Body Image Continued

How men really feel about their bodies. One of the first things the author of this article says is completely true and it can be seen all around. "The idea of men's bodies as sexual objects has intensified" (Spiker). Our bodies used to be just like tools, things to get work and other labor done. Men didn't care what they looked like. They were hairy, fat, short, or tall, and no one criticized them because the look wasn't the focus. It was the function. Now competition, women and other stresses have placed the focus of mens' bodies on how good they look. Tall, muscular and not a hair to be seen, except of course on their heads.
Another thing found in the article that I agree with completely, is when a guy doesn't like something about his body he won't admit it or talk about it, he'll simply joke about it instead. I know I'm short and I don't like to admit that it bothers me when people mention it or pick on me. So I joke about it myself and laugh along with them instead. I try to not let comments like that get to me. Women think they're all alone in their insecurities about their bodies, when in reality they're not.

Body Image

These were some of the most interesting reads in the book in my opinion. Reading about body image, especially in teens, is even more so interesting because I can relate. I'm not the most muscular fellow in town or the tallest. But I'm perfectly fine with my body. I mean sure from time to time I'd like to be taller, but overall I'm happy with my body. I think going through the pain Jim Conran went through to be 3 inches taller is absolutely ridiculous. Being a short guy, I would never think of doing such a thing.
Also, being surrounded in a bunch of teen girls and all my ex's, I can agree from exprience that most girls have a problem with their body and have something to complain about. And the funny thing is, is that most of these girls have nothing to complain about and are for the most part, pretty good looking. It gets annoying really fast when a really good looking girl has no confidence and complains about something about her body.

Oral Presentation

Oral presentation is my favorite. I know many people get stage fright, or just don't like talking in front of people, but I really don't have a problem with it. I've always enjoyed talking to small or large groups of people, being outgoing and meeting new people. I think one of the reasons I've always liked speaking out aloud is because of the classes I've taken. At Edison Community College I took a speech class to better improve my speech giving techniques and strengthen what I already knew. In the class we had to present impromptu speeches in which the professor would hand everyone an index card with a random topic and we would have to get up in front of the class and talk for 5 minutes about it. This technique helped a lot I think. We also had to present 3 main speeches, one informative and two persuasive. The persuasive speeches are kind of like what we are trying to do now in this class with paper 3. We had to choose a topic we knew a lot about or liked to talk about and try and persuade the listeners why our topic what the right or better one. I think the skills I learned will not only be advantageous to me in this class, but also in future classes or life scenarios.

Make Sure You Revise!

The section we had to read for tonight was about finishing up an argumentative paper, concluding and revising it. When you conclude your argumentative paper, you need to make sure that all the sources, opinions and examples you used strengthened and backed up your thesis statement. You need to make sure that everything you included positively helps the argument your trying to make.
As for revising, you need to make sure there are no grammatical errors and read your paper aloud to yourself to make sure that there are no flaws or holes in your logic and sentences. As in a song, you should hear when there is an error in your work. Another thing to check for when your revising would be things like run-on sentences or any other type of "fluff." The sentences, ideas or phrases just take up space and do no good in helping out in the strengthening of your argument. These tips should definately help us greatly in writing our own argumentative papers.

Evaluating a Web Site

I think a web site is one of the easiest types of resources to evaluate. You can usually tell right off the bat if the web site is going to be accurate, objective, current and well covered. From the home page, you can often tell if the web site is going to hold water. If it is a good source, it is most likely going to have a link or picture towards the bottom of the page of the company or center that copywrited or is in charge of the site. And from there you can usually find out if the site has proper authority behind it and is a good source to use. If you don't see any of these things on the page, chances are the site isn't going to be a good source to use for a paper or whatever you may be researching for.
Also, if the web site is a good one, there are going to be many links and other things to click on so you can explore the site, or a sister one, that is going to lead you to all the information your going to need for your research.
I think evaluating a web site is much easier than evaluating any other type of source, because usually the criteria you are looking for in a valid source are right there in front of you.

