Music Video I

I do not watch music videos that often, so it was not easy for me to pick a video, but whenever I watch this video it makes me laugh. Christopher Walken is on of my favorite actors, especially after seeing him in Hairspray. I am not really sure what a dancing Christopher Walken has to do with the song Weapon of Choice and it seems somewhat odd for Walken to be in a music video, especially Fat Boy Slim’s, but it seems to work. I like this video because its different from most of the videos that are made today.
One of the main reasons that I like this video is because of Walken’s performance in Hairspray. I did not see this music video until after I saw Hairspray, but I really like both. Walken’s dancing in the movie and in the music video always makes me laugh because the steps are good and so is the choreography, but he looks so funny and awkward when he dances.
Even though I don’t usually watch music videos, if I do watch them, I want to see ones that will make me laugh or entertain me. I want to see videos that are original and entertaining, not copies of every other video that is being made. There are not very many unique and interesting music videos, I think that most are just stupid or boring, which is probably why I do not watch music videos that much, but this video is different and that is why I like it.

Argumentation & the Public Sphere

Everyday we are bombarded with thousands of images and arguments urging us to do something, buy a certain product, support a cause or belief. Almost everything that we see or hear throughout our days is an argument, supporting a certain idea. One of the most obvious forms of argumentation that is everywhere we look is advertisement. Some ads that are particularly striking are anti-smoking television ads and billboards. These advertising campaigns use strategies and rhetoric to influence their audience.
The majority of people know that smoking is detrimental to their health, but still people continue to smoke, over 45 million people in the United States alone are smokers. Smoking tobacco contributes to a higher risk of cancer, including lung, throat and mouth cancer. It also increases risks of heart disease and stroke (1). Not only are these 45 million Americans suffering from cigarette smoke, but second-hand smoke is just as deadly. Second-hand smoke can also cause heart disease, stroke, cancer and sudden infant death syndrome. Between 1997 and 2001, nearly half a million people died annually from smoking related diseases in the United States, making cigarette smoking the largest preventable cause of illness and premature death in the United States (2). Despite all of these statistics and information, millions of Americans smoke, despite the risks. Because of this there has been an increase in advertisements aiming to counter these unnecessary deaths.
One of the most well known advertising campaign is Truth run by American Legacy Foundation, a non-profit organization that focuses on preventing teen smoking and encouraging smokers to quit. Along with billboards and television advertisements, Truth also runs a website that contains facts and statistics about the affects of smoking on both smokers and nonsmokers. This website is the next logical step after using billboards and television advertisement to combat teenage smoking. The main page of the website offers the viewer the option of looking at facts, or watching television ads. You can even download wallpapers or play antismoking games.
The website is an effective advertising tool because it offers dozens of facts about cigarettes and cigarettes smoking. These facts are presented in a very interesting way, comparing the contents of cigarettes to hazardous chemicals and common items that website users will recognize. By making the effects of cigarettes and the contents of cigarettes more familiar to the website users, this ad campaign makes it easy for people to see the effects cigarettes and smoking can have on their lives and the lives of those close to them.
This website uses several methods of argumentation in an attempt to sway the website users. The most obvious method is cause and effect. The aim of the website is to prevent people from smoking and to encourage current smokers to quit. This is done by showing what effects smoking and tobacco use can have on your life or on the lives of your friends and family. This strong message may seem obvious to most, but by using creative and engaging ways to present the facts, it can be effective. The website also appeals to logos. This approach tries to engage the logic of those who see the website. The logic is something that most people will have of knowledge of in this case, which is that smoking can cause disease and for some tobacco users, may cause death. This appeals to the most basic instinct of humans, self-preservation and staying alive.
One of the videos that can be found on the website is one that has also aired on television. This video features two cowboys singing in the middle of New York. Two cowboys in New York instantly grab the attention of the many people walking through the streets. One of the cowboys pulls off his scarf to reveal a large hole in his neck, then he begins to sing with the aid of a machine. He songs send a message about regretting smoking and that smoking does not always kill, it leaves many disfigured or disabled for the rest of their lives. This video uses several technique to send their message to the audience.
The entire argument is an example or illustration that tells the story of one man and how his life was affected by tobacco use. Cause and effect is also used as the audience sees that the man was disfigured because of cigarette smoking. The ad appeals to the logical side of the viewers because those who see this ad will want to avoid suffering the same fate as the cowboy. This ad featuring a man who is very affected by cigarette smoking is just one of the television ads that is sponsored by this campaign. This campaign also utilizes a website that contains much more information than a TV ad or billboard could provide. This website contains facts, statistics and testimonials about all of the damaging affects of smoking and using tobacco.
These advertising campaign sponsored by American Legacy Foundation uses hard-hitting and shocking methods to catch the attention of viewers and to make it easier to understand the facts that are being presented. Many of the videos use hundreds of people to illustrate statistics, such as having hundreds of people drop to the ground on the streets to represent the number of people killed by tobacco or piling body bags outside tobacco companies to show those killed by tobacco. By presenting a visual representation of facts and statistics, this appeals to ethos. Most people are affected by seeing such strong visuals that represent the damages that smoking can cause. The website also uses a parody of pathos to reach out to the viewers. The video of the two cowboys is the most obvious use of this. Original cigarette advertising featured cowboys and by featuring cowboys in antismoking ads, they are making a parody of tobacco companies. Such strong and hard-hitting advertisement has created some controversy.
Many have made arguments both for and against such aggressive advertising against smoking. Some feel that such television advertisements and billboards are aimed at children and may inadvertently encourage children to experiment with smoking. This argument creates a problem because these advertisements may not be aimed at children, but that does not prevent kids from seeing the ads and perhaps even being negatively influenced by the message the ads are sending.
Together, the use of billboards, television ads and a website can reach a very large audience. This campaign uses shock value to get viewers interested and they also provide accurate statistics and facts about the affects of cigarette smoking and tobacco use. This argument can become a really affective method of reaching out to smokers and people who are likely to start smoking by informing them of the risks that they face by using tobacco.

