Ryan

5-12-14

For the project, each group was given a candidate who they had to run a campaign for. The first day we were given general information about our candidate and had to fill out a chart explaining his/her political views. The next day, we learned about a scandal or something bad our candidate did in their past and also a scandal about one other candidate. Then we planned out all our mail pieces, flyers, and posters and completed them. Lastly, we had to make a speech and present it to the class. We tended to use name-calling a lot, especially in the hit pieces. The most challenging part of this project was planning all of the mail pieces and flyers. It was challenging because at first we had no idea what to do and then once we did, we didn't agree on some of the ideas. But after we sorted everything out it was pretty easy. One thing I could recommend for this project is for the debate to have pre-made questions so the responses could be better. I could use these techniques in this class if we have to write a persuasive essay. I could use these techniques in another class if I ever get a similar project or if I am trying to persuade someone to do something. Finally, I could use these techniques in the future when I run for President of the United States.

2-28-14

In a way Miley Cyrus is a good role model. She is not afraid to tell everyone who she really is, but she takes it way too far. Calling herself a 'bad bitch' and twerking on midgets in some of her shows is not setting a good example. Miley claims herself as a feminist and 'empowering to women.' In my opinion, women look up to more mature and inspiring figures, not a girl that licks sledgehammers and smokes pot. Jennifer Lawrence is right when she says, "for some disgusting reason, young sex sells." If Miley never did her VMA performance or her Wrecking Ball video, do you think she would be receiving the same type of attention she is now? No. By sexualizing herself, Miley gains a lot of attention, even though she claims she wishes she could be herself without all the fame. So to be a great role model in today's society, you need to be yourself but make conscious decisions while doing so.

2-21-14

These two articles are about how girls clothing is beginning to become inappropriate and sexist. In the first article, girls shirts were being portrayed as sexist because they said "find a hero" while the boys shirts said "be a hero." These shirts were criticized because people think they are saying that women cannot help themselves and need a man. The second article was about how girls clothing is starting to become inappropriate and provocative. The author explains how his daughters began to wear shirts that showed of a lot of skin and how surprised he was. A study by Sarah K. Murnen showed that provocative clothing has nearly doubled since 1971.

In the second article, it talked about how teachers think that girls with inappropriate clothing are not as intelligent as girls who wear appropriate clothing. This statement is both true and false. Clothing does not reflect your academic ability in any way so the teachers would be wrong there. But wearing inappropriate clothing could represent a lack of common sense, since they are wearing the clothes and not being aware of the image that the clothing is giving them.

2-7-14

Although rappers should be more careful on their choice of words, they don't #|necessarily mean what they say. A big part of rap is being able to express yourself without being judged. In the article [|The Intersection of Homophobia and Hip Hop: Where Tyler Met Frank] by Brother Ali, Brother Ali explained how he didn't realize how much he was overusing curse words and gay slurs. I feel as if most rappers are like that. They don't say some things because they mean them, they say it because it goes well with their song. I think we should not be critical of rappers' choice of words unless they start saying them with meaning.