I think i can demonstrate good character and sense through the Sarah Palin debate because I have been analyzing both sides of her appeal. I have tried to make myself not focus on the paparazzi side of Palin and instead on her political appeal. Also, my personal experience of being an Alaskan and meeting Palin (though it was just a hand shake) will contribute to my good character and sense in writing about this topic. I will be able to use my reason and voice to really demonstrate both sides of the issue.
In "The Sarah Palin Blog" found online, there is a post dated 2/21/2010 and is entitled "Sarah Palin and Intelligence. The blog runs down the line of what America finds is intelligence in a President and how there has been a "class war" in this country where the middle and lower class believe all republicans are dumb and all democrats are intelligent. The blog then goes into just why Sarah Palin is labeled as not intelligent due to her remarks and views and why America finds Obama very intelligent.
The replies to this post are angry. Out of the 30 comments left, 2 of them made jokes about the post and that the author "nailed America on the head." The other 28 simply negated the post by saying that Obama is on a "ego trip" and not intelligent at all based on his speeches and lack of support from his own party. Some others claim Palin is the most intelligent woman in the world and just taking her haters for a ride. The post ends and many comments agreed that "intelligence is the most over-rated word in use today."
All the comments do not go along with the stasis theory because none really get to the heart of any debate that the post was attempting to make. All the posts are filled with emotion and this is mostly anger. There was at once a back and forth between two people arguing and reasoning about the word "intelligence" and how a President should or should not be as intelligent as an everyday person. However, all comments expressed a good amount of voice in their responses. It seemed that not everyone who followed the Sarah Palin Blog were supporters of her, but wanted to express their concern for the possible future 2012 President hopeful.
In the end, did these comments have good sense and character? No, not really. The more you scroll down, the more they became angry words. Only a few would relate the topic of intelligence and presidency back to Lincoln and how he did not attend high school or other examples of less educated leaders of the world. The comments were intended to make both sides of Palin angry. There were haters and there were lovers of Palin and it became a almost like a fist fight between the two.
Thursday, February 25, 2010
LOI
February 25, 2010
Mathew Lohr
Organization
Address
Seattle, WA, 98122
Dear Ford Foundation:
Seattle University seeks support of $250,000 from the Ford Foundation for general support of our HIV/AIDS awareness campaign. We think this project is very much aligned with the Ford Foundations goals of human rights and HIV/AIDS awareness and discrimination.
Founded in 1891, Seattle University is guided by its mission: Seattle University is dedicated toe educating the whole person, to professional formation, and to empowering leaders for a just and human world. Our organization was founded at Seattle University in 2010 and contains 30 active employees. The project will make a difference in the lives of those living with or affected by HIV/AIDS and also raise awareness and support in the Seattle area.
The project will take the $250,000 and create campaigns and protests around campus and the city. We will organize conferences and awareness programs open to campus and city. We will also use the $250,000 to fund a local documentary on HIV/AIDS awareness and will focus on those living with the disease and how t prevent and treat it.
We invite you to visit the project and we will call to arrange your visit. We will be glad to submit a full proposal with additional information for your further review.
Sincerely,
Mathew Lohr
Mathew Lohr
Organization
Address
Seattle, WA, 98122
Dear Ford Foundation:
Seattle University seeks support of $250,000 from the Ford Foundation for general support of our HIV/AIDS awareness campaign. We think this project is very much aligned with the Ford Foundations goals of human rights and HIV/AIDS awareness and discrimination.
Founded in 1891, Seattle University is guided by its mission: Seattle University is dedicated toe educating the whole person, to professional formation, and to empowering leaders for a just and human world. Our organization was founded at Seattle University in 2010 and contains 30 active employees. The project will make a difference in the lives of those living with or affected by HIV/AIDS and also raise awareness and support in the Seattle area.
The project will take the $250,000 and create campaigns and protests around campus and the city. We will organize conferences and awareness programs open to campus and city. We will also use the $250,000 to fund a local documentary on HIV/AIDS awareness and will focus on those living with the disease and how t prevent and treat it.
We invite you to visit the project and we will call to arrange your visit. We will be glad to submit a full proposal with additional information for your further review.
Sincerely,
Mathew Lohr
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
Women's ski jumping
It seems odd to me that this is the only sport that women cannot COMPETE in at the 2010 Olympics, but are free to test ride off of. Lindsey Van holds the record for both men and women off the normal jump, which says to me that this is a competitive sport that women are surely capable of. From the medical standpoint the article so briefly mentioned, it didnt state why it was in fact a medical debate. Also, to the issue of overloading athletes rooms, I am sure that such an enormous city can maintain them and if the sport was added, Vancouver would have easily been able to accommodate the under 100 women.
Is it sexist? Yes, i feel that it is. I feel that the IOC does not give substantial reasoning for the exclusion of the sport. The fact that womens snow cross was added when it is a FAR NEWER sport seems utterly ridiculous to the fact that Ski Jumping has been around since the very first winter games.
Is it sexist? Yes, i feel that it is. I feel that the IOC does not give substantial reasoning for the exclusion of the sport. The fact that womens snow cross was added when it is a FAR NEWER sport seems utterly ridiculous to the fact that Ski Jumping has been around since the very first winter games.
Debate response
I definitely side with Nick on the issue of public schools and private schools. I feel he touched on the fact that there should be the choice no matter what for parents and kids to attend whichever school they feel appropriate. I like that he touched on the fact that there are a range of private schools for different social classes and also that there are private schools devoted to not only just education, but also a religious education as well. I think I wanted to hear more from both sides on the issue of smaller learning environment and how private schools really have the advantage there. From the other side of the debate, there should have been argument on the over crowding of public schools and a less individualistic education. I graduated from a class of 800 people and had classrooms of up to 60 people. It was rather difficult for the teacher to connect with everyone in the room. Overall, however, I believe private schools are important to our economy and our stance as a democracy. There are difficult debates about how only the rich can send their children to private schools, and I think that debate deserves more time.
Major Analysis Paper: Final Draft
Major Analysis Paper
The Palin Issue
Mathew Lohr
A recent Harris Poll asked 2,634 adults in America to name the one person they consider an American hero. On the top of the list were Barack Obama and Jesus Christ, but the public sat in awe as number 21 on the list was former vice president hopeful, Sarah Palin. The vibrant Alaskan has been the subject of every American at some point in the past year. With her new memoir out, Going Rogue, and a new commentary spot on Fox News, Palin is getting more attention than ever. So the question comes to mind, just why is America so fascinated with Sarah Palin? Also, since this is a political conflict, one must also argue if Palin is good or bad for America.
To be good or bad for America can mean different things for different people and there are always two sides when it comes to politics. On one side, conservatives and others praise Palin for her charismatic approach to right wing politics. She combines politics and religion in a way that is tasteful and useful to everyday Americans. Her supporters also argue that she is the one true force for the 2012 presidential election and that she is a hardworking, plain-speaking American patriot, and a true hero.
On the other side of the Palin debate, democrats and Palin haters describe her as a complete embarrassment to the entire country. She has made a joke out of the American voting system and has made a mockery out of America to foreign leaders and governments. Many people say she was far too inexperienced to run for any official office and has used her media appeal to gain power in Washington.
