who is better

On terms of sheer rhetoric, who do you think was more effective at relaying their message? Martin Luther King Jr or Malcolm X. There is the extreme Malcolm with his more literal language that had the ability to hit home. And then there was Martin Luther King Jr. with his words of incredible hope? It is not an easy decision to make seeing as they were both very skilled in the art of speech. I am going to compare the famous "I have a dream speech" by Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X's "The Ballot or the Bullet" speech and were going to see what kind of techniques they each employed to get their messages across.

First lets talk about repetition. Martin Luther King Jr. repeats the phrase "I have a dream" near the end of his speech over and over again. Now to some this may seem ridiculous. why would he repeat the same thing over and over? Well think about what he accompany's it with each phrase. He is saying different things that build his message of hope. He has dreamed of a day when his children can play with other children and race would hold no bearing. He dreamed of a day where states like Alabama would treat people equally. Putting all of these phrases together and uniting them with a common phrase makes the delivery of his message that much more powerful. Repetition is an effective tool when it comes to giving speeches.

Lets look at something Malcolm X does in his speech. There is something called Maslow's Hierarchy of needs. It basically describes what human beings need to survive. For example at the base you have the most basic needs like food and sleeping. Then next up is the need to feel safe, followed by the need to belong, then self esteem, and finally at the top is becoming everything you can be as a human being. Now I say this because if you are able to incorporate these needs into your speech, the speech can be made more effective. Malcolm was able to hit on the saftey needs in his speech. His method of delivery was one which hit on the safety needs. He was able to take the sense of not feeling safe and turning it into a means of motivation. His speech is one geared to helping people realize that they are fighting the same enemy. Look at this line for example.

"Whether you are -- Whether you are a Christian, or a Muslim, or a Nationalist, we all have the same problem. They don’t hang you because you’re a Baptist; they hang you 'cause you’re black. They don’t attack me because I’m a Muslim; they attack me 'cause I’m black. They attack all of us for the same reason; all of us catch hell from the same enemy."

You see the phrases "attack" and "hang" bring to attention all of the violence that some people had to deal with. This hits on the hierarchy needs of safety. People are getting killed and the feeling of safety for some is nonexistent. Along with this he also uses some repetition. This is also a very effective technique.

I only touched on a few methods that can make a speech powerful. When it comes down to deciding whose was better it is very difficult. They both use very similar methods like repetition and using Maslows needs. This one in my opinion can be a coin flop. Read their speeches and tell me who you think wins.

Individuality

What is it that makes another person's opinion seem important? Why do some people base descisions on other peoples thoughts? There are some decisions that are black and white with shades of gray. These situations usually involve some sort of specialist like a doctor or a lawyer. But what about the other kinds. The kinds that take into account what kind of interests a person has.

Recently I asked a coworker what he thought about the movie Watchmen. This coworker happens to be a nerd, I say this in the nicest way being as I am a nerd myself, and he is more into comic books than I am. He also usually catches the matinee shows of all the big movies that come out on opening day. So I approached him and asked him for his opinion. He told me he didn't like it for whatever reason, and I took what he thought and went ahead and didn't see the movie. Over the weekend I didn't really have much to do so I thought why not go see it. When I left the theater I said to myself, "What the hell is wrong with this guy?". The movie was pretty damn good in my opinion. And then I asked myself why did I let someone make a decision for me that I could have made for myself. I like superhero movies. I should have just seen it.

Now I am not bashing anyone that writes about thier opinions. I am obviously putting my own out there. It is always entertaining to read someone elses ideas about certain things. Da Musical Menace for example writes gold when he writes about things. If you fall into this category I am not hating. Keep it up actually. That is pretty much what most writing is anyway. What I am concerned with is those people that take other peoples thoughts and ideas and make them thier own without doing any research on the topic themselves.

