The Empowerment of Women in 2018

After decades of enduring sexual harassment, the media has finally given women a voice. This, in turn, has created a social media revolution that has given women a platform to speak out and gain strength to share their sexual harassment experiences. Historically, women have endured sexual harassment by their superiors in the entertainment industry, politicians, and other students and faculty in our schools. The social media movement, #MeToo, has encouraged women to share their stories and gain strength to prosecute their perpetrators.

Peer Review

I think that we all did a great job on our PowerPoint presentations. However, some of our presentations could have been longer, some could have been shorter and we all could have used some grammar corrections. I liked the pictures most of the class used and felt as though they helped further illustrate their arguments.
The grammar was the only thing that some of us needed corrections on. I don't believe anyone needs to go back to the drawing board. I believe that we all have grasped the concept and our presentations will help us tremendously on our paper.

Sexual Harassment

What has changed in our society that has empowered women to come forward with their sexual harassment claims in the political arena, in the entertainment industry and in our schools?

Women in our society have been empowered to come forward with their experiences of sexual harassment because the media has brought it to the public's attention. This has started a social media movement, #MeToo, that has given women a platform to speak out and gain strength to come forward.




I wanted to research this topic because of the #MeToo movement and hearing reports of President Trump, who has been accused of sexual misconduct by women. He has a history of bragging about these sexual assaults and makes women feel inferior in his workplace. Ultimately, he has kept his silence. 

However, in recent news, they are reporting President Trump paid Stormy Daniels, one of his mistresses, a reported $130,000 to remain silent when the 2016 Presidential election was underway. I am talking about our 45th President of the United States, Donald J. Trump. As a woman, I feel like this behavior is accepted regardless of who the perpetrator is and this should not be allowed. It sickens me to think that men in high ranking positions in a workplace setting can get away with such crimes as this by either "hushing" them with bribes or scaring them into thinking that they won't be taken seriously. 

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Music As Argument

     

                                                "Stand By Me"
"Stand By Me" by Playing For Change conveys the message that many cultures and their different instruments can make music have the power to break down barriers and boundaries between people, worldwide. The video is arranged globally to let people know that we, as people, need someone to be by our sides throughout life.

 Grandpa Eliott, a New Orleans, LA native, has been a street icon for decades.

This uses visual (video) rhetoric and more of an emotional standpoint because they are singing a common song that has touched so many people's hearts. As we see the song sung, worldwide, Mark Johnson's argument is that music can influence people to get involved with music or even a project like this to not get involved into violence. Instead of using violence to voice their anger, they can use music as an outlet, instead.

At the beginning of the video, Roger Ridley, from Las Vegas, Nevada, tells the audience of his meaning to this song, "Stand By Me". He has such dedication to his music that he travels from Las Vegas, NV to Santa Monica, CA every Saturday and gives a great performance before traveling back home to Las Vegas. "It was Roger's performance of "Stand By Me" that sent Playing For Change off on its mission to connect the world through music by adding other musicians to his recordings".



Sources Cited:

Johnson, Mark. "Stand By Me", YouTube, 6 Nov 2008,
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Us-TVg40ExM

"Roger Ridley's Biography", Playing for Change,
https://playingforchange.com/musicians/roger-ridley/

Critical Response to Violent Media

               
  My Critical Response to Gerard Jones' "Violent Media Is Good For Kids"

http://tips.pk/general/media-voilence-and-children.html

           
As a child, Gerard Jones, felt powerless and alone. This led to his argument that violent media is good for kids. Although Jones' acknowledges in paragraph 3 that comics contain "lofty messages of pacifism and tolerance". He reveals that it was the violence that attracted him to violent media. This article does not have enough evidence because most of his evidence was about his and his son's personal experience. As well as, the two girls story that he mentions doesn't produce enough solid proof because there's no way to verify these two girls exists. Jones also compares how the Victorians confused their children about sexuality to not allowing our children to use violent media.
                     
However, Mr. Jones does have sufficient evidence because he writes how he worked with Melanie Moore, a psychologist who has experience with urban teens. Dr. Moore also works at Stanford University and is a credible source. She writes, "children need violent entertainment in order to explore the inescapable feelings that they've been taught to deny, and to reintegrate those feelings into a more whole, more complex, more resilient selfhood". As a parent, it gave me a different prospective on violent media, however, he does not give sufficient evidence to support his claim.

In recent news, Nikolas Cruz, a 19 year-old former student, opened fire at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School with an AR-15, killing 17 people including students and facility on Wednesday, February 14, 2018. In his social media account just 5 months prior, he stated, "I'm going to be a professional school shooter". I believe that was pure evil and hatred. I also believe that violent video games, essentially violent media, had something to do with his actions.