The Palin issue, as I will refer to it from here on, warrants analysis because of the way Palin is changing politics and overall, changing America. If Palin is good for America, then our country prospers and a true icon and role model for the rest of the country to follow. If Palin is bad for America, then she is hurting our credibility and with such a huge ego, America cannot afford any more shame from the rest of the world at this time. The audience around the Palin issue is huge. Seeing that there are about 300 million people in the United States the Palin issue is on everybody’s mind because she is such a force to be reckoned with.
Palin is most recently back in the spotlight with her memoir Going Rogue. The interesting thing about the book is that the majority of her angry writing is directed at the McCain campaign. This is a bold move for it attacks her own party, but as Michiko Kakutani writes in his article for The New York Times, Memoir Is Palin’s Payback to McCain Campaign, Palin is “a self-reliant frontierswoman who knows hot o field dress a moose; a feisty gal with lots of moxie and pep; a former beauty queen with a George W. Bush-like aptitude for mangling the English language (Kakutani).” According to Kakutani, Palin is a real woman and a real American and people can relate to her.
The people of America need someone they can relate to. According to Paul Harris of The Observer, it is God who has chosen Palin to lead our country. Harris preaches that “America is succumbing to the foreign ideology of socialism, and the lifeblood of the free market is being squeezed by Big Government. Who could possibly save America from such a fate? Sarah Palin of course (Harris).” The fact that Palin has never held a office position above her two years of governing Alaska points to an astonishing achievement of being able to stay in the hearts of many Americans. Last year, her loss for vice president could have buried her political career, but even when she is not holding office she is still the most talked about person in politics.
The appeal of Palin is her commonality. Her values are threefold: “faith, family and flag.” She relates to religious social conservatives as her views about gay marriage and abortion center on morality and that she is strongly against both. Her faith helps her shine in the political spectrum because she shares the same religion as the majority of America. Her family also makes her shine. Her son Trig was born with Down’s syndrome and Palin, who is strongly against abortion, is praised for sticking to her beliefs. “I am so happy that she brought that child into the world. That is such a statement (Harris).” As for her patriotism, Palin cannot get enough of America. She worships the military, believes Islam hates American freedom, and thinks America is by far the greatest God blessed country in the world. Of course following the September 11th attacks, the majority of the country is still on patriotic overload.
With the image of a patriotic everyday woman, it is obvious to see why Palin lovers want her to be the next President. She jokes and points to a possible run to the white house, but it is her combination of politics and celebrity that has turned her into a cultural phenomenon. She is more like a Paris Hilton now and less like a Hillary Clinton. This is a good thing for modern republicans who see her celebrity as collecting more power over Americans. That power has brought tens of thousands of people flocking to Palin on her recent book signing tour. Those people could completely change the way the next election goes because people will be wanting Palin’s causes in the white house. It can even be said that the Palin movement has overtaken the Obama movement. As she puts it simply, “In a funny way, we needed someone like Barack Obama to be elected to wake us up (Harris).”
The Obama movement certainly was the highlight of 2008, but do democrats truly believe Sarah Palin is more popular? Most certainly not, and on the other side of the Palin issue lie the left wing extremists, modern democrats, and even more republicans. During Palin’s bid for vice president, democrats began criticizing her for not being qualified enough to hold office that is so close to the presidency. Many thought that Senator McCain’s pick for running mate was an insult to America’s intelligence and a sour attempt to get the workingwomen’s vote. As Palin began her campaign with McCain, America began to figure out just what the left side of politics was referring to.
The McCain camp wanted to paint Palin as a reformer and a pioneer for the American public. However, in a series of interviews, especially the infamous Katie Couric interview, she started feeling the pressure from an unsure America. The Couric interview read like a question to question back and forth interview. By this I mean that Palin was unable to answer any question with valid evidence or substance. One of the questions that became a huge mockery for Palin was her answer to “you’ve cited Alaska’s proximity to Russia as apart of your foreign policy experience. What did you mean by that (“Sarah Palin CBS Interview”)?” Palin’s answer became a huge laugh fest as she responded by saying Alaska and Russia are merely next-door neighbors which makes Alaska and Russia’s proximity a national security issue. The joke began to spread to late night sketch comedy show “Saturday Night Live” where Tina Fey portrayed Palin in a very humiliating way. Palin began to feel the pressure and mockery from America and the McCain team also started to get very annoyed with Palin’s lack of respect for politics. She even stated that she had no idea what a vice president did, but she was up for the task of learning.
After Palin lost the run to the white house, her opposition hoped she would disappear forever. This definitely did not happen. She again became a mockery in the state of Alaska after she unexpectedly resigned from her governor position after just 2 years of serving. Many believed it was because her personal life, her ex-son-in-law Levi Johnston became a very talkative man to the tabloids, and that she just couldn’t face the pressure from an embarrassed state. Soon, it wasn’t only America, but also the world that was making fun of Palin. Bill Press talks about Palin not only as a national joke but also as a world joke. He writes, “Since Palin believes so true heartily that she is the image of hard working women, the entire political world now looks at us with disgust (Press).”
Disgust is not in Palin’s vocabulary, however, and at the release of her book she wanted to attack all the haters. Her biggest mistake was attacking her own party for they were the ones giving her the chance to shine. On a rebuttal to the book, the McCain team said that Palin’s attack on McCain is “in poor taste to a woman who does not hold true to her own ideologies.” Democrats also attack Palin’s book by responding to allegations that Obama will inevitably destroy the American economy. Bill Press responds by saying “For such a patriotic ‘pioneer’ she truly has lost faith in a country that has made her what she is today. How ungrateful.”
The allegations from anti-Palin Americans are that she is a complete embarrassment to such a great country and over-all is bad for America. She has made a mockery of American politics and government. She has used celebrity to insult the intelligence of a voting nation and on the world scene has put America in the top spot of humiliation.
In her most recent stint in politics, Palin has personally initiated the “tea party.” It is a coalition that wants the growth of government to stop as well as more budget control and are firmly anti-Obama. Palin did the key note address at the first formal convetion and she talked about a limited government and strict adherence to the Constitution. What is so fascinating about her approach to the tea party is that she is going against the two major parties at the same time. She denounces both democratic and republican beliefs. Some could say she is pioneering her way through a new form of politics and others will believe she is just jumping on the next bandwagon to keep her name in the papers.
It is interesting to note how one person can be seen as either good or bad for an entire country’s image, but when you have accomplished as much as Sarah Palin has in the past two years you see just why this is a major debate. The Palin issue centers on her strong followers and fans that believe she is truly the hardest working woman in America and that she contains the elements of a true American hero. Her politics are centered on family, faith, and democracy, which is exactly the image people want for the country they live in. On the other side, there is a sense of embarrassment when Palin’s face is plastered all over the place. She has barely any political experience, is a mockery to America and its citizens, and puts a bad image out to the rest of the world that she could actually hold the top political position.
The best way to debate about the Palin issue is to open dialogue about the future of Palin. We cannot change the past and so we must focus on the future. We must ask each side what Palin can do for America in a good way. Some may say nothing, while others will want her to go away completely. To further discussion, there must be dialogue about Palin’s appeal to those who follow here. Is she merely another celebrity or does she really have the drive and beliefs of pursuing the white house? Then, there must be discussion toward the reasons of why she is good or bad for the most powerful job in the country and with that knowledge we can figure out the outcome of the Palin issue. It will be challenging to engage in discussion from both sides because of the strong stance that many feel Palin is embarrassment to the stance that many feel Palin is a hero. Her complexity is what has kept her in the forefront of American politics. It seems, just like in politics, that there are mild to wild extremists in this issue. Whatever the case it seems for now Palin is here to stay, whether for the good or the bad.