President's Address to the Nation, September 11, 2006

After reading this address, I just now realized how much appeal to emotion was put into this. Almost every paragraph in Bush's speech appeals to American's emotions or pride. In the beginning of the speech, he pretty much recalls exactly what happens, highlighting mainly on the people that were involved and how brave they were in rising to the occasion. A little later on he comments on how brave the men and women of our nations defense are by putting their drive to keep America safe above all others. And then in the end he comments about how he met a mother who lost her husband and two sons because of 9/11, and even though she missed them, and hoped for her sons' safety, she was still proud.
Everything Bush says is used to appeal to the audience, the entire nation. He did a great job reflecting on the entire spectrum of emotions that people felt during the horrible event.
I like how through all the appeal to emotions, Bush also accurately states what he has done and plans on doing in retaliation to 9/11. I never realized how often these elements we learn about in class are thrown into speeches and papers all over.

A Modest Proposal

I remember reading Swift's A Modest Proposal in high school. I had a lot of fun reading this selection because we had to write our own "modest proposal." It was a group activity in which we had to write a satire similar to Swift's essay. I wrote mine on something really ridiculous, though I can't quite recall what it was about. But one of my friends that is still in high school had to write one recently and I helped her with it a bit. She chose to write about how she was a mad scientist that came up with a drug that reduced the levels of testosterone in males and how this would better the world, fixing the problems of war and relationships between people. I thought it was funny and all, but didn't really agree with or appreciate the topic. But I didn't tell her that. Another friend of mine decided to write his on some crazy idea about how to rid the world of all the ugly people. I'm just using these examples to better reinforce something close to what Swift was trying to do. That is the point of a satire after all. A satire is supposed to be something the author doesn't approve of and is most times funny, with strong use of irony, sarcasm and parody. Satire is my favorite type of writing, and that's why I enjoyed this reading so much.

What Are You Eating?

This read was my favorite so far solely because it made me the most heated so far. I completely agree, 100%, with the first article. What people eat and how much of it they eat is THEIR sole responsibilty. Why should someone else suffer because of what another person likes stuffing their face in. These people need to learn what is good for them, in what quantities and when it's appropriate to "snack." I eat McDonalds all the time and I am nowhere near overweight, I'm acutally the complete opposite. I need to gain some weight. If I can eat unhealthy sometimes, and then balance it out with eating proper later and exercising, why can't other people? It's not that hard. If people are overweight, it IS their fault. No buts about it. I also don't like how the second article made a general statement about "teenagers" and how they drink soda more than anything else. I'm proud to say I don't drink nearly as much soda as I do water. If I have the choice, 9 times out of 10, I choose water. I love water more than any other drink available, especially vitamin water. I also happen to love milk. In case you didn't notice, this reading really grinded my gears.
I understand for the people that are genetically overweight. If the entire overweight population was people that are genetically overweight, THEN it'd be a bigger problem for us all to solve. But it's not. Most of these overweight people, are people that can change what they eat and their habits, and in the end, fix their problem.

We're All Celebrities?

This was an interesting read mainly because I think we can all relate to it. We all have a Facebook or a Myspace, and look what we're writing on right now... a blog site. I must say that I disagree with the author though. I don't think this makes us celebrities in anyway at all. If anything I get annoyed with people on Facebook or Myspace. Half the status updates and bulletins I see are pointless thoughts, ideas or sentences that I'm sorry I wasted my time reading. I could care less about a great majority of the things that pop up on my screen while surfing the networking sites.
I will say however that I agree a little bit more on the blog site concept. On these websites we just type away, revealing our thoughts about things we've seen or read. And then we have to go back and read our fellow classmates' blogs and comment on them. So we have to pay attention to each other and express our feelings together. That makes it a little bit more "celeb-like" I suppose.
Another thing I wanted to comment on is the privacy issue. I know on sites like Myspace, certain things that we don't really want to get out end up getting out. But this is our faults. Myspace doesn't require you to put anything on your profile that you don't want on there. You could have a blank one with no pictures and just music if you wanted. These sites only invade our privacy because we let them. We're the ones typing in the information.

Take a Picture?

