RA #2

Title: The Death of Macho
Author: Reihan Salam
Date: June 22, 2009
Topic: How the male-dominant leaders of the financial world helped create the recent recession and its impact on gender roles in the workforce today.

Exigence: The 2008 economic meltdown and the collective crisis that ensued for millions of working men around the globe.
Intended Audience: Individuals in the labor force, as well as the general population of all developed nations.
Purpose: To help convey the momentum-gaining idea that men are no longer the primary income earners of the household, and how this change in status quo is occurring throughout the world.
Claim(s): That the “era of male dominance is coming to an end,” and the recent recession impacted men much more than females (with 80% of the total job losses occurring to men). 

Main Evidence:  Right from the beginning of the article, Salam brings up various statistics regarding out-of-work men in the U.S. and across Europe, including the stat that 28 million men are expected to be put out work by the end of 2009 (the article was written earlier that year). He compares these statistics to the women losing work, and shows that economic sectors traditionally dominated by men are declining faster and faster compared to those traditionally dominated by women. Salam also references nations around the world transitioning from male leaders to female head of states, including Iceland and Lithuania, with a banned newspaper headline from the latter stating, “The country is to be saved by a woman.” The housing bubble is also brought up, in which the author states that “[the] bubble actually represented an economic policy that disguised the declining prospects of blue-collar men” (#).  The stimulus package introduced by President Barack Obama is mentioned to show how the jobs that are to be created from said plan would be primarily focused in education, healthcare, and other social services, fields in which women are the predominant work force.


Writer’s Strategy #1: The author states countless statistics and researches from various credible sources, including the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the American Journal of Public Health, and various economists and scientists from accredited institutions like Princeton.
Writer’s Strategy #2: Salam’s choice of words effectively use emotion as a form of persuasion, along with his overall passion shown by his extensive research.
Writer’s Strategy #3: Brings into picture “staggering” facts and statistics regarding our world economy and the horrific predicted state of it in order to convince the reader that what he is proposing is truly damaging to our society. 

Reader Effect #1: Gives the author credibility in terms of his argument and allows the reader to take the author more seriously because of this.
Reader Effect #2: Shows the reader that the author is dedicated to what he is writing about, allowing the reader to take the author’s point to heart.
Reader Effect #3: Reader is effectively persuaded by the author’s use of logical connections to statistics and by his general use of reasoning.

My Response: I believe the author does an overall effetive job in using Ethos, Logos, and Pathos to persuade the reader to understand the point he is trying to present, although I do believe he could have used a better emotional approach. Personally though, I felt as if I couldn't understand at first what side he was speaking for at first. I also believe that the point the author is trying to make isn't as significant as he is making it seem. The author would have persuaded me more if he presented more counter points in order to show a more balanced argument.

RR #2

                In Jean Kilbourne’s  “Two Ways a Woman Can Get Hurt,” the author attempts to address the dehumanization of females that has become a staple in today’s advertising techniques. Written in 1999, Kilbourne argues that ads today affect us in a much more intense and emotionally damaging ways than we want to believe.  The author herself is a feminist author and speaker who is internationally recognized for her work on the image of women in advertising, as well as her critical studies of alcohol and tobacco advertising. Throughout the chapter, Kilbourne provides the reader with an enormous amount of advertisements taken from various publications as well as news stories, studies, and surveys, all from the past 20 years, all involving females as the main subject.
                Kilbourne effectively analyzes modern day advertising by comparing it to pornography, stating that it, like pornography,  “dehumanizes and objectifies people, especially women, [and] it fetishizes products, imbues them with an erotic charge - which dooms us to disappointment since products never can fulfill our sexual desires or meet our emotional needs” (417). She brings up the various poses and postures often used in advertising, which almost mirrors the same ones used in pornography. Kilbourne also warns that bringing pornographic attributes mainstream helps glorify rape and violence, while subtly encouraging male violence and suggesting one to “value sexual intimacy more than emotional intimacy” (419). The author also mentions role reversal multiple times, which asks the reader to switch each gender’s role in an advertisement and ask if the same emotional effects are given. An example of an ad for a pair of jeans with a little boy looking up a woman’s skirt has Kilbourne asking the reader to reverse the gender roles, resulting in her saying that  “we would fear for a little girl who was unzipping a man’s fly in an ad (and would be shocked, I would hope)” (437).
                Overall, Kilbourne does an convincing job persuading the reader to understand the true goals and motives of today’s advertisers. She effectively uses ethos, pathos, and logos to allow the reader to come to terms with her underlying message, which she hopes will allow the public to not be swayed by the filthiness and sliminess that runs throughout modern day advertisements. Noting her experience and expertise in feminist studies and general media literacy, Kilbourne is able to demonstrate her overall credibility to the reader. By using a tremendous amount of supporting evidence (ranging from magazine ads to TV commercials), she is also able to verify her logical appeal. Her use of surveys and studies on women who have been sexually abused touches the heart of the reader and effectively demonstrates her ability to use emotional appeal.  All these elements together ultimately convinced me to want to go out and make a change in terms of how advertising forces us to view women, and makes me almost disgusted with how women’s vulnerabilities are used against them in order for corporations to make more money. My mindset on advertising has been impacted greatly from this reading, and I would strongly recommend a fellow peer to read this.