Work Cited
Greenbaum, Mark. "Sarah Palin and Fox News: a match made in heaven." Christian Science Monitor 11 Jan. 2010: n. pag. Web. 8 Feb 2010.
Harris, Paul. "God has chosen her to lead our country." Observer (2009): n. pag. Web. 6 Feb 2010.
Kakutani, Michiko. "Memoir is Palin's Payback to McCain Campaign." New York Times (2009): n. pag. Web. 6 Feb 2010..
Press, Bill. "Sarah Palin: A national joke." WorldNetDaily (2010): n. pag. Web. 6 Feb 2010.
"Sarah Palin is a Hero." The Sarah Palin Blog. 23 Feb. 2009. Web. 8 Feb 2010.
"Sarah Palin CBS interview." youtube.com. Web. 2 Feb 2010..
Saturday Night Live. Tina Fey/Sarah Palin Sketch.
Shapiro, Walter. "How Palin Could Win the 2012 GOP Nomination." Politics Daily 16 Nov. 2009: n. pag. Web. 3 Feb 2010.
Thomas, Evan. "Gone Rogue." Newsweek 14 Nov. 2009: Print.
The Palin Issue
Mathew Lohr
A recent Harris Poll asked 2,634 adults in America to name the one person they consider an American hero. On the top of the list were Barack Obama and Jesus Christ, but the public sat in awe as number 21 on the list was former vice president hopeful, Sarah Palin. The vibrant Alaskan has been the subject of every American at some point in the past year. With her new memoir out, Going Rogue, and a new commentary spot on Fox News, Palin is getting more attention than ever. So the question comes to mind, just why is America so fascinated with Sarah Palin? Also, since this is a political conflict, one must also argue if Palin is good or bad for America.
To be good or bad for America can mean different things for different people and there are always two sides when it comes to politics. On one side, conservatives and others praise Palin for her charismatic approach to right wing politics. She combines politics and religion in a way that is tasteful and useful to everyday Americans. Her supporters also argue that she is the one true force for the 2012 presidential election and that she is a hardworking, plain-speaking American patriot, and a true hero.
On the other side of the Palin debate, democrats and Palin haters describe her as a complete embarrassment to the entire country. She has made a joke out of the American voting system and has made a mockery out of America to foreign leaders and governments. Many people say she was far too inexperienced to run for any official office and has used her media appeal to gain power in Washington.
The Palin issue, as I will refer to it from here on, warrants analysis because of the way Palin is changing politics and overall, changing America. If Palin is good for America, then our country prospers and a true icon and role model for the rest of the country to follow. If Palin is bad for America, then she is hurting our credibility and with such a huge ego, America cannot afford any more shame from the rest of the world at this time. The audience around the Palin issue is huge. Seeing that there are about 300 million people in the United States the Palin issue is on everybody’s mind because she is such a force to be reckoned with.
Palin is most recently back in the spotlight with her memoir Going Rogue. The interesting thing about the book is that the majority of her angry writing is directed at the McCain campaign. This is a bold move for it attacks her own party, but as Michiko Kakutani writes in his article for The New York Times, Memoir Is Palin’s Payback to McCain Campaign, Palin is “a self-reliant frontierswoman who knows hot o field dress a moose; a feisty gal with lots of moxie and pep; a former beauty queen with a George W. Bush-like aptitude for mangling the English language (Kakutani).” According to Kakutani, Palin is a real woman and a real American and people can relate to her.
The people of America need someone they can relate to. According to Paul Harris of The Observer, it is God who has chosen Palin to lead our country. Harris preaches that “America is succumbing to the foreign ideology of socialism, and the lifeblood of the free market is being squeezed by Big Government. Who could possibly save America from such a fate? Sarah Palin of course (Harris).” The fact that Palin has never held a office position above her two years of governing Alaska points to an astonishing achievement of being able to stay in the hearts of many Americans. Last year, her loss for vice president could have buried her political career, but even when she is not holding office she is still the most talked about person in politics.
The appeal of Palin is her commonality. Her values are threefold: “faith, family and flag.” She relates to religious social conservatives as her views about gay marriage and abortion center on morality and that she is strongly against both. Her faith helps her shine in the political spectrum because she shares the same religion as the majority of America. Her family also makes her shine. Her son Trig was born with Down’s syndrome and Palin, who is strongly against abortion, is praised for sticking to her beliefs. “I am so happy that she brought that child into the world. That is such a statement (Harris).” As for her patriotism, Palin cannot get enough of America. She worships the military, believes Islam hates American freedom, and thinks America is by far the greatest God blessed country in the world. Of course following the September 11th attacks, the majority of the country is still on patriotic overload.
With the image of a patriotic everyday woman, it is obvious to see why Palin lovers want her to be the next President. She jokes and points to a possible run to the white house, but it is her combination of politics and celebrity that has turned her into a cultural phenomenon. She is more like a Paris Hilton now and less like a Hillary Clinton. This is a good thing for modern republicans who see her celebrity as collecting more power over Americans. That power has brought tens of thousands of people flocking to Palin on her recent book signing tour. Those people could completely change the way the next election goes because people will be wanting Palin’s causes in the white house. It can even be said that the Palin movement has overtaken the Obama movement. As she puts it simply, “In a funny way, we needed someone like Barack Obama to be elected to wake us up (Harris).”
The Obama movement certainly was the highlight of 2008, but do democrats truly believe Sarah Palin is more popular? Most certainly not, and on the other side of the Palin issue lie the left wing extremists, modern democrats, and even more republicans. During Palin’s bid for vice president, democrats began criticizing her for not being qualified enough to hold office that is so close to the presidency. Many thought that Senator McCain’s pick for running mate was an insult to America’s intelligence and a sour attempt to get the workingwomen’s vote. As Palin began her campaign with McCain, America began to figure out just what the left side of politics was referring to.
The McCain camp wanted to paint Palin as a reformer and a pioneer for the American public. However, in a series of interviews, especially the infamous Katie Couric interview, she started feeling the pressure from an unsure America. The Couric interview read like a question to question back and forth interview. By this I mean that Palin was unable to answer any question with valid evidence or substance. One of the questions that became a huge mockery for Palin was her answer to “you’ve cited Alaska’s proximity to Russia as apart of your foreign policy experience. What did you mean by that (“Sarah Palin CBS Interview”)?” Palin’s answer became a huge laugh fest as she responded by saying Alaska and Russia are merely next-door neighbors which makes Alaska and Russia’s proximity a national security issue. The joke began to spread to late night sketch comedy show “Saturday Night Live” where Tina Fey portrayed Palin in a very humiliating way. Palin began to feel the pressure and mockery from America and the McCain team also started to get very annoyed with Palin’s lack of respect for politics. She even stated that she had no idea what a vice president did, but she was up for the task of learning.
After Palin lost the run to the white house, her opposition hoped she would disappear forever. This definitely did not happen. She again became a mockery in the state of Alaska after she unexpectedly resigned from her governor position after just 2 years of serving. Many believed it was because her personal life, her ex-son-in-law Levi Johnston became a very talkative man to the tabloids, and that she just couldn’t face the pressure from an embarrassed state. Soon, it wasn’t only America, but also the world that was making fun of Palin. Bill Press talks about Palin not only as a national joke but also as a world joke. He writes, “Since Palin believes so true heartily that she is the image of hard working women, the entire political world now looks at us with disgust (Press).”
