Prompt 13: Visual Rhetoric

Iron Man 3 Trailer

The Hobbit Trailer

An Unexpected Briefing (Air New Zealand)

The Lizzie Bennet Diaries - Episode 1

I am a Thoughtful Guy (Rhett & Link)

Shadows - Lindsey Stirling
Squatty Potty

Respond to one of the preceding mini-films and assess the visual rhetoric involved. Response should discuss the visual, auditory etc. rhetoric involved in one of the above mini-films. Think of the Rhetorical Situation! These questions might help you get started. You DO NOT need to answer all of the following questions, however you should address at least ONE question from each category.

AUDIENCE:

Who is the audience for this film? 

What are they expecting? 

What does the film do to appeal to this audience? 

CREATOR: 

How does the writer/filmmaker/performer establish themselves as someone that the audience should pay attention to? 

How do they create interest in the subject matter? 

Why do they execute the film like they do? 

SUBJECT MATTER (Issue):

What are they promoting/sowcasing/parodying?

Why is this relelvant to the audience? 

How does the film make the subject relevant/interesting to the audience? 

What happens in the film? - Why doesn't the film go farther? Why doesn't it stop sooner? 

Balancing Easter

As I've grown up, my parents have always made family time a priority at Easter. We would dye Easter eggs together, do an Easter egg hunt in the backyard and then open all our eggs we collected together.  Not only did they stress the importance of family at Easter, but they also did a good job of teaching us about the real meaning for the Easter season. We focused a lot on Jesus Christ at Easter time.

I never thought the Easter bunny was real. In my mind he was more of just a symbol of the commercialization of Easter.  It was fun to have him as a part of my childhood, so I will definitely make him a part of my kid's lives.  Some of my fondest memories are the ones I remember doing around Easter time and I want my kids to have those same experiences. I will make sure though to highlight the spiritual importance of Easter, above the commercialization of it. 

The Little Lie

Easter and the creation of the mythical Easter bunny has impacted society more than one would think. Parents across the nation have kept this little secret, along with Santa Clause, from their young children. It has become a tradition to have young kids believe that there are magical beings that come into their homes bringing gifts and treats. However, this tradition may have adverse effects on children, that we may not have thought possible. While it is fun to believe the fairytale of the Easter bunny when at young age, it may prove to be harmful to that child later on in life.

Small children are very receptive to the actions of adults. They will observe every move that their parents make.  This simple fairy tale that a child's parents tell can cause that child to develop a habit of lying and other fraudulent behaviors. As the children who were brought up believing in the Easter bunny progress in life, they will believe that small lies are not a big deal. This will ultimately advance to the point where immoral actions and doings are part of their lifestyle. Not only is this detrimental to the individual who participates in these wrongdoings, it will also affect relationships and other affiliations.

I personally believe in keeping traditions going. I will most likely tell my own children someday about the Easter bunny so that they may have fond memories of their childhoods. However, when the time comes that they must know of the truth, I will teach and emphasize the characteristic of being honest in all things.

A Time For Family

My parents always kept Easter as a day to celebrate Christ’s resurrection. That didn’t mean that we didn’t decorate eggs and have candy though.  For the most part we celebrated with eggs and candy on Saturday and reserved Sunday to celebrate Christ and spend time with family.  I will probably celebrate Easter with my kids in the same way my parents celebrated it.

I was never told that the Easter Bunny was real.  I always knew that it was a symbol of the materialistic part of the holiday. However, it was clear that that wasn’t bad or wrong. If fact, the Saturday before Easter, our backyard became home to the neighborhood Easter egg hunt. This tradition became a great way build neighborhood ties.  The point I think my parents tried to make was that the brightly colored eggs celebration is good, but there is a better thing to celebrate. 

I love how my parents celebrate Easter. As my siblings and I have grown, it has become an a great time to gather as family and enjoy each other’s company and find joy in our knowledge of Christ’s purpose in our lives. 

#bunniesdontlayeggs

The Easter Bunny is a fascinatingly crafted creature. Hand it to a capitalist nation to invent a character that lays eggs despite its mammalian descent. Hand it to a capitalist nation to require that every child under 10 participate in a comical search for said creature's eggs. What effect has the Easter Bunny had on our society?

Sales.

But really. Besides Halloween and Christmas, Easter is one of the largest holidays for candy sales. Believe it or not, it also happens to be the most popular season for plastic egg sales! Shocking. The Easter Bunny, in reality, is a nonsensical creation that causes us to buy products and attend activities we would never think of otherwise.
Unfortunately I must report that the Easter Bunny is merely an indication of a worse problem. The Easter Bunny is our society's flashy way of avoiding the real reason for the season. A holiday originally based on one of the single most important events in Christian history, Easter has now become a holiday filled to the brim with candy and hard-boiled eggs. Like Christmas, Easter has been claimed by commercialism, and THAT is our real problem.

