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