Disgust is not in Palin’s vocabulary, however, and at the release of her book she wanted to attack all the haters. Her biggest mistake was attacking her own party for they were the ones giving her the chance to shine. On a rebuttal to the book, the McCain team said that Palin’s attack on McCain is “in poor taste to a woman who does not hold true to her own ideologies.” Democrats also attack Palin’s book by responding to allegations that Obama will inevitably destroy the American economy. Bill Press responds by saying “For such a patriotic ‘pioneer’ she truly has lost faith in a country that has made her what she is today. How ungrateful.”
The allegations from anti-Palin Americans are that she is a complete embarrassment to such a great country and over-all is bad for America. She has made a mockery of American politics and government. She has used celebrity to insult the intelligence of a voting nation and on the world scene has put America in the top spot of humiliation.
In her most recent stint in politics, Palin has personally initiated the “tea party.” It is a coalition that wants the growth of government to stop as well as more budget control and are firmly anti-Obama. Palin did the key note address at the first formal convetion and she talked about a limited government and strict adherence to the Constitution. What is so fascinating about her approach to the tea party is that she is going against the two major parties at the same time. She denounces both democratic and republican beliefs. Some could say she is pioneering her way through a new form of politics and others will believe she is just jumping on the next bandwagon to keep her name in the papers.
It is interesting to note how one person can be seen as either good or bad for an entire country’s image, but when you have accomplished as much as Sarah Palin has in the past two years you see just why this is a major debate. The Palin issue centers on her strong followers and fans that believe she is truly the hardest working woman in America and that she contains the elements of a true American hero. Her politics are centered on family, faith, and democracy, which is exactly the image people want for the country they live in. On the other side, there is a sense of embarrassment when Palin’s face is plastered all over the place. She has barely any political experience, is a mockery to America and its citizens, and puts a bad image out to the rest of the world that she could actually hold the top political position.
The best way to debate about the Palin issue is to open dialogue about the future of Palin. We cannot change the past and so we must focus on the future. We must ask each side what Palin can do for America in a good way. Some may say nothing, while others will want her to go away completely. To further discussion, there must be dialogue about Palin’s appeal to those who follow here. Is she merely another celebrity or does she really have the drive and beliefs of pursuing the white house? Then, there must be discussion toward the reasons of why she is good or bad for the most powerful job in the country and with that knowledge we can figure out the outcome of the Palin issue. It will be challenging to engage in discussion from both sides because of the strong stance that many feel Palin is embarrassment to the stance that many feel Palin is a hero. Her complexity is what has kept her in the forefront of American politics. It seems, just like in politics, that there are mild to wild extremists in this issue. Whatever the case it seems for now Palin is here to stay, whether for the good or the bad.
Work Cited
Greenbaum, Mark. "Sarah Palin and Fox News: a match made in heaven." Christian Science Monitor 11 Jan. 2010: n. pag. Web. 8 Feb 2010.
Harris, Paul. "God has chosen her to lead our country." Observer (2009): n. pag. Web. 6 Feb 2010.
Kakutani, Michiko. "Memoir is Palin's Payback to McCain Campaign." New York Times (2009): n. pag. Web. 6 Feb 2010.
Press, Bill. "Sarah Palin: A national joke." WorldNetDaily (2010): n. pag. Web. 6 Feb 2010.
"Sarah Palin is a Hero." The Sarah Palin Blog. 23 Feb. 2009. Web. 8 Feb 2010.
"Sarah Palin CBS interview." youtube.com. Web. 2 Feb 2010.
Saturday Night Live. Tina Fey/Sarah Palin Sketch.
Shapiro, Walter. "How Palin Could Win the 2012 GOP Nomination." Politics Daily 16 Nov. 2009: n. pag. Web. 3 Feb 2010.
Thomas, Evan. "Gone Rogue." Newsweek 14 Nov. 2009: Print.
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
Hook-Up Culture
Jack Grimes wrote an interesting article that I think every college student is aware of. He used a lot of imagery in his writing to describe not only the male approach to hook-up culture but also the girls who are active players in it. It did almost sound like his writing was coming off a little bitter, however. The tone of the article made it not only seem like Grimes was bitter, but also ashamed at how college students are behaving. Saying that there is no connecting in hook-ups and that it is almost useless to find a substantial relationship anymore. It makes a reader wonder what happened in his past.
Valentines Day (Singles Awareness Day)
Instead of celebrating Valentines Day, two friends and I decided to rename the Hallmark Holiday to Singles Awareness Day. It was our attempt to make it known to the world that we were single and wouldn't prefer it any other way.
The day began as we ventured around the city shopping for clothing that would make everyone's head turn. Then, into a happy hour to start our celebration. Three or four, maybe even five, drinks later we left our happy hour feeling beyond happy and headed home to get into our evening outfits and to let the night begin.
The outfit change was reminiscent of a 90's movie montage where we had to try on everything possible to see the best combination. The music was blasting to the point where we couldn't tell each other yes or no, but nodded while we sang and danced. Then, after some wine, it was time to head out to make our singleness aware. First stop, Moe bar.
At Moe Bar, we met up with two more singles and with our forces combined we were set to rule the world. The next place to go was downtown to a very lovely bar known as NocNoc. This is where we singles danced the night away and by 1 am, we still were not satisfied with the amount of awareness we were projecting. So, whats a single to do? Head back up to Capitol Hill and continue the party.
Like every good single, we stay out until 4 or 5 am because there's nobody on our arm telling us its time to go home, and as long as Lady Gaga was blaring at some location we singles were not dying down. The night did have to come to an end though, and by 5 am all the singles went their separate ways and fell into our beds all alone like a good single would.
The day began as we ventured around the city shopping for clothing that would make everyone's head turn. Then, into a happy hour to start our celebration. Three or four, maybe even five, drinks later we left our happy hour feeling beyond happy and headed home to get into our evening outfits and to let the night begin.
The outfit change was reminiscent of a 90's movie montage where we had to try on everything possible to see the best combination. The music was blasting to the point where we couldn't tell each other yes or no, but nodded while we sang and danced. Then, after some wine, it was time to head out to make our singleness aware. First stop, Moe bar.
At Moe Bar, we met up with two more singles and with our forces combined we were set to rule the world. The next place to go was downtown to a very lovely bar known as NocNoc. This is where we singles danced the night away and by 1 am, we still were not satisfied with the amount of awareness we were projecting. So, whats a single to do? Head back up to Capitol Hill and continue the party.
Like every good single, we stay out until 4 or 5 am because there's nobody on our arm telling us its time to go home, and as long as Lady Gaga was blaring at some location we singles were not dying down. The night did have to come to an end though, and by 5 am all the singles went their separate ways and fell into our beds all alone like a good single would.
Tuesday, February 9, 2010
Major Analysis Paper: Rough Draft
Major Analysis Paper: Rough Draft
The Palin Issue
Mathew Lohr
A recent Harris Poll asked 2,634 adults in America to name the one person they consider an American hero. On the top of the list were Barack Obama and Jesus Christ, but the public sat in awe as number 21 on the list was former vice president hopeful, Sarah Palin. The vibrant Alaskan has been the subject of every American at some point in the past year. With her new memoir out, Going Rogue, and a new commentary spot on Fox News, Palin is getting more attention than ever. So the question comes to mind, just why is America so fascinated with Sarah Palin? Also, since this is a political debacle, one must also argue if Palin is good or bad for America.
