Final Persuasive Paper : Open Letter - The Protest of Protesters

John Chestnut

For this persuasive paper, I think this is something that you would find in a Tucson Weekly, or any type of newspaper where opinion seems to be valued greatly.

Dear Protestors,

Most people tend to be very outspoken nowadays, as they should be. Everyone likes to stand for something, argue and support their case, and that is great. This is America after all, and we are supposed to be the land of the free. Lately however, I've noticed a worrisome trend that seems to be gaining traction quickly. Certain groups have taken it upon themselves to express a real disagreement with the very idea of protest campaigns. As such, I am writing this letter to directly speak to protestors. Now, I’m not talking to the protestors that were at the Dakota Access Pipeline, or the people that get up to support a campaign like Black Lives Matter. I am talking to the people that feel it necessary to protest these protesters.

                This past summer, our nation seemed to be rocked to its core when Colin Kaepernick remained seated during the Nation Anthem in a what was really a meaningless preseason game. He would continue to sit and his teammates would follow and many other players across the league would follow suit by either sitting, kneeling or throwing the black power fist in the air during the National Anthem. This was a silent protest of sorts, done in light of recent shootings of young black men by police officers. When asked, Kapernick said, I am not going to stand up to show pride in a flag for a country that oppresses black people and people of color." (Colin Kaepernick) This is perfectly fine as the first amendment gives a citizen the right to free speech no matter what color, race, or sex an individual identifies as.

                Before the Kaepernick situation, it seemed as though everyone tolerated protesting, because sometimes a good protest gets things moving and allows people have their voice heard. That seemed to change once it involved our flag. While I am sure people started to get tired of protestors before this, once Kaepernick sat, it seemed like a rather large chunk of America had finally reached the end of the rope and decided it was time to defy his protest. Videos began to spread across social media, most telling Kaepernick to leave America. Even our brand new president Donald Trump went on record to say, “maybe he should find a country that works better for him, let him try. It won't happen." (John Breech, Donald Trump Fires Back At Colin Kaepernick) Trump even went on to blame the falling NFL ratings on this protest. (SI.com, Donald Trump: NFL Ratings are Down Because of Colin Kaepernick) If that were truly the case, then shame on America for letting the simple act of sitting affect their enjoyment of a sport. Even Tomi Lahren, a news reporter famed for brief rant videos on Facebook and YouTube gave Kaepernick the same "leave America" spiel, which to some extent is foolish and ignorant.

                The thing that makes America great is the ability to protest and give our own thoughts on any matter. Its why men risked their lives in military campaigns of past and why they continue to risk them for our country today. Sure, people might think the government is secretive, untrustworthy, and may feel Donald Trump's presidency is a calamity, but that does not void our rights as Americans. We have the ability to not only start a protest, but the capacity to make our voices heard across the nation and even the world, given the break-neck pace at which news spreads across the internet these days. Suggesting someone leave the country for their silent, peaceful protest and labeling them as unamerican for such is not only wrong, but illustrates an argument that a lot of people might not understand or even respect the American flag as well as they lead on.

                 People have also established hateful stances towards campaigns such as the Black Lives Matter organization and have shown visible disapproval and anger toward their protesting. Protests aren't foolproof, however. Without proper guidance and union, they can sometimes get out of hand. This was illustrated recently in Dallas, Texas this past summer when five police officers were fatally shot during a protest. The man responsible for the shooting said he did it for the Black Lives Matter protest, but these people voicing their opinion, for the most part do not hurt anybody. While a man who supported the movement did fatally shoot others, that does not mean his actions speak to the organization as a whole, or the act of protest in general. It hardly insinuates the Black Lives Matter movement is bred of hatred, and it’s crazy that someone would generalize that movement as a harmful group based on what one crazy man with a gun did. That is what people have done though, and that is why people defy the protestors. The people in that movement are trying to bring more awareness to what has happened and most likely will continue to happen.

                All Kaepernick was trying to do is utilize his stardom and place in the spotlight to bring awareness to ongoing issues in our country. Beyonce at this last year’s Super Bowl used her platform to give Black Lives Matter more firepower, and she did it through her music and without insighting violence. Still, people grow outraged at this expression and campaigning for no apparent reason. These people are human beings and just because they throw a football, or sing for a career does not mean they can’t protest. Because the fact is, these people should be protesting more and helping to bring awareness for more pressing issues, given their power to do so. If a man peacefully sitting for the National Anthem takes away from your sports viewing pleasure, then you might as well stop watching now, because last I checked this protest is only going to continue. And if we are going to get mad about Beyonce using her music to protest, then we should also be angry at the Beatles, Bob Dylan and the plethora of artists who have done the same before her.

