This intimidating (and also creepy) phrase is printed on a sheet of paper on the billboard in Life Science Room 117. What exactly does that mean to you? If someone were watching your every move, or at least, every thing you did on the Internet would that change what you were doing? And if you had the chance, would you take up the opportunity to be the one watching?
Our local newspaper's editorial section was fruitless, at best, so I went for something a bit more national, The New York Times. I ran a search for something relevant to me, which, let me tell you, was actually pretty difficult. I searched for articles related to "teenagers" and found one in particular that blew my mind. Titled, "The Undercover Parent," this article encouraged parents of teenagers to install spyware on their computers to allow parents to monitor everything their children did on the World Wide Web.
Conjecture: Surely, a problem exists; teenagers are constantly finding trouble on the internet, whether via chatrooms, facebook, or instant messaging with internet predators, sneaking around and deceiving their parents, or visiting inappropriate pornographic websites.
Definition: "If you put spyware on your computer, you have the ability to log every keystroke your child makes and thus a good portion of his or her private world."
Quality: The author of this piece feels that it is morally right - nay, it is necessary - to place spyware on your computer to monitor every click your teenager makes.
Policy: Inform all parents of adolescents of the options available with spyware and strongly encourage them to use this within their own homes.
This does not rest at stasis whatsoever. I am completely opposed to this spyware phenomenon; nowhere in the entire article does it mention talking to your children or possibly employing some better parenting strategies so you don't have to go all CIA on your teenagers and drive them further into rebellion. Perhaps this is just my biased, teenager perspective, but I think that this is not only a bad idea, but also rests on a very shaky moral ground. If your teenager can't learn some independence at this critical moment in their life, how can they possibly grow up to be fully-functioning adults? The following is an excerpt from the article:
"Today's overprotective parents fight their kids' battles on the playground, berate coaches about playing time and fill out college applications -- yet when it comes to chatting with pedophiles or watching beheadings or gambling away their entire life savings, then...then their children deserve independence?"
Seriously, people? Talk to your kids. Playing Big Brother isn't going to get you anywhere except in conflict with your children. Being overprotective can only lead to two things: severe rebellion and lack of trust, both of which seem to be the root of all these internet problems.
http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9403EFDD1431F935A25750C0A96E9C8B63&sec=&spon=&pagewanted=1
28 January 2010
21 January 2010
Put Your Hands in the Air
Rhetorical Activity Number 2
As I began to read through some of the recent gun control articles, I was completely surprised by two things. Firstly, there is an incredible bias towards one side of the argument: the anti-gun or pro-gun control side. There is very little to be found that supports Ted Nugent's perspective. Secondly, I somewhat figured that the gun-control issue had "fizzled" since there hasn't been any big incidents lately. However, there is an immense amount of coverage in the news. All of the articles listed below are from the past three weeks.
Some groups are blaming Obama, giving him an "F" in gun control, while others are organizing anti-gun rallies. The one article that was anti-gun control was written in a very disrespectful, and even borderline rude tone, which exhibits a very close-minded opinion.
The kairos has changed very little, much to my surprise. Both sides of the argument are standing firm in their views and seem very closed minded. Seeing how people continue to kill others with guns, I doubt that this will ever dissipate continually.
http://www.politicsdaily.com/2010/01/19/obama-gets-failing-grades-from-gun-control-group/
http://espn.go.com/blog/truehoop/post/_/id/12265/arn-tellem-on-nba-gun-control
http://www.wtkr.com/news/dp-va--xgr-virginia-guns0118jan18,0,7556256.story
http://www.salem-news.com/articles/january202010/2nd_amd_dj.php
http://www.prisonplanet.com/more-gun-control-nonsense.html
As I began to read through some of the recent gun control articles, I was completely surprised by two things. Firstly, there is an incredible bias towards one side of the argument: the anti-gun or pro-gun control side. There is very little to be found that supports Ted Nugent's perspective. Secondly, I somewhat figured that the gun-control issue had "fizzled" since there hasn't been any big incidents lately. However, there is an immense amount of coverage in the news. All of the articles listed below are from the past three weeks.
Some groups are blaming Obama, giving him an "F" in gun control, while others are organizing anti-gun rallies. The one article that was anti-gun control was written in a very disrespectful, and even borderline rude tone, which exhibits a very close-minded opinion.
