Throughout our group meeting for our final paper we found a number of great articles to use in our final paper/presentation. One of the first and very interesting articles we found was written by three women, Marita P. McCabe, Kelly Butler, and Christina Watt and was titled, “Media Influences on Attitudes and Perceptions Toward the Body Among Adult Men and Women.” This project studied 60 men and 60 women, and found men overestimated their chest, waist, and thighs and underestimated their hips, while women overestimated the size of all body parts. This article is very helpful in that it supports our claim that the media has a negative influence on women and men and how they view themselves. A quote from the article that supports this is, Social pressure appears to be the main factor impacting on a woman’s body concern (Cusumano & Thompson, 1997), and the media appears to be the main source of this pressure (Heinberg, 1996). In the article it also says, “These thin body images have become normalized, and it is claimed that they contribute to the level of distorted perceptions and attitudes that women have of their body.” This is so true and it is one of the main points we would like to argue. Not everything on television is true. There is a thing called photoshop and celebrities use the unhealthiest ways to lose weight, that is why they are always fat then super skinny then fat then super skinny. We also found an ariticle titled, “The Media and Violent Behavior in Young People: Effects of the Media on Antisocial Aggressive Behavior in a Spanish Sample.” This article is by three men; Miguel Clemente, Pablo Espinosa and Miguel A. Vidal. Although this is a Spanish sample it is still a good source of information. They start out by using a real life example about a sixteen-year-old using a samurai sword to kill both his parents and sister. They explain that he is an avid Final Fantasy VIII player and was dressed exactly like his character when he was caught. In the article Johnson, Cohen, Smailes, Kasen, and Brook (2002) reported that males, but not females, who watched more television during early adolescence were prone to being more violent toward others, although no effect was found for other types of antisocial or criminal behaviors. Interestingly, results in the opposite direction have also been found. Hsieh (1996) found that viewing television violence is significantly associated with higher levels of aggression, especially among females, although this effect is less clear in the case of violence depicted in cartoons, particularly in older subjects. This article is kind of hard to follow at times so we probably won’t use a lot, if any, of the information provided.

Works Cited

McCabe, Marita P., Kelly Butler, and Christina Watt. Media Influences on Attitudes and Perceptions Toward the Body Among Adult Men and Women. School of Psychology-Deakin University, Apr. 2007. Web. 12 Apr. 2010. .

Clemente, Miguel, Pablo Espinosa, and Miguel A. Vidal. The Media and Violent Behavior in Young People: Effects of the Media on Antisocial Aggressive Behavior in a Spanish Sample. University of La Coruna, 24 Sept. 2008. Web. 12 Apr. 2010. .

TIM WISE

For more than a century, the United States has been moving to undo the legacy of racism and discrimination amongst its people. The changes have been to create a society reflecting the grand document of its founding, with “all men being created equal”, having “the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.” How far all have really come toward such a monumental and ideal society is entailed David Cook’s “By The Color of Their Skin” article; each change for the better seems to bring two more for the worse, shifting away from the desired achievement. Though racism is dying through the effort of the entire nation, race-based discrimination is alive as ever, spawning new policies and issues for all.
The most defining arguments of the Cook article are racism and privilege, and how both influence today’s culture. As defined by Wise, “ Racism is an ideology that says certain people, by virtue of their race, are inferior or superior to others of a different race, with race usually being defined as skin color” (Cook, 2009, p.5). In other words, the color of a person’s skin color defines how they immediately see themselves, and others see them offhand. The quality of a person’s heart and soul may be the most important characteristic of all, but is seen secondary at best to the color of their skin.
The next defining aspect of this fantastic article is privilege. Once again, according to this article by Cook, privilege can also be seen as less pressure to perform. An example in the text was, “George W. Bush mangled the English language with regularity and still became president. If Barack Obama had mispronounced words the way Bush did, would he have been given the same degree of slack” (Cook, 2009, p.5). Because skin color is so defining of who someone is this example and the idea of having less pressure to perform means people of the dominate race may not feel the need to perform to their full potential because they already feel privilege.
Ironically, antiracism has caused a new type of racism, in which the previously underprivileged minorities have become the privileged majority, and the previously privileged racial majority has become an underprivileged minority. People in terms of race being constructed in America today, Cook views it as, “The mistake people make is to think that history stops and starts with each new generation” (Cook, 2009, p.6). What people need to realize is that what happens in one generation effects the next and every generation in the future and it’s impossible to start with a completely blank slate (Cook, 2009, p.6).
In our own lives today, we are affected by racism in aspects of our lives we’re not even aware of. Wise uses the example that, “Job applicants with “white-sounding” names are 50 percent more likely to get called back than those with “black-sounding” names, even if both have the same qualifications” (Cook, 2009, p.6). Such an attitude is engrained in our society; one cannot completely erase their own past, no matter how much they may try.
Such concept might tie into paper three; similar to the quest of all for the perfect meal, the strive for a perfect, just, unbiased society continues leaping forward recklessly in great bounds, and yet remain just beyond grasp. All may be looking for perfection, but all have different ideas as to what perfection really is.


