Friday, July 29, 2011

Keeping the Future Honest

Alexander Lau
29 July 2011
RD3



Keeping the Future Honest

We live in a world where lying is common place. Lying is easy and helps us get what we want. However, lying shows others who we really are, disrespectful, dishonest, and irresponsible. A single lie is enough to tarnish who we are even if that lie was to prevent feelings from being hurt. Being honest can be hard, especially if the truth hurts others. [Thesis] As future parents and leaders, we must show others that honesty is important, especially when the truth impacts people around us. [Thesis]

As we go through life many of us will eventually become parents. As parents you need to be honest, especially with children at a young age. Children are very receptive to what the parents do even when they do not know what is happening. They like to copy what their parents do, so being honest with the people around you will help your child develop into an honest person.

According to Dr. Timothy Quek, fear is one of the reasons why children lie. Timothy states, “Consider the child who lies because she fears that her mother would ‘blow up’ at her, or that dad would take privileges away, or that the teacher would send her (or her friend) to the principal’s office.” As a parent, you need to show them what honesty is and how important being honest is. The fear children have is justified. No likes being punished for being truthful. They need to understand there are times when withholding the truth could make the situation far worse. The truth can save headaches later on.

 Timothy mentions an old proverb, “What parents do in moderation, children do in excess.” He also states, “One potent source of modeling, however, is from within the home.” At a young age, the people children are in contact with the most are their parents. This is why being honest is important. The way you act will rub off on the child. As they grow and meet more people you will not have the ability to know who they meet or learn from. However, the home is an environment you can control. This is the time to develop how your child grows.

Lying, cheating, and stealing are all traits of a dishonest person. No one likes to be around a dishonest person because no one will know if they can be trusted. Honesty is important, not just to others, but also to each of us. No one likes to be lied to. John Kaminaka wrote, “To lie would only make life harder.” Lying to others just makes us feel guilty, which makes life harder. Telling the truth is not always easy, but life becomes much easier when the truth is out. Being honest not just makes life easier, but also sets a good example to others.

Tiger Woods is an example of how telling the truth would have made life easier. Tiger Woods is a high profile person in the news. He is in trouble because he was dishonest about his love life. Tiger cheated on his wife and lied to her. The media found out about Tiger cheating on his wife. In a televised speech he told his fans and other watching a lie. Soon, people found out about the truth and the situation got worse. His lies have gotten him into big trouble. Tiger Woods is a golfer and his situation has affected his play. He has not been playing well mostly because of the distraction of the situation he is in. He is also in money trouble because of his troubles. Sponsors no longer think Tiger is profitable and will no longer back him. Only if Tiger was honest with his wife and his situation all the trouble he has now would well be different. However, he decided to hide the truth and now things are bigger and far worse than he wanted to have.

Being a leader is no different. You will be responsible for those under you. What you do and say will reflect what others think of you. Your actions will influence those you command. Being a leader is a big responsibility. If anything happens to those under you, you will be held responsible regardless if you were not involved. Showing those under you the importance of honesty is very important. They can be more trusting of you and be more readily to tell you the truth.

One famous leader on television is Barack Obama. He is the president of the United States of America. When he is on television all eyes are on him. Anything he does is scrutinized, whether that is giving a speech or taking a relaxing walk he will be judged. Since he is the highest authority in the United States political hierarchy being truthful is very important. Every speech he gives will be looked at and debated over to see what is being said. Anything his staff does will be reflected on him. As president, he cannot afford others to think of him a liar.

You may not have images of being president, but if you plan to be a manager of a company or leading a children’s field trip, eyes will be watching you. If you are dishonest people will know. When you are labeled dishonest you become untrustworthy. People will not want to be associated with you. Sarah Hepola wrote, “For some, Blair will be another example of journalism’s ethical erosion, or another high-hopes youngster whose ambition got the better of him. He will be a villain and a liar and a fraud.” She was writing about a colleague who was using fake quotes and was caught. People feel cheated and lied to. That is why honesty is very important. You need people know you can be trusted. You also need to let others know that you can be trusted.

Honesty is an important concept everyone knows about, but are not always are. As a parent, teaching your child honesty is important. He will grow up to be trusted by others and become important. As a leader, honesty is very important. Eyes will be on you scrutinizing what you do. You are responsible for the people you lead. Your action influences others on how to act, which if anything bad should come will be reflected on you. At times, honesty is hard because of the consequences, but you want to set a good example to others for your sake and theirs.



