This week there has been quite a bit of turmoil regarding the support staff strike that was scheduled for Monday the 29th, but cancelled this Friday, as the Board and the Wissahickon support staff group WEA agreed to continue to negotiate. This article gave some of the details behind the decisions of both sides to continue negotiations. Leann Pettit, the editor of Patch.com, which g updates on Montgomery County news, has worked at a small Phoenixvilla, PA newspaper as well as her current job at the Patch.
The Patch prides itself on "report[ing] the facts as objectively as possible and otherwise adher[ing] to the principles of good journalism." However, this article seemed slightly biased towards the opinions of the Board against the increased salaries and benefits, and did not quote any of the WEA leaders or the support staff themselves.
The article, which comes almost directly from the school district, uses logos as its prime appeal in an otherwise mostly informative report. Pettit quotes chief negotiator Jeffrey Sultanik, "The union continues to push for a plan which provides full-time benefits to employees who only work 4-hours a day. It is an incredibly costly plan that Wissahickon and its taxpayers cannot entertain." By not offering the opinions of the support staff, the article subtly persuades its readers towards the School Board's side in the situation.
Before reading this article, I was in complete support of the support staff's fight to gain better living conditions and benefits. This article, however, offered me the opposing side's position on the matter, and made me realize that almost no conflict has a "right" and "wrong" side. The balance is probably somewhere in the middle.
Sunday, October 28, 2012
Sunday, October 21, 2012
Philadelphia Inquirer Article
Amidst the turmoil and drama of this season's presidential election, Karen Heller pits women against Romney in her article, An unconvincing pitch for female voters. Karen Heller has been a renowned Philadelphia Inquirer journalist for nearly 20 years, during which time she has covered everything from Miss America pageants to political conventions, and was even a finalist for the 2001 Pulitzer Prize in commentary. Her own personal political views against Romney strongly affected this piece. The article focused on "women's issues," but the article argues that these issues, such as equal pay in the workforce, are also issues for men and for middle-class families in general. Heller's argument therefore not only targeted Philadelphian women voters, but their husbands and families as well.
As most rhetors do, Heller effectively used logos, ethos, and pathos to persuade her readers not to vote for Romney, in an area of swing voters. She states facts like, "[Romney] hasn't supported the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, which ensures equal pay," then follows it up with "It is astonishing that we still require such legislation, that many women still make less than men performing the same work, and that any candidate would take issue with this basic civil right," demonstrating her own ethical perspective. (A2).
One of the more unique rhetorical devices Heller utilizes is her repetition of an allusion to #bindersfullofwomen, an Internet trend that has sprung from an awkward comment Romney made recently. The cultural memory Heller expected of her audience was beyond me, so I found an article explaining the reference, and an example of the new trend. http://bindersfullofwomen.tumblr.com/ . Karen Heller references the "binders full of women" comment multiple times in her article, although she easily forgives Romney for his relatively minor slip-up. She does, however, effectively use the allusion as an effective full-circle ending, to unify and signal a sense of closure to the article
This article informed me on the open ends still left in many political issues today, such as pay differences in the workforce and the effect of Romneycare vs. Obamacare on the health of women with breast or ovarian cancer, and, although I can't vote, furthered my pre-existing preference towards Obama in the upcoming election.
As most rhetors do, Heller effectively used logos, ethos, and pathos to persuade her readers not to vote for Romney, in an area of swing voters. She states facts like, "[Romney] hasn't supported the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, which ensures equal pay," then follows it up with "It is astonishing that we still require such legislation, that many women still make less than men performing the same work, and that any candidate would take issue with this basic civil right," demonstrating her own ethical perspective. (A2).
One of the more unique rhetorical devices Heller utilizes is her repetition of an allusion to #bindersfullofwomen, an Internet trend that has sprung from an awkward comment Romney made recently. The cultural memory Heller expected of her audience was beyond me, so I found an article explaining the reference, and an example of the new trend. http://bindersfullofwomen.tumblr.com/ . Karen Heller references the "binders full of women" comment multiple times in her article, although she easily forgives Romney for his relatively minor slip-up. She does, however, effectively use the allusion as an effective full-circle ending, to unify and signal a sense of closure to the article
This article informed me on the open ends still left in many political issues today, such as pay differences in the workforce and the effect of Romneycare vs. Obamacare on the health of women with breast or ovarian cancer, and, although I can't vote, furthered my pre-existing preference towards Obama in the upcoming election.