Lets think about the news for example. There are things happening all over world that we wouldn't know about unless someone reports on it. There is a big responsibility that goes along with this for the journalist and the newscasters. They have to be honest and report accurately and that is what we all assume they do. But what if they didn't. What if things are worse than what they really are and we are just recieving a small portion of the truth. We wouldn't be getting what we deserve. It is like ordering a meal and only getting the beverage. I want my chicken too.

That was an extreme scenario though. Lets calm it down a little bit. What if Burgerking went somewhere and said "We make the best burgers. You are wasting your time and money if you try and eat a burger anywhere else." This is coming from a specialist in a sense. This is how they make money right? They're the king of burgers for crying out loud. But I am going to be honest. I love Whoppers. I think they are great. But sometimes I need a Big Mac, or a Big Buford, or a Classic Double, or a Five Guys burger. I really do. If I took Burgerkings word for it, I would miss out on all the other delicious, greasy, gifts from heaven that are there at my disposal. And that would be a shame.

There are some descions that an individual can make for themselves. A lot of times people fall into the herd mentality and give up on things they enjoy because other people think its not as impressive.

And it works both ways. Some things aren't for everybody. Someone could come and say to me, "Hey man lets go spend the night in a haunted house". Some people might get their kicks like that and they could say I am bashing it without trying it. But I have seen enough scary movies and heard enough ghost stories to say I don't want to have anything to do with ghosts. I think they exists and I want to leave them alone. My decision is made.

Individuality is hurt when these decisions are looked over and allowed to be made by others. Do things or don't do things. Just make sure you are the one making the decision.

The responsibility of the blogger

While reading the "Cult of the Amateur" by Andrew Keen over the weekend I came across a passage that made me wonder a little bit about Keen's argument against the "Internet 2.0". It starts out with him talking about Kevin Kelly and how "he wants to rewrite the very definition of the book". It is going to turn books into "a single universal free hypertext". After describing this he says:

To anyone with the most elemental appreciation for the sanctitiy of the book and respect for the toils of the authorm the implications of what Kelly suggests are, well, obscene. Is Crime and Punishment still Crime and Punishment if you remove the scene where Raskolnikov murders the pawnbroker?"

He goes on and gives a few more examples and then says that books shouldn't be taken apart and put back together like "Legos". Keen Is worried that books will be deconstructed and put back together with ideas of others with the use of Kevin Kelly's idea of digital books and therefore destroy the Original work.

I think that Keens fear is based on assumptions though. His theory that everyone on the internet will demolish the institution of books is rather farfetch'd. The day that the bloggers choose to do away with the thoughts of the great thinkers and writers of the past is the day when society really does relapse in the evolutionary process. I think that this is what is at the base of Keens fear. But civilization is moving forward. Books becoming digital is nothing but progression. Keens assumption that Kelly's idea will lead to the death of a culture makes me wonder why the internet scholars would honestly choose to do away with the fundamentals because this I figure would be the knife in to the heart of culture. Then i think some more and it hits me that this is not the case.

The original works will always be there. The removal of the great works can only be blamed to natural disasters and the rulings of tyrants. Society doesn't have to worry about natural disasters doing away with the works really because of technology and if a tyrant does around and decides to remove the great works, then its going to be war. (and Keen better be at the front lines) At the end of the day no one should worry about losing the works that are in circulation right now. 

And as for the death of culture via Kelly's idea, this can be avoided by means of responsibility. We have to honor the originals and do our best to not lose their ideas. It should be made clear what they thought and then add what others think. This will keep the wheels of progression turning. A person has to keep an open mind in order to learn. To shut out ideas is what will lead to a stop in mans evolution (just to keep up with keens idea of monkeys behind computers)

 

I think of myself for example. I am not a master in writing, but I do have a firm interest in the art and this interest drives me to look into the techniques. So the searches for writing techiniques and definitions of Kairos and other terms involving prose are neccessary for me to come to an understanding. The same goes if I am trying to understand the thoughts of the great authors and thinkers. I have to search for them and their ideas. I read their original works, and then I find Kevin Kellys digital books and find some more ideas. I then piece together both and come to an understanding. I can also look for a professional and get their ideas. This is my responsibility.