This was a interesting read. I really can't believe that certain professionals are trying to lecture that "stopping" to take a picture is endangering them and those around them. Even in the interview with the 19 year old, he mentions that he never once "stopped" to take pictures. He was "running and taking pictures." He didn't block in or endanger anyone trying to get off the plane. And the author doesn't make any note of any accounts so far in which a person or people have gotten injured or anything because of someone stopping to take pictures. If professionals are really taking this that far then the last sentence says it all; "it may take someone dying" for people to consider stopping to take a picture as a dangerous thing.
I will say however that it is really annoying when people in front of you on the road start slowing down just to stare at a car accident on the side of the road. These people slow down traffic and increase the chance of another one happening. It might not completely relate to the topic at hand, but the read definately reminded me of this occuring. It happens all the time and it has a little to do with the subject. I don't see a problem however if the people aren't slowing anything down or endangering people. All they're trying to do is "snap" a little bit of history and maybe send it in to a major news media.

Single-Sex Education

I personally think single-sex education is a great idea. Everyone knows that playing "the mating-dating game" is a huge distraction and definately takes away from the time you could be using to study or do other school work. I know from personal experience that dating someone ultimately takes your focus away from school things that you're supposed to be focusing on, whether it be just texting them in class or skipping the class all together to grab lunch with them. It might just be me because I have horrible time management skills, but girls play a huge distraction when I'm trying to get work done. I believe that if I was to attend a single-sex education facility, such as the one we read about, I would be able to be more focused on the things I'd need to be focused on and wouldn't be so worried about impressing some cute girl in my Monday class.
But as for the arguement presented in the reading, if society is allowed to have female single-sex education, then it's only fair that men are allowed to have the same opportunity if they wish. You can't take away one and not the other. That would show sexism and totally take away from what people have been trying to accomplish forever, equality. And if we took away one of these institutions, then like dominos, all the others would soon follow.

Letter from Birmingham Jail

The first thing I thought while reading this, is that Martin Luther King Jr. was a very intelligent person. He formed his sentences and presented his ideas very well. He effectively presented his claim and supported it with life experiences, facts and witnesses. Another thing that kept popping up in my head is, he had a lot of personal stories and accounts from other people that he used for support. One piece of his support that stuck with me the most from the reading is how he mentioned that merchants would hang signs in their "markets" that contained racial material. The witnesses and facts he used for support were valid and verifiable.
As everyone knows, King went through a lot of hardship and fighting for equal and civil rights. The fact that he wrote the letter from jail is, alone, proof enough. He was used to dishing out the nonviolent pressure on authorities and court officials to gain equal and civil rights, but most, unfortunately, didn't want to hear it. They resorted to throwing people in jail as a quick fix.
Of course, as we all know, all of King's efforts were payed off, as African Americans ultimately gained equal and civil rights. Martin Luther King Jr. was probably the single most influencial person in this historical accomplishment.

"Mall Rats"

I rather enjoyed reading this essay by William Kowinski. It opened my eyes to a new way of looking at spending time at the mall. I always thought of the mall as just... the mall. I never thought of it as grade school without the classes. I also never thought of the mall as teaching me life lessons and preparing me for the future. I always thought I was just having fun with my friends and shopping. The mall was never my other mother, or my baby-sitter. I have, and still do, spend a good deal of time at the mall. But I have noticed that, as I get older, the shorter my visits last. I'm usually in and out now. And I actually go with a set thing that I'm interested in purchasing. I'm not going as much as a place to hang out with my friends on the weekends or when we're bored.
As for the reading, I think the author did a great job with this argument, providing facts that supported both sides of the coin. It was very balanced and left the readers open to their own opinions on the matter.

Defining Key Terms

This read was very formal, I think, in terms of opening my eyes to new ways of looking at things. I never thought of the concept of "terrorism" having no set definition and having so many different ways to approach it. I think the way the author put it was the best definition in the entire essay, "violence committed by those we disapprove of" (137).
I do think it is ironic, however, that we talk about terrorism being such a horrible thing when we are guilty of it ourselves. We as Americans love being over in other countries, showing them how they should be living, and in the process, doing our own fair share of "terrorism." I also believe it's ironic that the author wrote the essay before 9/11 and gave a statistic in the introduction that no international terrorist acts occurred in the United States. Little did he know that later, this disaster would open our eyes and give us all a new "definition" to the word "terrorism" that will last forever in our hearts and minds.

