Argument Image 1

"[Chief Master Sergeant] John Gebhardt's wife, Mindy, said that this little girl's entire family was executed. The insurgents intended to execute the little girl also, and shot her in the head...but they failed to kill her. She was cared for in John's hospital and is healing up, but continues to cry and moan.. The nurses said John is the only one who seems to calm her down, so John has spent the last four nights holding her while they both slept in that chair. The girl is coming along with her healing."

This image creates an argument for the war overseas. It is effective because we see an American soldier comforting a child who was harmed by the insurgents our soldiers are fighting against. It is emotional because we see the connection between a US soldier in uniform and a child. Seeing the little girl makes us think of innocence, and that we are protecting and defending innocence, and it reinforces our views against the enemies because we see her wound on her head.

Academic Search Premier Articles

Olson, Catherine Applefeld "Note to Budget Cutters: The Arts Are Good Business." Teaching Music 17.1 (2009): 16. Academic Search Premier. EBSCO. Web. 25 Oct. 2009.
This source discusses the positive effect arts education can have on the economy. It presents many statistics that show how the arts stimulate the economy and improve academic success in students. It also explains how involvement in the arts helps people to develop teamwork skills and problem-solving skills that can lead to a successful career.

Chira, Susan "As Schools Trim Budgets, The Arts Lose Their Place." New York Times 03 Feb. 1993: 1. Corporate ResourceNet. EBSCO. Web. 25 Oct. 2009.
In this article the author discusses how the arts have always been considered a “frill” in education, but how it really is essential to education. She compares American arts programs to those in other countries, and relates them to academic programs. She also discusses case studies conducted in various schools around the country, which all show the positive effects of arts education on students academically, communicatively, socially, and in many other ways.

Reynolds, Nancy Walkup "Cheerleading for the art team." Arts & Activities 113.3 (1993): 58. Corporate ResourceNet. EBSCO. Web. 25 Oct. 2009.
This article discusses what teachers can do to support arts education in times of budget cuts. It discusses what art teachers can do to emphasize the importance of the arts and to include more arts outside of the classroom, such as through clubs or extra projects. It also states that art teachers must stand up for their arts and emphasize the importance of the arts on the students, especially in the ways they can help students academically. It is basically a call to action for arts teachers.

USA Today Snapshot Graph

On Mother’s Day, almost ¾ of mothers who dine at home cook the meal, whether alone or with help, proving that most mothers still follow the stereotypical female gender role of housewife.

The graph shows that women alone are drifting away from the stereotypical female role of housewife, because about 2/3 of mothers do not cook or have help from others, such as their spouse or children, when cooking a Mother’s Day meal.

According to the graph, ¾ of mothers still cook the meal on Mother’s Day, proving that most Americans do not celebrate holidays appropriately. If we did we would not make our mothers cook on the day when we are supposed to honor them.

Public Poll Questions

What do you think is the most prominent effect of arts education on students in grades k-12?
a. Improved social skills
b. Increased involvement in school
c. Higher grades/grade point average
d. Decreased attention to academics
e. None

When faced with mandatory budget cuts, what should public schools cut from their programs?
a. Teacher positions
b. Hands-On Academic experiences/equipment
c. Sports
d. Arts programs
e. Tutoring programs

Do you think arts are an essential part of a student’s education?
a. Yes
b. No
c. Don’t Know

Big Brother is watching

In today’s society there are surveillance cameras everywhere. You go to any store, school, or other public facility and chances are you are being recorded on a surveillance camera. We also cameras outside of stores that monitor parking lots, traffic, homes, and even police keep cameras in their cars.

Many people are concerned about being “watched” 24/7, but we really aren’t. Yes, we might be caught on many different cameras every day, but it’s not like people are constantly watching them. These security cameras are only really watched closely if there is suspicious activity or a crime that has been committed. True, the cameras are sometimes used in ways that are wrong, but they are more often helpful than harmful.

In the case of the YouTube video the surveillance camera used was beneficial. It allowed for everyone to see the incident with the police officer and the woman who was victimized. Without the camera the woman probably never would have gotten any justice. The camera was used in a helpful way to catch someone abusing their authority.

In other cases these cameras help catch people who commit crimes, and who, without video camera footage, probably would get away with their crimes. These cameras catch people shoplifting, breaking into homes, stores, cars, and other places, and committing traffic violations. In the long run, these cameras help reduce crime.

Surveillance cameras are not bad or too invasive in our daily lives. I would live my life the same way if cameras were not everywhere, or my life might even be worse. I don’t feel like I’m being watched or that my freedom is being compromised. If anything, I feel safer with these video cameras, and I don’t think that this country will allow surveillance cameras to become too invasive and “Big Brother”-like in our lives.

OVRC Research

When I searched on the Opposing Viewpoints Resource Center I found many articles both supporting funding for the arts in and outside schools, and I found many that did not support it. The articles that supported the arts discussed how involvement in the arts helps “at-risk” students improve overall learning, cognitive development, self-esteem, and self discipline, just to name a few benefits. Those against funding of arts didn’t address the downfalls of the loss of arts education and primarily focused on the funding issue. None of the information regarding the benefits for the students really surprised me. I pretty much knew this already through personal experience.