But yeah I'm still going to have an Easter egg hunt with my kids. However, I hid the eggs, not the Easter Bunny.

Remember the Roots

I think that the Easter Bunny has changed our society’s view on what Easter is all about. Originally, of course, Easter is all about Christ and his resurrection after three days.  I don’t know when the Easter Bunny was introduced and how it all came about, but it might have been done to bring more excitement and publication to the holiday. With this mascot, people have marketed, made money, and advertise to get gain. I don’t think that the Easter Bunny is necessarily a bad thing, but it’s important that we remember the TRUE meaning to Easter, and that is not, of course, the Easter egg hunts. I think that the Easter Bunny has become such a big tradition that it has us focusing on the bunny and not Christ as much as we should.

I don’t remember ever thinking that the Easter Bunny was real and existed. I am pretty sure that I’ll go along with the tradition and teach my children about the Easter Bunny and the eggs and all, but never deceive them into thinking that he is real. I’ve never believed that myself, and it’s not necessary. The most important thing is to focus on the true meaning of the holiday. The roots of where the holiday came from. That’s what I’ll teach my kids.

OR COURSE!!!!!

Whaddya nuts? Of course I'm going to tell my kids that the Easter Bunny exists. I have great past times with the thought that the Easter Bunny and Santa Clause were real. I wasn't actually too into it since I'm the last of six siblings and, while they didn't ruin it for me, I wasn't super convinced.

I thinks it's fun for kids to believe in things like this. I think that parents shouldn't over-exaggerate it however, I believe that situations like that are the ones that lead to children's worlds shattering when they find out that the these fictitious characters aren't real. The Easter Bunny and Santa Clause are great to help kids enjoy and remember their childhood holiday memories.

I love the Easter Bunny. I won't lie, I think that the Easter Bunny has commercialized Easter and made it just another excuse to spend a lot of money and get a lot of candy. But I also think that it is a really fun part of Easter. As long as the Easter Bunny is kept separate from the religious meaning of Easter then I think that it is a good thing...more candy is never really a bad thing is it? I will teach my kids about the Easter Bunny because believing in things like the Easter Bunny and Santa Clause are all part of being a kid. When I was a kid I believed in the Easter Bunny, and every Easter morning I hunted for eggs. But once the hunt was over I went to church and learnt about the significance of Easter and I think that that was a good way to grow up because now that I am older I focus only on the religious meaning, but I still have a lot of great memories from the Easter egg hunts as a child.

The Easter Bunny's Death

      The Easter Bunny has long been a symbol associated with the Easter holidays as a big, fluffy bunny who delivers Easter eggs all around for kids to find. Similar to Santa Clause he is just a figure that brings more excitement and fun to this holiday and a reason for giving the gifts. But times are changing and so is the Easter Bunny's popularity. Kids don't hear of the Easter Bunny as much anymore and even the legendary Santa Clause seems to be in decline too. I don't want to be party killer or anything but it seems Easter Bunny has run its course in our society and that we are ready to move on. It did its job spreading Easter eggs around and welcoming in the spring and I don't think the symbol of bunnies and cute fuzzy animals will be lost but just that the icon of the Easter Bunny will. As for me I may teach my posterity the story of the Easter bunny when they are young so at least they know who he is but as they grow up and forget childish things I'm sure it will diminish in their minds. It is just not as fun as Santa Clause or as important of a holiday. Well sorry Mr. Easter Bunny I hope I haven't condemned you to the trash heap of history but just keep on hopping knowing your time may come.

What's a Holiday Without a Mascot?

When it comes to holidays, we all have certain memories or pictures that we associate with them. For Thanksgiving in my family the picture is a pickup football game in the backyard. For the Fourth of July, its my family in lawn chairs gathered around a growing stack of fireworks with an extinguisher on hand just in case. For Easter, its the Easter bunny and an egg hunt. The fact that these are the first images that come to mind is completely harmless. While it is true that these holidays are about so much more, the fact that they even bring families together at all is a cause for celebration. I can think of few ways that the Savior would prefer his birthday to be celebrated than by large family get togethers, creating and recalling memories, and of course taking at least an hour to remember the true reason for the celebration. So no, i don't think that these traditions take away from holidays. In fact i can only hope that the Easter Bunny, fireworks, and football instill as much joy and family unity in the lives of my children and grandchildren as they have in my own.