Works Cited
Wise, Tim. "By the Color If Their Skin." Interview by David Cook. The Sun July 2009: 4-12. Print

Sources sources sources

When finding sources for my English 101 papers I’d say I could do a little better job. Honestly I just go to Google and type in what I’m looking for and then click on all the links to find one I could use. Sometimes this is very effective, but sometimes I feel like the sources I am looking at might not be as reliable as Google makes them look. Once I find an abundance of sources I usually use a little bit from each depending on how much info is in each source that could relate to my paper. I try to use a lot of sources in my papers because then I know the reader will know a lot of other people agree with or have written about my topic as well. As for where I use them in my papers, it depends what is in the article that I can communicate in my paper. Obviously I’m not going to put lots of sources in randomly, because that would make for a shitty paper and a confusing paper to read. On the topic of improving my method of finding sources I think I should use methods that are given to me. I’m talking about the library. All the online sources that I could use would probably strengthen my papers a lot, but everything on those online databases are so confusing I usually give up before I even start. Also, in English 101 Deome usually gives us some swell sources in class or over email that I could probably use as well. As for using them, I might want to milk the sources I find for all they’ve got. I mean I do use a lot of sources, but I think I should try to read more into my sources and probably look up the author just to get their credentials and maybe put that in my article so my reader knows my sources are reliable.

NORMANBORLAUG

Norman Borlaug's article focuses mainly on biotechnology and how we could go about ending world hunger.First he explains what we can expect from biotechnology. He is obviously pro-science when it comes to food and how science is making it easier to feed a million or more people without killing half with disease.He explains how Bacillus thuringiensis effectively controls how many insect pests are in the plants which i thought was very interesting. Then, he goes on to say the development of these types of insecticides will lower production costs which in tern could lower the costs for buying these products. Borlaug explains how important genetic engineering is to this growing economy and how it could improve the nutritional quality of our crop products. Borlaug also brings into account the antiscience crowd. I think he speaks the truth when he says most of this crowd is from the richer countries with the privileges of vast amounts of food. Borlaug is also correct when he says genetic engineering isnt some sort of witchcraft, its just another step along the journey of our intelligence of humans and science. I agree that people of all ages should learn about the genetic engineering of our crops and start to be pro-science instead of hopping on the band wagon with all the antiscience people. In this growing world there is only room for expansion of our food sources. More people means we need more food and frankly the only way to do that is with the help of science.

The end

During the last few chapters in Pollan's book, Omnivore’s Dilemma, Pollan talks about mainly hunting and gathering food. He talks about finding mushrooms and the thrill of hunting, even though he hates to admit it. On his hunting excursion, he is trying to find wild pigs in this forest. It is interesting how he talks about certain things that make it known that a pig was in the direct spot before he was. Obviously the hoof prints show the pig was there, but there was also markings on the tree and mud scraped on the tree bark to show the pig had rubbed up against that tree. I have never gone hunting, but if I had the chance I would. It sounds somewhat exhilarating, even though I love animals there is just something about finding all these clues to lead to a prize almost like a maze or game. In chapter 20, looking at Pollan’s rules/list for making the “perfect” meal it kind of makes me wonder. To me, cooking is about making a wonderful taste. Without things like herbs and spices I don’t think his meal will be that great. I thought it was very interesting how he tried to gather his own salt though and in turn found how much our world really does need to clean up. All in all I think Pollan didn’t make the perfect meal, he even said he broke his rules to make the perfect meal. We all know there is no such thing as perfect and if there was no one would know what it was. Pollan taught me a lot of things about the food I eat and I think I will think twice before eating things like fast food and commercialized foods.

