Wednesday, December 9, 2015
Too naked
Tuesday, December 8, 2015
Class Partner Debates
In
class we have been doing our final partner debates. Last week, one group was
debating whether or not college athletes should be able to use performance
enhancing drugs. One side made the proposition that they should remain illegal
with the grounds that they are unsafe and that it evens the playing field.
Because these PEDs are expensive, not all college athletes who are paying for
college and other expenses can afford them, giving them a huge disadvantage compared
to those who can. Each side had great arguments, but at one point one side
compared college sports to gladiator events and the slaughtering of Christians.
Although this side had the most compelling arguments and this comparison was
meant to provide the audience with an analogy of their point, this
exaggeration, in my opinion, came off as a little bit desperate and took away
some of the effectiveness of their argument.
Final Blog Post
From
the start of the semester, my views regarding argumentation and debate in our
culture have completely transformed. I learned that there is an argument in
almost everything that we encounter in life, and that some arguments are
significantly stronger and more effective than others.
Personally,
throughout this course I have found that minds can be changed most effectively
by utilizing a Logos and Pathos appeal. Because humans are such emotional
beings, adding emotional concerns to an argument can definitely sway most
audiences. Facts and statistics in the Logos appeal is also extremely
effective. It is hard for an audience to argue with facts. I have also found
that our culture has transformed into a VERY visual culture. People like to see
creative, pretty, and exciting images and it plays a ridiculous role in how we
process messages. People focus more on the image rather than the importance of
the message. Much of this can be attributed to the heavy use of social media
and how it has opened many opportunities for various methods of arguing.
I
also learned about the power dynamics behind argumentation. Giant corporations
and other people of power tend to be experts in using argumentation as a tool
to control others. In my opinion, it definitely has the capacity to change the
world. For example, the Uncle Sam “I Want You to Join the U.S. Army” posters.
This argument convinced so many young men to enlist and sacrifice their lives
during a time of war.
The
more I analyzed arguments throughout the semester, the more I developed by
ability to dissect the arguments and determine their effectiveness and appeal
with particular audiences. Now it is impossible for me to look at anything
without over-analyzing the argument they are making, the strength of their
argument, and what their target audience most likely is. It is definitely
annoying (especially for my friends), but entertaining nonetheless.
Tuesday, December 1, 2015
Alcohol=Fun?
I saw this image while spending time on Reddit and immediately noticed the argument that the creator was trying to make. In the picture, there is a bottle of vodka pouring onto a city. The area where the liquid is hitting the city looks like a party while the areas where there is no alcohol look dark and boring. The text says "Just Add Vodka", making the argument that one only has to drink vodka in order to have fun.
This ad bothered me because I completely disagree that alcohol is needed in order to have a good time. However, this is an effective argument because is appeals to everyone's desire to have a good time. There is this stigma that alcohol makes situations more fun and consumers will see that when viewing this ad for vodka. Although many could debate that alcohol is not required to have fun (I have been in multiple situations where too much vodka/liquor can make a situation WAY less fun), it is a very creative, interesting, and effective advertisement for this vodka brand.
Thinner than ever

One thing I found interesting is that the hand holding the iPad in the image is white. This adds to the idea that white American people are rich and greedy while people of color are poor and hungry. I found that although this argument might make generalizations and stereotype, it was very strong. This uses the pathos appeal by including an image of a starving small child. So many people own iPads and other Apple products and get caught up in material things while forgetting the real concerns of the world around them.
Monday, November 30, 2015
Blog Post 9: Debate
I watched the democratic debate on October 13. Many candidates made many arguments throughout the debate. Bernie Sanders argued that America should learn from Denmark and Norway regarding healthcare and adjust its healthcare system to be more socialist. He said that because those systems worked for those countries why won't they work for the United States? O'Malley made the argument that more gun regulations should be passed and used the story of a family who's child was murdered by guns acquired illegally to create pathos for his argument. Although O'Malley made many valid points, he often resorted to the pathos appeal when logos or ethos might make his arguments more effective.
I noticed Hillary dodging the question in many situations. When she was asked a more uncomfortable question such as one about Bengazi and other situations, she twisted the discussion to a topic that she was more comfortable with, using the fallacy of obfuscation. This caused her arguments to be less effective and for her to be a weaker contender in the debate. She also made an unsubstantiated claim when she said that the economy is better when a Democrat is in office. This is an untrue statement and was said without any evidence or reason. This was an untrue assumption that was very misleading for the audience.

