An Open letter to "Anti-Vaxxers"

Zoe Meade

Dr. Brown

8 December 2017

An Open Letter to “Anti-Vaxxers”

An open letter to “Anti-Vaxxers”

            Too many people in the world, including myself, there is nothing more important the health and safety of our children. I understand that when you choose not to vaccinate your child, you are making a decision that you believe is the best choice for their health and happiness. However, when you choose to not vaccinate your child not only are you putting them at risk, you jeopardize the “herd immunity”. With the resurgence of preventable disease, such as measles, mumps and whooping cough this letter I want to help you understand that vaccinations are overall the safest way to protect your children as well as the general population. Hopefully I can convince you that it is your duty to vaccinate your child.

First let’s address “herd immunity”. Herd immunity is a form of protection against disease, It happens when the majority of a population is vaccinated. When you choose not to vaccinate your children, you threaten herd immunity. This might not seem like that big of a deal, until you take into account the consequences. In addition to weakening the “head” and allowing disease such as measles to spread, you put great risk on those people who cannot get vaccines, such as people whose religions prevent them from doing so, and, most noticeably, the immuno-compromised (Willingham and Helft). A reason that you may choose not to vaccinate your child is because you believe their body is strong enough to fight off disease. This is sometimes true (it is still very possible they could die because of a preventable disease) but for people who are immunocompromised, the risk of dying because their immune systems are so weak (Schreier). If someone who was immunocompromised was to catch a disease like whooping cough, their chances of dying would be much greater than someone whose immune system was strong.  When Anti-Vaxxers like yourselves choose not to vaccinate their children, you are putting not only their lives at risk, but you are needlessly endangering the lives of people who CANNOT get vaccinations.

           

            Now there are a couple of myths that many Anti-Vaxxers believe in and use as evidence to support not vaccinating their children. The biggest myth people tend to turn to is the idea that vaccines cause Autism. In 1988, Dr. AJ Wakefield published a study that suggested the MMR (measles, mumps and rubella) was linked to behavioral issues (Rao). Almost immediately his study was proven to be incorrect and very soon after Wakefield admitted that he had been bribed by lawyers from a lawsuit were parents were suing vaccine companies (Rao). In the years since, Wakefield has retracted his study, and no study since has been able to prove a solid link between vaccines and any behavioral or mental disorders. However, I would like the pose the question, even if vaccines did in fact because Autism, is that really worse than your child dying from a preventable disease? Not only are you sending the message that you care more about your child’s behavioral health than their actual lives, you are telling the millions of people living with Autism that their lives are literally worse than death.

            Another myth that you might be relying on to justify not vaccinating, is that the disease which many vaccines protect from aren’t around anymore. This is not only untrue, but the rise in preventable diseases has actually been linked to the growing number of people not vaccinating. Measles, for example was a virtually obsolete disease in the United States, but in 2015 a huge outbreak began in Disneyland and spread to about 48 states and the large majority of the people who got Measles, were unvaccinated. (CDC). And it’s not just Measles that has seen a resurgence, the CDC’s office website shows a growth in Hepatitis A, Mumps and Whooping cough that are up from years in the past. When you rely on the fact that diseases have seemly become obsolete, and that everybody is vaccinated anyway so your child is protected, you help diseases like these grow and spread across the country. The CDC’s article on the Measles outbreak specifically notes that the outbreak was caused by unvaccinated members of the community. By not vaccinating your children, you are helping very preventable diseases grow and spread across the country and around the world.

            Finally, a lot of Anti-Vaxxers are put off by the ingredients in vaccines. “There are too many poisons” or “Too many chemicals”. I hate to be the one to break this to you, but the whole world is made up of “chemicals”. And if by “chemicals you mean things that are “unnatural” like the aluminum, found in many vaccines, that too in uninformed. A study published on Science direct determined that an infant is exposed to more aluminum in their mother's breast milk, than any vaccine that currently exists (Melania). Additionally, many parents point out such scary ingredients as sodium chloride (salt) agar (algae) and Bovine Casein, which is a protein found in everyday cow milk (like the kind you drink and poor on cereal). What it comes down to is yes, vaccine ingredients might seem scary, but when you really look into what all the ingredients really are they are mostly things you find in everyday life. And for the really scary ones like formaldehyde, they are used in such small amounts that it poses no risk to your child. Pears and apples contain natural arsenic and cyanide, but you probably wouldn’t stop your child from eating either of those healthy fruits because they drop of poison the apple contains is less important the health benefits of eating an apple. Think of vaccines like that apple, yes there might be an ingredient that seems scary, but overall the vaccine, like the apple, is good for you!

