I.B. Learner Profile Propaganda: Communicator

The main technique I used in my propaganda poster was appeal to fear. 'Alienation' has negative connotations, and I played on peoples' fears of being isolated and ostracized. To give the poster a dark, ominous tone, I used black and red as my dominant colours. The sense of finality in the words "Without Communication, there's only Alienation" also imply that being a Communicator should be prioritized above all else if we want to be included. Adding to this is the slogan at the bottom: "How can you succeed if you can't speak?", which is meant to reinforce the importance of communicating. 

The people jeering at the solitary figure are yelling variations of 'freak', 'outcast' and 'loser' in different languages (German, Chinese, English, French, Greek). This is significant as part of being a Communicator is expressing ideas in "more than one language", adding irony to the poster. The line "#IBCommunicator" also leads people to a place where they can take action and find out more about this cause.

    

Media Bias: Reflection Prompt

It is acceptable for a government to try to shape public opinion through information campaigns. 

Position: Agree.

I agree with this statement, as long as the information in the “information campaigns” is labeled as being from the government. If the public is aware of the information’s source, they can make their own decisions about whether to follow it or not.

Every government will have a ‘side’, or a certain bias that they tend towards. Governments are comprised of people, and people cannot exist without their beliefs of what is right and wrong. With this in mind, I propose that not only is it acceptable for a government to try to shape public opinion, it is sometimes also inevitable.

Assuming a democracy, the ruling party in question would’ve been selected to power for a reason – because the majority of people in the country agree with them and their ideas. Beyond this, we also elect individuals to power for the positive plans they have for a country. This implies action – we are willing to let them make changes and control the country because we believe in their ideals. It follows that the ideas in their information campaigns will probably agree with us, and public opinion will be further shaped in the direction it chose in the first place.

One example where this phenomenon has been better for a country as a whole is in Singapore’s Keep Singapore Clean campaign (1968-1990). Public opinion was shaped, encouraging people to change their views and habits to focus on an aspect they had previously ignored: keeping their country clean. As a result, Singapore is now one of the cleanest countries in the world*

In the case of the Iraq War, none of the examples we looked at could be considered information campaigns. The cases of Jessica Lynch and Pat Tillman were individual stories that the government chose to focus on, not a systematic sequence of actions – which is what a campaign would be. With regards to the documentary, government bias is often less dangerous than media news bias. This is because while both sides portray their information as the truth, the public is aware that the government has a specific side (their own). The media, on the other hand, is often pulled by invisible strings that the public doesn’t see or understand.

Continuing with the example of a democracy, if a government were to release information campaigns that went against a country’s values, it is the duty of the people to revolt, and to demand a different government.

* http://ireport.cnn.com/docs/DOC-1202168 

http://www.au.af.mil/au/awc/awcgate/milreview/beavers.pdf

http://remembersingapore.org/2013/01/18/singapore-campaigns-of-the-past/

Media Bias Pastiche: Rewritten Article

Unruly Anti-Choice Protesters Face Potential Arrest After Illegal Demonstration

 STATE      NOV 2, 2015   |   8:05PM    DAYTON, OH

Anti-abortionists attempted to interrupt a celebratory pro-choice rally in Dayton, Ohio this Sunday. Offenders were politely asked to leave by the police, and as matters escalated authorities had to resort to threatening their arrests.

Bryan Kemper, leader of conservative group ‘Stand True’, was amongst the group of rebels protesting against abortion at the scene. He was joined by a small group of dissidents, who aimed to impede the pro-abortion rally. The rally, at Courthouse Square, was lauding the successes of the non-profit ‘Planned Parenthood’ health organization, as well as those of other abortion providers in Dayton. Supporters had applied for a permit to gather in advance.

Around an hour into the event, Kemper put down his sign and was seen taking photos of the pro-choice supporters to use in promoting the ideology on his website. Kemper also crashed the event wearing an insensitive T-shirt with anti-abortion propaganda on it.