The kairos has changed very little, much to my surprise. Both sides of the argument are standing firm in their views and seem very closed minded. Seeing how people continue to kill others with guns, I doubt that this will ever dissipate continually.
http://www.politicsdaily.com/2010/01/19/obama-gets-failing-grades-from-gun-control-group/
http://espn.go.com/blog/truehoop/post/_/id/12265/arn-tellem-on-nba-gun-control
http://www.wtkr.com/news/dp-va--xgr-virginia-guns0118jan18,0,7556256.story
http://www.salem-news.com/articles/january202010/2nd_amd_dj.php
http://www.prisonplanet.com/more-gun-control-nonsense.html
Turnips and Radishes
“The root of education is bitter, but sweet are its fruits.”
Encomium: Isocrates, the father of modern education, is the most appropriate person to speculate on the subject. Without his great achievements, we could not be where we are today as a society.
Paraphrase of Saying: Your education is difficult to struggle through but eventually it will be worth the unhappiness or effort.
Causes or Reasons for Saying: Especially in America, but also all over the world, students struggle through their education. They have a negative attitude towards school and learning in general. They are stuck on the road to “The Good Life,” ready to be lazy and wasting all the money they can get their hands on. Unfortunately, life doesn’t work this way. Life isn’t easy, and neither is education, and thus, many young people run from it. They are not able to see the benefits their efforts will give them in the future.
Contrast: If a student chooses to abandon his education, he will not be able to harvest the fruits, or, if he can, the fruits will be rotten or sour instead of sweet.
Comparison: Most everything requires strenuous work in order to achieve the end product. Farmers, parents, and preachers all place incredible time and effort into achieving the “sweet fruits.”
Example: Some of us cannot be as lucky as Bill Gates, dropping out of college and becoming the richest man in America. Most of us are not able to take the easy road. Take, for example, Dr. Donna Souder, a life-long student. She is aware of the great multitude of fruits that she will be able to harvest if she continues to overcome the bitter root.
Epilogue: Keep this statement in mind. It is essential to all students, those who were students in the past, and those who will be students sometime in the future. Most things, once you pass the initial struggle, become much, much easier.
Encomium: Isocrates, the father of modern education, is the most appropriate person to speculate on the subject. Without his great achievements, we could not be where we are today as a society.
Paraphrase of Saying: Your education is difficult to struggle through but eventually it will be worth the unhappiness or effort.
Causes or Reasons for Saying: Especially in America, but also all over the world, students struggle through their education. They have a negative attitude towards school and learning in general. They are stuck on the road to “The Good Life,” ready to be lazy and wasting all the money they can get their hands on. Unfortunately, life doesn’t work this way. Life isn’t easy, and neither is education, and thus, many young people run from it. They are not able to see the benefits their efforts will give them in the future.
Contrast: If a student chooses to abandon his education, he will not be able to harvest the fruits, or, if he can, the fruits will be rotten or sour instead of sweet.
Comparison: Most everything requires strenuous work in order to achieve the end product. Farmers, parents, and preachers all place incredible time and effort into achieving the “sweet fruits.”
Example: Some of us cannot be as lucky as Bill Gates, dropping out of college and becoming the richest man in America. Most of us are not able to take the easy road. Take, for example, Dr. Donna Souder, a life-long student. She is aware of the great multitude of fruits that she will be able to harvest if she continues to overcome the bitter root.
Epilogue: Keep this statement in mind. It is essential to all students, those who were students in the past, and those who will be students sometime in the future. Most things, once you pass the initial struggle, become much, much easier.
19 January 2010
15 minutes of Kleos
I wonder how I am supposed to summarize myself in just a few short sentences. Dive right in, I suppose. My name is Ruth Book, and this is my fifth and final semester here at CSU-Pueblo. In May, I I will graduating high school and moving onto bigger (though not necessarily better, since there's no Donna) places. Right now, my major is "unclassified," simply because that is necessitated by the state of Colorado.
I plan to become an Enlgish major with a minor in Music, where I will hopefully move on to becoming a publisher and/or an editor. I often write in my spare time, (yeah, right! Who has any of that?) which in fact is the time when some of my teachers are lecturing. I have found that I cannot write when my mind is blank; only when it is full of other ideas do the real epiphanies flow. I could never solely be a writer, because I would quickly run out of money. As long as I am working elsewhere, I am able to write.
From this class, I hope to gather a broader perspective on all things rhetorical, including my arguing skills. You never know when that is going to come in handy.
I plan to become an Enlgish major with a minor in Music, where I will hopefully move on to becoming a publisher and/or an editor. I often write in my spare time, (yeah, right! Who has any of that?) which in fact is the time when some of my teachers are lecturing. I have found that I cannot write when my mind is blank; only when it is full of other ideas do the real epiphanies flow. I could never solely be a writer, because I would quickly run out of money. As long as I am working elsewhere, I am able to write.
From this class, I hope to gather a broader perspective on all things rhetorical, including my arguing skills. You never know when that is going to come in handy.
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