Works-cited:

Hepola, Sarah. "To Tell You the Truth." The Morning News. 16 May 2003. 29 July 2011 [http://www.themorningnews.org/article/to-tell-you-the-truth].

Kaminaka, John. “Discussion #2.” Online posting. 28 July 2011. Laulima Discussion. 29 July 2011 [https://laulima.hawaii.edu/portal/site/KAP.35103.201140/page/eb4947ce-d356-43a3-b5fc-927bacb6d070].

Quek, Timothy. "The Truth about a Child's Compulsive Lying."  Dr. Timothy K. Quek's Webpage. 8 Apr. 2003. 29 July 2011 [http://webhome.idirect.com/~readon/lies.html].



Monday, July 25, 2011

Influences and Fallacies of Advertisements (RFD2)

Alexander Lau
22 July 2011
FD2



Influences and Fallacies of Advertisements

People are bombarded with advertisements throughout their daily lives. Advertisements can be seen on the television, radio, Internet, magazines, newspapers, billboards, and many other places. Unless a person has been living under a rock, they will see at least one advertisement throughout the day. Advertisements can be very invasive by implanting suggestions in our mind to buy unneeded products. [Thesis] By preying on our subconscious, advertisements negatively affect our lives. [Thesis]

On Tuesday, I came across a commercial on YouTube for Old Spice body wash. The advertisement targets mainly women even though the product is intended for men. The ad starts out with a shirtless muscular handsome black man standing in front of a shower. In his hand is a bottle of Old Spice body wash. He asks the audience, “Look at your man, now back to me, now back to your man, now back to me.” Then the man tells the audience that if they use Old Spice their man could smell like him. The scene quickly changes where the man is now on a boat. He walks along the boat suggesting to the women watching that they could be on a boat with a man that smells like him. The man stops and lifts his left hand to reveal a clamshell. The clamshell opens up displaying two tickets. The clamshell falls off and a pile of diamonds starts forming. Then out of the pile of diamonds raises a bottle of Old Spice body wash. The man tells the audience, "Anything is possible when your man smells like Old Spice and not a lady." The camera zooms out revealing the man sitting on a horse with the Old Spice bottle in hand.

The Old Spice commercial incorporates more than one logical fallacy. The first being non sequitur. The commercial suggests to the audience that a “real man” means having good looks and being muscular. A “real man” can be handsome and muscular, but they do not go hand in hand. The commercial has a negative impact on women by suggesting their man is inadequate. Men are also negatively impacted by the commercial. The actor in the commercial displays a standard for what a man should be, which makes lesser men feel inadequate. The second fallacy is begging to question. Does using Old Spice really make men smell like “real men”? The third fallacy is bandwagon appeal. The commercial is telling the audience that “real men” are handsome, strong, and confident. The problem here is the definition of a “real man” is dependent on an individual’s perception.

Another advertisement I came across on YouTube on Tuesday is one for Volkswagen, a car manufacturer. The commercial starts off with background music from the iconic movie Star Wars. The camera starts panning upwards, revealing a child dressed as Darth Vader from Star Wars walking down a hallway. The scene cuts to a room where the child is standing with arms partially up in front of a bicycling machine. He seems to be trying to use the Force to make the bicycling machine move, but fails. The scene then changes to another room where the child is in front of a dog laying on the floor. This time the child is trying to use the Force on the dog, but again he fails. A close-up shot of the dog’s face shows his lack of excitement. The scene changes to a laundry room where the child is trying to use the Force on the washing machine. The child is now in his sister’s room trying to use the Force on the doll sitting on top the bed. The child looks depressed because he failed to use the Force. The scene changes to the kitchen where he is with his mother at the kitchen counter. Next to the mother is a sandwich. The child tries to use the Force to move the sandwich towards him. The mother instead moves the sandwich to him. The child is saddened by the results and drops his head in disappointment. A car is shown turning into and up the house’s driveway.  The scene cuts to a saddened Darth Vader until he is interrupted by the dogs barking. The father is shown coming out of the car. The child starts running towards the car. The father thinks he’s being greeted by his son, but is ignored. The child is then shown trying to use the Force on the car in from of him. The car suddenly starts up. The child is surprised and jumps backwards. A remote is reveal showing one of its buttons being pressed. The camera zooms out revealing the child’s mother and father standing near a window watching their son. The scene cuts back to the child who looks confused. He looks around trying to see if anyone is around. A black screen appears with white text appearing telling the audience that the all-new 2012 Volkswagen Passat is coming soon for around $20,000.

