God Save The Banks

The current financial and economic situation in the United States is something everyone is aware of. Although these are troubled times, the quandary our nation faces in allocating the limited capital resources we have couldn’t come at a better time for me. With a plan on graduating from UW-Madison in the spring of 2010 with a major in economics, the current state of the economy is like a free class in economic crisis 101. I thought I would take my last blog for English 201 and share my thoughts on the economy.

First on the agenda is the housing market. The origin of this problem is greedy lenders; yup that’s the fat cat bank owner who just can’t keep his damn hand out of the cookie jar. Buyers were taking out hefty loans and the banks were allowing it with little discrimination. Suddenly buyers could not pay the interest back to the banks and massive foreclosures ensued. Now Congress is taking an estimated $700 billion of YOUR money to pay the mortgage investment losses for banker friends of our beloved Ben Bernanke, or been bamboozled as I like to call him. On the bright side, well, umm we may not see a bright side for some time in the housing market.

Fast forwarding to the present, we are still in an economic hole, or maybe crater is more appropriate. Spending has spiraled out of control with many new hands in the dwindling pockets of our national reserve. Another estimated $700 billion is going toward the Troubled Assist Relief Program (TARP) to do exactly what it sounds like, relieve those who need assistance, mainly more of their banking buddies. However, this almost incomprehensible sum of money isn’t coming from the taxpayer. Wait, hold your excitement, the money has to come from somewhere, right? WRONG!! The Fed knows only one magic trick, but it’s a good one. They have the ability to create money out of thin air. With risk of intense inflation and running the country deeper into recession, or even depression, the Fed is playing with fire and we all could get burned.

This brings me to my next point, and quite frankly, my favorite the auto industry. After seeing staggering losses for the past 5 quarters or so, GM corp. and Chrysler LLC are the next on the serving line. Their plea to the Fed is for a short-term bailout to avoid bankruptcy. If the company goes bankrupt over 1 million jobs will be lost. Although this has an obvious toll on the economy, sometimes it is better to cut off a leg before the infection spreads to the whole body. What I mean by this is there is no guarantee a bailout will help the automakers. There is no point in using the taxpayer’s money to keep bailing out a failing company. A never ending bail out plan will be far worse than an increased unemployment rate and although the short-term loss will be severe, it will be better in the long run. It is a foolish economic decision to keep funding the incompetent business leaders and allow them to go up against the competent. Allowing GM and Chrysler to go bankrupt will allow the companies to reestablish their companies with their companies and create a more efficient business.

Although I haven’t mentioned many other facets entangled in the economic fiasco, I hope I gave at least some insight to what is going on in our country. I would also like to extend my sincere gratitude to everyone in the class for the relaxed environment and interesting class discussion. I would also like to give a special thanks to my cohort and to Christine. You guys rock!


Thanks for listening to:

Curtis E. Bear
The Courtesy Bear

this is the end...

Every school year about this time going back to middle school I tend to have mixed feelings about the semester drawing to a close. Like many others, I am definitely looking forward to the long hiatus from school we have coming up after finals week. However, part of me cannot help but feel somewhat saddened that fall 08 is about to be put in the books. There were classes I enjoyed, new friends that were made, and plenty of good memories to look back on over the course of the past four months. I really enjoyed my experience in English 201. I did not really understand how the cohort idea was going to work at first, but I enjoyed working on assignments with my group. This class was a lot different than any of the other English classes I have taken at UW or in high school for that matter, and I really liked how open ended many of the assignments were. Even this, the final assignment of the class is to blog about whatever you want! Thanks Christine, and not to bad talk other professors at this fine university, but many of them are far too set in the ways that their classes are taught to allow students to use this much creativity. Aside from the class, we elected a new president in November. I wish all the best to president elect Obama, and here is to hoping he does a better job than Mr. Bush. The Badgers football team did not live up to their lofty expectations, but the atmosphere at the games was still great. Our economy is in the tank, or at least that is what the news will tell you. My feeling is that America will bounce back from this, but only time will tell. This is the end my friends.
P.S. Thanks to everybody in the class. You might not know me or have talked to me but I enjoyed hearing what everyone had to say over the past four months. Good luck in your future endeavors.