To be good or bad for America can mean different things for different people and there are always two sides when it comes to politics. On one side, conservatives and others praise Palin for her charismatic approach to right wing politics. She combines politics and religion in a way that is tasteful and useful to everyday Americans. Her supporters also argue that she is the one true force for the 2012 presidential election and that she is a hardworking, plain-speaking American patriot, and a true hero.
On the other side of the Palin debate, democrats and Palin haters describe her as a complete embarrassment to the entire country. She has made a joke out of the American voting system and has made a mockery out of America to foreign leaders and governments. Many people say she was far too inexperienced to run for any official office and has used her media appeal to gain power in Washington.
The Palin issue, as I will refer to it from here on, warrants analysis because of the way Palin is changing politics and overall, changing America. If Palin is good for America, then our country prospers and a true icon and role model for the rest of the country to follow. If Palin is bad for America, then she is hurting our credibility and with such a huge ego, America cannot afford any more shame from the rest of the world at this time. The audience around the Palin issue is huge. Seeing that there are about 300 million people in the United States the Palin issue is on everybody’s mind because she is such a force to be reckoned with.
Palin is most recently back in the spotlight with her memoir Going Rogue. The interesting thing about the book is that the majority of her angry writing is directed at the McCain campaign. This is a bold move for it attacks her own party, but as Michiko Kakutani writes in his article for The New York Times, Memoir Is Palin’s Payback to McCain Campaign, Palin is “a self-reliant frontierswoman who knows hot o field dress a moose; a feisty gal with lots of moxie and pep; a former beauty queen with a George W. Bush-like aptitude for mangling the English language (Kakutani).” According to Kakutani, Palin is a real woman and a real American and people can relate to her.
The people of America need someone they can relate to. According to Paul Harris of The Observer, it is God who has chosen Palin to lead our country. Harris preaches that “America is succumbing to the foreign ideology of socialism, and the lifeblood of the free market is being squeezed by Big Government. Who could possibly save America from such a fate? Sarah Palin of course (Harris).” The fact that Palin has never held a office position above her two years of governing Alaska points to an astonishing achievement of being able to stay in the hearts of many Americans. Last year, her loss for vice president could have buried her political career, but even when she is not holding office she is still the most talked about person in politics.
The appeal of Palin is her commonality. Her values are threefold: “faith, family and flag.” She relates to religious social conservatives as her views about gay marriage and abortion center on morality and that she is strongly against both. Her faith helps her shine in the political spectrum because she shares the same religion as the majority of America. Her family also makes her shine. Her son Trig was born with Down’s syndrome and Palin, who is strongly against abortion, is praised for sticking to her beliefs. “I am so happy that she brought that child into the world. That is such a statement (Harris).” As for her patriotism, Palin cannot get enough of America. She worships the military, believes Islam hates American freedom, and thinks America is by far the greatest God blessed country in the world. Of course following the September 11th attacks, the majority of the country is still on patriotic overload.
With the image of a patriotic everyday woman, it is obvious to see why Palin lovers want her to be the next President. She jokes and points to a possible run to the white house, but it is her combination of politics and celebrity that has turned her into a cultural phenomenon. She is more like a Paris Hilton now and less like a Hillary Clinton. This is a good thing for modern republicans who see her celebrity as collecting more power over Americans. That power has brought tens of thousands of people flocking to Palin on her recent book signing tour. Those people could completely change the way the next election goes because people will be wanting Palin’s causes in the white house. It can even be said that the Palin movement has overtaken the Obama movement. As she puts it simply, “In a funny way, we needed someone like Barack Obama to be elected to wake us up (Harris).”
The Obama movement certainly was the highlight of 2008, but do democrats truly believe Sarah Palin is more popular? Most certainly not, and on the other side of the Palin issue lie the left wing extremists, modern democrats, and even more republicans. During Palin’s bid for vice president, democrats began criticizing her for not being qualified enough to hold office that is so close to the presidency. Many thought that Senator McCain’s pick for running mate was an insult to America’s intelligence and a sour attempt to get the workingwomen’s vote. As Palin began her campaign with McCain, America began to figure out just what the left side of politics was referring to.
The McCain camp wanted to paint Palin as a reformer and a pioneer for the American public. However, in a series of interviews, especially the infamous Katie Couric interview, she started feeling the pressure from an unsure America. The Couric interview read like a question to question back and forth interview. By this I mean that Palin was unable to answer any question with valid evidence or substance. One of the questions that became a huge mockery for Palin was her answer to “you’ve cited Alaska’s proximity to Russia as apart of your foreign policy experience. What did you mean by that (“Sarah Palin CBS Interview”)?” Palin’s answer became a huge laugh fest as she responded by saying Alaska and Russia are merely next-door neighbors which makes Alaska and Russia’s proximity a national security issue. The joke began to spread to late night sketch comedy show “Saturday Night Live” where Tina Fey portrayed Palin in a very humiliating way. Palin began to feel the pressure and mockery from America and the McCain team also started to get very annoyed with Palin’s lack of respect for politics. She even stated that she had no idea what a vice president did, but she was up for the task of learning.
After Palin lost the run to the white house, her opposition hoped she would disappear forever. This definitely did not happen. She again became a mockery in the state of Alaska after she unexpectedly resigned from her governor position after just 2 years of serving. Many believed it was because her personal life, her ex-son-in-law Levi Johnston became a very talkative man to the tabloids, and that she just couldn’t face the pressure from an embarrassed state. Soon, it wasn’t only America, but also the world that was making fun of Palin. Bill Press talks about Palin not only as a national joke but also as a world joke. He writes, “Since Palin believes so true heartily that she is the image of hard working women, the entire political world now looks at us with disgust (Press).”
Disgust is not in Palin’s vocabulary, however, and at the release of her book she wanted to attack all the haters. Her biggest mistake was attacking her own party for they were the ones giving her the chance to shine. On a rebuttal to the book, the McCain team said that Palin’s attack on McCain is “in poor taste to a woman who does not hold true to her own ideologies.” Democrats also attack Palin’s book by responding to allegations that Obama will inevitably destroy the American economy. Bill Press responds by saying “For such a patriotic ‘pioneer’ she truly has lost faith in a country that has made her what she is today. How ungrateful.”
The allegations from anti-Palin Americans are that she is a complete embarrassment to such a great country and over-all is bad for America. She has made a mockery of American politics and government. She has used celebrity to insult the intelligence of a voting nation and on the world scene has put America in the top spot of humiliation.
It is interesting to note how one person can be seen as either good or bad for an entire country’s image, but when you have accomplished as much as Sarah Palin has in the past two years you see just why this is a major debate. The Palin issue centers on her strong followers and fans that believe she is truly the hardest working woman in America and that she contains the elements of a true American hero. Her politics are centered on family, faith, and democracy, which is exactly the image people want for the country they live in. On the other side, there is a sense of embarrassment when Palin’s face is plastered all over the place. She has barely any political experience, is a mockery to America and its citizens, and puts a bad image out to the rest of the world that she could actually hold the top political position.
