Aaron Bonner - English 102

My name is Aaron Bonner and I'm blogging for school!

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Final Post

Reflecting on my experience in 102, I think the overall structure of the class was much more positive. With the blog posts, I think there was a lot of potential to allow for an open in-class discussion. I think that the idea of using Tumblr as a classroom tool to express creativity and form ideas about how to go about drafting papers was a very interesting one, though it could have used some work by possibly making the entire class follow each other rather than just keeping it in the cohort member group. One blog post I really enjoyed was the comic strip analysis, which was an extremely insightful and fun post to write. However, I felt like I was just writing it for points rather than to express myself, and I really think that that post in particular would have greatly benefitted from a possible round table discussion in the first 5-10 minutes of class as a way to discuss the topics of rhetorical appeal.  I believe that over the semester, my writing skills have improved as I've found new ways to express my ideas. One paper that really opened my eyes to analytical writing was the visual analysis paper. For this paper, I chose Louis Wain's painting, titled "Kaleidoscope Cats 3: Electric Cat." At first, I questioned how I was going to write over a thousand words on just one image, but after observing, I began to see how appeals can exist anywhere. I have since used these analytical skills in my papers for my Theatre class to analyze dance pieces and how stage design and lighting can really enhance the appeals felt during a performance. I feel like English 102 has allowed me to be a little more creative in my writing, while still focusing on the rhetorical appeals of the world. Rhetoric exists everywhere in every single source of media be it text, film, music, art, or even theater. I enjoyed the openness of which I could express any problems I was having drafting my paper and how a simple chat could really turn the feel of the paper around and make it great. For example, for a good while, both my Visual Analysis and Argumentative Synthesis just didn't flow well and by visiting the Writing Center and having one-on-one chats, I was able to see where I was going wrong and address these in revision. I think that while I had a few errors along the way, I've really come out of 102 as a more successful writer and I'll be applying my skills on the papers I'll be writing over the next three years. 

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Blog Post 12

Gallery Day was a great insight into the creation of memes. It seemed like they were made to bring a powerful message forward while putting the creator's sense of humor behind it. Some worked well, while others weren't necessarily as funny, but they all had straightforward messages that were conveyed through text. I talked to Evan and Andrew about their memes during our short little walk-around and found that my guesses at the message weren't that far off from their intended meanings.  With Evan's meme, he used a photo of politicians in a meeting laughing about they've told the public that poverty can be fixed by changing the minimum wage. Evan's meme had a great sense of humor, though it required the reader to sense the irony in it. This became a pretty common theme in a lot of the memes I saw during Gallery Day. Evan explained to me that while the politicians in the photo were laughing about what ridiculous lies they've made up, it's really exposing the politicians as pretty messed up people and it's almost as though they're making fun of their selves. I felt like Evan's joke really summed up a large portion of political leaders and that it used humor well to convey that poverty isn't something that can be fixed by men in suits with a fancy speech. Andrew's meme took Fry from Futurama and spoke a little about how it's confusing that people are relating aggression in an individual to throwing punches or other violence. While aggression can lead to violence, this is not always the case. Andrew discussed his meme with me, talking about a few bigger points of his paper (video games and aggression) and I just didn't feel like the topic discussed in his last paper translated well in to this meme. While it did show that aggression isn't always linked to violence, the notions of media playing a part of this confusion isn't necessarily touched on, and Andrew had to explain this to me for me to completely get his joke.  Gallery Day helped me out a little bit in selecting the best meme to analyze. It helped me avoid using a visual that may make specific references and it also helped me see how appeals can be used to further bring home a message. Through this, I was able to draft up some notes that helped me write my analysis and see that memes play more on emotion than they do credibility or logic. While the other two can be utilized to further drive your point, the humor and what you get out of the biting irony is the main appeal of the meme.