            When you choose not to get your child vaccinated, you are not only making decisions about your child's health, but you are taking the lives of the communities around you into your hands. People who cannot get vaccinated, especially those whose immune systems are compromised (and who, might I add would love to be vaccinated if they could) are put at great risk because of your willingness to listen to pseudoscience. At the end of the day, it is a very real possibility that your child could die of a preventable disease because you chose not to get them vaccinated.  I know it might be hard to take advice for your own children from somebody else, but I urge you to look at the evidence presented here, do your own research and hopefully you will come to the conclusion that vaccines a safe way to protect your child, and your community, from preventable disease.

Works Cited

Mendick, Melania. "Aluminium Levels in Human Milk." Aluminium Levels in Human Milk. Science Direct, n.d. Web. 08 Dec. 2016.

Rao, T. S. Sathyanarayana, and Chittaranjan Andrade. "The MMR Vaccine and Autism: Sensation, Refutation, Retraction, and Fraud." Indian Journal of Psychiatry. Medknow Publications, May 2011. Web. 08 Dec. 2016.

Schreier, Rebecca. "Infections in the Immunocompromised Host ." Infections in the Immunocompromised Host: Practice Essentials, The Child with Frequent Infections, Immunocompromising Conditions. Medscape, 22 Apr. 2015. Web. 08 Dec. 2016.

Willingham, Emily, and Laura Helft. "What Is Herd Immunity?" PBS. PBS, 05 Sept. 2014. Web.  08 Dec. 2016.

Word Count of Letter- 1191

Where I would like this to be published- Ideally I would like this letter published in a big newspaper like the New York Times. It may seem like a reach, but because Anti-Vaxxers post a threat to national health I think that a nationally acclaimed paper publishing a letter like this would reach a large audience. It might also encourage people who do vaccinate their kids, to talk to friends and family about doing the same.

Paragraph Structure Paragraph

Paragraph One

·         The purpose of this paragraph is to address Anti-Vaxxers, show them why I want to address them, and open my letter.

·         Main Characters- Anti-Vaxxers, Vaccines and Me 

·         The Topic Strings that paragraph one uses are chained topic strings and mixed topic strings.

Paragraph Three

·         The purpose of this paragraph is to address the common myth that vaccines cause Autism and a. show that it’s not true and b. explain that even if they did, Autism is not worse than death.

·         Main Characters- Anti-Vaxxers, Vaccines and Me 

·         This paragraph also uses mixed and chained topic strings.

Purpose of my conclusion-

The purpose of my conclusion is to reiterate the dangers of not vaccinating your child as well as encourage my reader to not just look at the evidence in this letter, but to go out and do their own research. I believe that people who look into evidence themselves (instead of being “told what to do”) tend to believe it more. Additionally, I wanted to use pathos, the emotional response of reminding them their child could die, to encourage anti-Vaxxers to reconsider their stance.

Explication

I was inspired to write this letter after my young, immunocompromised cousin was diagnosed with whopping cough because a parent in his school chose not to vaccinate their child. Something I have learned in this class over everything else is that you are more invested in something you care about than a topic you pick because you think it is “easy” or something along those lines.

In my open letter I tried to utilize the many different strategies for persuasive writing that we went over in class. I used ethos, pathos and logos throughout my entire letter. I used the emotional points of your child is at risk and other members of the community are at risk of dying to elicit an emotional response, but then I follow up each of these “emotional attacks” with logical reasoning and facts from credible sources. Additionally, I tried to write at the level of my reader, and instead of using technical academic writing, I wrote more casually, and even relied on some colloquialisms. Out of the three I believe I use ethos and logos equally, as I continuously bring up “the children” (the emotional response) and the evidence that supports vaccines are safe and good for society.

Overall I feel as though this would be an effect way to address anti-Vaxxers and persuade them to reconsider their stance.

  

Audience Description Post

1. My typical audience member is a white mother that is of upper middle class. She is usually around the age of 32 or higher and she doesn't generally have a degree higher than a bachelor's. Both sides of the political spectrum contribute to the anti-vax campaign, but they largely tend to be the politically left. She probably lives in more liberal states (California in particular) and generally she is a holistic liver (Paleo dies and all natural health over going to the doctor's office)

2. She is a white 35 year old and has a soccer mom "I'd like to speak to the manager" Bob haircut.

3. Both me and the anti-vax mom care about the health of children. We also both worry about the effects learning disorders might have on children's lives. Anti-vax and I are both weary of government involvement in personal health, and we both like to do research before we agree to any medical procedures.