The best way to debate about the Palin issue is to open dialogue about the future of Palin. We cannot change the past and so we must focus on the future. We must ask each side what Palin can do for America in a good way. Some may say nothing, while others will want her to go away completely. To further discussion, there must be dialogue about Palin’s appeal to those who follow here. Is she merely another celebrity or does she really have the drive and beliefs of pursuing the white house? Then, there must be discussion toward the reasons of why she is good or bad for the most powerful job in the country and with that knowledge we can figure out the outcome of the Palin issue. It will be challenging to engage in discussion from both sides because of the strong stance that many feel Palin is embarrassment to the stance that many feel Palin is a hero. It seems, just like in politics, that there are mild to wild extremists in this issue. Whatever the case it seems for now Palin is here to stay, whether for the good or the bad.
Work Cited
Greenbaum, Mark. "Sarah Palin and Fox News: a match made in heaven." Christian Science Monitor 11 Jan. 2010: n. pag. Web. 8 Feb 2010.
Harris, Paul. "God has chosen her to lead our country." Observer (2009): n. pag. Web. 6 Feb 2010.
Kakutani, Michiko. "Memoir is Palin's Payback to McCain Campaign." New York Times (2009): n. pag. Web. 6 Feb 2010..
Press, Bill. "Sarah Palin: A national joke." WorldNetDaily (2010): n. pag. Web. 6 Feb 2010.
"Sarah Palin is a Hero." The Sarah Palin Blog. 23 Feb. 2009. Web. 8 Feb 2010.
"Sarah Palin CBS interview." youtube.com. Web. 2 Feb 2010..
Saturday Night Live. Tina Fey/Sarah Palin Sketch.
Shapiro, Walter. "How Palin Could Win the 2012 GOP Nomination." Politics Daily 16 Nov. 2009: n. pag. Web. 3 Feb 2010.
Thomas, Evan. "Gone Rogue." Newsweek 14 Nov. 2009: Print.
The Palin Issue
Mathew Lohr
A recent Harris Poll asked 2,634 adults in America to name the one person they consider an American hero. On the top of the list were Barack Obama and Jesus Christ, but the public sat in awe as number 21 on the list was former vice president hopeful, Sarah Palin. The vibrant Alaskan has been the subject of every American at some point in the past year. With her new memoir out, Going Rogue, and a new commentary spot on Fox News, Palin is getting more attention than ever. So the question comes to mind, just why is America so fascinated with Sarah Palin? Also, since this is a political debacle, one must also argue if Palin is good or bad for America.
To be good or bad for America can mean different things for different people and there are always two sides when it comes to politics. On one side, conservatives and others praise Palin for her charismatic approach to right wing politics. She combines politics and religion in a way that is tasteful and useful to everyday Americans. Her supporters also argue that she is the one true force for the 2012 presidential election and that she is a hardworking, plain-speaking American patriot, and a true hero.
On the other side of the Palin debate, democrats and Palin haters describe her as a complete embarrassment to the entire country. She has made a joke out of the American voting system and has made a mockery out of America to foreign leaders and governments. Many people say she was far too inexperienced to run for any official office and has used her media appeal to gain power in Washington.
The Palin issue, as I will refer to it from here on, warrants analysis because of the way Palin is changing politics and overall, changing America. If Palin is good for America, then our country prospers and a true icon and role model for the rest of the country to follow. If Palin is bad for America, then she is hurting our credibility and with such a huge ego, America cannot afford any more shame from the rest of the world at this time. The audience around the Palin issue is huge. Seeing that there are about 300 million people in the United States the Palin issue is on everybody’s mind because she is such a force to be reckoned with.
Palin is most recently back in the spotlight with her memoir Going Rogue. The interesting thing about the book is that the majority of her angry writing is directed at the McCain campaign. This is a bold move for it attacks her own party, but as Michiko Kakutani writes in his article for The New York Times, Memoir Is Palin’s Payback to McCain Campaign, Palin is “a self-reliant frontierswoman who knows hot o field dress a moose; a feisty gal with lots of moxie and pep; a former beauty queen with a George W. Bush-like aptitude for mangling the English language (Kakutani).” According to Kakutani, Palin is a real woman and a real American and people can relate to her.
The people of America need someone they can relate to. According to Paul Harris of The Observer, it is God who has chosen Palin to lead our country. Harris preaches that “America is succumbing to the foreign ideology of socialism, and the lifeblood of the free market is being squeezed by Big Government. Who could possibly save America from such a fate? Sarah Palin of course (Harris).” The fact that Palin has never held a office position above her two years of governing Alaska points to an astonishing achievement of being able to stay in the hearts of many Americans. Last year, her loss for vice president could have buried her political career, but even when she is not holding office she is still the most talked about person in politics.
The appeal of Palin is her commonality. Her values are threefold: “faith, family and flag.” She relates to religious social conservatives as her views about gay marriage and abortion center on morality and that she is strongly against both. Her faith helps her shine in the political spectrum because she shares the same religion as the majority of America. Her family also makes her shine. Her son Trig was born with Down’s syndrome and Palin, who is strongly against abortion, is praised for sticking to her beliefs. “I am so happy that she brought that child into the world. That is such a statement (Harris).” As for her patriotism, Palin cannot get enough of America. She worships the military, believes Islam hates American freedom, and thinks America is by far the greatest God blessed country in the world. Of course following the September 11th attacks, the majority of the country is still on patriotic overload.
With the image of a patriotic everyday woman, it is obvious to see why Palin lovers want her to be the next President. She jokes and points to a possible run to the white house, but it is her combination of politics and celebrity that has turned her into a cultural phenomenon. She is more like a Paris Hilton now and less like a Hillary Clinton. This is a good thing for modern republicans who see her celebrity as collecting more power over Americans. That power has brought tens of thousands of people flocking to Palin on her recent book signing tour. Those people could completely change the way the next election goes because people will be wanting Palin’s causes in the white house. It can even be said that the Palin movement has overtaken the Obama movement. As she puts it simply, “In a funny way, we needed someone like Barack Obama to be elected to wake us up (Harris).”
The Obama movement certainly was the highlight of 2008, but do democrats truly believe Sarah Palin is more popular? Most certainly not, and on the other side of the Palin issue lie the left wing extremists, modern democrats, and even more republicans. During Palin’s bid for vice president, democrats began criticizing her for not being qualified enough to hold office that is so close to the presidency. Many thought that Senator McCain’s pick for running mate was an insult to America’s intelligence and a sour attempt to get the workingwomen’s vote. As Palin began her campaign with McCain, America began to figure out just what the left side of politics was referring to.
The McCain camp wanted to paint Palin as a reformer and a pioneer for the American public. However, in a series of interviews, especially the infamous Katie Couric interview, she started feeling the pressure from an unsure America. The Couric interview read like a question to question back and forth interview. By this I mean that Palin was unable to answer any question with valid evidence or substance. One of the questions that became a huge mockery for Palin was her answer to “you’ve cited Alaska’s proximity to Russia as apart of your foreign policy experience. What did you mean by that (“Sarah Palin CBS Interview”)?” Palin’s answer became a huge laugh fest as she responded by saying Alaska and Russia are merely next-door neighbors which makes Alaska and Russia’s proximity a national security issue. The joke began to spread to late night sketch comedy show “Saturday Night Live” where Tina Fey portrayed Palin in a very humiliating way. Palin began to feel the pressure and mockery from America and the McCain team also started to get very annoyed with Palin’s lack of respect for politics. She even stated that she had no idea what a vice president did, but she was up for the task of learning.