A Bitter Heart

The question has been posed, what impact does the Easter Bunny have on our society? The answer to that question has many parts, and it is unclear to many whether this figure has a positive or negative effect on our culture. Ultimately, the Easter Bunny has had a negative influence on us.

The most superficial and obvious answer to the overall question is that the Easter Bunny has a wonderful effect on society. The Easter Bunny brings annual gifts of foil-wrapped chocolate eggs and duck-shaped marshmallow treats to households across the world, creating immediate happiness for children and adults alike. Nobody would begrudge this charitable rabbit for spreading sugary-happiness through Christian homes across the world.

That being said, this happiness is inevitably short-lived. Mere hours after the adrenaline of the egg hunt has worn off and copious amounts of candy have been consumed, the “Post-Easter Regret” sets in. Existential questions like “How did I eat the whole thing?” and “What am I doing? I don’t even have kids!” are asked, sinking millions of individuals into a cloud of depression and tummy aches. The Easter Bunny, whose name had been praised earlier the very same day, is now cursed for bringing about such evil.

In addition to its casual regard for causing such intense discomfort, the Easter Bunny demonstrates a blatant disrespect for laws regarding trespassing and breaking and entering. What message is this sending our children? That candy makes everything alright? Incorrect. The law applies to everyone, even vigilante sugar-strewing criminal critters. If the Easter Bunny didn’t have such a knack for evading capture, its reign of terror would’ve ended years ago and its name would now be only a legend used to frighten pre-teens at summer camp.

To the question of whether I will teach my own children about the Easter Bunny, the answer is yes. I cannot keep my children in the dark about such things. While I hate to crush childish innocence, the children must know the truth. Beyond the façade of sweet candy often lurks a bitter heart. And so, to my future children, I apologize.

There is evil in this world. And there’s nothing sweet about it. 

Meh, Who Cares?

     When I think of my childhood, I don't think that it was necessarily ruined by the existence of the Easter Bunny.  It wasn't that much better because of the existence of the Easter Bunny either.  For me, it was pretty trivial, and it seems harmless enough for my kids to believe in the Easter Bunny.  I just don't want to raise kids that don't believe in the Easter Bunny, have them tell other kids, and have those kids' parents be put in a tough spot because of my kids' loud mouth.  I think the Easter Bunny is a fun tradition, but I don't mind if someone spoils the tradition for my kids.
     Santa is a much bigger deal for me and my family, but the Easter Bunny not so much.  In both cases I would like my kids to know the real reason that we celebrate those holidays, and I want them to be able to appreciate the religious aspects of both of those holidays.  In summary, I have mixed feelings about the Easter Bunny, but in the end I don't think it matters too much, and it's not a big deal either way.

Our Fluffy Little Friend

I think the impact of the Easter bunny on our society has been both good and bad. One of the major downsides of the Easter bunny is that it supports the commercialization of Easter. We celebrate Easter to commemorate the resurrection of Christ. However, much of the focus at Easter time is now placed on bunny-shaped candy and hunting for colorful eggs. All the fun and excitement might cause the true meaning of Easter to pale in comparison to the mystery and suspense of the Easter bunny.

However, I don't believe the Easter bunny is all bad. Like most things, it can be good, but only in moderation. If parents are careful to emphasize the true meaning of Easter, children can learn both the significance of the holiday and enjoy the thrill of waiting for the Easter bunny. The Easter Bunny can be a good way to get children excited for and involved in preparing for a holiday that may other wise seem bland for children who do not at first grasp the importance of Christ's atonement.

When I have children, I will most likely tell them that the Easter bunny exists, but I will also be sure to emphasize the true meaning of the holiday. While it is good to pay more attention to the religious significance of the day, I also believe there is a time for kids to foster their imaginations and find joy in the world. There is a way to find balance between both aspects of the holiday and kids need a chance to be kids.

Prompt 12: Easter

(Address one or two of the following questions:) What impact has the Easter Bunny had on our society? Is this a good or a bad thing?
Will you teach your children that the Easter Bunny exists? Why or why not? 

Inspired

My brother in law is a fantastic athelete. He is the captain on his high school baseball and football teams and the chances of him playing at the collegiate level are looking better and better everyday. With this skill comes an awful lot of pressure to be stronger, faster, and perform better. Unfortunately many high school atheletes are turning to performance enhancing drugs such as steroids in order to obtain these results. Luckily through the increase in new media and increased access to professional sports icons around the world my brother in law has been inspired to take the higher road. Through twitter and increased online blogs and articles, atheletes are more able than ever to connect with their fans. While there are plenty of poor examples in the sports world, there are even more good examples to inspire the youth of America. Everyday my brother in law reads tweets from some of his favorite players such as Brandon Phillips and Lebron James. These tweets are often full of stories of helping others and how hard work and sweat are the only ways to get ahead in this life. These tweets and online articles show my Brother in law that the only real way to be both succesful and happy is to not cut corners and do things the hard way. This influence leaves both my brother in law and myself truly...inspired.