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Blog Post 11

With my paper, I researched into video games and the perceived dangers of violence. A lot of people, particularly lawmakers and parents, tend to look at games as overly violent and while this can be the case at times, it doesn't necessarily cause any more aggression than a quarterback being pissed about losing the big game. I listen to various gaming podcasts and frequent video game news sites such as Giant Bomb and Kotaku, so I already sort of had an idea of what my the big deal was all about. It really never occurred to me before writing this paper just how bad the Entertainment Software Rating Board really is. Since writing this paper, I went back to some of the more mature games are really started to see just how violent these games really were as I slashed men in hoodies in half, shot enemy soldiers in the face, or snapped the neck of alien. While I didn't necessarily have an issue writing the paper, some of my information just blended together and it all felt like a huge discussion point rather than many issues. Every single one of my sources spoke about the rating board and how it isn't being taken seriously. This became my main focal point of my paper and I wish I had been able to find just a bit more on the psychology of the player, as I'm in what is technically a Medicine/Health group, not Technology. In my conference, we discussed organization and this short little remark really helped me see just how jumbled my paper was and I was able to move things around to make a much more coherent paper. This paper was a great look into some of the side areas of gaming that really aren't discussed due to just lack of credible info, but interesting nonetheless.  Side note: Giant Bomb discussed a more recent issue regarding this topic on their latest episode of their podcast and it made me laugh, seeing as it was the main topic of my paper. They, of course, said there just wasn't enough there to make an argument and that it is always dropped before it even really gets started.

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Blog Post 10

I believe that as a whole, my argumentative synthesis paper relies heavily on logos and pathos. This is a good thing, as my paper does not necessarily focus on a touching, emotional subject. While, yes, video games can effect the emotional state of a player, my paper focuses more on the psychological aspect and how the Entertainment Software Rating Board needs to be reevaluated. My sources back up a lot of their claims with large amounts of logical data from various subjects, such as Becker-Olsen and Norberg's look into how players and parents view the same content. For example, in a study, participants were asked to look at Gears of War, a popular M-rated shooter that is known for its graphic executions. When Becker-Olsen and Norberg asked "What is the rating for this game?", teenagers answered with a Teen rating, despite the content being an over-the-top gorefest intended for ages 17 and up. Nearly every single one of my sources touch on the morality issue of the rating board being ignored by parents, stating that due to either negligence or misunderstanding, these games are being sold to minors or given as gifts. This is a huge issue, as underage children are being exposed to gratuitous violence, and this can often lead to increased aggression levels. Many researchers, however, have debunked the claim that video games are the root cause of aggression, stating that it is no more than that of a football player. In terms of credible sources, I've gathered research from game developers, lawyers, and professors who each have various things to say on the matter, but all bring up the same point: The ESRB has issues and can be fixed to keep violence and aggression in minors under control and violent video games out of hands of children.

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Blog Post 9

http://electronics.howstuffworks.com/video-game-violence.htm This source is from How Stuff Works, and it gave me a better understanding of how many people view the subject. This article is written very informally, but packs a lot of information into its five short pages. In this article, I learned about the cases of Anders Breivik and Devin Moore, both who went on killing sprees similar to those that can be performed in games such as Call of Duty and Grand Theft Auto. This article also states that while these video games are often violent, the data is just too large to find solid evidence linking the two together. One of their sources explains "It could similarly be argued that bread consumption predicts school shootings, because most school shooters likely consumed a bread product within 24 hours before their violent attacks.", which is similar to Sessler's argument that "video games may cause aggression, similar to other competitive activities." While the evidence supporting the link between the two is logical, the data has too many variables. Some may be affected by violence and act on it while others may go throughout their day normally, unaffected. The author of this article also slightly touches on the parenting aspect of observing ratings and how the psychological aspects of the player need to be examined before putting the blame on the games themselves. Researchers have found that violent video games were most likely to trigger aggressive responses in those who already showed signs of psychoticism and the American Psychological Association has pulled back on their position on the subject, stating that the evidence presented was "dramatically insufficient."  This article proves my hunch/thesis statement that while there is evidence, it is not credible enough to prove that there is a link between graphic content and aggression in players.