Final Polish Proposition 30 Op-Ed

                                    Proposition 30 Affects All of Us, Not Just Students

            We are currently living in a time when our nation’s economy is still recovering from the worst economic collapse since the Great Depression. At the same time, our schools have steadily declined in their effectiveness due to a significant decrease in funding, which is a direct correlation to our nations social ranking amongst other advanced civilizations. With income not coming in as easily as before for the average citizen, taxpayers want to make sure that their funds are being allocated to a department which they feel requires the most support in this ailing economy. Simply put, in order for our future generations to successfully increase our nation's socio-economic status, we must make sure our educational systems are being operated at a qualified and sufficient rate. Proposition 30 provides the necessary funds to make sure this remains possible.

            Now, if you are not yet familiar with Proposition 30, here are some details. Proposition 30, Governor Brown’s proposal for a temporary increase in income and sales tax, is designed to benefit our schools in the most efficient manner possible. The proposition intends to do this in two ways: raise income taxes 1-3% for seven years to the “most blessed” Californians (individuals making over $250,000 or families bringing in more than $500,000), and raising the sales tax one-fourth of a cent for four years, equating to a penny more on a $4 sandwich. This tax-hike, while both reasonable and manageable, would be providing $6-9 billion dollars to our schools, with 89% of the revenue going to K-12 and 11% going to the community colleges. If the proposition fails to pass, there would be spending reductions of about $6 billion from our school systems. About $5.5 billion would be taken away from K-12, resulting in three weeks of school being cut, while the California State University system would lose $250 million, which would in turn cause tuition to go up an additional $150 for spring classes.

            As a product of the K-12 compulsory public school system and current community college student in the state of California, I can personally attest to drastic financial cuts that have shaped my educational experience thus far. The effects were easily seen in my high school years, when classes were getting cut, teachers were given "pink-slips" yearly, and departments were either being cut entirely or severely underfunded. I noticed average class sizes increasing year after year and prices throughout the cafeteria rising tremendously; a bag of chips that cost $.75 my freshmen year ended up being $1.25 by my junior year. I witnessed multiple teachers crying when pink slips were handed out, and occurrences like these really makes you feel angered towards our government. I also frequently witnessed teachers that would dismiss their class a minute early at the end of the day so they were able to run to the student pick-up lot and hand out fliers to parents regarding the drastic cuts towards their child's education. This effort to bring awareness to the community proved that this is not a simple matter at hand, and some action should be executed immediately in order to minimize the amount of funding being taken away from our school systems every year.

            On top of this, I frequently think about how my educational experience drastically differs from what our parents or even my eldest sibling (who is thirty-three years of age) went through. When my parents attended school, they were given a tremendous amount of flexibility in terms of the variety of classes they could sign up for and the quantity of those classes. This freedom ultimately provided them with a stress-free and opportunistic approach towards completing their education goals. Now, not only are the variety of classes diminishing, but the number of classes offered towards even a student's major are shrinking, causing some students to stay in school longer and taking "filler-classes" to fulfill their financial-aid credit requirements. This epidemic has even spawned a new unofficial grade of college students, noted as "Super Seniors," or, those students who are required to remain in college after their fourth year. I long for my future children to receive the type of education my parents received, where they are not constantly reminded of the financial cuts that are affecting them daily, and they can finally able to relive the golden years of education in California.

            With the projected money being sent to our school systems from Prop. 30, schools can begin to reverse their financial problems and begin to grow and advance into a system that will better prepare the future of this nation. Friedrich Huebler, who works as an analyst for International Education Statistics, has found that a nation’s wealth and the education of its population are highly correlated. As Huebler states, “The relationship between national wealth and years of education can be illustrated with a comparison of national data on school life expectancy (SLE) and gross domestic product (GDP) per capita. […] The [research] clearly demonstrates that GDP per capita is positively correlated with school life expectancy” (Huebler). Essentially, the United States’ ability to compete with other nations both economically and socially relies heavily on the quality and quantity of the education given to our children. If Prop. 30 does not receive enough votes to pass, we are virtually reducing our nations ability to contend with other societies, since we are reducing the quality of education given to our children. An uneducated and unprepared mass would not allow our future leaders to effectively handle any issues that arise during their time. The future of our nation depends greatly on the strength of our education.