Flawless Image

Once upon a time there was a talented, smart, beautiful, confident girl named Chloe. She had a great family, a loving boyfriend, supportive friends and basically the perfect life. One day Chloe was having one of those "I hate how I look" days that every teenager experiences and she began to see herself as fat, although she was far from.  After critiquing her appearance in the mirror, she decided to perform her daily routine of checking her social media accounts. On one of the sites, she saw a picture of model who had the perfect body type and seemingly the perfect life to go with it. Chloe decided right then and there that she needed to look like that model, and she was willing to do anything to achieve that look. To help her lose weight, she started by skipping breakfast,which eventually led to skipping all meals and continued down a slippery slope to the point where she was counting the calories of the gum she chewed. Chloe began to become depressed, isolating herself from human interaction.  She was in a dark place that no one could help her get out of. She has lost an unhealthy amount of weight in 4 weeks and looked like she was exhausted all the time. So many people tried to help her, but she didn't see the problem and didn't want help. If she doesn't recognize her problem and get help soon, there will be a tragic ending to this story.

Freedom of Expression

Within the past few months in New York City, a street artist was caught just after placing an altered NYPD poster that stated “Always Watching”. This poster in particular was an “anti-ad” criticizing the recently passed laws that permit the United States government to begin using unmanned drone to monitor the everyday lives of American citizens. The artist’s position on the drone issue is that these unmanned drones take away the privacy of every citizen and leaves them defenseless against their own government, which opens the doors for the formation of an oppressive “military-state.” This is clear from the content of the poster, which includes unmanned drones, multiple security cameras, and a group of marching police officers. But after being caught placing one of the many mass produced posters, the artist now faces thousands of dollars in fines and a long list of felony charges. In addition to the felony charges and fines, he also faces the possibility of jail time, for expressing his opinion on a serious matter of federal law. This artist did not vandalize any private property or harm anyone in the process of placing the art, but yet the artist is still being punished for practicing free speech/press in a public place.

His Story

         Brigham Young University students I believe are some of the worst fans in Collegiate sports. I love BYU and I am a Cougar for life, but there are limits to our behavior and they should be maintained even at sporting events.
         My cousin, Cory and his sister Erin went to a home BYU football game against Florida State University. My cousins are die-hard FSU fans. They went to the game here dressed in their FSU gear gold and scarlet paint and the whole shabang. FSU was a very formidable force back then and they beat the Cougars quite wholly. My cousins were yelled at by BYU fans, derogatory and profane language was used by the crowd and they even threw food and empty cups. Fans of the Cougars would push them off the bleachers when they would celebrate the Seminoles' successes.
         This unsportsmanlike conduct is unacceptable and pathetic. This is the story of only two of the many people affected by poor fan conduct and unsportsmanlike actions.

A Story About YOU

We all have a Facebook. Before updating our status, we review it, evaluating if it is catchy enough, is applicable to our online friends, and what our parents friends/old ward members would think if we posted it. 

We edit and revise every word because we would only let the things on Facebook be a reflection of our ‘best’ selves.  However, our edited-in-depth posts portray ourselves in an elevated light rather than our true selves.  The enthusiastic comments and likes on our faux-selves make us wonder if people are really invested in our page or our personality. Consequently, this leads to create feelings of insecurity.

The problem with Facebook is that it mainstreams us.  The nature of Facebook encourages us to gain approval from our personal fan section, and because of our knack to pick up on trends, we unconsciously post things that are more popular than true.  We all somehow lose a part of ourself in documenting our life.

Drug Courts

Picture Jared, your typical American high school guy.

Jared is a decent student and hopes to get into college on a baseball scholarship. He made the varsity team this year as shortstop. He thinks he has a pretty good chance at getting some offers from colleges. Jared has a girlfriend, a part time job at Burger King, and is saving up for a car.

Then, with no real warning, Jared's parents get a divorce. He has to pick a parent to live with in the messy custody battle. He ends up living with his dad and her girlfriend in a small apartment. Jared rarely sees his mom, who is hostile towards Jared and his dad.

Jared stops caring about a lot of things he used to love. He quits baseball and his job. His girlfriend breaks up with him. Jared finds a new group of friends. Over the summer he gets in a few fights and enters his senior year with a criminal record. Jared starts doing drugs, paying for them with the money he was saving for his car. Eventually Jared is arrested for possession and selling drugs.

