Final Blog

In my first blog post I said; “We as people need change and protests are one of many ways in which to spur on such change.” I still believe with this statement, for every protest we have talked about in class has tried to initiate some sort of change. PETA for example tried to change people’s views about animal rights, Fahrenheit 9/11 tried to change people’s views about George Bush and the Iraq War, and so on.

In my blog I also said that “I believe that no matter how big or small a protest may be, what really matters is the amount of change that it perpetuates.” This is another statement that I found this class to reaffirm. For example, Critical Mass and The Yes Men are two forms of protests that are completely different but still effective. Critical Mass consists of thousands and thousands of people from all over the world who have so many different views. Many of them want more people to use bikes and stop driving cars, many are protesting for more bike lanes, and many are just having fun. No matter what their motives, it is still considered a protest. The Yes Men, on the other hand, consists of only two people. They both believe that the World Trade Organization is terrible and their protests focus on uncovering the organizations’ dirty truths. Each of these protests are completely different but they are effective in their own way. That’s why I think it is so hard to define a protest- because they come in so many shapes and sizes.

Protest Song

For my protest song, I chose “Be the Change that You Want to See” by Kat Edmonson, who is a local Austin artist. I had never heard of her before, but this song came on the radio the other day and I really liked it. I looked up her music video on myspace and it is also really interesting The title of this song alone is similar to the quote by Mahatma Gandhi that says “You must be the change you wish to see in the world.” First of all, Gandhi definitely classifies as a protester for peace and change, and that quote is even on the front page of the website for our class!

In her song, Kat is protesting for people to take a stand and do something about all the troubles we see. It’s so easy to notice a problem (which a lot of people do) but more people need to start doing something about all the problems. Her music video consists of a bunch of images of people who are all different ages, genders and races each holding up a cardboard sign with something they believe written on it. Some of the quotes say “stand for change,” “empower ordinary people to do extraordinary things,” “paint the white house green,” “talk to our enemies,” “keep an open mind,” and so on. There are over thirty different quotes on cardboard each with something that we should strive for to make our world a better place. Kat’s song is a great example of a protest song because it tells you over and over again what she is protesting; which is to quite standing around and watch as bad things happen, but to take action and get involved and do something to help our society.

Ann Coulter and Michael Moore

I consider Moore to be more of a protester than Coulter. He focuses on certain issues, like Columbine, 9/11 and so on and makes a statement about them, protesting his ideas. Coulter’s arguments, on the other hand, are solely based on personal attacks against the Democratic Party. In Fahrenheit 9/11, Moore edits his documentary in a way that makes Bush seem like a complete idiot and how the war with Iraq never should have happened. In doing so, he is protesting against the presidency and the war. His arguments are persuasive because he has so much physical evidence- from documents to film clips to interviews- regarding the topic.

I think the reason for their popularity and American support is based primarily on the fact that they are so extreme and one of a kind. There are people who make political documentaries like Moore, or extreme republican’s like, Coulter- but it’s their style and just something interesting about them that makes them so intriguing. For example, I don’t believe anything Coulter says, but I liked listening to her because I was interested in seeing what ridiculous thing she would say next and how defensive she would be in saying it. Moore is also popular because he is so extreme and even if you don’t believe in what he says, he does a very good job at making some interesting arguments. They both have completely different tactics, but since they are unlike so many other political figures, it’s hard not to find them fascinating!

Ann Coulter

I honestly don’t know how Ann Coulter has made such a big impact on the media. I think her arguments are weak, and I don’t understand how anyone can support someone who is so defensive and mean. Everything anyone says she just laughs off, pretending like it doesn’t get to her. In doing so, she maintains her insensitive and ruthless image. If I was a republican I would be embarrassed to have someone like her on my side!

First of all, I think she is terrible at debating. All she does is directly attack others; like John Edwards, Hilary Clinton’s legs, and the widow’s from 9/ll. Second, she is really rude. She doesn’t let anyone get a word in edgewise and then she just laughs at them. Then, when she says things like how the widows from 9/ll were happy about their husbands death, its ridiculous! Who could believe such a statement? Obviously these women were extremely grief-stricken, and by saying these things she comes off as completely heartless. Her arguments are also very fallacious. For example, Al Franken directly disputed one of the statements in her book by proving that one of her quotes was taken completely out of context. Not only is Ann a heartless person, but this proves how her arguments aren’t even valid. What I want to know is why we give someone like Ann Coulter so much undeserved media attention?

