Emo Think: Just as Annoying

Emo think. Before I touch on Emo think, I want to clarify what Emo is exactly. Emo is a style somewhere between punk and scene. It is actually described as punk music on estrogen. It revolves around music and emotion basically. The term “emo” is actually derived from the word “emotional.” It’s not hard to see why.

Most people stereotyped as emo tend to wear their heart on their sleeves. A saying such as “would someone please slit my wrists to end my bleeding life” would be commonplace and, unfortunately, stereotypical of an emo. The worst part of this stereotyping is the constant jibes emos receive. They are made fun of for constantly complaining about life to anyone who would listen.

Therefore, in order to be grouped into “emo think,” one must match all the requirements. The style of emo: that is, in between punk and scene; the music of emo: a style characterized by an emotive style focusing on the hardships and mistakes of life; and the emo personality: the typical wearing the heart on the sleeve, even when it’s annoying.

Definitions, but Why?

Serious literature, hate crime, royal family, journalists, big businesses, religion, free speech, state, marriage: all terms for which each individual may have a different definition. To briefly discuss each, I will begin by saying exactly how I would define them. I would take my personal time to look up each term in the dictionary. From there, I would also search them in encyclopedias and find articles about them. All together, I would derive from my information my own individual definition.

Serious literature is a literature I consider to be a challenge to read. I believe a crime is a hate crime provided it was meant to harm a person or group of people either directly or indirectly. A royal family to me would mean one of high public standing and lots of money. A common millionaire may claim that title according to my definition. A journalist is any who may observe a situation and write about it as a profession. I believe a big business to be one of high standing and many stock holders. Religion is a set doctrine of any faith that may be followed. Free speech would include anything that may be assured through our First Amendment rights provided it meets the requirements of the amendment. A state, in America, is one that is governed by the American government and is considered American “property.” Marriage, I believe, is the contract between two people to share their lives together legally and lovingly (we hope!).

Bring Them Home

Before this class, I was 100% totally against the Iraqi Conflict. My thoughts were as follows:

It is not a war. It was never declared a war. The only reason Bush says it’s a war is to get the American people revved up and gun-ho. Saying it is a war implies it is our American duty to defend our country. It is not our country we are defending. We are not fighting for the American people. We are fighting a civil war dealing with the Iraqis. We are fighting for them. Our freedom was never threatened. The Al Qaeda had something against our government because of the business mistakes of American politicians so they attacked America’s top political bases. It was an attack on our government. To be more exact, it was a direct threat to certain government officials.

I had this opinion because, rather than get caught up in the patriotism of war, I looked at the facts. What was being said did not add up to reality. Some people can be so blind to the truth.

The milblogs have only strengthened my belief that the troops should not be in Iraq. None of those men want to be there. None of them really like what they have to do. None of them know why they’re still there. They want to come home. I want them to come home. I have read their blogs about the horrors they’ve gone through. I’ve read about their hardships. They don’t know what to do anymore. That is not the way it should be. Bring them home.

Britney Spears: A Mother's Worst Nightmare?

The argument in Nisey Williams’ “Why I Hate Britney” essay is one that is very ad homonym. She is constantly attacking Britney Spears on a personal level. I’d like to say she has a lot of evidence to support such fervent opposition to the famous pop star; however, even Nisey admits there is “no documented evidence” (Williams). This puts the credulity of her facts in question. Much of her support comes from personal opinion and what is considered to be fashion trends. There is no set evidence to support her claims.

Her style of writing gets the reader involved. Much of what she says challenges the reader to think as she sees things. She asks rhetorical questions such as “How much worse will these statistics be by the time my daughter reaches the age of fifteen?” It leaves the reader rather concerned, and leaves the reader more open to taking Williams’ words more seriously. Although she states in earnest that she blames Britney for her fear of motherhood, Nisey Williams then strays from the original thought to go to pop culture as a whole. To me, this is a switch of focus in the main point; however, the purpose of her essay is well met. She wanted to get across why she is concerned about motherhood and succeeded in doing so.

For these reasons I have stated, I give Nisey Williams’ essay a B+ grade of 88.9%.

Arts of a Different Nature

In evaluating a musical I’d have to use many different criteria of evaluation. First I would consider what it is exactly that makes a musical interesting? Is it the music? Is it the dialogue perhaps? If I’m going to use dialogue I must consider a multitude of things. Are there witty lines? Is it well rehearsed? Is it comprehensible? Then further on I would take into consideration the music; that which makes a musical exactly that: a musical. Are the tunes catchy? Are they emotional maybe? Are the lines audible and pronunciated? This relies heavily on the actors. Are the actors able to act out their parts convincingly? Do they know their lines? Is their character fully developed? All these and more I must take into account.

Some things, however, are out of the actor’s control. When I say this, I mean to refer to scenery and props. Are the scene changes quick and smooth? Is the scenery lifelike or is it completely fake and unconvincing? Are the props where they’re supposed to be when they’re supposed to be there? Are there any props at all? Do they serve the purpose they were intended? Of course, all these criteria can be evaluated simply by watching a musical.