4. Anti-vax is a mother and I am not so she may believe I have no say in this issue. I believe that even if vaccinations did cause autism (they don') it would still be better than dying from a preventable disease. I believe that a parent's duty is not only to their own children but to the children they are putting at risk by not vaccinating their children. Anti-vax does not seem to agree.  I believe in scientific research and evidence, while she believes in holistic healers.

5. As of right now I don't see anything insurmountable in our differences. I think that arguing from a scientific standpoint might not be completely persuasive, but I think that other aspect of my argument will make up for it.

6. I think our common ground will be the want for healthy children and a healthy society.

7. I will not conceded that autism is this horrible disease that is somehow worse than dying. I will also not conceded that vaccinations cause autism when that study has been disproven. Additionally, I won't conceded that their choice for their child is more important than the health of the many.

8. I will explicitly acknowledge and respond to audiance objection in the middle of my paper. I want to introduce my argument respond to their possible objection and then finish my conclusion.

Problem Frame- An open letter to Anti Vaxxers

An open letter to Anti-Vaxxers


Dear Parents and members of the Anti-Vaxxer moment,

Vaccinations are a vital part of keeping the overall society healthy and disease free. In the past few years there has been a resurgences of preventable disease outbreaks. It is due, largely in part, to members of the communities failing to vaccinate their children. Unfounded fears that vaccinations will lower your child's overall immunity as well as the possibility that vaccinations will give your child autism have kept many parents from vaccinating their child, even though these fears have been disproved time and time again. However the very real consequences of these actions are starting to show as nearly extinct preventable diseases such as measles and whooping cough have once again begun to spread. By choosing not vaccinate your children, you are breaking the herd immunity and putting people who cannot get vaccinations due to medical reasons or age reasons at risk, as well as greatly contributing to the growing rise of preventable disease. It is your duty to your children as well as your community to disregard unfounded pseudoscience and vaccinate your children so that your community can remain healthy. 

Blackout Protest Analysis

Zoe Meade

Dr. Stephanie Brown

ENG 306

10 November, 2016

#Blackout Protest Analysis

#TheBlackout’s official image

The social media movement #TheBlackout was born out of the wake of oppression and a lack of representation in media that the members of the black community have been facing for quite some time. Beginning on March 6th, 2015 and then occurring on the 6th day of every third month from there, #Blackout or #TheBlackout is a day where members of the black community take to social media and using the hashtag (#) #theblackout, they “take over” popular social media outlets, such as Tumblr, twitter and Facebook, with pictures, art and other creative work created by black people.  When analyzing the official image of the movement, it is clear that this act of protest is specifically tied to the black community and the issues they face, as well as highlighting the use of social media as a platform for their protest.

The unique image that is the first thing a viewer sees on the #Blackout’s official page truly expresses the essence of the protest. Shaped with a t, to represent the original platform, tumbler, It represents the black identity through the use of statements  such “BLACK” “BLACK LIVES MATTER” and “BLACK SOUL”. It also highlights the the movement's main goal, which was to promote the importance of black people in media and challenge the “traditional beauty standards”. Statements such as “PRIDE” “SELFIE” and “F-YOUR BEAUTY STANDARDS” can be found dispersed in the the T and represent the rocky relationship between the black community and modern media. In a time where black people's lives have come under fire, having representation in the media besides unappealing stereotypes would help to lessen the divide between members of the black community and other races. Additionally, The size of the different statements help bring to focus the most important ideals within the protest. The use of this image as the introduction to the protest helps people outside of the protest understand what it is trying to accomplish and the identity it represents.

This image is a form of protest because it specifically aligns the #blackout with the black community and the black community alone. With “Black Lives Matter” plastered across the main section of the image, it connects itself with a larger protest that people both inside and outside the black community are very much aware of. The creators of the protest want people to be very aware of the black identity that the protest has aligned itself with, while also forcing the viewer to ask questions about the movement, so that they might educate themselves. The image makes itself very clear with the statements about social media, beauty standards and black lives matter. The black community is sick of lack of representation and the horrors in which black people face everyday. This protest is going to attempt to change at least some of those issues, while simultaneously creating a safespace where members of the black community can showcase their creativity and their personal beauty.