Works Cited
(1) "Cigarette Smoking Statistics." Diseases and Condtitions. American Heart Association. 26 Oct. 2007 .

(2) "Health Effects of Smoking and Tobacco." Smoking and Tobacco Use. 28 Feb. 2007. Center for Disease Control. 26 Oct. 2007 .

Extra Credit Post

Poetry has always been enigmatic to me. I can read or listen to poetry and appreciate its unique structure and rhythm, maybe even glimpse some meaning from it, but it has always been difficult for me to interpret the deeper message the author is trying to convey through their words. Because of this, I knew that attending a poetry reading and being able to write a 300 word response would be a challenge for me. I had never heard of the poet before but Graham’s poetry caught my interest because they were so different from most of the poetry that I have ever read. One line that really caught my attention was from the poem After Taxes. “We are more boring in the dark, less ugly.” I cannot remember the rest of the poem, but for me this line had some meaning.
In a very literal sense the poet is saying that life is more interesting because of the variety of people, places, animals, cultures, etc. In the dark it is easier to hide our imperfections, our differences. This would make life much less interesting because there would be no variety, no differences, no arguing, no controversy. This may be a very literal translation of the authors words, it may even be completely opposite of what Graham was trying to say to his audience, but that is the beauty of poetry. It can be interpreted in dozens of different ways, depending on the reader or listener. This means that even someone who is poetically challenged can get something out of reading a poem. Graham’s poetry was so unique, it was shocking and abrupt and that is what made it interesting to me. Many poems that I have read in the past a too wordy and focused on form that I become distracted by the rhyme scheme or having to lookup words that I do not understand. That what was wonderful about Graham’s modern poetry, it was short and to the point, but there were also many layers of meaning behind his words.

Post X

I recently read an article about an incident that took place at Bellevue East High School. Six students face suspension or expulsion for taping another student to a wall. All six students were charged with misdemeanors, three for disturbing the peace and three for disorderly conduct. This was most likely part of a stunt or prank that are common in high schools and colleges. Senior pranks are something that nearly everyone has heard of or been a part of during their high school years, but when does a prank go to far? This incident involving several students at Bellevue was a prank that went to far, but there have been far worse pranks that have ended in people being seriously injured or killed. The part that bothered me most when I read this article was that there were dozens of students witnessing their classmate being harassed and humiliated and instead of stopping this they took pictures of it. It is terrible that people are so unwilling to help someone who is in such a situation, instead they just go along with the crowd and laughed at the boy’s humiliation.
I know that I am naïve at times, having been sheltered in small private schools for most of my life, but I cannot imagine just watching while this happened, let alone taking pictures and video taping it. It is very sad that there were not enough people willing to stand up and stop this from happening. This complacency and unwillingness to stand up for anything is something that worries me about my generation. I know that there are many good people my age but I also know that there are many people who will do whatever is easiest for them and whatever is in their best interest no matter the consequences for others.

