The American Political Process has a wide range of aspects to which impact the United States government today. Whether or not we have created an effective political process that enhances our democracy, is something that many debate still today. Though we have created a nearly united country, we still have areas to which need expertise. Today's political society continues to take a social media to the extremes and let it take control of our ideas and views. The impact of TV and Media on today' political world has created a kind of chaos more than ever.
Social media such as Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube allow politicians to hide behind their perspective. While thousands of people in the U.S. debate back and forth between who is right and who is wrong, politicians sit in their big chair of deception and watch. Using social media allows politicians to circumvent the traditional method of reaching voters through paid advertising or earned media. Fundraising is a large part of a politicians plan with social media. Tools called, "money bombs" raise large amounts of cash in short periods of time. Typically the standard is a 24 hour period where candidates press their supporters and skeptics to donate money to their campaign. A candidate's team can use social media apps like Twitter and Facebook to get the word out. A relationship like this with social media provides a direct contact with the voters.
One tactic that politicians use with social media can be advertising without advertising. It has become common for political campaigns to produce commercials and publish for free on YouTube instead of paying for television air time which used to be the norm in television ad campaigns.
Twitter and Facebook have become vital parts in organizing campaigns. It allows like-minded, or at least similar-minded, voters and activists to share news or information.
Engaging younger voters is one of the prime reasons that politicians choose to take part in the social media world. Typically, its the older Americans that tend to make up the largest portion of voters who actually go to the polls. This means that having social media as an addition to a politicians campaign is a huge advantage if you can reach the right young voters. An example of this is that President Obama was the first politician to tap into the power of social media during his two successful campaigns. He used a web video to announce his run for presidential candidate and then he announced his choice for Vice President through a text message. This shows one of the first glimpses into the future as many of today's politicians use social media like Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and Instagram to spread their platform ideas and personal opinions.
Though we choose to avoid the idea, the media is sometimes used for evil. Propaganda techniques like name calling pick out a specific person and then target them and make them out as if they were a bad person. When we see an ad like that on television or as a commercial on YouTube, most of the time we don't think much of it. But sometimes, when we pay really close attention, we listen and then it sticks. We don't think to see the other side of the story or try to dig for the full story of the candidate who approved the message. Its all one sided to us. From that moment forward we become selective viewers and listeners.
And in the end, we'll all become that way. If we don't realize that one opinion is not the only opinion, then how are we supposed to move forward as a society? As a nation?
The link below will take you to my school youtube channel where the psa video on the impact of tv and media on the American Political Process can be found.
https://youtu.be/n0Vp55zjuCY
Sunday, December 20, 2015
Friday, September 4, 2015
What Freedom With Responsibility Means To Me
What do freedom and responsibility mean to me?
I guess they mean to me what they mean to most people; to have freedom is to have the right to do what you feel and people may say something about it, but you have freedom so what do you care? And to have responsibility is to hold yourself and do what you should do without having someone to tell you to do it, (mom). But I suppose there is a deeper meaning to it than that.
What they want us to believe:
Have you ever noticed that kid that whenever they get in trouble for saying something inappropriate or unnecessary, they say something along the lines of "well, I have freedom of speech so I can say whatever I want!" Yeah, they're annoying. They also haven't fully grasped the idea of freedom of speech. Freedom is not something that should be abused or tampered with, it should be something that we use tediously and with care. Yes, we have it, but we could also not have it.
Think about a society without a government and without a sense of order and organization. That world, although we'd like to think we'd do well, would most likely result in chaos. Humanity would link to a state of nature where the outcome would be almost impossible for the naive to grasp on to again. If you were this person, would you believe the ones who told you, you could have your cake and eat it too?
What it means to me:
Freedom means to me that I have the right to my own opinion and I have the right to do things with my opinions without the permission of others. Responsibility means to me that taking ownership of the things I do, whether that's right or wrong or somewhere in between. Responsibility, just like freedom should not be abused. Put them together and you get freedom with responsibility. This is the idea that states you can roam the halls of Rockbridge while on your lunch break, you can leave to drive to Zaxby's during your AUT. And you can most definitely got to the bathroom without having to have a pass or a teacher sign your planner, but you better be in your seat when its time to learn.
I have realized within Rockbridge, that I have a newfound freedom. And with this freedom comes responsibility. I have never been given such a right in an academic setting until I got here. I hold the responsibility for myself to be ready to learn when the time comes. All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy, but does no work and all play make Jack a great one? No, so I'll give myself the consequences I need to succeed and hold the responsibilities I have to the higher standards.
I've learned that with the right sustained environment, I don't have to worry about people taking away that entitlement until I've done something to not deserve it. Until then, I think I will have my cake and eat it too.