The moment in the movement that image is representing is pretty clear. While the protest was being planned for quite some time, the decided date for the first #Blackout, was decided on. March 6th 2015 would be the day that members of Tumblr’s black community would take over the pages of its uses and create a sea of black faces, black bodies and black people’s art that would overshadow all other races that day. March 6th was decided on because Friday’s tend to be one of  the most active day on social media, (Gerbaudo) and having it within the first week of the month would make it easy to remember and organize.  It started slowly at first, but as the day went on more and more members of the black community began to participate. Eventually, the movement was reported by popular internet sites such as BuzzFeed and TheGloss, which lead to an even larger amount of support. By the end of the day, ABCNew decided to cover the movement saying “#BlackOutDay is a social media campaign today celebrating black beauty and fighting against negative images and stereotypes perpetuated in the media”(Tan). The image was used in all of the articles as a representation of the #blackout movement and an invitation to members of the black community to come and join in the protest. As the movement gained popularity, the protest spilled out into other social media sites. By the end of the day, a larger image had been rendered, which could be used to represent the many different social media sites that protest had taken over

Represented social media sites are Tumblr, Facebook, Instagram, Vine and Twitter

This artifact of the “Blackout movement clearly displays the black identity that the protest wished to represent. Social media is an outlet for all kinds of people to show off their creativity,  make social commentary on the times, enjoy the company of others, and see their personal identities in the media these sites choose to show. However, in these growing technological times, there is a distinct lack of representation in the media of marginalized peoples. In a time where the members of the black community face a constant wave of negativity about their identity, #theblackout protest was created so that the beauty of the black community could be celebrated and the members of the black community could have a safe space in which they could show their creative talents and personal beauty. Additionally, it is hard for someone who is not black to understand what it must feel like to feel underrepresented in the media, until their entire social “feed” is overtaken by people who do not look like them.

Images are powerful tools. The saying “a picture speaks a thousand words” in not actually that much of a reach. However, #theblackout choose to take it to another level, and created their own, emotionally charged, personal image that would represent their protest and the identity of its members. While the image may not be initially as powerful as a photo might be, it truly encompasses the point of the #Blackout protest. With “BLACK” and “BLACK LIVES MATTER” boldly taking of the largest parts of the images, the invokes an immediate emotional response, while also being very clear about the identity of the is protest. The #Blackout is meant for members of the black community, and anyone who sees this image is clearly aware of that. Then the smaller words, like “BEAUTY STANDARDS” and “PRIDE” bring for the ideals that the protest is going to address. Finally, “SELFIE” and “TUMBLR” express that point that social media will be used as the main platform for this movement. The creator of this movement T’Von wanted it to be know that this protest and this hashtag were for black people, by black people, and while other communities were free to share the images and works created on #Blackout day, the should refrain from adding their own.  In a time where the members of the black community feel as though their lives don’t matter, and their bodies are not beautiful, the #blackout was born to protest those ideas and bring forth change in the media and the community.

Works Cited

Gerbaudo, Paolo. Tweets and the Streets: Social Media and Contemporary Activism. London: Pluto, 2012. Print.

Tan, Avianne. "#BlackOutDay: Trending Twitter Hashtag Celebrates Black People, Fights Negative Stereotypes." ABC News. ABC News Network, 6 Mar. 2015. Web. 09 Nov. 2016.

Theblackoutofficial. "Theblackoutofficial." #TheBlackout. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 Nov. 2016.

Topics Exploration #TheBlackout

 1. #TheBlackout was a social media movement started in March of 2015. The protest started on the social media site Tumblr, and it had a simple goal. To “blackout” the website, with selfies, pictures and post made by and about specifically black people and those of mixed race who identify as black. The creators wanted to protest the lack of representation of black people in media and celebrate black lives and black creators.  2015 was a volatile year for those in the black community and this protest could be considered an offset of the blacklivesmatter movement.

2. The black identity is tied to the protest in a significant way because it was start as a celebration of that identity. The creator, T’Von, went as far to say that if you were mixed race, but did not openly identify as black in everyday settings, then this protest was not for you. This tie is significant for both the members in the protest, as it helps create a bond between members of the black community, but also to those excluded from the protest. By excluding non-black people from this protest, the creators show people what it’s like to only ever see white faces in the media, which highlights the importance of representation of black lives in media.  By excluding non-black, it also shows a different kind of beauty standard which calls to question the standards set up in the beauty industry.