Lincoln's Children Zoo

It is a beautiful early fall day in Lincoln, the sky is clear and there is a gentle breeze carrying a slight smell of flowers and feces. Yes, that’s right, the smell of feces is in the air, the first sign that you are at a zoo. By the time I pass through the entrance, the smell is becoming overwhelming and there is not an animal in sight yet. The first thing that I notice once inside the zoo is a bulletin board announcing seal performances at 11 and 3 and encouraging children to have their birthday parties at the zoo and “party with the animals.” This area is surrounded by a wall of trees and other plants, one would hardly know that they were at a zoo if not for the pervading odor of animals. Walking past this I catch my first glance of some of the animals over the line of trees.
Before I get close to these animals I am hit by an array of sounds, the bleating of goats as wells as shrieks and giggles from the children petting them. The first animals that I notice are the goats in the petting zoo and they seem to notice me as well, because as soon as I come near them they jump onto the fence, practically begging me to feed them. One of my friends had gotten some goat feed and a feeding frenzy ensued. I took some of the food and offered it to the goats in a less crowded part of the area, but a large goat followed m e over and looked ready to fight the others for the small morsels of food that I was offering. I soon ran out of food, but the goats did not seem to notice and continued to crowd the fence whenever someone got close to it, whether or not that person had food.
After the goats begin to realize that I have no food to offer them they move to another part of the enclosure, hoping someone else will have something that they can share. Free of this distraction I take my time to observe the goats’ habitat. There are almost twenty goats in this one area and there are also, I notice for the first time, several llamas and other horned animals that I do not recognize. The llamas are isolated from the goats in a smaller section of the petting zoo and they appear somewhat board with their surroundings and are a lot less eager to get near the visitors than the goats are.
Visiting the petting zoo was a fun experience for me because it was always my favorite section of the zoo when I was younger. I always enjoyed feeding the animals and seeing them fight each other, jostling for my attention and the food that I had to give them. Looking back, I realize that it is somewhat sad how domesticated and dependent on humans some of the animals in the zoo have become. You could offer these goats anything and they would eat it, and this is something that many little kids might do. This can harm the animals health and make them very ill.
The experience of feeding these goats reminded me of an area in the Omaha zoo that used to be one of my favorite to see, but as I got older my opinion of it changed drastically. There is a large pond with a bridge over it where my family would always stop to feed the fish in the pond. Just like at the petting zoo in Lincoln, you could purchase food to feed to the fish, but often people would just throw anything over the bridge, watching it drop to the smooth water below. As soon as the object hit the water there would be 25 fish fighting each other for a bite. This used to amuse me, seeing the fish swim through the water and each other, competing for a small piece of food, but I realized that it was very dangerous for these animal to behave like this. It is not normal for fish to fight for unknown bits dropped from above them and it is not natural for goats to behave like that either, but being in an unnatural environment has destroyed their natural instincts.
I have wonderful childhood memories of visiting the zoo with my family and friends, but as an adult, I have realized that zoos are not the wonderful places that I always thought they were after visiting them. Many zoos, such as the Lincoln Children’s Zoo do not have proper habitats for their animals or the animals are not stimulated and they lose their natural characteristics and instincts. Some of the worst habitats at the Lincoln zoo were in the indoor area, which housed a lot of the smaller animals. What I noticed first about this building was a very strong smell as soon as I walked through the doors. I smelled somewhat like animal waste, but that was masked by a stronger smell, probably cleaner to eliminated the scent.
The first room I saw contained several small monkeys that were jumping around and making a lot of noise, but what caught my attention was the small, sad looking creature towards the back of the room. This animal looked like an oversized mouse and appeared very timid and scared. Looking at the signs to the right of the exhibit, I read that this animal was an acouchi whose natural habitat was the riverbanks of the Amazon Rainforest. Reading this I could understand why this creature looked so lost and nervous, not only was it alone with a species that it would rarely naturally interact with, but it was in a strange environment.
In the next room there were several small monkeys, a sloth, and another acouchi, looking just as tentative and frightened as the other acouchi. Watching both achouci for several minutes I did not see either move. Seeing cages of these animals and how it was so different to where they would be living in the wild really angered me. I could not understand why the acouchi would have to be separated from each other when they were clearly uncomfortable in their current habitats. Looking around the rest of the indoor enclosure I realized that none of the creatures were looking very active as they would normally be, not even the small monkeys, who are normally hyperactive.
Going to the zoo used to be a very fun experience for me as a child, but during this visit I noticed things that I would normally overlook because I was distracted by my surroundings. I noticed that the animals were not as active as they should be and that their habitats did not look anything near what their natural environment would be. Visiting the zoo was an important part of my childhood and I think that every child should have the opportunity to visit a zoo so that they can learn about animals. I also think that zoos perform an important role in protecting animals and conserving endangered species. It is important that zoos focus on education and conservation instead of entertainment. Instead of spending money installing a train to carry children around the outskirts of the zoo, money should be spent improving habitats or adding more educational exhibits to the zoo, especially when it is a children’s zoo. Zoos must also work hard to maintain the animals habitats and avoid causing more harm than good to the animals.