Writing about Argument

This was a very interesting read. Alan Dershowitz decides to write a proposal on a very touchy subject: torture and other unconventional means of questioning a subject. In his proposal, Dershowitz is obviously for the methods of torture according to certain circumstances. He goes on to say that there will be legal and illegal forms of torture going on, inside and outside the law. I believe that, if a serious enough situation arises where torture is the best means of getting important information, than it should be used. I don't agree with torture however because I believe it is very immoral. But when it comes to saving lives... you got to do what you got to do. I do think Dershowitz is right when he says torture is going on, and it is better that it be inside the law then being hidden. When it comes to certain measures, I'm sure that authorities and other officials will use torture, truth serum or the other mentioned means to find out what they need to.
Seth Finkelstein however, does not agree. He completely argues against Dershowitz's proposal and even mocks him using direct quotes from his writing. Most of Finkelstein's argument is questioning what good it would do to make torturing legal. He knows illegal torture goes on and doesn't see the need for there to be legal and illegal torture going on.

Reading Visual Texts Critically

I thought this reading selection was pretty interesting. I never thought of the different opinions and views people get from looking at a picture, or other type of visual, as a form of argument. But now, the more I think about it, it is very likely that two people look at a picture, have different opinions, and then proceed to argue away.
I was also very interested in how you can interpret a picture one way, and then when you read the caption, it is something very different then what appears. Like the picture of the youth wading through the water with a trash bag. It looks as if he is helpless, or lost, in search of necessities. But later they mention that he was looting a grocery store. I could not believe this, thinking about what I had perceived beforehand.
I also would like to comment on the picture of the gun. The ad says "A gun in the home is much more likely to kill a family member than to kill an intruder" (69). This is a very controversial statement. I do not agree. Most sensible people are not going to just leave their gun out and about. It will be well concealed spot. It is our right to bear arms and protect ourselves. However, if you choose to own one, a huge responsibility comes with.

Reading and Listening Critically and Comprehending Arguments

I found this reading pretty interesting. I must admit, I have been in my fair share of arguments where I had no comprehending of the other opinions involved in the argument. I need to work on my views and open up to the other persons' points of view. I had no idea I was being so narrow-minded.
As for the end of the reading, I had no idea how difficult it was for movie studios to get their NC-17 and R rated movies out. And how when they did get them out, how much they had to go through with the editing of their movies to a presentable version to the public. I never would have guessed that the moving to these movies to an "adult section" of the store which sell them would affect their sales so negatively. I personally don't agree with the essay, however. I don't think how good a movie is should be based on how much money it makes, but how much the audience that saw it, enjoyed it. Of course there are going to be movies out there that a particular audience would never dream of seeing (such as the elderly seeing SuperBad), thus causing the movie to not rake in as much money as a movie that appeals to a bigger, or broader range of audiences. But the movie might have actually been a good one.

X-Rated X-Rays?

I really don't see how this subject is a matter to be argued about. One person operating a machine, seeing a "cartoonlike sketch that shows only outlines" (5). The images are never stored. Are people forgetting what this is preventing? Did they forget about 9/11? Even if the images showed a bit of nudity, I think that is better than losing ANY amounts of lives. There are so many horrible disasters that could occur from a airplane being hijacked. If people are so worried about their "cartoonlike, rough body images" being seen, they can choose another form of travel. They don't have to fly. I've been on an airplane many times, and if this backscatter X-ray will eliminate the emptying of pockets, and taking off shoes, than I'm game for it. That's the worst. I just don't see how some one can argue that being viewed "naked" for a few seconds by one operator, is more horrible and offensive than a terrorist or any other person/group trying to harm our citizens and country. Look at the trade-off: being viewed cartoonlike.. for safer airs, a less chance of 9/11 happening again, and saving lives..