Soucres Consulted:
Jones, Gerard. "Violent Media Is Good For Kids." Practical Argument, 3rd edition
edited by Laurie G. Kirszner and Stephen R. Mandell. Bedford/St. Martin's, 2017, pp. 64-67

McLaughlin, Ellott C. and Park, Madison. "Social Media Points A Picture Of Racist 'Professional School Shooter' ". CNN, Turner Broadcasting System, 15 Feb. 2018, https://www.cnn.com/2018/02/14/us/nikolas-cruz-florida-shooting-suspect/index.html

The Four Pillars of Argument

                                                  The Four Pillars of Arguments

       Reviewing the four pillars of argument in "College Is A Waste of Time" by Dale Stephens

Thesis Statement: Paragraph 1: "I believe higher education is broken."

Evidence: Paragraphs 4,6:
 "College is expensive. The College Board Policy Center found that the cost of public university tuition is about 3.6 times higher today than it was 30 years ago, adjusted for inflation. In the book Academically Adrift, sociology professors Richard Arum and Josipa Roksa say that 36 percent of college graduates showed no improvement in critical thinking, complex reasoning, or writing after four years of college. Student loan debt in the United States, unforgivable in this case of bankruptcy, outpaced credit card debt in 2010 and will top $1 trillion in 2011. (4)

  "The success of people who never completed or attended college makes us question whether what we need to learn is taught in school. Learning by doing-in life, not classrooms- is the best way to turn constant iteration into true innovation. (6)

    

Refutation: Paragraph 9
 "Of course, some people want a formal education. I do not think that everyone should leave college, but I challenge my peers to consider the opportunity cost of going to class. If you want to be a doctor, going to medical school is a wise choice." (9)

Conclusion Statement: Paragraph 10

  "We will change the world regardless of the letters after our names."

I believe that he appealed to his audience because he provides facts, his own experience and a little humor. He also does a popular name drop of Mark Zuckerberg. I do not agree with Mr. Stephens because I am a college student trying to succeed and this article is trying to convince me not to continue my college career.

4 Videos of the Media's Coverage of Russia Probe

RUSSIA PROBE: My Thoughts On Ethos, Pathos & Logos In Each News Article 

Video #1 From Fox News:
   Sarah Sanders tries to defend the President by trying to convince the audience that the Clinton's and the Democrats are to blame for the Russian Probe, which is a patho. Ms. Sanders is the White House press secretary so of course she has an agenda, to protect President Trump. Depending on your own political stance is how you feel about the opinions and facts she presented, which are ethos. She uses logos by stating, "everything that the Clinton campaign and the D.N.C. were falsely accusing the President of doing over the past year they were actually doing themselves, it turns out." Sarah Sanders also states that President Trump is "confident" that Special Counsel Robert Mueller will "close" his investigation soon on the alleged Trump/Russia collusion.

Video #2 From Fox News:
Tomi Lahren talks about the continuing Russian investigation on Fox News. She states her patho, "I think I speak for Americans on both sides on the political divide when I say: We are sick and tired of these corrupt politicians wasting our time and money on this Russia investigation". She states again and again that American taxpayers are spending millions on the Russia probe because corrupt politicians, businessmen and consultants. I believe that this is her logo, as well, because it's the reasoning of her post. Lastly, Lahren states "that what brought us to the polls wasn't to vote for Russia or scandals or closed door BS. We voted for national security, border security, tax reform, Obama Care reform, education and balanced budget". Then, she goes on to state her ethos, "I know that's what our President wants to accomplish for us-all of us. Let's get it done because watching both sides trade Russia accusations is not what we signed up for. Amen".
Photo from The Washington Times

Video #3 From CNN:
 The New York Times post "Trump Campaign adviser George Papadopoulos told Australian diplomat Russia had dirt on Clinton" is the logo. Later, this White House statement was released,"Out of respect for the Special Counsel and his process, we are not commenting on matters such as this", Cobb said. "We are continuing to fully cooperate with the Special Counsel in order to help complete their inquiry expeditiously". This was quoted by Ty Cobb, a White House attorney, which is the ethos. Papadopoulos has since plead guilty to the FBI and is now cooperating, Mark Mazzetti, author of this New York Times post, reassures the audience that a key piece to the investigation of the Russian Probe is from the conversation at the London bar, Mr. Papadopoulos and an Australian diplomat had. It took Australia two months before they came to the FBI, this is the pathos.

Video #4 From MSNBC:
 "Russia Probe began with George Papadopoulos in May 2016"
It's alleged that George Papadopoulos, the former member of the foreign policy advisory panel to Donald Trump's 2016 Presidential campaign, went out in May 2016 to a London bar with an Australian diplomat. This is the logo. With The New York Times reports om "How the Russia Inquiry Began: A Campaign Aide, Drinks and Talk of Political Dirt". "[In June of 2016] when leaked Democratic emails began appearing online, Australian officials passed the information about Papadopoulos to their American counterparts...". This is the ethos. In this video, four MSNBC anchors interview N.Y. Times reporter, Matt Apuzzo, discussed reports on the former Trump foreign adviser Papadopoulos, whom told and Australian diplomat at a London bar that Russia had dirt on Hillary Clinton. This dirt being emails that were later leaked; this is the pathos.