As Kemper and his group closed in on the peaceful gathering, members of the pro-choice rally began to feel uncomfortable, and called the Dayton police in for assistance. According to the law, since rally organizers had a permit to gather and hold a rally, the anti-abortionists’ invasions were illegal. They were then politely asked by the police to leave to the sidewalk area outside of Courthouse Square.

Protesters ignored these repeated warnings of the police, and Kemper even accosted one police officer personally, claiming that they were “denying him access to public property”. He stubbornly insisted on this allegation, even after officials explained that Kemper and his group were providing a menace to the peaceful rally with their aggressive signs and uniforms.

Kemper continued harassing the police, asserting that “he had no sign” even though it was visibly on the floor next to him. He also showed no respect for authority, and demanded to see the permit of the pro-choice group to have a rally. Eventually, the Dayton police had to threaten to arrest him lest he become violent. At that point, Kemper and his group began to panic and vacated the scene.

Also present at the illegal anti-abortionist protests were members of Kemper’s family. His 10 year old son was forced to hold “pro-life” signs and protest alongside his father. On the signs of the anti-choice rebels were propaganda-like slogans and images.

Protesters also exploited “victims” of abortion by showing images of them at the rally. This victimization of women who have made strong choices about their bodies is used to claim that abortion is worse for women, although this starkly contrasts reality: less than 1% of women will experience a major complication from the procedure, and the risk of death from childbirth is ten times the risk of death from abortion.

Given the ubiquity of choice these days, naysayers like these seem almost medieval. They are, however, still a frequent occurrence, especially in majority conservative states like Ohio, which also scores lower than average on the Diversity Index.

Nevertheless, incidents like these remind the public to make sure the basic human rights of choice and freedom do not get taken from us.

Sources:

http://smartblogs.com/leadership/2012/10/08/examining-ohios-political-leanings/
http://web.mit.edu/pro-choice/www/facts.html
http://healthresearchfunding.org/20-remarkable-pro-choice-abortion-facts-statistics/
http://www.comparativepoliticseconomics.com/conservative.html

Media Bias Pastiche: Original Article and Rationale

Rationale/Disclaimer

The issue I chose for this media bias pastiche was abortion. I thought it was interesting how central textual bias is to the fight, as anti-abortionists call themselves "pro-life" while pro-abortionists call themselves "pro-choice". Below is the original article, which I found on the 'Life News' website, which details "pro-life" successes and stories. I rewrote it in the opposite pro-abortion ideology. 

One of the first techniques I used in my re-writing of it was bias by headline, where bias through use of names and titles was also employed. "Pro-life advocate" became "unruly anti-choice protesters".  The "potential arrest" was also focused on more than the "just for wearing a pro-life t-shirt", giving the article a heightened sense of importance. I also ignored some details in the re-writing, like the fact that some pro-abortionists "mocked Bryan Kemper's son".  The re-writing also generally goes against conservative views, and (vaguely related) statistics are used in the article to paint Ohio in a more negative light. 

This rewriting wasn't meant to make fun of anyone or any group, it was solely for educational purposes. 

Police Threaten to Arrest Pro-Life Advocate Just for Wearing a Pro-Life T-Shirt

 STATE   MICAIAH BILGER   NOV 2, 2015   |   8:05PM    DAYTON, OH

A pro-life advocate says police threatened to arrest him for wearing a pro-life T-shirt and an abortion advocate mocked his 10-year-old son during a pro-abortion rally Sunday in Dayton, Ohio.

Bryan Kemper, president of Stand True, reports that he and two of his children joined about 20 other pro-lifers to peacefully protest during the rally to celebrate Planned Parenthood and other abortion providers in Dayton.

The Stand True blog reports more about the situation:

"After about an hour at the rally, Bryan put down his sign to walk around the Courthouse Square, a public area in Dayton, to take photos of the rally. The Dayton police were called to remove all pro-lifers from this public area. While the rally organizers had a permit to gather and hold a rally, they did not have ownership of this public square but the police demanded all pro-lifers leave and go to the sidewalk area outside the Courthouse Square.