            With something as education being such a substantial aspect of every nation, it is only wrong to skimp on the funding of our schools, as it affects the entire nation as a whole and not just the current students at hand. Our country’s future greatly depends on the level of preparedness and overall competence that our future leaders must possess, and to reduce any spending towards education will only hinder this process. This is why it is extremely vital for Prop. 30 to pass. Opponents of the proposition argue that California holds some of the highest tax rates in the country, but those people fail to recognize that the overall tax burden will be lower than what it was two years ago, while overall general funding (which will be $11.6 billion lower than five years ago) will represent the same share of the economy as in 1972-73. These statistics show that revenue gained from this initiative will not constitute reckless spending. Although it may be years before we have completely stabilized our schooling system to the level that our parents have experienced in their time, it is definitely the first and most crucial step that will allow for this re-stabilization to begin.

           

           

Final Draft

Proposition 30 Affects All of Us, Not Just Students

            We are currently living in a time when our nation’s economy is still recovering from the worst economic collapse since the Great Depression. At the same time, our schools have steadily declined in their effectiveness due to a significant decrease in funding, which is a direct correlation to our nations social ranking amongst other advanced civilizations. And with income not coming in as easily as before for the average citizen, taxpayers want to make sure that their funds are being allocated to a department which they feel requires the most support in this ailing economy. Simply put, in order for our future generations to successfully increase our nation's socio-economic status, we must make sure our educational systems are being operated at a qualified and sufficient rate. Proposition 30 provides the necessary funds to make sure this remains possible.

            Now, if you are not yet familiar with Proposition 30, here are some details. Proposition 30, Governor Brown’s proposal for a temporary increase in income and sales tax, is designed to benefit our schools in the most efficient manner possible. The proposition intends to do this in two ways: raise income taxes 1-3% for seven years to the “most blessed” Californians (individuals making over $250,000 or families bringing in more than $500,000), and raising the sales tax one-fourth of a cent for four years, equating to a penny more on a $4 sandwich. This tax-hike, while both reasonable and manageable, would be providing $6-9 billion dollars to our schools, with 89% of the revenue going to K-12 and 11% going to the community colleges. If the proposition fails to pass, there would be spending reductions of about $6 billion from our school systems. About $5.5 billion would be taken away from K-12, resulting in three weeks of school being cut, while the California State University system would lose $250 million, which would in turn cause tuition to go up an additional $150 for spring classes.

            As a product of the K-12 compulsory public school system and current community college student in the state of California, I can personally attest to drastic financial cuts that have shaped my educational experience thus far. The effects were easily seen in my high school years, when classes were getting cut, teachers were given "pink-slips" yearly, and departments were either being cut entirely or severely underfunded. I noticed average class sizes increasing year after year and prices throughout the cafeteria rising tremendously; a bag of chips that cost $.75 my freshmen year ended up being $1.25 by my junior year. I witnessed multiple teachers crying when pink slips were handed out, and occurrences like these really makes you feel angered towards our government. I also frequently witnessed teachers that would dismiss their class a minute early at the end of the day so they were able to run to the student pick-up lot and hand out fliers to parents regarding the drastic cuts towards their child's education. This effort to bring awareness to the community proved that this is not a simple matter at hand, and some action should be executed immediately in order to minimize the amount of funding being taken away from our school systems every year.

            On top of this, I frequently think about how my educational experience drastically differs from what our parents or even my eldest sibling (who is thirty-three years of age) went through. When my parents attended school, they were given a tremendous amount of flexibility in terms of the variety of classes they could sign up for and the quantity of those classes. This freedom ultimately provided them with a stress-free and opportunistic approach towards completing their education goals. Now, not only are the variety of classes diminishing, but the number of classes offered towards even a student's major are shrinking, causing some students to stay in school longer and taking "filler-classes" to fulfill their financial-aid credit requirements. This epidemic has even spawned a new unofficial grade of college students, noted as "Super Seniors," or, those students who are required to remain in college after their fourth year. I long for my future children to receive the type of education my parents received, where they are not constantly reminded of the financial cuts that are affecting them daily, and they can finally able to relive the golden years of education in California.