                The fact is this, people are going to protest. Men and women have died to uphold that right for us. If you get mad at them then you are really getting mad at your own country for letting them have that right as a citizen. I think if you would sit back, relax and not be so quick to take offense for the sake of being offended, then you would see how much good protesting can do, not only for the group that is conducting the protesting, but also for the population as a whole.

Bibliography

1.       “Colin Kaepernick Explains Why He Sat during National Anthem.” NFL.com, www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap3000000691077/article/colin-kaepernick-explains-why-he-sat-during-national-anthem.

2.       John Breech “Donald Trump Fires Back at Colin Kaepernick after QB Calls Him a Racist.” CBSSports.com, 2016, www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/donald-trump-fires-back-at-colin-kaepernick-after-qb-calls-him-a-racist/

“Donald Trump: NFL’s Ratings Are Down Because of Colin Kaepernick.” Si.com, Sports Illustrated, 30 Oct. 2016, www.si.com/nfl/2016/10/30/donald-trump-nfl-ratings-down-colin-kaepernick

Final persuasive paper: Millennial political involvement

Beto Hoyos

Dr. Brown

ENG 306

8 December 2016

Reaching out to millennials on the importance of voting and political involvement as could be found in Huff Post or Vice online, etc.

            As the country continues to adjust to the fact that Donald Trump will soon take the oath of office as our 45^th President, we millennials need to remain steadfast in our involvement and not become discouraged with the political process simply because we didn’t get the result we wanted. Now is the time to become more involved than ever. Don’t let outside influences, like the media, social networks or friends impact your decisions, morals or feelings. Believing that elections are rigged and thinking that your vote doesn’t matter is a very dangerous and a very disheartening way to feel. We are in a very unique position to affect and shape the future of this country and very well the rest of the world, but it is up to us to be the change we want to see.

            With one of most unusual and most spectated elections behind us, millennials (anyone born after 1980) have no doubt harbored a sense of uncertainty and mistrust in the government as well as in the political system. Uncertainty is nothing new to this generation. Millennials are characterized in plenty of ways, and challenging and questioning the status quo is one of those characteristics. Just because we may get a response we don’t agree with from all sides, that doesn’t mean we don’t cast a vote at all. Democracy is not a spectator sport, and if we don’t become more involved and stay involved now, then when will we? We millennials hold our future, our children’s future and the future of this already great country in our hands.

            In 2016, millennials became as large and as coveted as baby boomers in the political system. At the beginning of 2016, the number of eligible millennials were nearly equal to those of baby boomers. In April 2016 there were an estimated 69.2 million millennials of voting age, weather registered or not, as opposed to baby boomers at 69.7 million (Fry). Both boomers and millennials made up about 31% of the electorate population in this past election, while generation x and the greatest generation make up about 25% and 12% (Fry). As other generations decrease and die out as time goes on, our generations numbers will increase and remain in high demand. It is up to us to be involved and make that difference.

            Not just millennials, but all Americans, with an emphasis on millennials need to understand how important it is to turn out and cast your vote. Don’t assume that we don’t keep this country going, because we do. According to number crunchers at mashable.com, 46.6% of the U.S voting population did not vote in 2016. You want to look on the bright side? Well, compared to the 1996 election where 49% of eligible voters didn’t participate, this elections numbers were better, but just barely (Lekach). So if it seems like we’re going in the wrong direction its because the people who did turn out in large numbers, had the biggest say in the process. Your vote is your voice within the political process and not casting a vote is the same as being silent when asked a question.

If you don’t participate, then you can’t complain.

            There’s no doubt that we millennials share a type of revolutionary spirit, especially when it comes to highlighting a major problem or bringing an urgent change to social issues. Millennials have been on the front lines when it comes to protests such as occupy wall street and the black lives matter movement. As a fellow millennial its refreshing and its thrilling to see such social involvement and its nice to see my generation care about others and their well being weather socially or economically. However, when it comes to voting there is still a general feeling among millennials is that their vote doesn’t matter, or that their vote is insignificant among a sea of millions of votes. We all need to take that same enthusiasm we feel when protesting something or someone and take it to the polling location and even campaign for your desired candidate. Being involved comes in different forms, so be open to different ways of involvement. There is also this sense of feeling that “someone who thinks like me will vote, so its ok if I don’t”, but voting is more than filling in some bubbles and sending it in. Voting gives you the right to speak up and voice your opinion on issues and to criticize those who were elected. If you participated in the whole election process, then you therefore have more of a right to participate in the criticism of things when you feel the need to. If you participate in the process, then you can participate is the criticizing, you can throw shade at a politician, you can be openly opinionated, but make sure you’re involved. Don’t add to the stereotype that says that millennials whine and complain about things.