3. I am looking at members of the black community who use social media as a platform for protest. They participated by creating the protest and spreading it. Additionally I am looking at the members of the black community who actively post during the protest.


4. When thinking about this project I am mostly worried about finding enough sources. While I think this protest is a really good candidate for the paper, it happened so recently that not a whole lot has been written about it. I think that my identity is easily and clearly tied to my protest so I’m not terribly concerned on that front.

5. As far as I can tell, my protest isn’t too similar to anybody else’s.

Research Question

Research Question

How did the creators of the #Blackout Day utilize technology as a platform for protest and was it successful? 

Zoe Meade Paragraph Style

Death is a driving and destructive force that permeates Hamlet, and affects all the play's characters. It is a theme that Shakespeare explores throughout Hamlet. It is terrifying, enigmatic, and inescapable. From the first scene the reader is introduced to a world in which the line between the living and the dead is often crossed. From the ghost of  King Hamlet, to Prince Hamlet himself, all the characters in the play feel the touch of death in some way, shape or form. But when a character dies, it’s not just their life that is destroyed. Often the killing off of a character leads to greater change in the State of Denmark, or the loss of something greater than just the characters themselves. For this reason, it is the death of the character Ophelia that is most striking. Ophelia's death is a catalyst between the Prince Hamlet and Laertes, forcing their anger to a head.  Additionally, there is finality in her death that isn’t so with the rest of the characters. Yet it is the innocence behind Ophelia’s character that makes her death so interesting and sad. She was a sweet and fair girl driven mad and brought to death’s door by the one she loved most, killing the last of the innocence left in Denmark’s royal court.  Ophelia’s death represents the death of innocence in the play, making her death one of the most important in Hamlet.


Main Character
Death

Main Purpose

#BlackoutDay

#BlackoutDay

Who: #TheBlackout

What:  #TheBlackout or Blackout Day is an ongoing social media movement that encourages posting of primarily selfies but also photos and other content created by black people.

When:  March 6, 2015 and ongoing

Where: Started on the social media platform, Tumblr, but has spread to Twitter

Why: Creator T’Von Green noticed a distinct lack of black representation of black people on social media, especially on Tumblr, a platform that has come to be a unifying point of many marginalized groups. The goal of the event was to create a 24 hour period where the majority of post on Tumblr and other social media sites, would be created by, and feature black people. The hope was the overwhelming amount of positive post featuring black people would break stereotypes and encourage self-love and empowerment in the black community. The movement comes with a set of guidelines that help underline the goals of the movement.

·         If you identify as Black, either from Africa or from within the African Diaspora, mixed (or part) Black, you can post a picture of yourself for others to admire and re-blog/re-tweet/re-post

·         You’ll tag or mention #Blackoutday or #TheBlackout for it to count

·         You’ll scroll through the tag and re-blog, re-tweet or re-post other photos within that tag to help support

·         If you are not Black/non-Black or White, you’re just re-blogging what’s in the tags to show your support

·         Look for people with low notes and show them some love as well.

·         Official hashtags used are #TheBlackout and #BlackoutDay

Identity: The identity is very specifically black and mixed race individuals who are members of the black community. The creator, T’Von, has gone as far as to say if you are mixed race, but don’t openly and proudly define yourself as a member of the black community, then this event is probably not for you. The movement could be considered a part of the larger BlackLivesMatter movement. 

Violence

Violence

Definition:

• the use of physical force to harm someone, to damage property, etc.
• great destructive force or energy

Example:

One example from the DeLuca and Peeples reading is the violence that took place in the "Battle for Seattle". It included symbolic violence (violence against property like the breaking of building's glass windows), and actual violence, like the police brutality that took place during the protests. 

Passages:

Both establishment voices and nonviolent activists denounced the violence, especially the symbolic violence of the anarchists. (By symbolic violence, we mean acts directed toward property, not people, and designed to attract media attention.) (138)

The opening images were clearly ones of violence and conflict: protesters smashing a Starbucks; police in sci-fi riot gear shooting tear gas canisters and concussion grenades; police roughing up protesters.(139)

Discussions: Theoretical Sources

Identity and Action

Opp, Karl-Dieter. "Collective identity, rationality and collective political action." Rationality and society 24.1 (2012): 73-105.

The article focuses on the relationship between identity and collective political action and the factors that influence that relationship – what makes it causal. It was initially thought that identity strengthens the protest and instigates more action. However, it’s apparent that the solidarity of a group’s identity decreases the amount of political action (Opp). When there is a protest, there is usually an end goal. The collective is fighting for that end goal, one way or another. The article drafts a key term – “identity-proposition” – that simply states identity being an important factor for protest behavior.