Jared, charged as an adult, serves 3 months in prison. 6 months after he is released he is arrested again, this time serving a term of a year. Jared bounces in an out of prison until he is 27, when he commits suicide.

Because of his criminal record including violence, Jared was originally ineligible for a drug court program. Drug courts are alternatives to the traditional court system. A drug court program provides rehabilitation and correctional aid for drug offenders. Drug rehab, instead of hard prison time, might've turned things around for Jared. Jared's life might have played out very differently if the eligibility requirements for entering a drug court program had been looser, and this overall good kid had received another chance.

A New "School" of Thought

Jackson is your average high school student. He struggles through some classes and succeeds in others. He is well-balanced but not magnificent by any means. His ACT score is average, he doesn't play any Varsity sports, and his extracurricular participation is lacking. In order to make up for his shortcomings, Jackson turns to his friends and gets wrapped up in drugs and partying. He gets into an average party school and after scraping through a major in Business Management, ends up working as a sales representative at GEICO. Certainly this is no sob story; it doesn't end with death or sadness or great loss. Or does it?

Jackson was incredible at improvisation. In fact, he made it through high school with very little effort where others struggled. Concepts came easily to him, presentations were a walk in the park, and tests were trifling. With such incredible skills and abilities, why did Jackson do so averagely? Drive. He had no desire to apply himself. He saw no value in the busywork assigned by his various teachers and rebelled against the uselessness. Without a practical avenue to truly apply himself, Jackson sank down into mediocrity.

What's the real problem here? Our school system is failing its students.

Social Media Becoming Dangerous

This story is about a man named Jose. Jose is a middle aged man with a wife and four children living in northern Mexico. He spends his entire day working hard so that he can bring in enough money in order to provide for his family, as well as put some money aside in a college fund for his children. Jose did not graduate from high school. He hopes that his children will be able to graduate from college and get a career. One of the things that Jose and his family enjoy doing is keeping in contact with a few relatives that live in the US through Facebook.

Recently, drug cartels have taken over Mexico. They are killing anyone who is in their way. The newspaper does not accurately report on what is going on because they are afraid for their lives. When Jose communicates through Facebook with his relatives, he tells them what is actually going on. His relatives in the US then take this information to their local news to be broadcasted. Somehow, one of the cartels located Jose and his family and have threatened their lives for reporting on the drug cartel's crimes. Jose and his family do not know what to do. They cannot go to the police because most of the police force is corrupt. They have heard stories of people being brutally killed for trying to inform the world through the use of blogs and other social media. Jose and his family are living in fear and do not know what the future holds.

Jeffy's New Smart Phone

Jeffy is a typical teenager with a smart phone. He recently graduated from high school, and has embarked in his college life. He still wants to stay connected with all his friends as they, too, move out and go on with their lives. Buying this new smart phone has helped him do this. Now he can text and call his buddies whenever he desires and respond in whatever way he likes to as well. He now has this “freedom”, but soon finds out that it’s hard to put down the phone. Whenever he should be studying, working, or doing other more important things, he finds it hard to keep his phone untouched. Even when he’s conversing with his friends in person, he texts on his phone while they talk to him. He realizes that he needs to limit his use on it so that he can be more productive.

Since it is Jeffy’s first semester in college, he doesn’t know that many people around. He finds it harder and harder to meet new people, and finds it easier to stay in contact with those he already knows on the phone. Using his phone is easy and keeps those already-made friendships strong, while trying to meet new people may be harder. He notices that social norms have changed over the years as well and that people’s relationships with their friends have been transformed through the use of cell phones. Now because Jeffy wanted to meet new people and be more productive through his studies and in life, he decided to not overly use his smart phone and to be more outgoing; that is, to interact more without the use of his phone. The end!

(p.s. This story is made up.)

A Hero's Downfall

Marcus is a little kid who loves football. His favorite team is the Patriots and he has been collecting their jerseys, hats, and cards for as long as he can remember. He even has a little Patriots hat he wore as a baby. Now Marcus is growing up and he has started playing football for his high school team. He is getting really into it and has looked up workout routines put out by the Patriots and is always in the weight room in the off season getting ready for the next year. He has been watching the Patriots every chance he can get and is super pumped for them to go to the Super Bowl this year. Peyton Manning has become Marcus's hero on the football team and Marcus decides to become a quarterback. Marcus's senior year is coming up and he is know the starting quarterback for the team. He starts training even harder and stops caring about school as much since he is hoping to get a football scholarship to a good college. Then it is on to the NFL to be a quarterback like Peyton Manning with all the money and fame. His grades are slipping but he is only worried about the State tournament coming up and making sure they win. Then Peyton Manning gets caught doing something scandalous and Marcus's hero crumbles before his eyes. Marcus can't focus on the State tournament since his idol has fallen and he can't get his resolve back. Things go terribly wrong after that and Marcus ends not going to the State tournament since they lose the next several games and he can't get a scholarship so his hopes are dashed and his dreams must be altered.