After Palin lost the run to the white house, her opposition hoped she would disappear forever. This definitely did not happen. She again became a mockery in the state of Alaska after she unexpectedly resigned from her governor position after just 2 years of serving. Many believed it was because her personal life, her ex-son-in-law Levi Johnston became a very talkative man to the tabloids, and that she just couldn’t face the pressure from an embarrassed state. Soon, it wasn’t only America, but also the world that was making fun of Palin. Bill Press talks about Palin not only as a national joke but also as a world joke. He writes, “Since Palin believes so true heartily that she is the image of hard working women, the entire political world now looks at us with disgust (Press).”
Disgust is not in Palin’s vocabulary, however, and at the release of her book she wanted to attack all the haters. Her biggest mistake was attacking her own party for they were the ones giving her the chance to shine. On a rebuttal to the book, the McCain team said that Palin’s attack on McCain is “in poor taste to a woman who does not hold true to her own ideologies.” Democrats also attack Palin’s book by responding to allegations that Obama will inevitably destroy the American economy. Bill Press responds by saying “For such a patriotic ‘pioneer’ she truly has lost faith in a country that has made her what she is today. How ungrateful.”
The allegations from anti-Palin Americans are that she is a complete embarrassment to such a great country and over-all is bad for America. She has made a mockery of American politics and government. She has used celebrity to insult the intelligence of a voting nation and on the world scene has put America in the top spot of humiliation.
It is interesting to note how one person can be seen as either good or bad for an entire country’s image, but when you have accomplished as much as Sarah Palin has in the past two years you see just why this is a major debate. The Palin issue centers on her strong followers and fans that believe she is truly the hardest working woman in America and that she contains the elements of a true American hero. Her politics are centered on family, faith, and democracy, which is exactly the image people want for the country they live in. On the other side, there is a sense of embarrassment when Palin’s face is plastered all over the place. She has barely any political experience, is a mockery to America and its citizens, and puts a bad image out to the rest of the world that she could actually hold the top political position.
The best way to debate about the Palin issue is to open dialogue about the future of Palin. We cannot change the past and so we must focus on the future. We must ask each side what Palin can do for America in a good way. Some may say nothing, while others will want her to go away completely. To further discussion, there must be dialogue about Palin’s appeal to those who follow here. Is she merely another celebrity or does she really have the drive and beliefs of pursuing the white house? Then, there must be discussion toward the reasons of why she is good or bad for the most powerful job in the country and with that knowledge we can figure out the outcome of the Palin issue. It will be challenging to engage in discussion from both sides because of the strong stance that many feel Palin is embarrassment to the stance that many feel Palin is a hero. It seems, just like in politics, that there are mild to wild extremists in this issue. Whatever the case it seems for now Palin is here to stay, whether for the good or the bad.
Work Cited
Greenbaum, Mark. "Sarah Palin and Fox News: a match made in heaven." Christian Science Monitor 11 Jan. 2010: n. pag. Web. 8 Feb 2010.
Harris, Paul. "God has chosen her to lead our country." Observer (2009): n. pag. Web. 6 Feb 2010.
Kakutani, Michiko. "Memoir is Palin's Payback to McCain Campaign." New York Times (2009): n. pag. Web. 6 Feb 2010.
Press, Bill. "Sarah Palin: A national joke." WorldNetDaily (2010): n. pag. Web. 6 Feb 2010.
"Sarah Palin is a Hero." The Sarah Palin Blog. 23 Feb. 2009. Web. 8 Feb 2010.
"Sarah Palin CBS interview." youtube.com. Web. 2 Feb 2010.
Saturday Night Live. Tina Fey/Sarah Palin Sketch.
Shapiro, Walter. "How Palin Could Win the 2012 GOP Nomination." Politics Daily 16 Nov. 2009: n. pag. Web. 3 Feb 2010.
Thomas, Evan. "Gone Rogue." Newsweek 14 Nov. 2009: Print.
Friday, February 5, 2010
WW5
In the Guardians article “God has chosen her to lead our country,” Palin is praised for her right wing politics of “saving” America from communism, gay marriage, and gun control. It is quite obvious that this article is aimed directly at right wing conservatives. The author of the article, Paul Harris, likes to refer the impact of Sarah Palin as a Palin World. The citizens of a Palin World believe in “real democracy where big government is not squeezing the life out of free market.” Well, Palin is everywhere and her audience definitely believes in her strict values.
This article captures a practical audience. Because this is a political issue, and a very strong political pull to the right, there is definitely a practical audience being drawn in. The people who go see Palin on her book signing tour believe in her and what she stands for. They are hardcore believers in the values of a Palin World and stand by her through controversy and harassment. What is so astonishing is that Palin hold no office currently and could have completely ended her entire career when she ran for Vice President. However, to conservatives, her success is from “her intense charisma that makes her very exciting and attractive. She will be a force.”
Harris applies to the loci of quantity in this article because what is the greatest good for the greatest number of people in his audience is Palin. She has all the answers and is a force to be reckoned with. In this articles value hierarchies, I would imagine that loci of quantity and loci of the person are at the top. At the bottom, I think that loci of existent stay there because the argument is that Palin will save America. Not how she will save it, but she will in some way. It puts the questionable in front of the concrete.
On the other end of the argument, Palin is criticized for her controversial and questionable policies. Bill Press writes in his article “Sarah Palin: A national joke” that he is tired of Republicans trying to “spin McCain’s selection of Palin in the most positive possible light.” He believes that Palin insults our intelligence as Americans. I think this article is for a universal audience because it not only addresses left wing democrats who feel the same way, but also wants to instill ideals into conservatives who may be brainwashed by Palin and her supporters.
I think that Press puts the loci of essence at the top of his hierarchy of values. I think his article really wants to instill what is at the core of the Palin issue and not what is surrounding it because what is on the fringes is what people follow. The fact that Palin is this huge impact on the GOP is what people are concerned about, but they have no idea why or how she became such an impact.
This article captures a practical audience. Because this is a political issue, and a very strong political pull to the right, there is definitely a practical audience being drawn in. The people who go see Palin on her book signing tour believe in her and what she stands for. They are hardcore believers in the values of a Palin World and stand by her through controversy and harassment. What is so astonishing is that Palin hold no office currently and could have completely ended her entire career when she ran for Vice President. However, to conservatives, her success is from “her intense charisma that makes her very exciting and attractive. She will be a force.”
Harris applies to the loci of quantity in this article because what is the greatest good for the greatest number of people in his audience is Palin. She has all the answers and is a force to be reckoned with. In this articles value hierarchies, I would imagine that loci of quantity and loci of the person are at the top. At the bottom, I think that loci of existent stay there because the argument is that Palin will save America. Not how she will save it, but she will in some way. It puts the questionable in front of the concrete.
On the other end of the argument, Palin is criticized for her controversial and questionable policies. Bill Press writes in his article “Sarah Palin: A national joke” that he is tired of Republicans trying to “spin McCain’s selection of Palin in the most positive possible light.” He believes that Palin insults our intelligence as Americans. I think this article is for a universal audience because it not only addresses left wing democrats who feel the same way, but also wants to instill ideals into conservatives who may be brainwashed by Palin and her supporters.
I think that Press puts the loci of essence at the top of his hierarchy of values. I think his article really wants to instill what is at the core of the Palin issue and not what is surrounding it because what is on the fringes is what people follow. The fact that Palin is this huge impact on the GOP is what people are concerned about, but they have no idea why or how she became such an impact.