My 201 Experience

When I signed up for English 201 my only intentions were to fulfill my CommB requirements. I’m not going to lie; when I heard the title of the class I was a little scared. However, after learning more about the course my interest in the content increased. I love talking, and talking about talking, it’s just great! In my opinion, the best part of this class is laid back environment and fun that we have. It is great to come from a 745am lab and get to sit back and relax while we all chat about our opinions on rhetoric. Another great part about this class is the fact that we got the chance to look deep into the rhetoric of the Presidential election. Politics is a great interest for me and it gave me a chance to hear other people’s opinion while learning more about the meaning behind the words being thrown around. Not only were the discussion and topics interesting, but the readings were great too. Most classes that have assigned novels are long and boring and are followed up by extensive essays that are annoying and pointless. It was great to enjoy the novels we read instead of having to pick them apart in effort to put together another useless book report.
At the beginning of the semester I was a bit apprehensive to dive into a semester long group project that was worth so many points. I know that I usually leave the majority of my assignments until the night before they are due, and knowing that that isn’t possible for group projects is why they make me so nervous. After meeting my cohort I was even more worried about this experience because all of group members suck. JUST KIDDING GUYS! But no, for real, after meeting my cohort I was a bit relieved to discover that all of them were just as into this project as I was. We all get along great and are all dedicated to getting the best grade possible.
As the semester comes to a close, I realize I’m going to miss this class. Not every semester will you come across a class that is so relaxed and laid back. It’s not only that but the interesting topics that make this class so appealing. Thinking about all the fun times and interesting things that I learned in this class, I know next semester when I’m sitting in my microbiology lecture (yuck!) I will be wishing I was in 6110 hanging out with our class!

groupwork...?!

I have never been a fan of doing group projects because most of the time someone in the group ends up being the one stuck with the dirty, last minute work. I am also very stubborn and like group projects to go the way that I envision them but they don't necessarily go that way and instead of feeling proud or even relieved when the project is done, I usually end up feeling frustrated and concerned about the grade.
For this project, we are focusing on the problems that undocumented immigrant students face living and attending public schools in the US. Our group mostly agreed that we wanted to do a project about something slightly more gritty and possibly taboo because it would be more exciting and possibly more engaging too. We started off with subjects like STDs but decided that it would be better to take a local topic that information was much less accessible to people living in Madison. It is so easy to find information on STDs and there are probably many other projects that have been done on the topic. By focusing on a minority group in the US, we will raise awareness about a subject that is socially heavy. The heaviness of our issue must be dealt with in the most objective way possible. We need to make it clear to our audiences that we are not attacking people who are causing legal problems for these students, but informing them of the issues the children themselves are facing and draw attention to the fact that there are people suffering from our issue.
One of the problems with our research was to pinpoint whether or not the students themselves are undocumented or not. From my experience talking to people I work with and from interviews, most of the students effected are not undocumented themselves as it is much more difficult to bring an entire undocumented family into the US without being noticed. This means that the children are born in the US and are therefore American citizens.
I think that by choosing to make a radio show with an interviewer is a good way to address both sides of the topic. The interviewer can pose questions that open a discussion and the group members can address the issues in an informative way without sounding biased. I think as long as responses are backed up with interviewed sources, credibility won't be questioned too much and our project will not be subject to as much criticism.

I.D.E.A Research Project

Our research project, as of know, will be constructing a radio show dialogue. The topic of the conversation will be to discuss important social, political, moral and economic issues regarding undocumented students in public school systems. Please leave any suggestions you have.