(completely fake story)

Ebay

One time, I had a grandpa. My grandpa had a lot of friends. One of his friends served in Vietnam when he was really young. As an older, reminiscent, and wealthy lawyer, this man decided to buy a  gun off of Ebay. His plan was to buy one of the guns that was used in Vietnam to have for sentimental reasons and display, and he found the perfect one. He paid and entered his shipping information, as most people buying from Ebay do. Then a couple weeks later a package arrived at his door. The package was a gun, but it was not the gun that he had ordered. Instead, the gun that had arrived was a semi-automatic rifle, brand new and ready to use. The man was confused and could not believe just how easily he was able to attain a gun, without even trying to.

A Parent's Nightmare

Note: All characters appearing in this cheesy story are fictitious. Any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.

On a calm day in Fakeplace, North Dakota, the phone rang in Jill Someperson's home. Waiting on the other end of the phone was the principal of her son's elementary school and the manifestation of the cumulative effects of poor parenting practices. Jill's son, Jim, had been caught fighting with another student. After a verbal exchange, Jim had punched the other boy. Distraught, Jill called her husband, Jack, and together they went to meet with the principal about Jim's behavior problems. They wondered where they had gone wrong in their parenting. After all, Jim was only in first grade. Why had he suddenly become so violent?

After this incident had been repeated on several occasions, the Somepersons decided to take Jim to see a child psychologist. The child psychologist asked if Jim had always had violent tendencies. Jill said that he had not. In fact, prior to his formal schooling, Jim had always been content to sit quietly in his bedroom and watch TV. When asked what kind of shows Jim liked to watch, Jack replied that they were not entirely sure, although they knew that he liked to watch cartoons that were popular among his peers. The psychologist then suggested that the Somepersons pay more attention to what Jim watches on TV because he may be learning his social behaviors from the television.

Jack and Jill were able to correct their parenting errors and they all lived happily ever after. The end. :)

Ideological Ignorance

     Once upon a time Matt's roommate (Seth) was a democrat.  Freshman semester started right before the re-election of President Obama, so BYU students were heavily involved in the race between Romney and Obama.  Seth decided to put up an Obama/Biden poster in our window to let everyone know where he stood.  Within a couple of hours, we got a knock on our door.  It was 3 energetic freshman eager to meet adversity.  Here were the first words out of their mouths:  "Is this your poster?"  (He replied yes)  "What is wrong with you?  No, seriously, what is wrong with you, I've never understood Democrats." 

    My roommate wasn't sure how to respond, and I decided to stay out of it.  They argued about which was the better political party for a good portion of an hour.  It was entertaining.  At the end of the debate, both parties were angry, and no progress towards common ground had been made.  Both groups were too grounded in their beliefs to be willing to give up any ground.

   My issues paper is about ideological ignorance, and I believe that both parties were so ignorant and unwilling to shift because they had been continually supported by those who believe what they believe online, so they developed the false consensus effect.

Prompt 11: A Story

Tell a story about someone who is affected by your issue. Include details like their job, family situation, financial situation etc. that would also be affected (directly or indirectly) by your issue.

Procrastination

I'm writing this blog post at 1:32 in the morning, Friday. This assignment is due in a matter of hours and to be honest it's a miracle I remembered to do it. I think this is sufficient evidence to my argument.

We have a procrastination problem.

This is a delicately complex syndrome that affects an ever-growing portion of teenagers. It targets those tasks and events that rank high on the "need to do" list and low on the "want to do" list. Incredibly flexible, this virus is incredibly talented at avoiding reason and dodging responsibility. As a practiced body of excuse-making students, we have become incredibly good at balancing this vice with the necessity of completing a certain amount of required tasks. We wouldn't want to embarrass ourselves, after all!

And yet we wouldn't want to embarrass ourselves by getting too much done either. Why study on a Friday night when we could be spending our valuable time watching Netflix or going to dances. Why right this blog post when I could be playing solitaire?

I make a good point.

In conclusion, our generation's obsession with procrastination is reaching dangerous levels. As dire as the circumstances seem, however, I think we'll have to worry about fixing this problem tomorrow.
Or maybe next week.
It'll happen.

This is a Problem

The biggest problem our generation faces, in my humble opinion, is general apathy. To avoid proving my point, please continue reading.