When it comes to something such as fashion designers I wouldn’t know where to start. I’d have to do research first before I could even dream of what criteria to evaluate. I would most likely look up fashion designers online. From there, I may go to fashion magazines and articles especially devoted to the fashion world. If all goes well, I will be able to derive from the information I find several areas of criteria to evaluate.

Out of This World

The main graphics of the site http://www.circlemakers.org/ take up the whole screen except in the fact that it is aligned to the left of the page. The text is always shown in a little box of its own, separate from the rest of the graphics. The larger the text, the bigger and more center the box containing that text shall be. The background for the site is dark (black) which sets up the zodiac star constellation graphics. This gives the reader an alienated feeling, one associated with awe and wonder. This dark background, light text is constant throughout the whole site. The texts on every other page also are in its own box.

Pain and Suffering

In this image, a woman, battered and troubled, waits for her future. She has lost everything: her house, clothes, food. Why did this happen? According to the source of the photo, her house had been burned by refugees. Of course, anyone who saw the picture without the text wouldn’t know that. From the photograph, however, the reader still feels empathy towards the woman, and that is the main argument for this picture. Feel for this woman for she has a horribly difficult life. That is what I gain just from the photo itself.

Remember

One of the most touching milblog entries I have read up to date is one of remembrance. I think it is important to remember something like the 9/11 attack, but I do not believe we should dwell on it. One soldier expresses that remembering the 9/11 attack is what fuels him to continue fighting. Is this really a good thing? I’m not so sure it is. I personally think we should be out of Iraq. To hear how a soldier wants to go back and fight is mind boggling. Maybe there is something more that I haven’t thought. It’s hard to get into the skin of a soldier, but these milblogs have helped me get a glimpse of their perspective. In time, I will understand more why exactly the soldiers want to fight.

Sullivan and Iraq

Andrew Sullivan’s web page http://andrewsullivan.com/ is a political blog that typically provides quick responses to daily events and detailed critiques of material in other media. Media may include other media sites and even national newspapers. Sullivan makes certain to insert links in many of his blog posts. Unfortunately for the reader, Sullivan doesn’t explain the link or where it really leads to. It is up to the reader to figure that out. He does, however, critique the government of America and how it is being run in terms of the Iraqi conflict. He points out right away the disputes and hardship that the Iraqis are facing.

He provides certain quotes and graphics. He explains them very well. He, at one point or another used an Ad Homonym to attack Petraeus and the situation in Iraq by making Petraeus look like a fool. He reveals the fallacy that Petraeus is for this war but hasn’t really thought about it. Much of what Sullivan says is directly related to what government officials are doing in order to help (or hinder) the progress of America.

His work is fairly unbiased but tends to lean towards the democratic side. It is quite obvious his dislike in how things are being run by the Republican President and officials. On more than one occasion he uses rhetorical questioning to gain the reader’s interaction and make the reader truly think about what Sullivan is trying to say.

One major thing that caught my attention was his “no democracy = no Iraq” entry. He clearly believes that, unless all the tribes (Shiite and Sunni), there will never be the unity needed for a democracy or a full functioning country. There are also times where Sullivan, rather than explain things or comments on things, will post a video or link to a news website so the reader may get the information firsthand without having to get it with that biased edge.

Sullivan is also very descriptive. This helps the reader in figuring out what exactly Sullivan is trying to portray. From its presentation, it is as if Sullivan wants us to take in his thoughts in their entirety. The subject of the Iraqi conflict is discussed in multiple posts. In fact, it really all Sullivan is focusing on. He describes what is going on in the Iraqi conflict in a more empathetic nature. This is done by showing just how hurt and dysfunctional Iraq and its people really are.

Last major discussion topic Sullivan loves to hit on: government officials. Sullivan is constantly using the Ad Homonym approach when talking about officials. He makes it seem like they are not very intelligent sometimes; and, at best, he presents them as ignorant. Sullivan is obviously getting down and dirty with the government, the officials representing the American people, and the Iraqi conflict itself.

Wiki

http://transcendlife.pbwiki.com/


This is the working URL for my Wiki. It's not even near being personalized due to the fact that I've been hospitalized this past week. Hopefully, I'll have things down by Monday or Tuesday this week. I notice already that I will have fun with this wiki. It's a great way to get to know other people in my class. This is important because we never really see eachother as a class because it's an online course, so this makes things more personal. I think that is important in the learning process: to know the people sharing the class and having at least some kind of connection with them.

That Unseen Bond

The milblogs always offer a look into the soldier’s side of things that I’ve never been able to see. This week, reading the new milblogs, I realized a lot happens in the “in-betweens” of things not just at home or on the field. Once again I find myself feeling a connection to soldiers as human beings rather than tough, heartless people sent overseas to kill. They, however, reveal in their milblogs this untold and unspoken connection amongst each other that only they as soldiers can understand. A glimpse into this connection made me feel more involved in what these soldiers go through. I have greater understanding of what they feel when they’re in the situations they’re put in. I feel a little bit of that connection only because these milblogs have revealed it to me.