Will.i.am - Yes We Can

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jjXyqcx-mYY

The meaning of any word or phrase can be changed just by the certain emotion, or lack of emotion that is put into it. The genre in which one decides to convey their message can greatly alter the rhetorical effect that it has on the reader. For me, music is a great reminder of my past and often just one song can trigger many memories whether it is of driving around blasting music with my girl friends or of a sad time where I used music to cope with a tragedy. If the message a song delivers stays the same but the style of music changes it often alters the effect the words have on the listener.
As we have just seen in the recent Presidential election, young voters can have a great effect on the outcome of an election. One way to get the attention of young people is through music. Will.i.am created a song that did just that by taking one of Barack Obama’s speeches and turning it into a very powerful and motivating song that reaches out to the younger population about Barack Obama. Will.iam was inspired to write this song after hearing Obama’s speech and took parts of Obama’s words and mixed it with his own.
Like Obama, Will.i.am wants to stress the idea of ‘yes we can’. As the song proceeds it mentions many great feats in American history and follows them up with ‘yes we can’. As he brings up things such as slavery, women voting, and landing on the moon it is inspiring to think about these achievements associated with the phrase ‘yes we can’ because he strategically places this same phrase after he mentions his goals for the near future. As we compare the yes we can additude to successes in the past it makes the listener believe ‘yes we can’ about the ideas Obama has in place for our country.
Another motivating point about this song is the voices heard in the background chanting things such as ‘we want change’ and ‘yes we can’. As I listen to this song it always makes me remember that so many people agree with the things he has to say and it provides a sense of hope for the future. The tone and emotion heard with Obama’s words in the background also inspires the audience and helps convey they importance of certain elements in the song.
If someone were to read this speech on paper, or even if they were to hear the speech in person it would still not have the same effect that the song does. This song focuses on the most important pieces of information Obama would like to convey to the public and compiles them into a creative song appealing mainly to the young voters. When I first heard this song it inspired me and created a positive sense of hope for the future of our country. What is most influential about the words presented is the fact that they are in the form of a song. Different genre’s appeal to different groups of people but this style of music is one that definitely hits home with the younger population.

consistent communication

Group work has never been something I've been good at. Usually someone ends up doing all of the work, or most of it. Usually I find myself taking charge. So far our group project has started on an unsteady foot. While our idea is solid, coordinating everyone is tough and seems, at times, impossible. Our first meeting consisted of distractions but progressive conversation. In a class where being socially aware, sometimes the best ideas come from what seems at first to be pointless conversation. We toyed with the idea of talking about STDs, something that people know plenty about but decided that it could make some people uncomfortable. I personally think that good points can result from discomfort. There are times when pushing someone to their comfort limits is good for bringing out the realities of certain situations. It is easy to ignore painful realities when you don't have to directly deal with them yourself. Then we came up with the idea to research teachers who refuse to teach students who come from families of illegal immigrants. This topic is relevant on a local level but has more national implications.
The second meeting was productive but rushed. We had to repeat a lot of things that we had previously covered in the meeting. It is hard to organize a large group around writing one paper. The natural instinct is to divide the parts up, everyone writes one section. Then we meet and edit it together. When one group member isn't there, it is hard to convey the same types of ideas and feeling in writing. I think the toughest part of working in a group is coordinating time and communicating. When communication is limited is when one group member ends up taking a large portion of the work onto their own shoulders. Although members may not ultimately agree on everything, consistent communication will bridge any gap left open.

I Wish I Got An "I Voted" Sticker

The recent presidential race, without contention, has been one for the history books. Not simply because an African-American and two women were in contention for the first time in our countries history, but also because of the current state of our economy. The excitement originated from who was running for office, the worry and concern from the fragile financial system, and the mixture of the two is what spawned the desire to win. Sidewalk chalk, t-shirts, rallies, debates, political pundits, and my personal favorite, endless campaign commercials, all fought for my attention throughout the days. Needless to say, my first time to the polls, and the circus that goes along with it, was quite the experience.

Since I have never cast a vote, in any kind of election, I didn’t know what to look for in a leader. My first step towards clarity was to ask my parents who they were voting for. Since I am fiscally dependent on them, it makes sense, what’s better for them is better for me. My dad was for McCain, my mom for Obama. Damn, another bi-partisan conclusion. Everyone I know had already joined a team, and there I was, still a gray state. Once the easy route closed up, I decided to pay more attention to what the candidates were saying. Finally, I was making progress, finding myself doing research on the internet and going to an Obama rally. With the acquired knowledge, I was ready to base my decision.

Throughout my election experience I never, whole-heartedly, backed either man. Although my vote was cast toward the victor, I wasn’t on the streets celebrating, or in the bars toasting the new president-elect, and that came as no surprise. I did, however, give a little fist pump and say, “ okay buddy, now lets see you back it up.”

U.S.A. presidential election 2008

After much buildup and hoopla, the presidential election of 2008 finally is over America and the people have spoken. Barack Obama of Illinois beat John Mccain of Arizona by a convincing margin and will become our next president come 01/20/09. A few thoughts:

First I must say I am pretty pleased that the election is finally over. Listening to Obama and Mccain sling mud at each other for the past few months got really repetitive really quickly, and it seemed that every move the candidates made was covered not just in depth but to the point of over analyzing. I also found it funny how after the result of the election had been determined that Mccain and Obama then lavished praise on the other candidate. Watching that on the news Tuesday night I found myself thinking these two have been bashing eachother for months and now they praise eachother?