            With the projected money being sent to our school systems from Prop. 30, schools can begin to reverse their financial problems and begin to grow and advance into a system that will better prepare the future of this nation. Friedrich Huebler, who works as an analyst for international education statistics, has found that a nation’s wealth and the education of its population are highly correlated. As Huebler states, “The relationship between national wealth and years of education can be illustrated with a comparison of national data on school life expectancy (SLE) and gross domestic product (GDP) per capita. […] The [research] clearly demonstrates that GDP per capita is positively correlated with school life expectancy” (Huebler). Essentially, the United States’ ability to compete with other nations both economically and socially relies heavily on the quality and quantity of the education given to our children. If Prop. 30 does not receive enough votes to pass, we are virtually reducing our nations ability to contend with other societies, since we are reducing the quality of education given to our children. An uneducated and unprepared mass would not allow our future leaders to effectively handle any issues that arise during their time. The future of our nation depends greatly on the strength of our education.

            With something as education being such a substantial aspect of every nation, it is only wrong to skimp on the funding of our schools, as it affects the entire nation as a whole and not just the current students at hand. Our country’s future greatly depends on the level of preparedness and overall competence that our future leaders must possess, and to reduce any spending towards education will only hinder this process. This is why it is extremely vital for Prop. 30 to pass. Although it may be years before we have completely stabilized our schooling system to the level that our parents have experienced in their time, it is definitely the first and most crucial step that will allow for this re-stabilization to begin.

           

           

             

           

Rough Draft

                                          Proposition 30 Affects All of Us, Not Just Students 

            We are currently living in a time when our nation’s economy is still recovering from the worst economic collapse since the Great Depression. At the same time, our schools have steadily declined in their effectiveness due to a significant decrease in funding, which is a direct correlation to our nations social ranking amongst other advanced civilizations. And with income not coming in as easily as before for the average citizen, taxpayers want to make sure that their funds are being allocated to a department which they feel requires the most support in this ailing economy. Simply put, in order for our future generations to successfully increase our nation's socio-economic status, we must make sure our educational systems are being operated at a qualified and sufficient rate. Proposition 30 provides the necessary funds to make sure this remains possible.

            Now, if you are not yet familiar with Proposition 30, here are some details. Proposition 30, Governor Brown’s proposal for a temporary increase in income and sales tax, is designed to benefit our schools in the most efficient manner possible. The proposition intends to do this in two ways: raise income taxes 1-3% for seven years to the “most blessed” Californians (individuals making over $250,000 or families bringing in more than $500,000), and raising the sales tax one-fourth of a cent for four years, equating to a penny more on a $4 sandwich. This tax-hike, while both reasonable and manageable, would be providing $6-9 billion dollars to our schools, with 89% of the revenue going to K-12 and 11% going to the community colleges. If the proposition fails to pass, there would be spending reductions of about $6 billion from our school systems. About $5.5 billion would be taken away from K-12, resulting in three weeks of school being cut, while the California State University system would lose $250 million, which would in turn cause tuition to go up an additional $150 for spring classes.

            As a product of the K-12 compulsory public school system and current community college student in the state of California, I can personally attest to drastic financial cuts that have shaped my educational experience thus far. The effects were easily seen in my high school years, when classes were getting cut, teachers were given "pink-slips" yearly, and departments were either being cut entirely and severely underfunded. I noticed average class sizes increasing year after year and prices throughout the cafeteria rising tremendously; a bag of chips that cost $.75 my freshmen year ended up being $1.25 by my junior year. I witnessed multiple teachers crying when pink slips were handed out, and occurrences like these really makes you feel angered towards our government. I also frequently witnessed teachers that would dismiss their class a minute early at the end of the day so they were able to run to the student pick-up lot and hand out fliers to parents regarding the drastic cuts towards their child's education. This effort to bring awareness to the community proved that this was not a simple matter.

            On top of this, I frequently think about how my educational experience drastically differs from what our parents or even my eldest sibling (who is thirty-three years of age) went through. When my parents attended school, they were given a tremendous amount of flexibility in terms of the variety of classes they could sign up for and the quantity of those classes. This freedom ultimately provided them with a stress-free and opportunistic approach towards completing their education goals. Now, not only are the variety of classes diminishing, but the number of classes offered towards even a student's major are shrinking, causing some students to stay in school longer and taking "filler-classes" to fulfill their financial-aid credit requirements. This epidemic has even spawned a new unofficial grade of college students, noted as "Super Seniors," or, those students who are required to remain in college after their fourth year. I long for my future children to receive the type of education my parents received, where they are not constantly reminded of the financial cuts that are affecting them daily, and they can finally able to relive the golden years of education in California.