I noticed Hillary dodging the question in many situations. When she was asked a more uncomfortable question such as one about Bengazi and other situations, she twisted the discussion to a topic that she was more comfortable with, using the fallacy of obfuscation. This caused her arguments to be less effective and for her to be a weaker contender in the debate. She also made an unsubstantiated claim when she said that the economy is better when a Democrat is in office. This is an untrue statement and was said without any evidence or reason. This was an untrue assumption that was very misleading for the audience.
Tuesday, November 17, 2015
Snowden vs. John Oliver
In my COMM 340 class (Comm. and Popular Culture) this morning, we were discussing the topic of government surveillance. I found this interesting because our class just debated this issue. In class, we watched a video clip of John Oliver interviewing Snowden in Russia (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XEVlyP4_11M). Although it was mainly just a conversation between the two, John Oliver begins to discuss the implications of Snowden leaking information about NSA surveillance. Oliver makes the proposition that the information that Snowden leaked put American lives at risk. Snowden on the other hand defended himself by saying that he was justified in sharing that information with the grounds that no one is ever really free from risk and that the world deserved to know the truth. I then realized that it was interesting that no one in our class debate brought up Snowden and his leak.
Oliver was able to successfully debate with Snowden because he actually listened to Snowden while asking all the right questions. He remained level-headed and calm throughout the conversation, making his arguments even more effective for the audience. Sometimes, those arguing tend to get heated and portray frustration in their argument, causing them to lose their credibility (ethos). Using humor to appeal to the audience, John Oliver is able to make an effective argument against Snowden's actions while maintaining a civil, refreshing, and hilarious conversation.
Oliver was able to successfully debate with Snowden because he actually listened to Snowden while asking all the right questions. He remained level-headed and calm throughout the conversation, making his arguments even more effective for the audience. Sometimes, those arguing tend to get heated and portray frustration in their argument, causing them to lose their credibility (ethos). Using humor to appeal to the audience, John Oliver is able to make an effective argument against Snowden's actions while maintaining a civil, refreshing, and hilarious conversation.
Monday, November 16, 2015
Extra: The most emotional gum on the planet

Too scary?

Sex Sells

Monday, November 9, 2015
Blog Post #8: Film Viewing

The creators of this film use a heavy logos appeal with hard evidence and statistics to support their argument that people should refrain from eating unhealthy fast food restaurants. He also uses a strong Ethos appeal (credibility) because he does the experiment himself and portrays the consequences on video, giving him a lot of credibility in the eyes of the viewer.
One fallacy that could be seen in this film's argument is that Spurlock did not exercise and that eating three reasonable fast-food meals a day could not add up to 5,000 calories like Spurlock claimed. Some have argued that anyone who does not exercise is bound to suffer the consequences that he experienced.
In my opinion, This movie was effective in making this argument. It showed the audience the effect that fast food can have on ones body and encourages healthier lifestyles. Although some people claim that this film was exaggerated, there is no arguing against the fact that fast food is not healthy.
Friday, November 6, 2015
Cancer Cures Smoking

Burrito Smackdown...

Thursday, November 5, 2015
Where is the best place to live?
I was reading an article in USA Today titled "50 Best Cities to Live In" (link below). The author made the value claim that Meridian, Idaho is the best place to live. Who on earth has ever heard of Meridian, Idaho?? I continued reading and the article made the claim that it was the best with the warrants that included that it was safe and there were many jobs available. This was extremely effective because everyone wants to live in a safe city and everyone wants to live somewhere where job opportunities are available. The author also supported this claim by providing a strong logos appeal with statistics regarding violent crime and employment statistics in the city. Although I was skeptical at first, the more I read the more I tossed around the idea that Meridian might be a good place to live (but I could never leave Texas). Due to the effective warrants and use of logos in this argument, the author was effective in convincing me that Meridian, Idaho is the best city to live in.
In case you were wondering... Here is a picture of Meridian, Idaho.

Article Link:
http://www.usatoday.com/story/money/business/2015/11/05/24-7-wall-st-best-cities-to-live-in/75177096/
In case you were wondering... Here is a picture of Meridian, Idaho.
Article Link:
http://www.usatoday.com/story/money/business/2015/11/05/24-7-wall-st-best-cities-to-live-in/75177096/
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