This election will be remembered for a long time, not only because it gave us the first non-white president but it was also the first time a woman ran for vice president on either one of the major tickets. I understand that all of this has been said already but this really is a historic moment for America, and I think we all should take at least a moment to think about the significance of this election as we move forward.

Looking ahead, Senator Obama will have some challenges ahead. We have seen him talk the talk, and now people are going to expect him to walk the walk. It should prove interesting to see how much of his proposed legislation he is able to push through. As a citizen of America I hope that he can lead our country in a positive direction.

Yes We Did!

It is now November 5^th and the much anticipated Presidential election has finally concluded. After months of campaign propaganda taking over our lives election day has arrived and America has chosen a new President. Although not every American casted their vote for Barack Obama, change has come and the majority of Americans are pleased with the outcome. 

Growing up in a relatively conservative Democratic household, I have always been involved in politics. My father was the County Executive growing up and now works as a Deputy Cabinet member for the Governor here in Madison. One could say I’ve had my fair share of political influences throughout my life. Politics is something that has always interested me so when election day comes around I get especially excited.  I was old enough to vote in 2004 for the Presidential election unfortunately I voted for John Kerry and he was defeated. When I casted my vote for Obama this year I felt especially hopeful that he would prevail and when the final election results came in last night I was elated!

As soon as the electoral votes from California were given to Obama my inbox was flooded with text messages about the outcome. My three closest girl friends on campus and I decided it was worth celebrating so we headed to the Nitty Gritty for celebratory pitchers of beer while we watched Obama speak.  I have to say, Madison is one of the only places in Wisconsin that you could see people running around screaming Obama, people riding around on their bikes hitting cowbells, chants of USA in the bars and floods of people on the steps of the Capitol, all coming together for one man.

Although there are skeptics out there, I am a firm believer that this day will not only bring change in the occupant of the White House but also change for our Nation.  A night like last night unites us and is one that many of us will never forget. Seeing the new First Family walk out onto the stage hand in hand was a sight to see. As we watched the speech last night, tears came to all of our eyes because for the first time in a long time we sense that change for the better is coming.

Research Project

Determining our group's topic on what to do our research project went fairly well. All 4 group members had input into what we thought would make a good topic and we essentially had a 75 minute brainstorming session. At the end of the period we all agreed upon a topic which I think should be pretty interesting and relevant to current events in America.
For our groups research project, we are going to be going into a topic that is somewhat of a 'hot button' issue of whether or not children in the MMSD (Madison Metropolitan School District) that are the children of illegal immigrants should be taught in classes alongside children of citizens of this country. Though the children are legal citizens in every sense under the law (provided they were born in the U.S.), there is still some backlash against teaching these children who are sometimes called 'anchor babies'. I expect that we have much to learn as this issue is a big 1 that will likely get bigger as the immigrant population of the United States has been steadily growing, but our group will be up to the challenge.

An assignment to be proud of:

A research paper, for me at least, has always been prompted within certain guidelines. Recently, in my English 201 class, this mundane approach teachers have on the normal research project was changed. Our prompt was to engage a topic in public discourse in an interesting and effective way by any means necessary.

I meet with my cohort to go over possible ideas and after a couple of minutes sitting and joking, due to our bewilderment over the freedom that was given, we began throwing idea after idea onto the table. However, this swell and range of possible topics brought us to our first problem. We needed to boil down our collected ideas and come to a common ground on one issue, a task not as easy as it sounds. Luckily, toward the end of our meeting, one idea stuck. Recently, teachers have been reluctant to teach the kids of illegal immigrants. Being the son of a Hispanic mother, who is a Spanish translator and frequently involved in the Latino community, this issue struck home. Teachers who are unwilling to teach certain kids is something many people are unaware of and a perfect opportunity for our group to research and inform the public on an important and concerning issue.