Just because its on the internet doesn’t mean its true!

            Millennials are in such a unique position in life. We grew up and matured at the same time as the information age grew and matured. Now as millennials come of age, become young professionals and establish families, the internet and information age has become such a normal part of a millennials everyday life. Technology has touched nearly every aspect of a millennials life from entertainment to gathering news. Social media has certainly brought people together and reconnected old friends, and that’s all well and good, but another thing that social media has done is decrease the trust people have towards the media. Another thing social media has done, especially during the past election, is separate the audience and pinned people against each other. This previous election forced people to pick a side. Fake news or sites known for being “click bate” have certainly flooded Facebook feeds in recent years and that seriously adds to the problem. Social media sites like Facebook are aware that this is of major concern to its users and its of major concern for the site as well. Fake news not only lessens the credibility people have towards Facebook as a credible site to gather info, but fake news can also very much affect the company’s bottom line and well standing on wall street.

            As millennials who grew up with the internet being such a normal thing, we’ve heard it all before and we know that we can’t trust everything we see on the internet. The issue of fake news on social media sites is of increasing concern because today about 62% of U.S adults turn to social media for their news (Woolf). We need to be able to distinguish between credible and reliable and what is not. There has even been growing concern over fake news from President Obama who this past November questioned the authenticity of these articles. Obama said in an interview with the New Yorker that “If we can’t discriminate between serious arguments and propaganda then we have problems”. Obama even went on to describe the new landscape of online news as a place where everything is true and nothing is true (Woolf). Millennials are the generation that blends social awareness with just enough anti establishment and curious nature to remain unrelenting when questioning sources or questioning authority. So let’s remember to questions the source and the reliability of stories.

Influence yourself.

            The 2016 election certainly had its share of opinionated individuals who were not afraid to show support for their favorite candidate. One thing we all must remember is that at the end of the day elections are personal. We must not take elections so lightly from here on out. These are choices which are going to affect our lives weather we realize it at the time of voting or not. Next election we’ll all be older and more mature with different life situations happening so form the same strong opinions you have towards anything else in life. Just because your favorite singer endorses Bernie Sanders or Hillary Clinton doesn’t mean you have to, especially if you don’t agree with their politics. Just follow your heart, that’s what I always do.

            Influences come in all forms and shapes and sizes. Just like our tastes in music, fashion and recreation have grown and changed, so to will our opinions. Forming different opinions than your parents is not a bad thing, and it doesn’t mean you’re turning your back on your family. On the contrary, it means that your family has molded you to be different, stand apart and form your own opinions. We also need to take the millennial qualities we millennials share, like being opinionated, fearless and unrelenting and use that when it comes to being involved in the political process. Influence yourself, don’t play yourself.

Thanks for listening to a fellow millennial,

Sincerely,

Beto Hoyos

Word count: 1470 (letter)

Let me explain!

            As we learned through out this semester, protest rhetoric is found in every aspect of communicating a desired topic to a certain audience. An open letter has all the makings and all the technical makings of a protest. I begin the conversation by relating to my audience, since we’re the same generation, I explain how I too feel a similar way that most of my audience may feel. I am not writing this letter to try and scold someone, but rather I’m writing it to inform and to emphasize the importance of political involvement and the importance of voting.

            In this paper I mention the effect that social networks and mass media has had on the voter population, and in class we learned that media can have a huge impact on an audience. In the Deluca and Peeples readings we learned how violence has been influenced by mass media. We may not necessarily relate an uproar in unrest and violence to the media because for so long we’ve thought about the media and news as a journalistic entity that is there to inform and protect us. When it comes to living in this ever evolving age of instant information, we have to be critical of the info we’re receiving.

            When I talk about this election and how much division it created and when I mention that I know the feeling, I’m relating to the audience and trying to appeal to their emotional side, using that pathos approach. Millennials are not stereotypes and are not a monolith and we can’t become discouraged with fellow Americans and fellow millennials. We need to remember that protesting is healthy, that debating one another is healthy, but most importantly being politically involved in healthy and expected. After all, it is our right as Americans.