In the end, shutting out the thoughts of individuals is what will turn us into monkeys. The search for knowledge should be free. Putting barriers on the minds of others will only lead us back to the dark ages. The computer and the internet light up the faces of the bloggers and enlighten their minds as well.

I apologize

I want to take this time out right now and apologize to some of my teachers. Scholastic's have not been priority number one in the colorful collage that is my life due to a few reasons. First and foremost because I have been a bit under the weather lately. I contracted a terrible cold, one which reminded of my childhood because as kid I was sick often, and this cold did not allow for my attention to be focused on anything but getting better. A second reason is that quite frankly I have grown a little bit tired of the classes.

I do not mind Expository Writing because I enjoy writing and the professor just kind of lets us write about what we choose, and he is keeping me interested but as for my other classes, sadly this is not the case. Your homework has fallen into the annoying rank. Its not challenging in the way that if you try and apply yourself and get the assignment done, that you come out a better person and smarter. No, instead it is just tedious and annoying. Computers in Buisiness, you are too robotic, too mechanical, and too predictable. You have made Microsoft Office something I want to avoid for the rest of my life. I do not want to make cover sheets or presentations anymore. It is boring no matter how much you tell me how incredible the programs are. Speech class, I don't mind listening and learning, but making me act out a speech, not a fan. I am not a thespian and I don't really plan on becoming one. Sure its a chance to step out of myself. But I think myself is pretty cool. And as for accounting.-sigh-I am not going to get into it.

So I am sorry CIB, Speech, and accounting. You have all fallen short of my expectations. You are now a part of the mundane routine in which I associate my job. You still have time to redeem yourselves and I am a man who believes in giving chances. So I am still looking foward. Not to your homework assignments, but to your ability in putting excitement into education. I am sorry that I cannot get into the current material. I will make an effort but only on the condition that you all do the same. Tomorrow is a new day.

I gotta fix the flux capacitor

Lately I have been finding myself very interested in the past. The appeal of living like a pirate on the seven seas or a wandering samurai for some reason calls out to my soul and I find myself feeling very anxious. You see right now I don't want anything more than to be able to just drop everything and go on an adventure. My life has become too routine. I want to wander the countryside and not know whats going to happen. I want to be a deckhand and and get the sails ready and go somewhere I have never been. I know that our society and our time does not really allow for anyone to live this way anymore. It is very unfortunate. But I can still go on some kind of adventure. Or can I? Whats holding me back? I'll tell you what is. Its fear.

Fear is the machines last resort. I am going to tell you guys a little bit about the machine, at least the machine as I understand it. The machine is what Karl Marx was worried about. The machine is control. The machine is a part of our everyday lives. In its essence the machine is the money monster. This is what the movie the Matrix was referring to in a way. The movies symbolism is a lot deeper though. It sounds crazy I know but this is what I believe. The machine promises riches but I think you have to give something of yourself up in order to get them.

You need money to do almost everything. To get money you need to go to school. To go to school you need to spend money. To get that money you have to get a job. Now you need that job to support your scholastics. I can't just hop on a plane and go to Japan for example. I have to many responsibilities. If I don't keep up with them. I won't live a happy life. This is the fear talking. Not me.

I have to get over this fear. I have to know that I do not need the machine to get by and make my dreams come true. I am the holder of the reigns of my destiny. I can stop bullets. Alright maybe I can't do that but hey maybe I can end a war somewhere. Only the future knows. But I still want the future to be now. And I want for that future to be a simple one like the past. I want it to be a future where I can go anywhere I want at the drop of a hat or do anything just because I feel like it. I don't want to worry about money. Worrying about money makes things go into depressions and depressions spiral downwards. But you can't get caught in the maelstrom and if you do, let the wind catch the sails and get out to calm waters.