Once we had a topic that we all were interested in the next problem arose. Since we have freedom to present this research paper however we want, my group and I needed to decide how to reach the most people. A popular forum for reaching the masses is the Internet, however, our inexperience in website construction and because youtube wouldn’t exactly attract a proactive audience, the possibility was shut down. The answer to this problem came at the best possible time, during a slow and painful defeat in Monday Night Football. Annie, a member of my cohort, called and told me how she had a phone conversation with our teacher and presented the idea of a radio show. This would allow us to interview people and their thoughts on this issue. With a little bit of luck and hard work we plan on getting a spot on a university sponsored radio show, reaching anyone listening and whoever they talk to about it.

Due to the limitless opportunities our class was provided with, my cohort and I are on the fringe of a research paper that will test a lot more than just our ability to follow instructions. Our goal will not be easy to meet, to say the least, but the rewards for succeeding will mean more than a grade ever could.

Project I.D.E.A.s

As we all discussed possible directions for our project topic we came up with ideas ranging from the UW Break-dancing club to STD's. Our discussion wasn't what you would call heated, but yet full of many different directions. The confrence concluded with a bright I.D.E.A. of researching a local problem in Madison elementary schools of teachers refusing to teach children of illegal immigrants. Thanks to Annies great suggestion we all finally agreed on our topic.

Throughout the meeting we didn't really argue, just focused on finding a unique and interesting topic we all liked equally. The major disagreement we encountered was over the topic which was quickly resolved with a great I.DE.A. The only other item we have discussed as a group was the way we would present this information in our final report, and we all agreed on this after only a few minutes as well. As a group the I.D.E.A. cohort works well together and always manages to have fun.

In the past group projects have always been sucessful and fun for me. I can tell our cohort will work well together and present our information to the community and hopefully resolve the problem.

Putting the Paris into Politics

As the Presidential election comes closer, more and more political commercials and publications are introduced into the media. Each one of these ads contribute to the reputation of either candidate weather it is good or bad publicity. As this publicity spreads throughout the population the candidates turn from political entities to pop culture icons. Although they are not the same type of pop culture icons as actors and musicians, their every move is still viewed by the public and plastered all over the media. Usually these publications have nothing to do with the true character and intentions of the candidate and somewhat undermine what is really at risk: democracy.
As the media turns our politicians into pop culture icons it takes away from the true meaning of the elections. As an avid TV viewer I see more adds about the faults and negatives of each candidate than the good. Unfortunately these ads tend to focus on unimportant items and usually create logical fallacies in the process. This turns the elections into a he said/she said game along with many of the ads dealing with true pop culture icons. It is rare to hear a commercial or statement that has anything to do with the plan each duo has for our country. These types of publicity are what generate opinions for voters however they have nothing to do with the actual democracy of our country.
In my opinion, this pop culture fix on our government has a great effect on what decisions are made. Each candidate and government official is watched over ever so carefully by the media, and in turn the entire nation. Every decision they make proves to be very influential on their reputation. Being in the public eye may change the mind of how a candidate votes on certain influential documents, especially so close to an important Presidential election. They will fear the negative publicity that an unfavorable vote may cause, even if this decision is for the good of our country.
As voters make their ways to the polls this year they will most likely not remember important factors when choosing a president but rather the silly things such as Barak Obama being compared to Paris Hilton or how Sarah Palin having a pregnant teen daughter. As our world becomes more technologically advanced, future presidential elections may become even more intertwined with pop culture. It is important however to remember when you are at the polls this year: vote not for your favorite pop star, but vote for who can create a promising future for our democracy.

information inundation

With the growing availability of different means for communication (youtube, facebook, cable television, etc.) many different pop culture icons have been able to express themselves better about politics. This phenomenon both helps people be more aware of what is going on but also can sometimes deter people from caring. The 2008 campaign has been everywhere: from street corners where venders sell candidate buttons to commercials on TV. Everyone has something to say about it. Many people are becoming more and more aware of the issues that are being discussed in debates and in the news. It is harder and harder to be ignorant when everything around you is screaming CAMPAIGN. This is a benefit of the apparent merger between politics and popular culture. People who otherwise wouldn’t change their daily routines to find out what is going on are now bombarded with information and cannot escape the political issues at hand. Late night talk show hosts are indiscrete and opinions fly around freely. Sometimes it is not the political issues that make the news themselves, but the popular culture that got involved in the campaign. It has become an in-your-face election year, one that is impossible to hide from.
On the other hand, some people are reacting negatively to this convergence. They are repelled from the forced involvement in the campaign since it is everywhere. There is a noticeable apathy when it comes to watching the actual debates themselves and discussing the after-math. Many people feel the political situation in the US is getting old and would prefer to talk about it less. The popular culture’s involvement is over-whelming and no one wants to “waste” their time paying attention anymore. The accessibility of information pertaining to the campaign deters people from trying to get involved. It takes nearly no energy to find out what is happening and people are being more and more apathetic. There is an “enough is enough” attitude that creates a certain tension among constituencies. The drama surrounding the election that is magnified by the involvement of pop culture has become too much for certain people.
Popular culture provides another way for people to be informed which is important since we live in a society facing many social, economic and political problems. It is a time when everyone needs to get involved and have an active opinion. On the other hand, too much exposure to these issues can turn people off from wanting to get involved. It is vital to find a balance: one where people can easily access information on issues but not too much information inundation.