The Volkswagen commercial is an ad populum fallacy. It preys on the audience’s emotions. The commercial conveys a mishmash of feelings without telling the audience anything about the car. The lack of details about the car also brings up the begging the question fallacy. What makes the car all-new? The background music being from Star Wars is well known. The music and Darth Vader are considered evil for those that know Star Wars, but the child dressed as Darth Vader cancels out the evil aura because children are seen as cute and not evil, which makes the advertisement fun and enjoyable. The Star Wars theme now becomes one of nostalgia. Also in the end, the commercial states that the car is all new, but no mention throughout the commercial why it is all new. The whole commercial is there to entertain the audience, hoping that the audience remembers the commercial by appealing to their emotions. This is negative because it manipulates our emotions into referencing to their products.

Alexandra Aoki stated, “Advertisements main purpose is to promote and lure people into wanting and/or agreeing with what they are putting forth to the public.” Also, Kalea Perry stated, “They can lead people into believing that they need something that they really would not even want or desire in a normal situation.” I fully agree with both statements. Both the Old Spice and Volkswagen commercials are promoting their products by manipulating viewer’s thoughts. Advertisements are everywhere influencing the way people live. This is why advertisements are a negative influence in our lives. 

By preying on our insecurities, ads try to makes us feel the need to buy products to make us better than who we feel we are. In the Old Spice commercial, women are being told their man is not manly enough. Men are being told they are not “real men” because they are not the man in the commercial. Ads also prey on our emotions. The Volkswagen commercial is an enjoyable and memorable commercial, which leave a lasting impression of the Volkswagen brand. People watching or looking at ads need to understand what is going on to not be influenced by what they see.



Works-Cited:

Aoki, Alexandra. “Ad-Pro Forum.” Online posting. 20 July 2011. Laulima Discussion. 20 July 2011 [https://laulima.hawaii.edu/portal/site/KAP.35103.201140/page/eb4947ce-d356-43a3-b5fc-927bacb6d070].

Perry, Kalea. “Ad-Pro Forum.” Online posting. 20 July 2011. Laulima Discussion. 20 July 2011 [https://laulima.hawaii.edu/portal/site/KAP.35103.201140/page/eb4947ce-d356-43a3-b5fc-927bacb6d070].




Log of Completed Activities
__X__ July 14- Intro to Paper #2. Read the Guidelines for Paper #2.
__X__ July 15- Complete readings for paper #2.
__X__ July 18- Laulima Discussion: Ad Pros and Cons
__X__ July 19- Laulima Discussion: Logical Fallacies Exercise
__X__ July 20- Submit RD2 [50 pts]. Review the guidelines.
__X__ July 21- Submit three RD2 evaluations [50 pts]. Review the guidelines.
__X__ July 22-25 – Submit FD2 [125 pts]. Review the guidelines.

Friday, July 22, 2011

Influences and Fallacies of Advertisements (FD2)

Alexander Lau
22 July 2011
FD2



Influences and Fallacies of Advertisements

People are bombarded with advertisements throughout their daily lives. Advertisements can be seen on the television, radio, Internet, magazines, newspapers, billboards, and many other places. Unless a person has been living under a rock, they will see at least one advertisement throughout the day. Advertisements can be very invasive, wanting us to buy things or do things according to the advertisement. [Thesis] Advertisements can be a negative force on our lives by preying on our subconscious. [Thesis]

One such advertisement is a commercial for Old Spice body wash. I came across this commercial on Youtube on Tuesday. It is an advertisement targeted mainly toward women even though the product is intended for men. The ad starts out with a shirtless muscular handsome black man standing in front of a shower. In his hand is a bottle of Old Spice body wash. He asks the audience, “Look at your man, now back to me, now back to your man, now back to me.” He then tells the audience that if they use Old Spice that their man could smell like him. The scene quickly changes where the man is still shirtless, but now on a boat. He walks along the boat suggesting that the woman watching could be on a boat with a man that smells like him. The man stops and lifts his left hand to reveal a clamshell. The clamshell opens up displaying two tickets. Suddenly the clamshell falls off and a pile of diamonds starts forming. Then out of the pile of diamonds raises a bottle of Old Spice body wash. The man tells the audience, "Anything is possible when your man smells like Old Spice and not a lady." The camera zooms out revealing the man is sitting on a horse with the Old Spice bottle in hand. This commercial incorporates more than one logical fallacy. The first being non sequitur. The commercial suggests to the audience that a “real man” means having good looks and being muscular. A “real man” can be handsome and muscular, but they do not go hand in hand. This advertisement is telling women that their man is inadequate, but by buying Old Spice their man can at least smell like the man in the commercial. That suggestion is a negative one. It not only makes women think their man is inadequate, but makes men feel less of a man when compared to the muscular man. The second fallacy is begging to question. Does using Old Spice really make men smell like “real men”? The third fallacy I see is bandwagon appeal. The commercial is basically saying real men are handsome, strong, and confident. First off, what is the definition of a “real man” anyways?

