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.