Because the officers were claiming that he couldn’t be there even though he was not protesting at the time, Bryan approached them to ask why they were denying him access to public property. One of the pro-abortion protesters claimed that his pro-life shirt constituted a protest sign and disqualified him from being in the public area.

The officer mocked the pro-lifers and said, “It’s Sunday. Normal people are out enjoying the day, not causing problems.”

When Bryan tried to explain that he had no sign and was not protesting, the officer said, “I don’t care. You go over there.”

The officer also admitted that there was no copy of the (pro-abortion protest) permit on hand, and that he could not show it to us as he did not have it, yet he still kicked us off public property."

Someone at the rally caught on video part of the exchange between Kemper and the city police. Watch it here.

At one point, Kemper’s 10-year-old son also was targeted for harassment. A pro-abortion protester approached and mocked Kemper’s son as he was holding a pro-life sign, but the boy did not waver as he stood for the lives of unborn babies, according to the blog.

According to Stand True, the pro-life advocates did not interrupt the rally, and they were peaceful and respectful to the abortion supporters. Pro-lifers said they held images of the victims of abortion to show abortion advocates “what it was exactly that they were promoting and celebrating.”

“They wanted to give these victims the dignity of being recognized as the human persons they are,” according to the blog.

Kemper posted a photo from the protest on his Facebook page and called his exchange with the police an “outrage.”

“The Dayton Ohio Police Department just threatened to arrest me for simply standing on public property with a pro-life t-shirt,” Kemper wrote. “Apparently if someone is holding a public rally on public property they have the right no deny citizens from simply walking on that public property. This is our courthouse square and I should be free to walk around as long as I’m not disrupting their rally.”

Link to article: http://www.lifenews.com/2015/11/02/police-threaten-to-arrest-pro-life-advocate-just-for-wearing-a-pro-life-t-shirt/

(Tentative) Written Task 1 Proposal

The following is a potential proposal for a Written Task. I say 'potential', because it doesn't fit the exact structure of the Written Tasks we have done in terms of using primary and secondary sources (I don't have any main ones). I'm open to suggestions about how to approach this idea differently. :)

This Written Task is centered on Part 2, Adverinfotainment, of the course. It is a pair of blog entries titled 'Why Rihanna Has Destroyed Feminism' and 'Why Rihanna Is My Feminist Icon'. It aims to fulfill the third learning outcome, and explore how mass media (in this case, the blogs) have used language to persuade people of their startlingly different conclusions. 

This idea is still in its infant stages - the format itself is something that I have not fully decided on, as it would also work as a magazine article. I chose this topic because we studied the objectification of women in media in this unit, and our current work on Alice Munro also gave some background on Feminism that can be used (especially for the negative article). I selected Rihanna as the subject due to her widespread fame - many who don't even listen to popular music know about her (such as my mom) - and her influence has expanded far beyond just being a singer. 

To support my claims on either side, I will be looking at the way she portrays herself (quotes etc.), her music videos, personal events, and publicity stunts. While there will be different examples used to support each side, I will include 1-2 examples that are the same for both Rihanna being anti-Feminist and Feminist to allow the audience to better recognize the bias and manipulation present in the media. One such example would be her Pour It Up video, which received both criticism and praise. Her newer B*tch Better Have My Money video was also deemed both feminist and un-feminist by critics. 

In all, I hope that with these two parallel blogs/articles, the audience will be able to see through the way the media manipulates us using language and literary devices. Usage of the same literary devices in the opposite way would further strengthen the contrast.

Note: This isn't the best timing for a Written Task, given that the IOC is only 13 days away. However, I posted about it now so that I wouldn't forget about it, and to encourage more development of the idea.  