NYT Opinion Article

When searching through the opinion articles on the New York Times website I found an article about arts in education. It discusses the issues involved with poor arts programs in schools, and it really caught my attention, because I know recently public school districts have struggled with budget cuts, so they cut arts programs. I feel that it is imperative that students have some form of arts education in order to have a well-rounded education, and I believe that involvement in the arts can help students in other classes as well as other aspects of their lives.

This relates to me because I am a musician and I came from a public school district that went through these budget cuts. Music has been so important in my life and I don’t think I would have been as successful in school without being involved in music and other arts.

I can research this topic by looking into proven benefits that the arts have had for students and how cutting arts programs in schools due to budget cuts and increased focus in core subjects, such as math and English, have actually hurt students academically and in other ways, as well as cost school districts more.

This is definitely an important topic because the conflict involving arts in schools addresses issues concerning the education of students. The education that students get today will affect our lives forever, as well as the lives around us.

Arguable Topics Activity

“Hurricanes are increasing in number and ferocity.” I would not say this is worth arguing to a college audience because as long as a time frame for measurement (they get worse each year, each decade, etc.) and evidence is presented to show ferocity (category 1-5 hurricanes) this claim can easily be proven or disproven.

“Many people die annually of cancer.” The only part of this that I see could make an argument is the word “many”. It can mean different things to different people. Other than that, the deaths due to cancer can be proven with scientific evidence.

“Fewer people would die of heart disease each year if more of them paid attention to their diets.” This could easily be argued to a college audience because it could be argued that heart disease is caused by other factors that would kill people even if they maintained healthy diets.

“Japan might have come to terms more readily in 1945 if the Allies hadn’t demanded unconditional surrender.” This could be argued because there were so many factors in WWII that could have changed various circumstances, but no one knows for sure if they would have or not because all we know for certain is what did happen and what resulted from that. Anyone could make a claim that some unique factor could have changed the outcome of the war.

“Boys would do better in school if there were more men teaching in elementary and secondary classrooms.” This is definitely arguable because I’m sure there is factual evidence that supports this in some cases, but disproves it in others. This is especially controversial because it says “boys would do better” and not “boys might do better”. It is also arguable because people could raise the question, “what is ‘better’?”

“The ever-increasing number of minorities in higher education is evidence that racial problems have just about ended in the United States.” This topic is incredibly controversial and would be a strong arguable topic because some might agree with it because they would look back into history and compare racial problems then with now in relation to education, but others would look at racial problems outside of education.

“There aren’t enough high-paying jobs for college graduates these days.” This would be a good topic to argue because people would ask, “What is enough,” “What is high-paying,” and “By saying ‘college graduates, does it include graduates with all types of degrees, such as associate’s, bachelor’s, master’s, doctorate, etc. or does it refer to those with only certain types of degrees?” People would also make arguments relating to individual fields of study.

“Hydrogen may never be a viable alternative to fossil fuels because it takes too much energy to change hydrogen into a useable form.” This is easily arguable because it is a prediction on a scientific development in the future. Basically any statement that makes some sort of prediction about the future can be argued because it is not known for certain.

“Only one of the first forty-three presidents of the United States was a Catholic.” This could be argued because one could question what exactly Catholicism is, whether the presidents lied because of appearance, whether this refers to religion only while they were in office, whether any of them called themselves any other religion believing it to be true, but in reality practiced a religion closer to Catholicism than anything else, etc.

“Political activists have grossly exaggerated the effects of the USA Patriot Act on free expression.” This is politics. Politics can be argued anywhere by anyone at any time. There is so much controversy in politics, including this one sentence, that it would create a very strong debate when argued to college students or any number of other groups.

Pink Think

I definitely believe "pink think" still exists today. It does not exist in the same way it did in decades past, but it has evolved over time, developing new concepts while forgetting some older ones. One of the most prominent places I see pink think is in TV commercials that advertise hair and skin care products. These commercials convince women that to be pretty they need to have perfect hair and flawless skin with no wrinkles or blemishes, and if they don't then no one, particularly men, will look at them or take them seriously. Older women are told they must use certain products in order to look younger, as if looking one's age is morally wrong. This influences society because women everywhere now worry constantly about looks and age. It is considered rude to ask a woman her age, but not a man.

I also often observe situations in which a woman is afraid to act in certain ways or be too successful because they are afraid a man might be intimidated by them. I also observe situations where men are uncomfortable being of lower rank in the workplace than women, such as a man being a secretary for a woman, or a man being a nurse and a woman being a surgeon. I don't see this near as often as I would if it were twenty years ago, but I still see it. These are just a few examples of where I see "pink think" today.

