Taking an Approach

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As I continue to read his book, I am getting the feeling that Harris is getting a little repetitive. Most of the concepts he explains seem to have a lot of similarities. His Taking an Approach concept sounds very similar to Forwarding, Coming to Terms, and Countering. In all of these we as writers are using works that have already been writer and points that have already been made and making them our own. Creating something original from something original.  “The original does not go away but is remade into something new.” Taking an Approach is working in the mode of another writer adopting their style. Taking an Approach can have various forms depending on the choices the writer makes when they read any given work. The New York Times most often does not take an approach because they are reporting news and facts and these are more important to its readers than the style of writing. But in blogs and the opinion section of the Times taking an approach is most likely widely used. Because these types of writing are opinion based people often attempt to create original thoughts or ideas based on the work of another, essentially Taking an Approach. Many opinion articles will read fact based stories and create unique opinions and perspectives based on the unbiased sources. This is a way to Take an Approach on something which improves the quality of the writing. In any opinion or argument based writing, it is extremely difficult to avoid Taking an Approach because this is essentially what one has to do in order to form a unique opinion or argument.

Short Essay 1

I decided to use an article from Townhall, the Fox News online site, concerning same-sex marriage. The article was written from a very conservative standpoint and describes how it feel that same-sex marriage will threaten the institution of marriage and the dangers that redefining marriage will have for us in the future. The original article argues that recognizing same0sex marriage as legitimate will sacrifice the best interests of children.  I rewrote the article for a more liberal, pro same-sex marriage audience. I changed the language to suit this new audience and replaced skeptical, negative opinions about same-sex marriage to opinions reflecting a supportive view of same-sex marriage. The rewritten article endorses an acceptance

Redefining Marriage Raises Concerns For Children and Society

http://townhall.com/columnists/austinnimocks/2013/02/14/redefining-marriage-raises-concerns-for-children-and-society-n1511868/page/full/

Much of the discussion around same-sex marriage involves the impacts it may have on society. The advocates reassure us that redefining marriage will not bring harm to anyone and this is a reassurance that we can confidently trust.

The concept of traditional marriage as a social institution is something that is becoming increasingly outdated. The family is the social institution that holds true significance and it is in institution that comes in various types and forms. Altering the definition of marriage to include all forms of marriage will positively impact the public’s understanding of the institution and affect society’s acceptance of the cultural norms associated with it. The redefinition will shift the institution from a child-centric to an adult-focused institution. 

Children are still held at the utmost importance and are loved and cared for by same-sex couples in the same way as heterosexual couples.  Same-sex couples are still able to create a traditional family by adopting children who cannot be cared for by the so called ‘traditional’ heterosexual couple. Solely because a marriage is between a man and a woman does not mean that they are fit to raise a family.  The interests of children are not being sacrificed by the new definition of marriage.

The decisions of court reflect these beliefs that children are still being valued. The California court declared that children derive no benefit from having both a male and female parent, and that genetic relationship between a parent and a child is irrelevant in a child’s upbringing. Additionally, the court puts the force of the constitution behind a conception of marriage that (1) severs it from any inherent connection to procreation and children, and (2) transforms marriage from a public institution with child-focused purposes  into little more than a private self-defined relationship focused on adults. It denigrates the importance of mothers

Officially changing the public meaning of marriage sends a message to the public that we all need to learn to be more open to broader definitions of marriage and that love and marriage transcends gender.

We as Americans stand on a precipice regarding marriage – an age old and fairly outdated social institution. Just as we evolve in so many other aspects of society – civil rights, women’s rights, etc. – we need to evolve in our acceptance and legalization of gay rights as well. It will not destroy the institution of marriage but instead create a countless number more happy, loving families and create a much more accepting and tolerant nation. We need to let go of these traditional institutions that we so desperately cling to and change along with the times.  We should move forward with confidence that endorsing same-sex marriage will not have any negative ramifications on us as a nation.