The article sets up an experiment to test this theory of identity decreasing the amount of action from a protest. Participants (who share the identity with a collective) are more likely to contribute to the group in a direct way (with donations or motivational support) than support indirectly (with their own exhibition of body rhetoric). It’s argued that the initial motivations of the protest pave the susceptibility of the execution portion of the protest. A protest initiating mostly for the sake of change will not be influenced so much with identity than another protest that aggregated for the sake of the identity. 

According to this article, a collective placing focus on the identity will hinder achieving their end goal because there will be lack of physical action. The collective must focus on increasing political action in order to make the change that is desired.

Social Cognitive Theory of Moral Thought and Action
Bandura, Albert. Social Cognitive Theory of Moral Thought and Action. New Jersey: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, 1991. University of Kentucky. Web. <https://www.uky.edu/~eushe2/Bandura/Bandura1991HMBD.pdf>.

The piece "Social Cognitive Theory of Moral Thought and Action", written by Albert Bandura in 1991, speaks to an academic audience with the argument that a combination of cultural influences, self-regulation and universal standards form the instruments by which moral judgement is conducted in an ultimately internal process, thus creating a larger complexity in the process of parsing morality. I chose this source as relevant to my project because the tactics and priorities of the mothers protesting Los Desaparecidos in Mexico, mainly their usage of moral shock through their public grieving as 'good mothers', are intertwined with the moral judgements of Mexicans and Mexican culture, thus making it beneficial for me to include an examination of moral judgement as a conceptual framework.

Political Parties: The Iron Law of Oligarchy

Michels, Robert. Political Parties: A Sociological Study of the Oligarchical Tendencies of Modern Democracy. Kitchener, CA: Batoche Books, 2000. ProQuest ebrary. Web. 23 October 2016.

The theory The Iron Law of Oligarchy was created by Robert Michels in Germany in 1911 and outlined in his book "Political Parties: A Sociological Study of the Oligarchical Tendencies of Modern Democracy". This theory states that rule by an oligarchy (i.e. an elite) is inevitable, the iron law, in any large or complex democratic group as a result of the organizational demands. Therefore, even though a group may start out as purely democratic, as it grows and develops it will become an oligarchy. Michels is speaking to other scholars, particularly those interested in political party organization and structure.

This applies to my protest group (Students for a Democratic Society in the anti-war movement against Vietnam in the 1960s) because they believe in participatory democracy, the participation of all members within the organization and the ability to make contributions and participate in the decision-making process. This worked extremely well when the group was small enough to discuss with one another in the living room, however, when their numbers swelled to over 30,000 in 1968 a participatory democracy was no longer a possibility and an oligarchy formed, despite attempts to maintain a democracy.

Precis Group Activity

1. In his 2004 essay “Environmental Melodrama” author Steven Schwarze argues the importance of melodrama and highlights the best situations to use it  in protest. Schwarze introduces the structure of melodrama in the abstract and then spaces the details and examples through the rest of the paper.  He identifies that melodrama as “overused and understudied”. Schwarze hopes to give a more detailed explanation on melodrama and it many uses in protest. Schwarze aims his argument at anyone hoping to  utilize melodrama in a protest as well as general protesters.

Citizen is Protest for sure 100%

1. Our group fell pretty far right on the line, and we believe that Citizen is about 90% protest.

2. The entire work "Calls out" and brings awareness to the struggles that black people face in everyday situations simply because of race. This makes it a protest as it is establishing a problem within society which is the first step in a protest. Additionally the fact that she chose to publish a very charged book and disseminating the work in and of itself is an act of protest.

3. We pulled evidence from both the literature and the pictures in the book. One great image was the lynching picture on page 91, where the bodies have been removed. This supports the idea that the work is an act of protest because the bodies have been removed leaving the clear faces of the crowd as the focal point of the image. It draws attention to the perpetrators and not just the crime, and it seems to be questioning the society that allowed such acts to take place.
Another example is on page 42, where Rankine talks about Don Imu and his use of racially charged language on national radio. She's not just commentating on the act itself but by calling attention to raciest media she is participating in protest.
Also the deer on page 14  in the headlights is symbolic of how of how black people in this country constantly  feel in a society  that is always working against them.