Sunday, October 14, 2012
Red Bull Stratos
Red Bull Stratos was a live broadcast about a man named Felix Baumgartner and his mission to jump from a capsule suspended 128,000 feet above the Earth. The narrator of this Red-Bull-sponsored record-setter chronicled the event live as Felix attempted to break the speed of sound. Red Bull Stratos is a scientifically driven project by a committee of previous world-record jumpers like United States Air Force Colonel Joseph Kittinger, sky-diving consultants, and aerospace engineers. Felix's freefall, which successfully surpassed the speed of sound and therefore made him "supersonic," will provide data for future pilots and astronauts, and perhaps support "the development of sub-orbital bailout procedures that don't currently exist" (http://www.redbullstratos.com/science/speed-of-sound). Needless to say, today marked a large step for the scientific community.
Felix Baumgarter has spent the last 5 years preparing for the jump, which required an advanced capsule that could deal with the intense sub-zero temperatures, virtual vacuum atmosphere, and limited supply of oxygen associated with the height of the initial jump, which was over 24 miles above sea level. Even with the advanced technology and training, it was still very likely that Felix would die due to the likelihood that he would start spinning out of control during his descent. If his suit had been ripped, he would've been exposed to temperatures so low his blood would begin boiling. The video paid tribute to his bravery and commended the hard work that goes into pulling off such an accomplishment.
The main rhetorical device shown in the video was the use of repetition to build suspense. Much like Ryan Seacrest on American Idol results shows, the narrator continued to explain what was going on and the numerous records Felix would be breaking, so that any audience just tuning in could catch up quickly, and because there was over two and a half hours to fill of the capsule ascending into space. It was a little boring to listen to, but by the time Felix was stepping out of his capsule, slowly but surely, I was itching to see the jump, so clearly the device worked well.
Felix Baumgarter has spent the last 5 years preparing for the jump, which required an advanced capsule that could deal with the intense sub-zero temperatures, virtual vacuum atmosphere, and limited supply of oxygen associated with the height of the initial jump, which was over 24 miles above sea level. Even with the advanced technology and training, it was still very likely that Felix would die due to the likelihood that he would start spinning out of control during his descent. If his suit had been ripped, he would've been exposed to temperatures so low his blood would begin boiling. The video paid tribute to his bravery and commended the hard work that goes into pulling off such an accomplishment.
The main rhetorical device shown in the video was the use of repetition to build suspense. Much like Ryan Seacrest on American Idol results shows, the narrator continued to explain what was going on and the numerous records Felix would be breaking, so that any audience just tuning in could catch up quickly, and because there was over two and a half hours to fill of the capsule ascending into space. It was a little boring to listen to, but by the time Felix was stepping out of his capsule, slowly but surely, I was itching to see the jump, so clearly the device worked well.
Sunday, October 7, 2012
Blink by Malcolm Gladwell (Chapter 2: The Locked Door)
Blink is a book about the power of snap decisions and the power of instinct, summed up by the idea of "thin slicing." Each chapter of Malcolm Gladwell's book details the effects of thin slicing in various aspects of human life, such as gambling, sports performance and analysis, movies, predicting a couple's chances of getting divorced, or simply reading someone's body language. This chapter was about an extraordinary man's ability to simply know when tennis players will make a rare mistake called a "double fault," and the mystery of how humans can know things without being able to explain why. It delves into this idea of "priming," in which the human subconscious can become aware of an environment and affect our reaction to the environment without our awareness of doing so. Malcolm Gladwell is a writer for The New Yorker and has published four books that deal with the potential effects of current social and psychological findings. He has been named one of Time Magazine's Top 100 Most Influential People, and all of his books have been national bestsellers. Blink is based on the subject of mental processes that influence judgment and decision making unconsciously, with the purpose of informing the audience on the power of snap judgements and how people can use this power to make better choices. Blink addresses the general public. It's primary rhetorical mode is exemplification, as Gladwell is simply trying to support his theories on the unconscious mind by presenting anomalies and scientific studies to the audience. Gladwell uses many examples of well-founded research, complete with statements from the scientists themselves, to make his argument more credible (an example of ethos). His writing style seems pretty casual, as he addresses the audience multiple times when transitioning to a new topic.
Personally, I think the stories and information presenting was extremely compelling, especially when Gladwell offered a mock test for the audience and stated afterward that this test would've made me walk slower (had I been leaving an "office" after taking the test). I was aggravated that Gladwell did not offer up any profound insight into how the subconcious works, but his purpose was to assure his audience that maybe knowing the "whys" and "hows" isn't for the best. I will be on the lookout for my own gut instincts and snap decisions, and perhaps even begin trusting them without a defined justification for doing so.
Personally, I think the stories and information presenting was extremely compelling, especially when Gladwell offered a mock test for the audience and stated afterward that this test would've made me walk slower (had I been leaving an "office" after taking the test). I was aggravated that Gladwell did not offer up any profound insight into how the subconcious works, but his purpose was to assure his audience that maybe knowing the "whys" and "hows" isn't for the best. I will be on the lookout for my own gut instincts and snap decisions, and perhaps even begin trusting them without a defined justification for doing so.
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