Another stereotypical behavior that I see is a concept I would call "acting black." The first time I really started to notice it, and to notice its powerful influence was in middle school. I was one of the white students in a school that was about 85% black. When I first got there I didn't think anything of color and how people related it to behavior, but over time I saw and heard about specific ways black people were supposed to act, and specific ways white people were supposed to act. I still see this today. According to the stereotype, black people are supposed to like hip hop and rap music, they are supposed to talk a certain way and dance a certain way, and there is so much more to what a black person should be. White people on the other hand are supposed to like country music and must speak and dance very proper and boring. A friend of mine was even told by a classmate that she wasn't really black because she had a poster of a pop singing group in her locker. Now I know that middle school students act like this to an extent simply because they haven't grown up enough, but I see this even in adults. If a white person can't dance, or can't say something in a way that a friend says it they say "I can't pull that off, I'm too white." I don't mean to offend anyone by writing this, but I just see it as the honest truth. I have faced much racism because I am white from people of all races, including other white people.

I also see much racism against people of different races, whether they are black, Hispanic, Asian, or any other race, from people who claim not to be racists. According to stereotypes, Asians are all really smart, Indians are good with computers, Hispanics party with really loud music, Blacks are thieves and gang members, and Whites are rednecks. In reality I have many good friends of all different races who are all very smart, are good with computers, and party with loud music, and I see thieves, gang members, and rednecks of all races. I am disgusted by these stereotypes, but they are so prominent in today's society. I don't see why these stereotypes continue on they way the do. I believe a person is who they make him/herself, regardless of race, religion, gender, sexual orientation, or anything else.

Definition Criteria

serious literature: When defining this term I would first examine what is meant by "serious". To one person serious literature might a work with a subject matter that would not be appropriate for all ages, while to another it might be a work that has received a Nobel Prize in literature.

hate crime: Is the action really a crime, or is it a legal expression protected by a citizen's right to expression. What makes the "crime" hateful? Is it hate because it is a passionate dislike, or is it a strong opposing opinion?

royal family: Royal because of how they are portrayed by the media, royal because of how they act, royal because of the way the public sees them, royal because of the way the rest of the world sees them...?

journalists: What exactly is the job of a journalist? Must a journalist stay neutral and unbiased? Is it important that a journalist actually does reflect his/her views?

big businesses: What is meant by big? How big is big and how does it differ from small? What exactly makes a business? Is my little cousin's lemonade stand down the street a business? There are money transactions involved...

civil disobedience: What is civil? Can setting an old abandoned building on fire be considered civil if no one is hurt physically, monetarily, etc? Is it really disobedience, or a different interpretation of the law?

religion: Do one or more gods have to be involved? Can religion be specified by disbelief as well as belief?

free speech: Is "speech" interpreted literally, as a spoken form of communication? To what extent will "free speech" be accepted before deemed illegal through other criteria?

state: Is state meant as a legally identified area that has met certain criteria and gone through specific processes? Is "state" used more freely for certain areas due to specific circumstances?

marriage: Is marriage referred to in the legal sense, as a contract between two individuals, or is it referred to as a relationship status symbolized by love and commitment between two (or more) individuals?

These are some of the criteria I would take into consideration when analyzing these various controversial terms. The definitions could vary slightly depending on the context in which the term is used.

Iraqi War

I have always been so confused about the Iraqi War. I could never take a side (whether to support it or not) because I saw benefits and downfalls in the war for both Americans and Iraqis. After entering this course and reading from the milblog and the letter the soldier wrote to his mother (from the patriot readings) I am still not able to choose a side, but it has really opened my eyes to the feelings of the soldiers. I was really touched when reading these posts and the letter because for the first time I really began to understand how proud the soldiers are to be serving their country, and that are doing what they feel is right. I am so proud of our soldiers and I have the utmost respect and admiration for them.

Patriotism

There is a difference between true patriotism and blind patriotism. When defining patriotism most people would say it is loyalty to one's country no matter what. It means supporting one's nation in war and supporting the nation's authority figures and policies. This is blind patriotism. It is a threat to democracy and isn't really patriotism. This is what we call "going with the flow." True patriotism means keeping one's nation's best interests at heart. True patriots are often called unpatriotic by the vast majority of the country, at least until the country undergoes a massive change. For example, many saw Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. as unpatriotic for a long time because he challenged American laws and customs. Today, however he is celebrated throughout the country for his strong fight to uphold America's promises of liberty and equality for all. He was doing what he felt was best for America and its people. That is true patriotism. Patriotism can be different for different people. To one person patriotism might be supporting the war against terrorism, not because they support whatever America does, but because they feel that the war is in America's best interest and they believe it is right. To another person patriotism might be fighting against the war because they don't believe it helps America or its interests. Being a patriot does not mean one cannot support other countries and people from them. It's actually quite the contrary. If an American supports Indonesia or an Indonesian person in some way, as long as it does not hurt America, it can reflect well on America as a country because it shows that Americans can be good people and think of people besides just themselves. In short, it makes us look good. Patriotism can be interpreted in so many different ways. It just depends on how it is interpreted that shows us the difference between blind patriotism and true patriotism.