            When I try and put myself into a situation, or when I use my own experiences to bring an issue to the forefront or to try and appeal to an audience I’m trying to appeal to the audience ethos. I too have felt that my vote may not necessarily matter, but I understand the importance of continuous political involvement. If we all don’t remain steadfast in our involvement, we can’t complain when things don’t go our way or vice versa.

            When I give the reader some numbers and info to look at, it uses logos to add credibility to the subject and gives the reader some facts and gives the thinkers food for thought. Numbers and stats not only add credibility to what I’m trying to convey, it also allows my point of importance to become more valid. A reader may see that more than half of the voting population did not vote in this previous election and that may open the minds of those who were not aware of that before.

           

                                                            Works Cited

            Fry, Richard. "Millennials Match Baby Boomers as Largest Generation in U.S Electorate." Fact Tank. News in the Numbers., 16 May 2016. Web. 7 Dec. 2016

            Lekach, Sasha. "Nearly Half of Americans Didn't Vote, Not Even for Harambe." Mashable. N.p., 9 Nov. 2016. Web. 7 Dec. 2016.

            Woolf, Nicky. "Obama Is Worried about Fake News on Social Media." The Guardian. N.p., 20 Nov. 2016. Web. 7 Dec. 2016.

Persuasive Paper - Final

Briggs Carhart

Dr. Stephanie Brown, PhD

ENGL 306

9 December 2016

Published in: The DailyWildcat

Dear Wild Coronado Residents,

            Majority of you partake in contemptible activities almost every other night – both inside and outside the residence halls. You believe this is an acceptable lifestyle. However, this habit of losing self-control to try to live the stereotypical Coronado lifestyle exemplifies of insanity. Drinking to the point you lose the ability to form memories, trying out hard drugs one-by-one off a palette presented to you by a random stranger, and believing you are invincible are mere examples of this lifestyle that risk almost every form of your well-being. You and the other partygoers of Coronado need to understand that your choices can and will impact your life, and you need to also understand the choices you are currently making are not helping you for the better if your goal is to live a successful life – possibly even live at all.

            This year would be my second year as a Coronado Resident Assistant. My position has given me the opportunity to help you all succeed in your future lives; however, based on the actions you make/made, my goal has shifted to just making sure you mature into decent human beings with some form of common sense. Having the intention of blacking out every other night and calling that a success is ludicrous. There is not a chance for you to remember a moment from your drunken evening to make the claim it was great and a success. Alcohol dehydrates the cells in your brain to the point that don’t work in memory consolidation. (McIntosh and Chick). If you black out, you will not remember anything after that point. There isn’t a purpose in you going out just to get drunk to the point you can’t remember anything. You risk severe alcohol poisoning and obtaining a Minor in Possession (MIP) citation from the police. We obtain a roster with your ages on it and Coronado is 98.12% below the age of 21. We (the RAs) know this and UAPD knows this. As explained by Nurse Spencer from The Buzz, police are less likely to stop you when you are walking just at the buzz than when you are being dragged by your friends (Gorin). It should be in your best interest not drink as much and to instead study for tests, complete assigned homework tasks, etc.

            Alcohol isn’t the only problem I have witnessed in Coronado. I’ve also seen residents in handcuffs for dealing cocaine. I’ve seen residents hospitalized for overdosing on drugs. I’ve seen residents have suicide ideations over receiving multiple MIPs in one evening, I’ve seen residents attempt suicide because they slept with a stranger. I’ve seen residents punch each other in the face over “not hanging out enough.” I’ve seen residents become victims of burglary and vandalism for refusing to lock their door. I’ve seen residents get brought out in handcuffs for manufacturing marijuana wax. I’ve seen residents accuse other residents of sexual harassment and rape and which the accused are immediately evicted and banned from the property.  I witnessed a Coronado resident be injected with norepinephrine because her heart stopped after drinking too much alcohol.

            I am aware you probably weren’t involved in every single incident listed above. There was only one notable ex-resident who was involved in each incident in one single night. He waltzed into Coronado will the dream of obtaining a business degree and be a distinguished member of his fraternity. He is now in rehab because of a court order.  

            From the list, above, I am also aware there are some incidents where you have no choice or blame in the matter. My job is to not assign blame. My job is to educate. That means I am to tell you that if there is a possibility your choice will put you at risk of harm or danger, don’t do it. If you are aware excessive drinking is illegal and dangerous, don’t do it. If you are aware of potential hazing involved in a certain organization, stay away. If failing a class will make you lose your scholarship, go study. I want you to value your future opportunities and health more than a competition to figure out which suitemate can consume the most shots before puking. The latter can potentially lead to you being sent to the hospital to get your stomach pumped.