The art of good rhetorical analysis

Rhetoric is a term affiliated with analysis of words on a page, paragraphs in a paper, or lines in a speech. Many many people use rhetoric in their daily lives and don't think twice about it. Some of it is done very carefully with painstaking detail, and others not so much, but rhetorical analysis has the ability to reveal things which would otherwise not be so apparent.

By analyzing a writer's work using rhetorical analysis, it helps the audience to better understand the point the writer was trying to convey in the content of the piece. What context the work was done under (and for what target audience) are important things to consider when analyzing writing. The style of the piece as how it is organized can also reveal alot about the true motives behind the work. A good example I can think of this are the 'truth' ads, an anti-tobacco smoking propaganda campaign in the United States. Some of the ads have clearly targeted specific groups, such as urban dwellers or teenagers, and this can readily be seen by the characters and scenarios portrayed in some of the ads. A rhetorical analysis of these ads would likely reveal that the ads were using situations (context) that would be familiar to the audience (teens/city folk) so that they could better understand the message the ads were attempting to communicate (do not smoke).

I believe that rhetorical analysis does offer more than simply intellectual exercise. In sticking with the truth ads example, I am sure that many people were working on the ads using this very same line of thinking/analysis to see what best would appeal to the targeted audience. In a a broader sense this is what the entire commercial industry does, attempt to target audiences by finding things that they know the audience will be able to easily relate to. Rhetorical analysis can be useful in this way, as well as for analyzing many other texts and documents with targeted demographics.

“Rhetoric is the art of ruling the minds of men.” -Plato

Every year our world shrinks. The information super highway connects us with every possible media forum we can imagine in merely seconds. As our ability to communicate grows, so does the importance of understanding what is being said beyond the basics. Rhetoric, the art of persuasion and decision making, permeates into most of human discourse, making it extremely important and useful. With proper understanding of rhetoric’s tropes and schemes a person can analyze what is being said and learn to appreciate rhetorical situations and how to use these situations in their advantage. Rhetoric shows us how to build up or break down an argument.

One example for the application of rhetoric can be seen in the current presidential race. Carefully constructed arguments bring many broad ideas to the table but rarely tackle any real tactics for reform. The two candidates continuously flood their speeches with fluff to make what they are saying more appealing to the audience. With the topics at hand diluted in articulate banter during the presidential debates, rhetorical analysis can help clarify and break down these arguments. If people cannot see through these techniques, you might as well take away the two men in position and let the rhetoricians behind the speeches run for the oval office. Even though the amount of rhetoric used in the presidential debates is scrutinized against, it is still an extremely useful and effective tool in persuasion.

Outside the public setting, the transition from breaking down an argument to building one with rhetorical devices applies to a wide variety of real life situations. Commonly underutilized, the usage of rhetoric can build a good argument into a great one. From constructing a presentation for your peers and colleagues to arguing with a roommate or writing a blog, the understanding of rhetoric and its applications will prove beneficial to your desired outcome.

Although the usefulness of rhetorical analysis does not end with simply breaking down or building up an argument, the impact this narrow scope has is large. Rhetorical analysis empowers the speaker, or author, with the skill of persuasion.


