keep the audience to think and debate about the topic. Between the two media sources it is obvious that voice and purpose is dictated by the media’s context and targeted audience due to the articles clear difference in these categories. 

source 2

This article breaks down the side of the debate of for paying college players into seven big points. The seven big points range from the massive size of the business of college athletics, how to pay athletes, or to how dumb or unreasonable any counterarguments to not paying athletes is. The main evidence is numbers, humor, and just plain appealing to the logos of the audience. Its main focus is to persuade the audience into being a for paying college athletes mindset due to how the article sets up a “overwhelming amount of points” it seems.

This article was very aggressive in that it regards the critics in saying that change is going to ruin the game. The use of humor in the home alone picture or bomb explosion shows the “over reaction” that critics have. It is less formal than my other newspaper article due to this being a online magazine. It has a lot of informal language in that it does not seem like an article but rather a paper a person would use in a informal debate with someone. The painting of critics just being plain dumb or ignorant is the main takeaway from this reading. The article does not seem to have the same oversight as my other article due to this.

“And so, for example, if your kid is the star of Home Alone, and they say 'Look, we are just going to pay for expenses. And if they do a really good job, maybe when they're older and they become an adult they can get paid then.' You would say, “No, no—this is not the school play. This is a multi-billion dollar business. Billions of dollars are being made and my kid is the star of the show. That’s not right. This is a commercial enterprise. (6).” This line from the article generalizes the language of the overall article, it’s very appealing to a common reader and plays on a bit of humor. This quote gets across a point in using an example that would be easy to envision for a audience. 

Peebles, Maurice. "7 Common Sense Reasons Why College Athletes Should Be Paid (According to Jay Bilas)." Complex. N.p., 3 Dec. 2015. Web. 5 Sept. 2016.

Source 1

This article is about how the author paints the absurdity of the reasons why others or specifically the NCAA has disregarded paying college athletes. The author states an outline on how to provide benefits with using things such as promoting more education, insurance and modifying the market. The author’s main argument is that college athletics is a business and that the main laborers should be compensated for the work they complete. This article uses the big numbers to exemplify of how big college athletics is from a business standpoint. To clarify how labeling it as a “amateur” sport is naïve. 

            The author’s audience is to anyone who will want indulge in a new view point on college athletics and willing to learn more/debate about the topic. He provides counterarguments to common arguments in relation to the topic. The language is not to threatening to any opposition to his view. His purpose is to enlighten people on the topic and persuade the audience to take his view. The language is not to harsh in relation to the NCAA because of probably editorial oversight due to the large footprint of the newspaper and NCAA. 

           “And what does the labor force that makes it possible for coaches to earn millions, and causes marketers to spend billions, get? Nothing. The workers are supposed to be content with a scholarship that does not even cover the full cost of attending college. (4)” This quote shows the main argument of the article on the large hole in the whole idea of the amateurism or that college athletes are somehow being fully paid by their education. 

Nocera, Joe. "Lets Start Paying College Athletes." New York Times 30 Dec. 2011: n.             pag. Nytimes.com. 30 Dec. 2011. Web. 5 Sept. 2016.                                                                       <http://www.nytimes.com/2016/01/09/sports/a-way-to-start-paying-college-                                   athletes.html?_r=0>

The beginning of the essay

The topic I have chosen is college athletics, and I have chosen the issue of paying college athletes. I have chosen this topic due to my large interest into sports and specifically watching college sports. This topic is something I have always wanted to do more research on, so I feel that will keep me onto a subject that I find very interesting and allow me to not lose interest over time. I expect to find a very broad range of discourse due to this being a very highly debated issue over the years. The years published from which these articles will be taken from will be very wide to the nature of the issue being debated for a long time. I have a wide range of discourse that will range from court cases/analysis to newspapers such as the New York Times and Chicago Tribune. I will use these types of articles because of the nature of the writers backing up arguments with facts instead of complaints or no backing behind arguments. This topic has always interested me in that I would have debates with people about it or casually talk about it. So I will enjoy this more than other papers as I have interest in it. 

I Swear That Us Men Have Humanity

Well… that was a horrifying article to read. It just pains me to see how despicable human or men in this case can be. The only thing that surprises me more than the lack of humanity in these horrible people is the lack of help and/ lack of understanding from law enforcement or organizations. It is just common sense that if someone is threatened constantly or very specifically that it would not just be a “harmless locker-room talk”. Just to put it in perspective; making a claim to shoot up a school, just like the email that spread through Virginia Tech, will cause police to take the case very seriously. However, if a threat to rape and kill a woman is made constantly by the same person it is disregarded. It is understandable to say that these two situations are very different in nature and of course a school shooting is more of a priority. This cannot in any sense condone the blatant victim blaming or very unreasonable advice given by law enforcement. Such as saying to Valnti to never walk alone outside and keep aware of everyone around her. That is like saying to a human to be watchful the air we breathe. The argument about having the huge imbalance in the ratio of men to women is really hard to fix or explain. It would be a common assumption in the modern world that there is not an organized effort to keep women out of jobs in law enforcement or technology. Another tricky topic is the fight between privacy and releasing information to law enforcement. It may seem very cut and dry about how to keep the balance. Just release the bad guy’s stuff and keep good people’s information locked away. However, it would be naïve to think that is how the privacy law would be bent. It is not a thing that can be bent rather is more like a dam, in that if you chip away at it enough it will just blow through and there will be no privacy protection; for which I am a huge advocate for. The whole topic is a huge mess with no real good solution in the near future due to the tools being ready to use but nonetheless unable to use for good purpose. 

Why I’m Right and You’re Not

            The feeling of being right and having people agree with you claim to a subject is a great feeling. The feeling of respect and that little moment when our ego is boosted to a new level is a feeling we all enjoy. This has always been the case and as stated in the reading of The Loneliness of the Interconnected the internet has made it easier than ever to gain that moment. Whether it be by proving yourself right, proving someone else wrong, or just finding random facts browsing the internet; that moment is infinitesimally easier now than in the pre-Internet world. The reading is very good at providing examples and threading in said examples to prove the author’s points such as the South African president being outright idiotic by rejecting the retro-viral drugs. The author also did very well at setting up the next argument by connecting the past example to correlate with the present argument. This is well shown in the Speakers’ Corner being connected to the Internet in regards in how the audiences work. The author kept me actually interested throughout the reading by using all of these very diverse examples but then connecting them. I found the part of the alien apocalypse and spaceman story very weird in the outcome of the story and I give so much credit to the author for using that story. This is because it solidifies the fickle nature of human beings in that instead of facing the truth and countering their own beliefs, they would find excuses or other reasons to explain why their argument is right. Also what interested me is that people do not care if the majority of the world is constantly on the other side of the argument; as is in the case of South African president following the medical findings of Duesburg despite basically the whole world’s medical field being horrified. This actually has happened with my own parents, specifically my mom, who thought Obama was a Muslim terrorist because she stumbled upon it on the internet. She has gave some leeway by finally realizing Obama is not a terrorist but to this day believes he is a Muslim. So this article had a lot of great points and was an excellent read about this issue in the modern age.