            With the projected money being sent to our school systems from Prop. 30, schools can begin to reverse their financial problems and begin to grow and advance into a system that will better prepare the future of this nation. Friedrich Huebler, who works as an analyst for international education statistics, has found that a nation’s wealth and the education of its population are highly correlated. As Huebler states, “The relationship between national wealth and years of education can be illustrated with a comparison of national data on school life expectancy (SLE) and gross domestic product (GDP) per capita. […] The [research] clearly demonstrates that GDP per capita is positively correlated with school life expectancy” (Huebler). Essentially, the United States’ ability to compete with other nations both economically and socially relies heavily on the quality and quantity of the education given to our children. If Prop. 30 does not receive enough votes to pass, we are virtually reducing our nations ability to contend with other society, since we are reducing the amount of education taught to our children.

            With something as education being such a substantial aspect of every nation, it is only wrong to skimp on the funding of our schools, as it affects the entire nation as a whole and not just the current students at hand. Our country’s future greatly depends on the level of preparedness and overall competence that our future leaders must possess, and to reduce any spending towards education will only hinder this process. This is why it is extremely vital for Prop. 30 to pass. Although it may be years before we have completely stabilized our schooling system to the level that our parents have experienced in their time, it is definitely the first and most crucial step that will allow for this re-stabilization to begin.

Proposal

Title: Proposition 30 affects all of us, not just students.
Author: I am an 18 year old first year student at Cabrillo College in Aptos, CA, who receives financial assistance from the state of California.
Date: Written during fall of 2012, a time when the economy is still recovering from the recession and taxpayers would like to have their funds allocated to a department which they fell needs the most support. 
Topic: Proposition 30 would increase the income tax in California for those who makes over $250,000 for seven years, as well as increase the sales tax by a quarter of a cent for the next four years. The money raised would fund local public safety services as well as the K-12 and community college school systems.

Exigence: The current state of California public school systems and their grim future, and the emergence of Proposition 30 to help stabilize this issue.
Intended Audience: All registered voters in the state of California who want to make the future of California, and even our nation, a more successful and thriving society.
Purpose: To inform citizens of California the benefits of voting in favor of Proposition 30.
Claim(s): In order for our future generations to successfully increase our nation's socio-economic status, we must make sure our educational system is being operated at a qualified and sufficient rate. Proposition 30 provides the necessary funds to make sure this remains possible.

Main Evidence: 

Ethos: As a product of the K-12 compulsory public school system and current community college student in the state of California, I can personally attest to drastic financial cuts that have shaped my educational experience thus far. The effects were easily seen in my high school years, when classes were getting cut, teachers were given "pink-slips" yearly, and departments were getting underfunded. I witnessed teachers that would dismiss their class a minute early at the end of the day so they were able to run to the student pick-up lot and hand out fliers to parents regarding the drastic cuts towards their child's education. This effort to bring awareness to the community proved that this was not a joking matter.

Pathos: I frequently think about how my educational experience drastically differs from what my parents or even my oldest sibling (who is 33) went through. When my parents went to school, they were given a tremendous amount of flexibility in terms of the variety of classes they could sign up for and the quantity of those classes. This freedom ultimately provided them with a stress-free and opportunistic approach towards completing their education goals. Now, not only are the variety of classes diminishing, but the number of classes offered towards a student's major are shrinking, causing some students to stay in school longer and taking "filler-classes" to fulfill their financial-aid credit requirements. This epidemic has even spawned a new grade of college students, noted as "Super Seniors," or, those students who are required to remain in college after their fourth year. I hope that with the money being sent to our school system from Prop. 30, schools will begin to reverse their problems and begin to grow and advance into a system that will better prepare the future of this nation. I long for my future children to receive the type of education my parents received, where they are not constantly reminded of the financial cuts that are affecting them daily, and they can finally able to relive the golden years of education in California.

Logos:  The preparation of citizens in a democracy is vital for our people to take educated stances on topics such as politics and our economy. There is an easily identifiable correlation between a society  with an advanced form of public education and that nation's ability to prosper in the world economy. In regards to the proposed increase in taxes, the income tax will only affect the top 1-3% of California, and the sales tax will only be raised a quarter of a cent, which is easily affordable and manageable by all residents of California. The revenue raised from this taxation would be greater than $6.5 billion dollars, which would be dispersed to state's school systems. With this money, we can have smaller class sizes, obtain newer and up-to-date textbooks, and rehire teachers. If Prop. 30 fails to pass, our schools would collectively loose over $6.5 billion dollars, increasing our already severe educational plague, and making it an even harder up-hill battle to climb.