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Blog Post 7

Question of Inquiry: Does violence in video games lead to a violent individual? Motive: I personally believe this is a really fascinating topic. I play video games very regularly, often being gritty war-torn shooters or violent crime-based games. While these games have never affected me personally, several sources beg to differ, making my mother's signature phrase of "Garbage in, garbage out." sound more and more like a reality in this day and age. What's Known?: Over the years, various court cases have found comparisons between simulated violence and real life violence. One example of this is Id Software's DOOM. DOOM was once thought to be a contributing factor to the Columbine High School massacre in 1999, though this has been widely debated. Some have argued that this is due to varying sensitivity levels between players, suggesting that some players may be more prone to violence after seeing a particularly gruesome scene while others may be unaffected. This topic has been widely discussed within the gaming industry as well. Adam Sessler, of G4 fame, has been interviewed on the subject, saying "I think it’s tough to say that the game industry bears responsibility, especially in light of the tragedies in Sandy Hook and Aurora, Colorado. This discussion seems to come up quite a bit. When tragedies like this happen, they do affect kind of a collective social psyche, and I think that people tend to go to what feels most alien, what feels most different and is changing in the society. In this case, it’s video games." Whether video games truly do affect the psyche of the player is unknown, and being discussed to the day.  What's At Stake?: A lot, actually! As video games grow more and more violent, law officials and activists have made moves to censor or ban these games from store shelves. Several Grand Theft Auto games have already been censored for content and briefly removed from stores due to an Adults Only rating. More importantly, the player's psyche may be at stake. As the player sees increasingly violent imagery, such as an execution or a drive-by shooting, the player may have trouble distinguishing fiction from reality. Others believe that video games do nothing and the mental stability of the player should be addressed rather than the games themselves. This is a huge issue, and it needs to be addressed in some fashion to possibly help avoid yet another school shooting and reduce crime rates.  My Hunch: I don't think that there's a link between violence and video games. While I do agree that children are impressionable, copying the world around them, I do not think that video games are the prime cause. I personally believe that the mental stability of the player should be the real issue being addressed, rather than the content of the game. The ESRB rating system was put into place to help stop against graphic video games from getting into the hands of younger players, but as we all know, parents are pretty lax on that sort of thing. Games such as Call of Duty have often been referred to as "This Generation's Babysitter", as they tend to be what keeps a child happy. I personally think that while this is a topic that should be discussed, there's not quite enough evidence behind the argument. Video games may indeed be violent, but there are so many other factors (abuse, mental illness, and the human psyche) that should be considered before pointing the finger at games.  My Sources:  Becker-Olsen, Karen and Patricia Norberg. "Caution, Animated Violence". Journal of Advertising. Winter 2010, Vol. 39 Issue 4, p83-94. Print. Holden, Will. "Adam Sessler talks about violence and video games." The Examiner. January 30, 2013. Web.  Moore, Dave and Bill Manville. "What role might video game addiction have played in the Columbine shootings?" New York Daily News. April 23, 2009. Web. 

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“oh, don’t cry” – proven to stop all crying, 100% of the time

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I chose this comic strip for my blog post this week because I feel like it really captures how those who suffer from depression/anxiety attacks feel when others tell them to simply "calm down" or "stop." Depression doesn't just quit when you want it to and you don't suddenly feel better when someone tells you you're fine. The effect of depression lingers. Throughout my life, I've dealt with anxiety issues so this image speaks to me on a real deep emotional level. Things would be stressful as I struggled to finish assignments and raise my grades. My mother and father would always tell me "You'll do great. You always do." Often, I wouldn't believe them, even though they were pretty much totally right. This comic really touches on an emotional subject, and I think it's an important one at that. Society as a whole has become this big thing of arguing that you're okay, even when everything just feels like its crumbling at your feet. It's always important to remember that "It Gets Better", but it takes a whole lot of effort and it's often hard to keep things under control. The joke that "Humanity is in a post-medicine era" is humorous because really, as a whole, we are all extremely medicated for all types of illnesses be they physical or mental. People try to push these problems away through pills and though they often work, it's still sometimes a fight to get out of bed in the morning. This doesn't change with words either. Telling someone to calm down or that their life "isn't so bad" is NOT what you need to do. Instead, try to help them through the problem without sounding like you're annoyed with them. This only worsens the problem, making the affected person even more upset, thinking that you don't care about them or that their feelings don't matter because "everything's fine", even when it isn't for them. Despite this comic being short, I feel like it brings with it a great message of awareness. Depression and anxiety are serious, don't be a jerk to those suffering with it.