Apathy is killing our generation. The “I just don’t care anymore” attitude is a snake that is slowly squeezing the life out of our desire to learn, our determination, and our creativity.

Some say our education system doesn’t work, that it isn’t effective in teaching our children. I disagree. Respectfully, I believe the problem lies in an apathetic attitude about learning that children now have. If every child truly wanted to learn, if every child had a sincere desire to fill their minds with knowledge, the structure of education would be irrelevant. Education would happen regardless of the system.

Personally, I used to love to read. I devoured books when I was a kid. Over the years, reading has become more of a chore. I don’t dislike reading, but my recreational reading has certainly plummeted. I just don’t care that much anymore, and I despise that apathetic feeling I have toward books. The desire for a simple good grade has replaced my desire to learn as much as I can.

There is no concrete solution to this problem. Rather, children must be somehow inspired to keep learning, to keep improving, and to make a difference. I don’t know how to do this. I honestly don’t know what I can do to help. I do know, however, that the only way to battle apathy is with activity. While I can’t solve our generation’s problem, I can solve my own problem. I will not allow myself to become completely apathetic. And maybe that will make a difference. 

Lack of Patriotism

One of the biggest problems our generation faces is the lack of patriotism we show. I noticed this particularly during the 2012 Presidential elections.  At the time, I was still in high school so I heard a lot of political conversation from my peers.  Out of the 30 kids who were of voting age in my senior class, probably only 8 of us voted.  Teenagers and young adults think that their vote doesn't matter or count, therefore they don't see the need to vote.  They don't recognize the duty we have as citizens of the United States to vote and get involved in what goes on in America and even more specifically in our own towns. If our generation continues with this lax attitude about our country, America will have a hard time upholding its values.  In order to solve this problem, our society needs to stress the importance of everyone getting involved to do their part, not only nationally, but also locally. We need to emphasize the opportunities that younger people can get involved with to help promote patriotism.

Passing and Without Learning

         From Middle School to University testing it is seen that the students study to pass the tests given not to learn the material. It's understandable that certain classes are needed as generals, but this is not the biggest problem facing our generation in the United States of America. The biggest problem is that students, even in classes they have chosen to take, are not applying themselves or absorbing the material. Just as the interest level in a topic fuels research and long-term application and recollection, the need for interest behind a class topic is key to long-term use of the knowledge gained.
         Some of the things I learned in my Psychology 101 class two and a half years ago stay with me because I applied myself and I studied to learn. There is a difference between learning and studying. The students need to apply themselves, to try to learn and absorb the information for learning's sake not for passing the test's sake. I have experienced the difference between learning to pass and learning to learn and I much more enjoy learning to learn. This is the greatest problem in the generation, that we are not actually learning. There's no interest, we don't gain knowledge because we enjoy it, rather we do school work because we have to.

Being Self-Centered and Caught Up in Own Life

I think that a problem that our generation is facing right now is being selfish or self-centered. Like others have commented, our generation thrives on use of new media and entertainment. Life is fast-paced and everyone is always on the go. Everyone is busy going to school, working, and living life.  I think that society as a whole gets caught up in themselves and in their own lives. Everything about life is more complicated these days than ever before. We sometimes get caught up in our own bubble of life and forget to look out for others. The use of the internet, Facebook, and YouTube can also keep us disconnected from face-to-face social interactions with others. This new media can be very addicting as well. So that would be a problem with our generation; thinking more of ourselves and being caught up in our own lives.

Can it be solved? As a generation and a society, I’m not sure. As time passes, technology will just keep progressing and people will become more and more attached to it. A way to cure being self-centered would be giving service to others; to be thinking of others. We need to break out of our day-to-day routine and lend out a helping hand to those in need. Maybe we could limit the use of electronics and technology in our lives. Also we could spend more quality time with family and friends.

The Path of Least Resistance

     Our generation’s biggest problem is apathy.  In every generation, there have been problems arise and people have discussed what their cause is and have searched for a solution.  I feel like in our generation, problems arise, many due to advancements in the media, but there is much less discussion about a solution. The increase of impatience and ignorance, for example, are only problems because we aren't driven to find a solution. By the time we see the results of emerging technology, we have incorporated it thoroughly into our lives. At this point, instead of changing, we just accept the problem as part of the new norm.  We've stopped caring, because caring is hard. We've settled for the path of least resistance.