This blog brought to you by,
Curtis E. Bear
The courtesy bear

Dirty up Your Mouth

The purpose of an advertisement is to persuade an audience to purchase the product. However, some advertisements take it to the next level and create logical fallacies to make sure their product goes from the shelf into the consumers’ hands. This type of commercial falls under the category of false advertising where they use misleading visuals and information to persuade the consumer even more. Orbit gum is one product that has many commercials which create logical fallacies each and every time. For example, in this commercial the advertisement makes a logical appeal that is non-sequiter and that creates equivocation.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=kw03nalTAMQ&feature=related

When the commercial begins the woman checks her purse for her pack of Orbit gum and notices that the pack is empty. The woman then begins a process of actions to dirty up her mouth by even going as far as to dump a potted plant on her face. This is where the logical fallacies begin by using a non-sequitor series of events. When the magic Orbit lady appears another logical fallacy occurs. This is an example of equivocation because it is a lie that is dressed up to look like the truth. Finally the commercial ends with a false claim when the Orbit lady says that this gum with clean up your mouth, no matter what.

The non-sequitor series of events starts with the woman continuously dirtying up her mouth many different ways. By dirtying up her mouth she knows the magical Orbit lady will appear with a pack of gum so her mouth can be fresh again. These events do not logically make sense.  When the Orbit lady appears the equivocation occurs, this is a lie dressed up as the truth. If someone were to dump a potted plant on their face to dirty up their mouth it is not only non-sequitor but not true that the magical Orbit lady will appear. As the commercial ends, the final logical fallacy occurs when the Orbit lady makes the false claim. Clearly not in every situation, much less this woman’s situation, will one single stick of gum clean someone’s mouth up that well.

These logical fallacies are put into this commercial to try and persuade consumers to purchase Orbit gum. These are over exaggerated examples of what this product could potentially do for a customer. I’m sure the producer’s mindset was not to include these specific events to try and convince the consumer that orbit gum will instantly whiten dirt-filled teeth, however it still creates a logical fallacy. Because of these exaggerated events, I am not tempted to go out and buy a pack of Orbit gum. Although, it is a conversation starter and this commercial is one that will be talked about and remembered the next time you are out searching for that perfect pack of gum. 

Madison is not an unabashed haven for white supremacy

http://badgerherald.com/oped/2008/09/10/madison_unabashed_ha.php (archive of article published in the Badger Herald, 09/10/2008).

The above article ran in the Badger Herald, which for folks that don't know is a well established student run paper at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. In the article, the author, Kyle Szarzynski, accuses Madison of being an unabashed haven for white supremacy in a variety of ways. While he does make a few valid points in the piece, there were quite a number of logical fallacies in his argument that I did not agree with, and quite frankly as a proud citizen of this city for the past seven years got me 'fired up'.

The first thing that I believe to be a fallacy is his statement that 'white supremacy has become so ubiquitous that it now seems to dwell comfortably in every alleyway and street corner'(in Madison, WI). Now Kyle states that Madison is his adopted home and he has only been living here for a little over 3 years. If that is the case I find it very hard to believe that Kyle would have learned enough about the city as a whole (many neighborhoods are distinctly different) to classify it in such a homogeneous way. I might also point out that when the KKK staged a rally in downtown Madison several years ago that they had to have police protection during the entirety of the rally, there was a humongous protest against the hate group far outnumbering the rally itself, and they were essentially run out of this town on a rail. That does not sound like something that would happen in a city that embraced white supremacy as fully as Mr. Szarzynski describes. Finally, there are neighborhoods in Madison that do not even have a majority white population, so it would be impossible for white supremacy to dwell comfortably there.

The next fallacy that I found in his argument was when he described the issue of crime as 'among the weirdest and most common of Madison obsessions'. While he does make a good point that this city is among the safest of its size in the country, the fact remains that there is a substantial amount of crime in this city, both in the downtown district surrounding the university and elsewhere. For someone moving here from a small town with maybe a few robberies a year, Madison can seem pretty scary. The author states that 'fear of crime has been inseparable from fear of racial minorities.' I have never been a victim of crime in this city during my 7+ years here aside from petty theft of a camera, but I have had multiple friends that were in the wrong place at the wrong time and got robbed or were attacked simply for the color of their skin-- ironically enough they were white. It is also a fact that overall crime levels in Madison continue to rise. Granted some of that is due to an influx of new residents as Madison shows continued growth, but it is definitely something worth keeping an eye out for, not a 'weird obsession'. I do not see any evidence(nor does the author provide any evidence) that this fear is racially motivated. People want to live their lives in peace, and that seems like a reasonable desire.