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Blog Post 4

Rhetorical appeals exist in all forms of media, be it commercials, movies, books, video games, etc. All of these exist to bring forth some form of message or evoke a response from its audience. In action movies, the hero is shown to fit into a credible and morally-sound framework, saving people's lives and fighting the bad guys, appealing to all three parts of the rhetorical triangle. You know why he's there and who he's there to save and that the villain is going to be behind bars. In commercials, companies go all out to appeal to your emotions and make you want to buy their product. For example, beer commercials essentially "put beer goggles on" and show you attractive men or women and that you can be king or queen of the world if you buy their beer. We know this isn't REALLY what's going to happen, but this kind of style appeals to us and leaves an impression that the beer is fantastic and that we've gotta get some Budweiser right this second.  I do feel as though over the years, I've gotten better at analyzing these appeals within the things around me. I learn to see through the masks and find bigger meaning within things to find out if they're worth the time, effort, or money. All the while, I put on masks of my own. I hide emotion, I put on a brave face when things get tough, and I try to keep my cool in a stressful environment. Sure, you can poke holes and find flaws in me, same as you would a commercial. We all cling to these appeals and when they fall flat, people notice. We notice that the Snuggie isn't worth it or even that a human being is struggling to keep things together. I believe that these appeals just come naturally based on the audience and that we can see through these if we really pay attention.

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Blog Post 3

The article, "This is a Call: Building Community and Accountability Online", takes a look into the anonymity of the internet and holding someone accountable for their actions. It touches on a very emotional concept and discusses how calling someone out on their ridiculous banter can lead to negative emotions such as anger, fear, and withdrawal. Through the use of citations from other sources, The Body Is Not An Apology creates a solid source of ethos and logos as they present support towards their argument that people make mistakes and need constructive criticism. However, with the use of anonymous functions and lack of prior knowledge, this constructive criticism becomes destructive behavior leading to public ridicule and even death threats.  The intended audience for this article is the general public, as they all post online, typically anonymously. The article also turns its discussion towards social justice bloggers of Tumblr and talks about the need of constructive criticism when a mistake is made. The writers for The Body Is Not An Apology create an strong discussion point for its intended audience, leading into their push for better online communities. The sources included in the article, Ngọc Loan Trần and Katherine Cross, recount their own experiences with extremely harsh criticism and how it has affected them, providing an effective piece of emotional support. Throughout the course of the article, The Body Is Not An Apology creates a solid, effective argument towards building constructive online communities. Their article stays away from logical fallacies such as broad, unclear, or begging statements, touching on both sides of the argument. "This is a Call" brings forth discussion from those who have experienced harsh criticism first-hand or fear what will happen if they don't choose their words carefully, creating a credible and emotional source of information. Overall, the article is packed to the brim with appeals on all sides of the rhetorical triangle, allowing the reader to fully understand the issue and creating a firm ground for discussion.