Jesus Camp

If anyone glanced over in my direction during any point in the movie, they most likely would have seen my jaw completely dropped. I found that documentary to be extremely fascinating yet unsettling. I have been raised without major emphasis on religion; my mom tried to teach my sister and me some things about Christianity and God, but we never went to church or really practiced it. My main religious influence has been Buddhism, since both my parents have found solace in that practice. I have personally found Buddhism to be a way of life that I feel the most connected with. Therefore, I don’t really understand much about Christianity, so seeing these children who are completely consumed by it is absolutely mind-boggling to me. It reminded me of a scary movie in which the minister Becky was brainwashing these children who would believe anything she said, and using them to start an “army” against non-Christians and the government. As a non-Christian I find this a little freaky.

I guess to me Becky just seemed like a huge hypocrite. She kept talking about fasting and focusing all one’s attention on God, yet she obviously hasn’t fasted in a while and she didn’t look too concerned with God while she was using all that hairspray and make-up. It really troubled me to hear that boy Levi say that his soul felt “yucky” whenever he was around a non-Christian. I don’t understand how they he can claim to be accepting of people, when all others who aren’t exactly like him are considered “yucky?” I don’t think it’s fair for these kids to be put under such pressure at such a young age. Like for example that boy who felt so guilty for having a hard time believing in God that he stood in front of the whole crowd crying and repenting his sins. I personally don’t think a child should have to deal with stress like that! These kids aren’t even allowed to act like kids (tell ghost stories… read Harry Potter- come on, really!?). It seems to me like these kids are going to have a lot to deal with when are older and have to face the real world. I’m really sorry if my analysis of this movie has offended anyone who is Christian. I am very accepting of all religions (especially since I believe in different parts of many); I just found this documentary to be very shocking.

My Writing Process

For me, the hardest part of writing a paper is starting it. I sat for such a long time on this paper thinking over and over again about which prompt I should do, which protest I should write about, and what I should say about the protest. Once I finally decide what to write about, the next hardest part is to write a thesis. I like my papers to be really organized, and having a good thesis is the best way to make it so. My high school English teacher used to say we needed three “thesis pieces” and that phrase has stuck with me ever since. I try to make a thesis that has three “pieces” so I know exactly what I need to talk about in the body of my paper. Once I get my thesis down, I usually write a really brief outline. I break down each part of the thesis into its own paragraph and then write a few points under each topic. This really helps the organization of my paper, and gets my ideas flowing. After writing a short outline, I just start typing and let my ideas pour out. When I am done, I usually re-read my paper over and over again out loud to see if I notice any mistakes.

The Yes Men

I thought the Yes Men used great tactics in presenting their protests against the World Trade Organization. They were hilarious, which definitely gave them a certain amount of ethos, but they were also very knowledgeable about the WTO. However, they didn’t always display this knowledge in their presentations, and relied way more on shock value and ridiculousness. For some groups this tactic was very ineffective. It was ineffective for the older men and women that witnessed the gold suit, for they just went along with it and clapped. I found this really discouraging for society because out of all the people that were listening to their presentation, not one seemed to notice it’s ridiculousness (even the electronic chip in the worker’s shoulder). It was as if these people have been brainwashed by the WTO to believe everything the organization said. Even though Mike and Andy may have discredited their ethos by lying, the point that they get across (which is that the WTO has waaaay to much power over us) makes all the lying worth it. I was really happy to see the presentation to the college students, not only because it was hilarious, because it proved that not everyone has been brainwashed by the WTO. It proved that the human population has not completely lost against the WTO, and that there are still people willing to take a stand against something that they don’t believe in, even if they are the only ones. I found the Yes Men to be very inspiring for they showed how you can care enough about an issue to spend your life trying to expose it, even with the possibility of getting in trouble. I feel like these are the kind of people our world needs more of and it will be a terrible time when no one else is willing to sacrifice themselves for the betterment of our society.