Fascination With Photographs

I found the article, “Liar, Liar, Pants on Fire,” by Errol Morris, to be very insightful and thought provoking. He brought up points about the nature of photography that I had not given much thought to. Morris focuses on the contextual nature of pictures and how the meanings of each photograph can be changed based on our knowledge of the context. The example he provided of the Lusitania was very interesting to me especially because in my AP American History class my teacher provided us with an alternative context for this exact same picture. He explained that it was suspect that Americans wanted to become involved in the war but since we always have to play the victim we could not attack another country so we sent a boat into a line of German fire that we were well aware was present there, thus giving us a reason to enter into the war because we were ‘attacked.’ Now I am not saying this theory is true but it just goes to show how many different meanings one photograph can have depending on the context that is provided. Another concept I liked from the article was when Morris was looking at pictures of his own family and he inquired to himself “Who are these people? Do they have anything to do with me? Do I really know them?” The simple fact that we can be a completely different person than we were in an old picture is fascinating to me. The fact that we cannot ever really remember or know what that version of our self was thinking or feeling in that moment captured by the camera. I have an absurd amount of pictures from high school and middle school due to my picture-obsessed friend and going back to look at these pictures is really entertaining and interesting to me. In so many of these pictures my friends and I will be doing something weird and I wonder to myself ‘Honestly, what were we thinking?’ or there are a bunch of pictures of us doing some inside joke that I cannot even bring myself to remember anymore. Morris does a great job of capturing the transitory and contextual nature of photographs that fascinates me so much. One thing Morris says accurately sums up, I believe, the main message of his article, “Pictures may be worth a thousand words, but there are two words that you can never apply to them: “true” and “false.”’

Don't Fight About Fighting

Harris describes the idea of countering as pointing out shortcomings and arguing with an author not just for arguments sake but only if your purpose is to add something or give an insight of your own. The example he opens with reminds me of times when I have actually had fights with my siblings about whether or not we were in a fight. Its completely useless and that is exactly what Harris is saying; you need to have a purpose for pointing out the flaws in another’s work, other than the fact you believe yourself to be smarter and want to prove them wrong. Instead we should use other authors arguments not to prove them wrong but to create an intellectual counterargument of our own. A place where countering is often unavoidable is any context that politics is involved. For example the blog, http://hipsterlibertarian.com/ entitled the Hipster Libertarian. The tumblr page is description reads, “I like freedom, peace, and property. I don’t like corporatism, war, and the government telling us how to live, no matter who is in office.” There is a clearly defined argument and opinion running through this page created by Bonnie Kristian. Throughout the blog there are numerous online discussions and arguments in which she engages her followers about various topics that they may agree or disagree on. I think this countering style adds something to her pages because she is not just stating what she believes she is interacting with people who possess different opinions than her own and not just saying ‘anyone who believes differently than I do is wrong.’ The term that Harris came up with for the concept is very fitting and something that all writers can benefit from using. 

The Continual Nature of Writing

“Academic writing is often described as a kind of conversation. You read a text, you talk about it, you put down some thoughts in response, others respond to your comments, and so on. Compares this idea to a person entering a room during a heated conversion that cannot be stopped to explain and yet every person has walked in and has not received any explanation of what they have missed. The individual takes part in the discussion and when they leave the discussion still continues. To me this reflects that writing is not being meant to have a definitive beginning or end but to just be a continual flow of information, ideas, and discussion. Something that anyone can pick up in the middle and add something of their own and then allow the next person to contribute another continuous thought.“It suggests that the goal of such writing is not to have the final word on the subject.” We do not want to end the conversation; we want to perpetuate it. I do not think any blog or any writing can really exist without the concept of forwarding. People have been writing for so long that most of what people can think to originally say has been said. Now it is just a matter of adding to the conversation, then other people adding to what you have contributed and so on and so on.