Thursday, February 4, 2010
Think Before You Speak Argument
I truly do like the idea that "Think Before you Speak" is trying to put out there. I like how they have a lot of situated proof. My favorite part is the counter on the side of the website that says how many times certain words are used on twitter. I find this ingenious actually. They also provide real proof from people who sign a pledge or make their own movies and post them. Obviously, for people to take so much time as to create their own PSA, there must be a very strong following to this cause.
The impact of celebrities is somewhat affective here, but their PSA's were not exactly what I was hoping for. They overhear groups using the phrase "that's so gay" and then tell them to use another word and pretty much insult the group that said it. Insulting someone who is using insulting language is kind of a double standard and hypocritical.
The impact of celebrities is somewhat affective here, but their PSA's were not exactly what I was hoping for. They overhear groups using the phrase "that's so gay" and then tell them to use another word and pretty much insult the group that said it. Insulting someone who is using insulting language is kind of a double standard and hypocritical.
Tuesday, February 2, 2010
Aesthetics
In her article, The Aesthetic Imperative, Virginia Postrel argues that today's Americans are not living in a futuristic world with flying cars and pills for food, but in a world where everything must meet our aesthetic requirement of a beautiful world. She argues that we like our appliances shiny, our computers colorful, designer coffee on every street corner, and our clothes must be glamorous. We are living in a world of creativity and expect nothing less than the most creative thing possible. Aesthetic does not have to represent beauty, however, it can represent horror, relief, happiness, and sadness. As long as we feel sophisticated in a visual way, we feel accomplished.
In regards to value hierarchies in Postrels argument, lets first look at loci of quantity. In this article, the greatest good for the greatest number of people is not truly important. There is a massive quantity of things that we do not need. Do we truly need every single color of computer known to man? Do we really need to have the refreshing feeling that in the next block there will be a Starbucks and now you want one?
Loci of quality is questionable in a aesthetic world like this as well. If we are making things just to make them, how good are they? However, when things are better or look better, we seem to feel more prone to buy or visit those things.
Loci of the person can seen faded as well in an aesthically pleasing world. The dignity of the person is being taken advantage of. Because something looks pretty and pleasing is what gets people to move toward those things. We wanna dress like the richest stars and live in the best houses. I have a friend who will only shop at Wholefoods because the store is the nicest and she will not even think of stepping into a QFC because they are dirty.
Loci of the existent looks at the concrete over the possible. Well, anything is possible right? What is concrete gets removed from what is possible. The example of clothing comes to mind when Postrel says that colors are in and black and gray are out.
Loci of essence values what is at the core of a group or class rather than what is on the fringes. Years ago, many people especially men did not really worry about what clothes they would wear. Some would wear the same ones over and over again. Today, what was on the fringe years ago is now part of the core. People love clothes and love impressing others with the clothes they buy. If you don't look good, you don't leave the house.
So, are we only concerned with aesthetics and what is pleasing to us. For now we are. Aesthetics is why you buy something. You can admit or not, but what looks good to you and primarily to the masses is what you strive for. Postrel writes in her article that "aesthetics is the way we communicate through our senses. It is the art of creating reactions without words, through the look and feel of people, places, and things." I agree fully with Postrels position. Just the other day, I bought a pair of shoes that were bright green and gold and thought to myself "those will stand out and make people look." Things are appealing to us for a reason. As babies, we grow up fascinated by the colorful and fascinating things that we see and want to know what they are right away. Well, it seems like the argument of aesthetics is that it wants to keep us as babies and fascinate us with color and brilliance.
In regards to value hierarchies in Postrels argument, lets first look at loci of quantity. In this article, the greatest good for the greatest number of people is not truly important. There is a massive quantity of things that we do not need. Do we truly need every single color of computer known to man? Do we really need to have the refreshing feeling that in the next block there will be a Starbucks and now you want one?
Loci of quality is questionable in a aesthetic world like this as well. If we are making things just to make them, how good are they? However, when things are better or look better, we seem to feel more prone to buy or visit those things.
Loci of the person can seen faded as well in an aesthically pleasing world. The dignity of the person is being taken advantage of. Because something looks pretty and pleasing is what gets people to move toward those things. We wanna dress like the richest stars and live in the best houses. I have a friend who will only shop at Wholefoods because the store is the nicest and she will not even think of stepping into a QFC because they are dirty.
Loci of the existent looks at the concrete over the possible. Well, anything is possible right? What is concrete gets removed from what is possible. The example of clothing comes to mind when Postrel says that colors are in and black and gray are out.
Loci of essence values what is at the core of a group or class rather than what is on the fringes. Years ago, many people especially men did not really worry about what clothes they would wear. Some would wear the same ones over and over again. Today, what was on the fringe years ago is now part of the core. People love clothes and love impressing others with the clothes they buy. If you don't look good, you don't leave the house.
So, are we only concerned with aesthetics and what is pleasing to us. For now we are. Aesthetics is why you buy something. You can admit or not, but what looks good to you and primarily to the masses is what you strive for. Postrel writes in her article that "aesthetics is the way we communicate through our senses. It is the art of creating reactions without words, through the look and feel of people, places, and things." I agree fully with Postrels position. Just the other day, I bought a pair of shoes that were bright green and gold and thought to myself "those will stand out and make people look." Things are appealing to us for a reason. As babies, we grow up fascinated by the colorful and fascinating things that we see and want to know what they are right away. Well, it seems like the argument of aesthetics is that it wants to keep us as babies and fascinate us with color and brilliance.
A conversation with WBC? I don think so
The Westboro Baptist Church, or cult, focus their own values around the teachings of the Bible. Well, for them the teaching of the bible makes them preach against the "ungodly" acts of divorce, fornication, remarriage, and homosexuality. They firmly believe that the universal beliefs that "God loves everyone" and "Jesus died for our sins" are inaccurate assumptions formed by people who do not read the Bible. Their values begin with the claim that "God Hates America" and it is up to them to preach the appropriate ways of the Bible and to clean those with ever-dying souls. Their offensive picketing is seen at military funerals, gay pride parades, and at terrorist attacks. They belief that God is punishing America by killing troops in Iraq for their commitment to an evil nation. Sadly, these protests include small children who are mindfully being brainwashed into the same values and beliefs as their elders have installed on them since 1955.
As for me? Well, I cringe at the very thought of the Westboro Baptist Church. I grew up learning respect and tolerance as values. On the religious side of things, I never experienced church as a child and did not know the "teachings of the Bible." However, I know what is right from wrong. I think of also the values of the country we live in and the country they claim is evil. The First Amendment gives them every right to do what they are doing, so perhaps this country is doomed for all eternity.
To start a conversation with any one of these people would be like starting a conversation with a banana. Pointless and fruitless, no pun intended. Obviously, they are firm believers in their practices and it would be almost impossible to argue or even start up a friendly conversation without them telling me I am going to hell. I wonder what they believe they have sinned in and if they are saved from Gods wrath?
As for me? Well, I cringe at the very thought of the Westboro Baptist Church. I grew up learning respect and tolerance as values. On the religious side of things, I never experienced church as a child and did not know the "teachings of the Bible." However, I know what is right from wrong. I think of also the values of the country we live in and the country they claim is evil. The First Amendment gives them every right to do what they are doing, so perhaps this country is doomed for all eternity.
To start a conversation with any one of these people would be like starting a conversation with a banana. Pointless and fruitless, no pun intended. Obviously, they are firm believers in their practices and it would be almost impossible to argue or even start up a friendly conversation without them telling me I am going to hell. I wonder what they believe they have sinned in and if they are saved from Gods wrath?
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