            These sorts of incidents occur more than you would think. If you instigate one of these incidents, and every resident does the same, that is 752 incident reports needing to be filed. I have filed 108. Please understand, however, that I am not complaining about my job. I don’t believe my job is too hard to handle. I also don’t think I am a reasonable RA that just documents what is necessary and crucial for my community directors to know.

            If I need to be involved in an incident, I will. If I need to hold your hand every single night after a sexual assault, hazing incident, suicide ideation, etc. I will be there. I will always be there. I just want you to understand what you are doing to yourself if you choose to go out and party and wake up the next day in a ditch in the middle of the desert.

            The ultimate purpose of college is to receive an education. If you are purposefully blocking that education with drugs and alcohol, I cannot help you at that point. I wish I could, but I can’t. Investing thousands of dollars and thousands of hours to waste it all on trying to live to the reputation of a dorm is idiotic. Partying could be fun and you want to hang out with your friends without seeming “prudish”. It could be relaxing. It could be quality social time with friends to form great memories (if you are biologically capable to do so). There is always the chance you can party every night and do fine in school. I’m just telling you that, through my experiences, I have seen a horrible trend that residents fall for. It’s just my duty to let you know.

Sincerely,

Coronado RA on Duty

Conclusion: I think I go beyond just summarizing for the conclusion in a persuasive takeaway model. I try to find other motivations to link with the audience of Coronado residents in order to have them understand further what I am trying to say. I also bring about their objections in the conclusion to give them the impression I am not a monster. If they read through the whole paper, then hopefully they learned something.

Works Cited

Gorin, Spencer. “The Buzz: Alcohol Education Program.” University of Arizona Campus Health. 2010.

McIntosh, C., and J. Chick. "Alcohol and the nervous system." Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery & Psychiatry 75. suppl 3 (2004): iii16-iii21.

Word Count: 1021

Explication:

            My open letter is very clear and concise when it comes to nominalizations. The ones that exist I believe are fine, but I know I must be simple and pedestrian in my diction because my audience is only ranging between 16-18 with little writing/English experience (most of my residents don’t pass ENGL 101). I wanted it to be clear to them (if they were reading this) that most consequences are linked with choices. I tried to connect my sentences well. I know I implemented  a lot of parallelism so hopefully that adds to the legibility of the paper.

            In terms of ethos, logos, pathos, and kairos, my letter is effective. For logos, I used data presented at programs and scientific reviews. For ethos, I acknowledged I am an RA in the building of Coronado to make sure I am a credible person who actually has experienced the incidents I mentioned. I also acknowledged the benefits of some party habits to make them understand that I am not a monster. It is very hard to get residents to understand where you are coming from if you don’t come at it from both sides (this might be for any persuasive argument too). For pathos, I mentioned dangerous incidents that occurred that threatened the lives of residents to shock my audience to understand that these behaviors are potentially lethal. I don’t want them to glaze over my points. I want them to understand their actions can lead to dangerous harm. As for kairos, there is no better time to have residents learn these things then right before break. My audience is prone to be the victim of peer pressure so reflecting on these things and then going home could be beneficial for the effect.

            My goal of this letter is to at least have them understand what RAs go through and maybe have them moderate their behavior. Coronado residents are mostly stubborn and don’t respond well to lecturing. They can comprehend things, but they just don’t care enough. So having my goal actually be less extreme than what it seems to be in the letter may be a good thing. I won’t be as disappointed.

            My letter isn’t threatening to them. I’m not giving them an ultimatum. I am not offering my job if they don’t listen to my requests to understand their actions and reasoning behind those actions. (They might actually want me gone depending if I wrote them up or not). It’s a letter with just facts. It’s legal (I don’t reference names and I’m not threatening). It’s legible and hopefully representative of my staff’s view. I’m not sure my paper focuses on the communal portion of protest, but I am aiming my letter to be effective.

            Secondary audience: there is also a secondary audience to my paper (which is UA Dean of Students and Residence Life). Coronado has a lot of incidents and it’s infamous for that. With this sort of trajectory, I was hoping to see more effort into bettering the student population of Coronado. I haven’t seen much outreach or anything from the school so hopefully this letter will pressure them to do something.

            I think I am only initiating the protest. I don’t know if I want to carry through. I have the passion (maybe) but I don’t have the time. This isn’t traditional for other protests. There is traditionally follow-through. But I left my artifact, and now I am done.