The Press Sphere

               In his article “The Press Becomes the Press Sphere” Jeff Jarvis explores the concept of a ‘press sphere.’ According to Jarvis, this press sphere is the future of news. It replaces the way we used to get our news, “news through the filter of the press to us,” with a world of various sources, hyperlinks, and reader interaction. This reflects the way that most people get their news today. Nobody gets the news from just one source by watching one television show or reading one newspaper. A variety of sources are used such as the radio, television, newspaper, social networking – which encompasses a wide selection of websites to choose from. But that is pretty much where he lost me in a sea of web and technology lingo. I was a little confused by his models and his further explanations of a press sphere. I feel like I would need to be more knowledgeable on the subject matter to fully understand his argument. I do understand that he is following the pattern of most of the authors that we have read – that the internet is changing the way we interact with the world around us. And soon the internet may be our only source for the news.

My Experience With the Times

            Reading the New York Times has throughout this term has been a very beneficial experience. Because reading the news is now a homework assignment it gives me the push I needed to stay updated on what is going on in the world. I am starting to become an informed member of society rather than someone who is completely oblivious to the world around me and when anyone asks “have you heard about this?” the answer is always no. It is forcing me out of my uninformed bubble. The stories that I have noticed the most are the headliners stories, the ones that the newspaper wants the audience to see first. The stories about the various shootings and the fiscal cliff and that sort of thing. And I usually investigate stories that interest me which leaves out a lot of sections of the Times including sports and politics. Using the Times as opposed to the Denver Post or my hometown newspaper the St. Louis Post Dispatch has put more of a focus on national news rather than local news.  The New York Times has not really influenced any of my other habits but it is helping to move me in the right direction for becoming more informed.  Hopefully read the Times can be something I can continue after the end of the course and throughout the rest of my life.

Comparing News Sources

                    One thing I noticed while reading the posts of my classmates is that we all have something in common: we get our news from a variety of sources. With the advancement of social and electronic media there are so many available news sources that most people do not use just one. The dominance of Facebook often has a huge influence on the news people are informed about. People use Facebook so often that whether they like it or not they read something about a news story on Facebook before they see it on the actual news. And the news cannot be avoided because there is a constant stream of information on the news feed that we cannot control. The news is coming to us rather than us seeking it out. Social networking often dominates reputable sources as the place for my generation to get their information. Facebook and other social networking sites as a source of media has both benefits and drawbacks. Some benefits are the efficiency and immediacy it provides, you get a lot of headlines quickly and get a sense of what is going on. But on the other hand these sources definitely do not provide reputability and there is not a lot of depth to the stories. But the stories are also much more personal which could go both ways. Another commonality I found is that the majority of my classmates and I are not as up to date on the news as we would like to be. We have so many things going on in our lives and so many distractions that the news is not often our top priority. But as we get older we come to realize that the news are more important and hold more relevance in our lives. Another thing I noticed is that people much prefer the more emotional and entertaining aspects of the news rather than reading a story about the stock market or complicated politics. I think this would not surprise Hedges and Carr at all and attribute this concept to the rise of social media and search engines as our outlets for information.

The News in My Life

            Throughout my life I have never been one to closely follow the news. I never watched the evening news or read the newspaper. I would usually get tidbits of information from a variety of sources. I would hear news from my family, classmates, teachers, and even Facebook, unfortunately. These sources are often not reputable because I was getting my information through word of mouth and never checked the facts directly from the source. Throughout most of high school I wasn’t all that interested in knowing what was going on. I was too absorbed in school and going out with friends. I lived in my own little bubble and what went on outside of it did not really seem to affect me so why should I care? Of course I would take a slight interest when huge news stories came up and everyone around me was talking about it but other than that the happenings of the world did not really concern me. But as I creep closer and closer to being an adult and becoming part of the ‘real world’ I am trying to take more of an interest of what is happening in the world around me because these events that couldn’t seem to penetrate my ‘high school bubble’ are much more relevant to me as a college student. This class has facilitated this desire to be informed about the news and current events.  Using the New York Times online for this class has been a really useful and reliable source to get my news from. The Times is a source I can trust and one that I feel is relatively unbiased on most of its stories. Although reading some New York Times articles weekly is much more than I have done in the past, it is not nearly enough. Hopefully college is a time in my life when I make keeping up with the news a habit that I can stick with for the rest of my life.