The Battle in Seattle

1) The authors see that the most significant aspect of the events in the "Battle in Seattle" is the fact that it took a violent protest for it to be covered in the media. There were other cases in which nonviolent protestors were met with violence from the police, yet these were not covered by the media. 

2) The data used to make their argument was that media coverage skyrocketed for stories covering violent protests with dramatic images. On NBC, images showing the violence as a juxtaposition of the corruption of the WTO further fueled the protestors. After analyzing television coverage on November 30th, which was the first day of the protests, there seems to be a role of violence in social protest. Combined coverage times on the major news networks increased by 26% from Monday and the events in Seattle became the lead story. After the violent protests, the WTO became a heavily covered media story because of its large implications regarding violence in general. 

3) Our group thinks this data and evidence is effective because it shows that without violent protest, media coverage is virtually nonexistent because there is nothing attention-grabbing for the media to sell. If someone is violently protesting something, the audience knows they care about this issue. By putting violent images in connection with controversial issues with the WTO, the issues became more dramatic in the minds of the audience. 

4) The main takeaway is that violence is essentially effective in creating a media response and the public screen is what sends the message. Media is the most effective way to get your protest heard and gain a larger audience. The public sphere was adequate for nonviolent protest, but because media will not cover anything that is not attention-grabbing, the protest will only be successful if it is gaining screen time on the news that is dramatic. 

5) We agree with these conclusions because based on the author's evidence, their point is clear. There needs to be violence to get the message out, even if the violence detracts from the actual message. 

Citizens

Reading poetry as a work of protest is always interesting. This isn't the first time I've read a work that was meant to be both ("South American Unicorn" was the first) and while you always have to look at the deeper meaning in poetry, you have to do that even more when the poetry is also protest.  The poetry and the media in the work really demonstrates the passions that Rankine feels about the racial inequalities people face. But because it is poetry you get a powerful emotional response that you might not get if you were reading a nonfiction book or a novel. You can just read it, you have to  feel it.

And feel it you do. There are so many unique and interesting and terrible stories that are told in this work. One of the saddest to me was on page 19 when  the therapist  tells her, “Get away from my house! What are you doing in my yard?” before she notices who it is. That visceral moment is so powerful and really demonstrates the undue prejudice that many Black Americans face.

The work really addresses the reader because as I said above, it engages the reader in a way that a normal novel could not. Additionally, the mix media in the work, the word and the pictures, are really immersive. It is, for lack of a better work, fun to read.

If I could ask Rankine any interpretative about her work I would ask why she chose not to use titles. I'm not sure how I'm supposed to "read" the way that one work bleeds into another.

The mixed media of the work is jarring in a way, but it is also really immersive. Reading a poem about the Jim Crow street was interesting but then seeing the photo of the frankly unbelievable street sign on the otherwise idyllic street  to go along with the poem gives it a tangible nature.  And what was with that weird deer human chimera thing?! The pictures invoke emotions in a way words don't always, and even though Rankine is vividly descriptive, the picture really add a lot to the poems.

Overall the formatting of the book with the pictures and poetry was hard to read, but also really interesting to read. I really enjoyed the flow of the poems and Rankine's use of words. There's a line on page 23 "Recognition of this lack might break you apart. Or recognition might illuminate the erasure the attempted erasure trigger". I found that line so pleasing. Reading this has made me want to look at more of her works.

Zoe Meade

Dr. Brown

English 306

09/12/16

Rhetorical Analysis of “The Emperor Has No Balls”

August 30^th, 2016 was the day that the self-described “anarchist art collective” INDECLINE first came out with their guerilla anti-Trump movement.  INDECLINE’s artist, “Ginger” began the protest by creating a life-size statue of president hopeful Donald Trump, with a stern face, orange, veiny skin, and completely naked, with a very small penis and no testicles. The group then went to five cities, Seattle, New York, San Francisco, Cleveland, and Los Angeles, and dressed as construction workers, bolted the statue down in “public spaces” (Holley), rushing away into the crowd before anybody could stop them. Once noticed, the statues left the people viewing them shocked, confused and amused.  By showing Trump in this ridiculous form INDELINCE and its lead artist “Ginger” are trying to sway the American vote and show Trump as the unfit candidate they view him to be.