Tempest IOC

Link to IOC:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B13rR1KO5wYqb25wdjhycC1Id0ltcjVYZmlUbGJSSVNDWEM4/view?usp=sharing

Passage:

TRINCULO 

O king Stephano! O peer! O worthy Stephano! look what a wardrobe here is for thee! 

CALIBAN 

Let it alone, thou fool; it is but trash. 

TRINCULO 

O, ho, monster! we know what belongs to a frippery. O king Stephano! 

STEPHANO 

Put off that gown, Trinculo; by this hand, I'll have that gown. 

TRINCULO 

Thy grace shall have it.

CALIBAN 

The dropsy drown this fool I what do you mean 

To dote thus on such luggage? Let's alone 

And do the murder first: if he awake, 

From toe to crown he'll fill our skins with pinches, 

Make us strange stuff.

STEPHANO 

Be you quiet, monster. Mistress line, is not this my jerkin? 

Now is the jerkin under the line: now, jerkin, 

you are like to lose your hair and prove a bald jerkin. 

TRINCULO 

Do, do: we steal by line and level, an't like your grace. 

STEPHANO 

I thank thee for that jest; here's a garment for't: 

wit shall not go unrewarded while I am king of this country. 

'Steal by line and level' is an excellent pass of pate; there's another garment for't. 

TRINCULO 

Monster, come, put some lime upon your fingers, and away with the rest.

CALIBAN 

I will have none on't: we shall lose our time, 

And all be turn'd to barnacles, or to apes 

With foreheads villanous low.

STEPHANO 

Monster, lay-to your fingers: help to bear this away where my hogshead of wine is, 

or I'll turn you out of my kingdom: go to, carry this. 

TRINCULO 

And this. 

STEPHANO 

Ay, and this.

This is Water

Let me begin my providing my own version of David Foster Wallace's thesis in 'This is Water': he suggests that true freedom acquired through education is the ability to choose to be adjusted, conscious, and sympathetic. People without education don't lack this ability, but without having been taught how to think they may not know they have this choice.  

The most obvious device Wallace uses to develop his thesis is meiosis and litotes. He deliberately undermines his own wisdom and that of what he's saying, for example in 'I am not the wise old fish' and 'please don't think that I'm giving you moral advice'. By reducing the importance that he attaches to his words on the surface, the audience believes they attached the importance themselves, making the speech more personal. 

Wallace uses one main example throughout the essay, which details the life of an average adult after leaving work and having to go to the supermarket for groceries. This is a well chosen example, as many can identify with the boredom and thoughts about these 'stupid god-damn people' in the checkout line. Even if many students may not have experienced these feelings in a supermarket, many in first-world countries have gone through sub sections of his example - be it waiting in line, being stuck in a traffic jam, or having to deal with inconsiderate driving. This manner in which he links his central idea of freedom of thought to the real world makes it more applicable and relevant. 

Later on, Wallace also employs pathos by talking about 'worship' and making sweeping statements like 'everybody worships'. This elicits an emotional reaction, as Wallace has already primed the audience to accept him (see earlier devices) and his ideas. Now, this idea is accepted more readily by the audience, and they respond to the personal question of 'worship' (which asks what supports us?) by looking inside themselves for an answer. 

This is just a selection of ways in which he develops his thesis. This theory contributes to the inquiry question because literature is a form of education, and it makes us aware of other people's emotions, just like Wallace claims education does. The inquiry question is thus an example of his thesis. For instance, as Alice Munro's stories reveal to us more about what average women go through, we are becoming more sympathetic (seeing and identifying with their feelings), adjusted (we see how fortunate we are and where we stand in this world), and conscious (I am now aware of other people's feelings and thoughts). 

David Foster Wallace's essay was truly thought-provoking, and I felt that he put into words an abstract idea that many people may have already been aware of on some level. By doing this, he made the concept of thought choice more concrete, and put more responsibility on us for our own happiness. Personally, I agree with his ideas, especially that it is not knowing these things that is important, but rather applying them in daily life. 

Word Count: 499