Writing is therapeutic.

A conveniance fee..... well isn't that conveniant.

So I was that Florida state fair today enjoying one of the greasiest cheese steaks my mouth has ever sampled, when my girlfriend asked me if I knew the date when tuition was due. As the great student that I am, I quickly and sloppily answered "Nope". She and I have scholarships so we do not have to pay the third day in or whatever is, our deadline is on a later date.

So as I continued to gorge on my greasy slice of heaven she brought up how if you choose to pay online, you get charged a fee of ten dollars. This fee is called a "convenience" fee I guess because it allows you to pay what you have to pay from the comforts of your home. I didn't really like having to drive all the way to campus just to pay my tuition off so i didn't really mind the fee itself. I just don't like how the cashiers office when about getting the fee the first year I heard about this online pay method.

You see a couple of semesters back I had tried to pay off my tuition on campus the way I had been doing my entire time in college,but for some reason this year I wasn't allowed to. they said bottom line I had to pay over the internet. Now when you pay online you are charged a convenience fee of Ten dollars. So for who is it convenient??

I do not know if this was just some bad luck or something but i know that if i am forced to pay a convenience fee when it is not convenient for me, its going to piss me off. I already drove all the way to campus so the leg work is done. There is no more convenience. So I thought I thought I should look into a little more so i did some research

I was looking into the topic of words that can be misleading and came across a very good point in an article called "The language problem" by Jesper Hermann. Hermann says:

Every human being brings with her or his engagement with words a lifetime of previous experience, and also applies it to communication with others. The assumption is that words we choose -must in some way- correspond to the notions entertained by others who use them....... each of us understands his own tinged version of the words we all use.... to such an extent that we sometimes wake up and realize that now my colour is too far away from yours, and must be corrected accordingly.

So an important thing to look into cashiers office. When you say that something is convenient it implies that there is something inconvenient. It is important to state in this instance for who the convenience is intended. Is it for you... or is it for me??? Is the online processing annoying so you're charging me ten dollars? or is my not leaving my home worth ten dollars? You see because my lifetime of experience with the word "convenience" when it pertains to me usually means its in my benefit. It just didn't seem this way in this particular occasion.

So in conclusion. If I choose to go pay my bill and I choose to deny the "convenience" option, don't make me have to pay it anyway. If you really want to charge me ten bucks, call it a processing fee or something.

over and out.

On laziness....

One of my least favorite things to do is forcing myself to do anything. The reason I hate these situations is that when I am in these situations I find it extremely difficult to let my inner essence come out. You see when my inner essence is free I am able to tackle anything, be it a question or obstacle, and I am able to tackle anything with ease. So I need to find a way to let my inner essence come out when I need it to..... Is the problem getting more complicated or is it just me??

In my attempt to make my inner essence more accessible, I am performing one of my least favorite activities. It is like trying to get warm by means of cold shower. Its just adding fuel to the fire. But for this problem it seems to be the only way to arrive to a solution... Even though it seems crazy.

So getting into my best "The Thinker" pose I begin to analyze the problem. Not two seconds into my introspection, the problem becomes obvious. The reason I do not enjoy forcing myself to do anything is because of the fact that as I grow I am becoming more and more lazy. This a shock to me personally. I thought that I was just enjoying relaxation.

The online Oxford English Dictionary says lazy means, as an adjective, "averse to labor, indisposed to action or effort." Understanding is a warm blanket.

In my analyzing of the problem I have somehow unlocked my inner essence and have slain my inner Grendel named laziness. I am no longer tormented by my desire to not desire to do anything. I am sitting here writing right now which is proof that I am now no longer against working.

In my quest to harness my inner essence, I have learned a few a things. One, that lazyness has to be put away in order to achieve anything, and two, that the English langauge is ridiculous in the way that there are so many ways to say the exact same thing. You have to love it.