Picture Perfect

Being perfect is hard. In fact it is nigh impossible but students at BYU and young people everywhere have a problem with trying to be perfect. This attitude of perfection is sweeping through young people due largely to today's society. Our culture today breeds this perfectionist attitude like fly larvae. Standardized testing, public schools, grades, magazines, new media, TV, international relations, job markets, and so on have put competition, success, and achievement at the forefront of young peoples minds. The pressure now days put on young people to do well is enormous and while this is good at times to get us motivated and off the coach it can also do some harm. All the comparing that is done between young people is bad enough but it is only compounded by the fact that everyone is connected via Internet, Facebook, cellphones, you name it creating a huge pool of people to be compared to. Not to mention that this huge pool of people is increasingly getting more accomplished and raising the standard everyday.
We all just need to take a step back from all the hustle and bustle to be the best and have confidence in our abilities now. I'm not saying to quit improving oneself but don't let your self confidence be contingent upon being better than somebody else. Be a better person for the sake of just being a better you. Your shadow is your best competitor.

Our Biggest Problem

I believe that the biggest problem that our generation faces today is a lack of social ability and a large amount of false confidence. With the rise in technology and social media like Facebook, twitter, and video games, many people of our generation contain poor social skills and social awareness. Communication through social media causes a decrease in physical contact, resulting in inadequate social skills. This phenomenon can have substantial effects later on in life. For example, many people of our generation may not be able to attain a job because of their lack of cooperation and conversation abilities due to their social inefficiencies. Also, video games cause a false sense of confidence in their participants. Many gamers of today escape the reality of life into a virtual world where they are "successful" and a "winner." Simulation games allow the gamer to create another life for themselves. The confidence that video game participants receive from these games influence their behavior and actions in real life. The false sense of confidence can be detrimental to their careers, relationships, and their psychology.
Ultimately, a change needs to occur. We as people need to focus less on building "cyber relationships" and more on actual and meaningful relationships involving face-to-face interaction.

Ignorance

I think that the biggest problem facing our generation is the general ignorance that we seem to have. I don't mean that everyone is stupid, just unaware. I find that when I try to discuss any sort of world event with anyone under 30, they often have no idea what I am talking about. I will admit that I haven't noticed this as much since coming to BYU, but I still encounter it a lot. I don't blame anyone, there are a lot more entertaining things in the media than the news, but I think that we need to make an effort to be aware of what is happening in the world. There are just so many problems that could be fixed, if only people were aware of them.

Abundant Impatience

            I think that the biggest problem for our generation is the lack of patience that exists among us.  We have so much information and stuff at our fingertips that we often take it for granted and think everything should work as fast as 4g does.  I have definitely noticed a decrease in overall patience among my friends and I growing up.  I think it is because the internet provides us with such quick, easy answers.  I also think everything in the world is moving towards efficiency (fast food, online shopping, laundry, siri, etc), and that causes us to expect the rest of the world to act that way.
           I don't think this is as much of a problem for the older generations, because they have lived with and without the Internet and such convenient things for a good portion of their lives.  We, on the other hand, have  been born with so much technology at our fingertips.  I think that as time moves on, this problem will only get worse from generation to generation unless it is addressed correctly.

The Biggest Problem

I think the biggest problem our generation faces is the abundance of entertainment. Don't get me wrong, I love TV and video games as much as the next person. I just think we have a problem using them in moderation. Entertainment is everywhere. People can carry the internet in their pocket. That's not an inherently evil thing, but sometimes people let it consume their lives.

I guess in a broader way, the problem isn't really entertainment or media. Our generation struggles with impulse control. We have a hard time setting aside what we want to do for what needs to get done. There are definitely many people who are capable of controlling their impulses, but the abundance of distractions available makes it a much more prevalent challenge than before. This lack of ability to control impulses affects every aspect of our lives. We need to be able to get off facebook long enough to do our homework or turn off the TV long enough to visit someone who might need us.

This problem can definitely be solved, although the solution may seem simple. The ability to control impulses comes through self discipline and practice. Everyone needs to become aware of their habits and how they affect them and those around them. Practice makes perfect.

Prompt 10: Problems

"What do you think is the biggest problem our generation faces? Can it be solved? If so, how? What can you do to help?"

This prompt is brought to you by Nicole. 

From Brian

Brian's having trouble posting this week. Here is his response:

I think the class is going just fine. My only minor complaint is the weekly participation blogs. My partner always does just fine in participation, so I write pretty much the same thing every week. I do not like doing this. I realize this is a rather silly complaint.

For me, everything in the class is going very well. I do wish I had done better on my first essay and I’m still anxious to get the results back for the rhetorical analysis, but I have no real grievances against the class. I actually kind of enjoy the weekly responses. I think it’s fun writing in a more casual situation and having other members of the class respond to it. In all, the relationship between the class and me is platonic, and I hope it will remain so.