Women in Advertising

The part in the beginning of the presentation concerning women in advertising that really caught my attention was the presenter demanding of us to take advertising seriously. It was a call to attention! It immediately got me to pay attention and to take in every word like it was the most important thing at the time. Not only did she say this, she brought the attention to how important advertisement has become with a comparison of graphs in the expenses used for advertisement. She finished off her introduction by stating advertisements is everywhere!

She sets out her verbal presentation in a manner that is easily followed by using words such as “first” and “next” one step at a time. She also uses rhetorical questions to keep the listener involved and ever thinking about the context of her argument. The truth behind the advertisement is revealed; vital information. She directs the attention to what is really being said by revealing the horrors of the advertisement concerning women.

There are constantly graphics being showed that tied into what the speaker is saying. She directs the attention to many of them, explaining what’s going on and what they mean. This helps the listener to stay on track and stay interested. She uses a graph in the beginning to show facts. She uses pictures of all the different types of advertisement available to show just how vast a variety there is and how it truly is everywhere. When speaking of eating disorders, pictures of extremely skinny women are shown to emphasize what she is saying.

The speaker is dressed in a plain colored shirt. This does not distract the listener from what she is saying, which is important to the presentation of the speaker’s argument. She wants the audience to pay attention to what she is saying, not what she is wearing. Her tone is serious and impressive. You can’t help but sit there and know that what she is saying is important by how she is saying it. She sends an emotional appeal across to the audience through her tone at times also. This leads the audience to feel empathy with the speaker, which is also a vital characteristic in her argument. She is constantly keeping the audience involved by the excellent use of her eye contact. She is constantly bringing in the audience with her eyes.

The most memorable part of the presentation was one involving a graphic. A girl was sitting and the headline was “The more you subtract, the more you add.” This was especially memorable, not because it was a graphic, but because she presented it in a certain way. She gave special care to the headline. She stated it “The more you subtract, the more you add. What a horrible message. The more you subtract, the more you add.” Presenting the saying first, then stating how it was a horrible message, and furthermore stating the headline again to further imprint it in our minds was an excellent way to make sure it was not to be forgotten.

The presentation was, in essence, very effective. Her constant eye contact and graphics made the audience constantly at attention. Her tone brought the feeling of importance in her words. Even the jokes she made had relevance and were fun to listen to! There was no straying; this woman had every element necessary to keep the attention and respect of the audience. The overall presentation of the argument was extremely effective in that it would not be easy to forget the whole itself.

Online Safe Wonders

One Web site I admire greatly is the Break the Cycle Web site: http://www.breakthecycle.org/ . This site is dedicated to helping youth end domestic violence. This digital presentation of the site and information is definitely the best way to get things done. It is readily available to anyone interested. One merely needs to visit the site at any time and they will get whatever information they need. Not just is it readily available, but it is very helpful to a person in need. It lists a number of hotlines for certain places or for emergencies. It even has a “sister site” called The Safe Space. You can easily reach this site through Break the Cycle.org by a mere click of a button.

This Safe Space is accessible from Break the Cycle.org. It is a place for someone currently facing domestic violence. The glory of it is simply this: should an aggressor walk in while one is visiting the site there is a button you press which automatically takes you to a random site and makes the Safe Space untraceable. The aggressor would have no way of knowing that the victim was seeking help! It is amazing, and no other form other than this digital presentation via Web site could accomplish this.

Many of that, which is on the site, in order to put it in print text, would have to be changed. No longer could you “click on links” to get to another Web site. One would merely have to list the links, what they do, and where they take you. Also, Break the Cycle and The Safe Space could not share the same printed text. Each would have their own. It would not be possible to easily access one from the other. Much information that is set in stone, were it to be given through speech, may accidentally be forgotten, and also, the information would not be readily available for those who seek it.

The lack of information in text is my main concern. It would be impossible to “ask the experts” on a piece of paper. On the site, one merely needs to click on the link, send in the question, and one would receive an answer within 24 hours. However, was it given through text rather than Web site, who knows how long one would have to wait to receive a response? The safety and privacy would be lost forever in any other form. The Safe Space feature of being untraceable would be lost forever. It is essential they make it safe to visit regardless of any situation a person may be in! Imagine, a girl in an abusive relationship, has a pamphlet about ending domestic violence. The guy sees it; she gets beat up or even killed. With the Safe Space feature, this risk is greatly reduced if not eliminated. How wonderful that such help is there for anyone who needs it.

Camaraderie at Its Best

Once again I found myself looking at the words of a soldier who would rather be home. Most of the stories were similar in content. They had things dealing with orders, death, daily grievances, or reinstallation into society. There was one blog entry that made me smile. It was about a “Great Wall” that a Romanian trooper created. It was made in honor of the Romanian and American troops that worked together and all the soldiers on duty. The patches of the soldiers, name and place of origin, were put up on the wall. This was such a great show of camaraderie! The bond amongst the soldiers is very evident in this story. It made me smile.