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Blog Post 2

(Option 2: Style) http://www.theonion.com/articles/total-nerd-actually-owns-his-own-computer,34703/

For this post, I chose an article from The Onion. The Onion is a satirical website aiming to poke fun at the things that we as human beings see and deal with every single day. The tone they set within their writing style is, in my opinion, hilarious and non-formal. The Onion claims to be "The World's Finest News Source", despite reporting ridiculous false news. Their articles can range from fake political reporting to jokes about the newest technological breakthrough to even joking about an area man who hasn't called his elderly mother in weeks.The word choice used within the articles can range from semi-serious reporting to downright offensive and vulgar at times

  In the article listed above, The Onion pokes fun at something that normal human beings see on a daily basis: someone is using their own personal laptop. While to some, this may not seem that funny, The Onion is satirically "reporting" that a man named Matthew Jorgensen spent hundreds of dollars on a computer and has no social life as if this is out of the ordinary. The article goes on to poke fun at the Jorgensen, using "various sources from local residents”. These “sources” go on to call him "a complete and total nerd" and "probably still a virgin" for using a computer at work and for his own personal use.

  I very much enjoy The Onion's "style of reporting" as it pokes fun at the things we view as ordinary and occasionally fools real news sources or readers who are unaware of what The Onion is. The writings are meant to be dumb, satirical, and are not to be taken seriously. While some may find this off-putting, I find it enjoyable and laughable. I feel as though The Onion knows its audience very well and every article and video produced by the site never fails to make me chuckle. If you're looking for a credible news source, however, you're out of luck.

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Possible Source for Paper

http://ehis.ebscohost.com.libdata.lib.ua.edu/eds/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?vid=5&sid=53eb71f8-c2b5-4ae7-8f16-5ff4d040691b%40sessionmgr4001&hid=116 Summary: In this academic journal, programs for mentally disabled parents are presented. These programs are set up by Australian clinicians in an attempt to improve the quality of parenting by scheduling case managements to evaluate the parents' skills and various home visits. The topics discussed in each program range from learning the warning signs, guiding a child's behavior, and learning essential self-help techniques to ensure both the patient and the child's needs are being met.

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Blog Post 1

My Research Category: Mental Health Topic: Should those with mental health issues be able to raise kids? I believe this is an important question in today's society, as the rate of mental health issues increase (ADHD, autism, Aspergers, etc) As these increase, the topic gets brought up. SHOULD these genes continue to thrive? CAN those with Aspergers deal with a baby's constant need for attention and also care for themselves? The real question here is: Is it okay for someone with a mental handicap to have and raise a child (in both a medical and parenting standpoint)? I believe this is a topic that can spark a lot of debate.  1.) What potential physical health problems could arise? 2.) Could this impact a child's upbringing? 3.) Could a mentally handicapped couple raise a child effectively? - Would the child's needs be met? - Would the child need special care? - What if the child was mentally stable? - How would this affect them health care wise? - Who would step in if the parents were unable? - What would happen in a dangerous situation (ex/ fire breaks out in the home)? - Would additional care have to be brought into the home? - Are the parents able enough to work? - What about transportation? - Would the child be able to function in society without serious social impairment? - Would the child receive higher education? (college, for example) - How would the parents deal with social outings? (someone commenting on the child's instability, for example) - Would the child live by themselves when they become of age? - In cases of adoption, would the adopted children be hindered? - Are the parents physically or mentally able to tend to the child's needs? 4.) Would adoptive children have to become caregivers? 5.) Would this lead to child abuse in the forms of neglect, violence, etc? Library Day Answers 1.) Basic searches can help you find information quickly. Keyword searches are the easiest. Advanced searches have more options to find a specific piece of information. Search strings use boolean operators to find information. 2.) Boolean operators narrow down search results to help direct research and find more specific information. AND helps find two related topics. OR assists in finding specific information that may have different terminology (teenagers/adolescents). NOT helps narrow the search results down and takes out results with information that is not needed. 3.) The search terms you use help narrow down results into more specific areas pertaining to your topic, finding related terms and taking out the ones you don't need. By not using search terms, finding helpful information will be more difficult. 4.) Handicapped and Parents. I believe this search string will help me find more relevant information pertaining to my topic as it will bring up results pertaining to parents who may be mentally or physically handicapped raising their children.