But the statues are more complex than just a crude statue of a controversial man. The audience of this perplexing art protest is the American People, particularly, the American voter. The protest is a play on the Han’s Christian Anderson story, “The Emperor’s new Clothes” a story in which two clothing maker promise a powerful but foolhardy and incompetent emperor a new set of wonderful clothes. The clothing makers tell the emperor that anybody who wears the outfit that is too foolish, incompetent or just too dumb for their position, will been seen wearing nothing at all. Then the clothing makers give the emperor fake clothing, and he is too proud to say he can’t see them. When the Emperor shows off his new “suit”, his subjects are too scared to say that they don't see any clothes until a child pipes up, "But he isn't wearing anything at all!" (Anderson).   Additionally, the protest is playing on the Western ideals of manhood. Not only is Trump portrayed as naked, he is emasculate. Ginger shaped this trump caricatured with a micro-penis and, as the title so clearly states, no balls.

By tying their statues to this old moral story, INDECLINE’s “Emperor’s…” purpose seems to be calling out the American voter. Much like the emperor’s subjects in the story, the American people are too nervous or foolish to point out Trump is unfit for the position of President. And by showing the statue naked and scowling, lacking in all modern ideals of manhood, Ginger is using physical cues to lead the audience to a more metaphorical point’ Donald Trump is not a “man” or in if he is, he is a weak one, which the American is still supporting for unknown reasons.

Ginger and INDELINCE use Pathos and Ethos to appeal to the American people on an ethical and emotional level.

When first viewing the statues, one is affected immediately on an emotional level. It is humorous and a little gross to look at.  An audience member might find themselves laughing or shocked when first viewing the statues. Either way, they aren’t emotions one usually feels when viewing a Presidential candidate. Generally, emotions like pride, joy, and most importantly respect, are invoked when dealing with a president-hopeful.  These statues strip Trump of any of those positive emotions. It is very doubtful that anyone view these statues felt respect for the Man.  As fellow voters, INDECLINE is pointing forcing the audience to view Trump the way that INDECLINE see him. An INDECLINE spokesperson who wished to remain anonymous said

“We started thinking a lot about how dictators and tyrants, all though history, were memorialized through statues. Go to any major park in America, you've got some rich white general with a sword. That guy was probably a complete piece of shit back in the day. All the way from Caligula to Lenin, it was always about the statue. And Trump just fit that perfectly."

INDECLINE is saying a lot with their statues; “Can’t you see that Trump is a grotesque fool of a man hiding behind a “suit” of power that you, the American voter, continues to allow him to hid behind? Can’t you see he is the same powerful dictator as the hundred other powerful dictators that only remained in power because the people around them allowed it?”    By making a fool out of Trump and tying him to the dictators of years passed INDECLINED is appealing to the American voter’s pathos. That appeal to pathos is a pretty powerful one.

 Secondly, and less obviously, the statue seems to appeal to ethos. By tying the statue to the Anderson story, INDECLINE is forcing the American voter to see themselves as the emperor’s foolish subjects. Much like the child in the story the American voter has a duty to point out that Trump isn’t wearing anything, that is to say, he is unfit for the position of President. If the American voter can reach this conclusion though Trumps actions and words, then INDECLINE is going to show them. Ethically, should the American people vote for a man that can be so easily compared to a dictator? Should they vote for a man lacking any manhood? Or do they have an ethical duty to vote for a candidate more fit for the job. These are the questions that the art protest is asking the American voter to think about.

With all that being said, this instillation doesn’t seem to have a lot of logos in it. It isn’t all that logical as the American voter knows, logically, that Trump is a man who most likely, isn’t quite that lacking in the genital department. And, logically, even if he was it wouldn’t affect his abilities as president. Additionally, there are better avenues to appeal to the American voter’s logic. Put out an article listing all the terrible political decisions Trump has made, or publish a photograph of Trump doing something illicit. But the point of the statues isn’t logical, so logos isn’t a focus of this political moment.

As far as effectiveness, this art protest seems to have somewhat achieved its purpose. INDECLINE and Ginger’s piece achieved almost immediate internet fame (even though the statues themselves only lasted about an hour in their respective public spaces) and people immediately began to talk about, and analyze the art instillation. And, they did succeed in making a fool of Trump. However, it is unclear if they actually did change the minds of any American voters.  If the main focus was to sway the conservative vote by pointing out flaws in its candidate, then it was probably not successful.

Worked Cited

Holley, Peter. "These Protesters Wanted to Humiliate ‘Emperor’ Trump. So They Took off His                                                               Clothes." Washington Post. The Washington Post, 19 Aug. 2016. Web. 12 Sept. 2016.

INDECLINECOM. "The Emperor Has No Balls." YouTube. YouTube, 2016. Web. 16 Sept. 2016.