Finally, Mr. Szarzynski states his opinion that 'there are many who actually do believe that crime is out of control, illegal immigration is a scourge against our great land and a minor crime of a student official is an important enough topic about which to pen an editorial. This does not change the fact that the underlying impulse that forces these issues to the surface is racial, and that an elimination of racism would mute such issues as crime and immigration.' He provides no evidence to back this claim up, and without any evidence he really does not have much of an argument. I could put in my 2 cents on these issues but I believe I have made my point which is that the author's argument is riddled with fallacies and that these logical fallacies do not allow the argument to be successfully presented.

9/11 fallout (words)

9/11 is an event that has shaped the history and the rhetoric of the United States forever. The date itself is a memorial for the terrifying words, expressions, and emotions people heard that day. The date will never pass unnoticed again. Classrooms, offices, public transportation, and peoples’ minds will be buzzing with those three numbers for years when it is once again September 11 years from now.
Where were you when it happened? What were you doing? How did people react?
Everyone has their story and the details haunt political, social, and economic rhetoric today. The most powerful aspect of that day which will stay with me for years was the words people said in lieu of the attack. Particularly the words G.W. Bush chose as he attempted to reassure a panicked nation. By carefully crafting his speeches in order to appeal to the terrified American public, he chose simple, strong words which appeal and are understood by everyone:
“hunt down and punish”
“national security”
“faceless coward…freedom will be defended”
Although these terms were eloquently presented and the rhetorical appeal of “Homeland Security” was a strong one, it wasn’t what he had promised. Many peoples’ privacy was invaded and his rhetoric wasn’t carried out. As Benjamin Franklin beautifully put it: “Those who would give up essential liberty to purchase a little temporary safety, deserve neither liberty nor safety.” I believe Mr. Franklin’s rhetoric more clearly conveys the realities of Bush’s post-9/11 rhetoric. While Bush verbally promised to protect and defend the nation from another, similar attack, he essentially used his power to spend loads of money on defeating “enemies”/”terrorists(???)” and, what I would consider, borrowing citizens’ liberty to mislead them into believing that they were [temporarily] protected when he instated Homeland Security.
Back to the subject…
The vast majority of the world’s people were on America’s side when 9/11 happened. The terrorist attack seeped its way into conversations world-wide. People of different ethnicities, race, culture, language and tradition remember where they were and what they were doing when the towers fell. After 9/11, a new topic of conversation was created. News castors, talk show hosts on the radio and TV, and everyday citizens of the world refer to 9/11 as a turning point in world history. It was when the world lost security. Teachers use 9/11 as an example in classrooms. Often, we hear pre-9/11 and post-9/11 as a rhetorical way of situating events in time.
9/11 is here to stay. It has and will continue to teach lessons and the rhetorical tools that when along with the events of that day are dated and will be recognized by the generations that experienced the tragedy.

tribute

September 11, 2001 is a date that will live in infamy, a single date that cuts to the core of human emotion. In its wake many things have changed, including airport security and the inception of The Department of Homeland Security. Although these two refined our national security, 9/11’s impact is better portrayed through words like terrorist, hijacker, ground zero and the way they make us feel.

It is easy to understand why this topic is so sensitive under any public forum. Beyond the unimaginable horror thousands of people and families felt who were directly effected, every American was tied to those towers. Everyone that said, published or produced something about the day took extra precaution not to say something that may offend the American public. Television shows that depicted the twin towers, post 9/11, did not want to air shots of the phantom structures. Documentaries and movies followed a couple years latter, none of which passed the threshold to offend anyone.

It has been 7 years since the towers fell and the words still send the same chilling image to my brain. Words that breed fear, shock, anger, bewilderment and sorrow. Fortunately, there are other words that are tied to the memory of the fallen buildings. Hope, perseverance, unity and patriotism speak to the other side of the 9/11 spectrum. Today, we look to these words to inspire, to find light in the dark. We will never forget, or change how we feel about that dreadful day in September. I will never forget how it changed the world.

“Now, we have inscribed a new memory alongside those others. It’s a memory of tragedy and shock, of loss and mourning. But not only of loss and mourning. It’s also a memory of bravery and self-sacrifice, and the love that lays down its life for a friend–even a friend whose name it never knew. “
- President George W. Bush, December 11, 2001