Chapter 16 response

Chapter 16 in Omnivores Dilemma was very interesting. When Pollan talks about how Rozin discovered how rats use their digestive tract as kind of a laboratory this actually kept me awake. He also talks about how rats are smart enough to remember the order of what they nibbled to determine if it is okay to eat more of it. The fact that Pollan compares this or even links it to our own omnivorous eating habits is kind of cool too. One example he uses is of someone deciding which kind of cereal to buy and trying to remember if they’ve tasted it before and if they liked it. I liked when Pollan talked about our sense of taste. Explaining how the first step to determining if you like something is tasting it, you would usually come out with a positive or negative conclusion. I like that he explains how sweet tastes attract us more than bitter tastes, which make us cautious. But these bitter tastes can also give us powerful medicines, like he says about the sap of the opium poppy and the bark of a willow. Pollan also brings into account the invention of cooking. How it made it easier to eat and digest the food we ate and I think it helped some disease from spreading because the heat kills bacteria. All in all, this chapter was pretty nice, mostly because I love food and cooking and it wasn’t only about corn.

They Say I Say-Chapter 6 and 7

In the book, “They Say I Say,” these chapters, six and seven, do fabulous jobs making you understand why it is important to put objections in your text and why you should always say why what your writing or presenting is important. In chapter six, they start out by giving an example of a writer who almost forgot to put in an objection, but when she did it made her writing a million times stronger. They say that when you put in objections to your writing you are enhancing your credibility and I would think you also make the readers believe more of what you say. Also, you should not only just put in an objection, but make it the best argument you can. Yes, I know it’s against your topic, but if you have the right comeback it can boost your credibility that much more. In chapter seven, they start out by stating the obvious, when giving a presentation you should ALWAYS say why the audience should care or why what you’re saying matters, or else the audience won’t care and won’t think about it. Chapter seven reiterates that you shouldn’t just say who cares, but so what? These are two totally different things and if you forget one, it could hurt your presentation, but if you get them both in there good, it can make it a whole lot better.

Polyface Slaughtering

Within the readings that were assigned the thing that caught my attention the most was chapter 12 in Omnivores Dilemma. At first I didn’t know what all this talk about Polyface chicken and Polyface eggs and Polyface bacon was, but after looking it up I found that it was just a farm in Virginia. This farm however is not your “regular” ol’ farm. As some people would say, they use unconventional methods to slaughter and distribute their livestock and meat. But, this farm in Virginia is run by a lovely family, headed by Joel Salatin. In chapter 12 Joel gives his reasons for this way of farming, saying it is economical, ecological, political, ethical, and even spiritual. Honestly, to me this reasoning does make sense. No, it’s not the prettiest way to make some meat but yes it gets the job done. Yes, it can be “dehumanizing” to some people, but it has to be done.

Eng 101 Response Uno

In Gerald Graff and Cathy Birkenstein’s book They Say I Say they give a very in depth description of what to do and what not to do when quoting and summarizing another person’s work so that it doesn’t smother your own views. At first Graff and Birkenstein say to start with what others say then go on with what you say, this will most likely frame and support what you want to get across to your audience. In the first chapter I read they also gave me many templates to help me embrace what another person has once said about my topic and be able to put it into my own work. Although they give me a great outline for summarizing in the next chapter they point is to not distort what they are trying to say to make what you are trying to say sound better. They use an example from David Zinczenko’s article, “Don’t Blame the Eater,” because someone summarized it unfairly to support their own opinion. This example helps be understand that it is important to go back and make sure you know what the writer wants to say without twisting it to fit your judgment.