"Freedom couldn't truly exist without responsibility, and vice versa; for true freedom to be had one must be responsible enough to have said freedom, and in order to have true responsibility one must be free, otherwise it would not be freedom as much as what one is forced to do."
-Hallam George
This quote from Hallam George's blog post, Freedom With Responsibility, stood out to me because I think it describes what most people don't want to hear. We don't necessarily want to be told that there are consequences for our actions, whether that's now as a teenager or in the future as an adult. We must all be willing to take ownership of our ups and downs. Hallam mentions that we must be responsible to have the freedom we were born with. I think it also means that we should take care and handle it with discretion, otherwise it can and will be taken from us.
"Freedom makes a requirement of every human being. Freedom comes with responsibility. For the person unwilling to grow up, the person who does not want to carry his own weight, this is a frightening prospect."
-Eleanor Roosevelt
I like this quote from Mrs. Roosevelt because I feel it represents a warning to the future that if we do not pull our own weight in tough times, we will never survive as human beings. If we are not willing to overcome things and pursue the future then we will get nowhere in life. I think Eleanor Roosevelt's hidden meaning behind this quote is that one of the human natures is to fall when times are tough, but the person willing to get over that hole and carry on is going to be the ultimate winner instead of the person who sits and watches life as a spectator sport.
I guess they mean to me what they mean to most people; to have freedom is to have the right to do what you feel and people may say something about it, but you have freedom so what do you care? And to have responsibility is to hold yourself and do what you should do without having someone to tell you to do it, (mom). But I suppose there is a deeper meaning to it than that.
What they want us to believe:
Have you ever noticed that kid that whenever they get in trouble for saying something inappropriate or unnecessary, they say something along the lines of "well, I have freedom of speech so I can say whatever I want!" Yeah, they're annoying. They also haven't fully grasped the idea of freedom of speech. Freedom is not something that should be abused or tampered with, it should be something that we use tediously and with care. Yes, we have it, but we could also not have it.
Think about a society without a government and without a sense of order and organization. That world, although we'd like to think we'd do well, would most likely result in chaos. Humanity would link to a state of nature where the outcome would be almost impossible for the naive to grasp on to again. If you were this person, would you believe the ones who told you, you could have your cake and eat it too?
What it means to me:
Freedom means to me that I have the right to my own opinion and I have the right to do things with my opinions without the permission of others. Responsibility means to me that taking ownership of the things I do, whether that's right or wrong or somewhere in between. Responsibility, just like freedom should not be abused. Put them together and you get freedom with responsibility. This is the idea that states you can roam the halls of Rockbridge while on your lunch break, you can leave to drive to Zaxby's during your AUT. And you can most definitely got to the bathroom without having to have a pass or a teacher sign your planner, but you better be in your seat when its time to learn.
I have realized within Rockbridge, that I have a newfound freedom. And with this freedom comes responsibility. I have never been given such a right in an academic setting until I got here. I hold the responsibility for myself to be ready to learn when the time comes. All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy, but does no work and all play make Jack a great one? No, so I'll give myself the consequences I need to succeed and hold the responsibilities I have to the higher standards.
I've learned that with the right sustained environment, I don't have to worry about people taking away that entitlement until I've done something to not deserve it. Until then, I think I will have my cake and eat it too.
"Freedom couldn't truly exist without responsibility, and vice versa; for true freedom to be had one must be responsible enough to have said freedom, and in order to have true responsibility one must be free, otherwise it would not be freedom as much as what one is forced to do."
-Hallam George
This quote from Hallam George's blog post, Freedom With Responsibility, stood out to me because I think it describes what most people don't want to hear. We don't necessarily want to be told that there are consequences for our actions, whether that's now as a teenager or in the future as an adult. We must all be willing to take ownership of our ups and downs. Hallam mentions that we must be responsible to have the freedom we were born with. I think it also means that we should take care and handle it with discretion, otherwise it can and will be taken from us.
"Freedom makes a requirement of every human being. Freedom comes with responsibility. For the person unwilling to grow up, the person who does not want to carry his own weight, this is a frightening prospect."
-Eleanor Roosevelt
I like this quote from Mrs. Roosevelt because I feel it represents a warning to the future that if we do not pull our own weight in tough times, we will never survive as human beings. If we are not willing to overcome things and pursue the future then we will get nowhere in life. I think Eleanor Roosevelt's hidden meaning behind this quote is that one of the human natures is to fall when times are tough, but the person willing to get over that hole and carry on is going to be the ultimate winner instead of the person who sits and watches life as a spectator sport.
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