Another advertisement I came across on Youtube on Tuesday is one for Volkswagen, a car manufacturer. The commercial starts off with background music from the iconic movie Star Wars. The camera starts panning upwards to reveal a figure dressed in black. It is a child dressed as Darth Vader from Star Wars. He is walking down a hallway towards the camera. The scene cuts to a room where the child is standing with arms partially up in front of a bicycling machine. He seems to be trying to use the “force” on the machine to get it to do something, but fails. The scene then changes to another room where the child is in front of a dog laying on the floor. This time the child is trying to use the “force” on the dog, but again he fails. A close-up shot of the dogs face shows his lack of excitement. The scene changes to a laundry room where the child is trying to use the “force” on the washing machine. Then the scene quickly changes to what seems like his sisters room with a doll sitting on top the bed, again trying to use the “force” on the object. The child looks depressed as he has failed to use the “force.” The child is then shown following the dog down the hallway across the camera pretending to use the “force” to move the dog. The scene changes to the kitchen where he is with his mother at the kitchen counter. Next to the mother is a sandwich. The child tries to use the “force” to move the sandwich towards him. The mother instead moves the sandwich to him. The child is saddened by the results and drops his head in disappointment. The scene cuts to a car turning into and up the houses driveway.  Then the scene cuts to a saddened Darth Vader until he is interrupted by the dogs barking. The car is then shown with the child’s father coming out. The child starts running towards the car. The father thinks he’s being greeted by his son, but gets ignored. The child is then shown standing in front of the car, again trying to use the “force” on it. Some time passes as the car suddenly starts up. The child is surprised and jumps backwards. The scene changes where a remote is shown and one of its buttons being pressed. The camera zooms out revealing the child’s mother and father standing near a window watching their son. The scene cuts back to the child who looks confused. He looks around trying to see if anyone is around. The scene changes to a black background with white text appearing, telling the audience that the all-new 2012 Volkswagen Passat is coming soon, and that it is priced around $20,000. This commercial is an ad populum fallacy. It preys on the audiences emotions. The commercial conveys a mishmash of feelings without telling the audience anything about the car. The lack of details about the car also bring up the begging the question fallacy, like what makes the car all-new. The background music being from Star Wars is well known. The music and Darth Vader are considered evil for those that know Star Wars, but the child dressed as Darth Vader negates the evil aura because children are seen as cute and not evil, which makes the advertisement fun and enjoyable. The Star Wars theme now becomes one of nostalgia. Also, in the end, the commercial states that the car is all new, but no mention throughout the commercial why it is all new. The whole commercial is there to entertain the audience, hoping that the audience remembers the commercial by appealing to their emotions. This can be negative as it manipulates our emotions into referencing to their products.

A quote from Alexandra Aoki stated, “Advertisements main purpose is to promote and lure people into wanting and/or agreeing with what they are putting forth to the public.” And, a quote from Kalea Perry stated, “They can lead people into believing that they need something that they really would not even want or desire in a normal situation.” I fully agree with both statements. Both the Old Spice and Volkwagen commercials are promoting their products by manipulating viewer’s thoughts. That is why advertisements can be a negative influence in our lives. Advertisements influences the way we do things in this case, buying items even if those items aren’t needed.

Advertisements aren’t necessarily bad, but the way they are used is. By preying on our insecurities, ads try to makes us feel the need to buy products to make us better than who we feel we are. Like in the Old Spice commercial, it’s telling the female audience their man isn’t manly enough, and the male audience that they aren’t real men because they aren’t the man in the commercial. Ads also prey on our emotions. The Volkwagen commercial is funny and enjoyable. It’s a memorable commercial. It may not make you want to buy a car, but it makes a lasting impression, which is a win as long as the brand is remembered. People watching or looking at ads need to understand what is going on to not be influenced by what they see.



Work Cited:

Aoki, Alexandra. “Ad-Pro Forum.” Online posting. 20 July 2011. Laulima Discussion. 20 July 2011. [https://laulima.hawaii.edu/portal/site/KAP.35103.201140/page/eb4947ce-d356-43a3-b5fc-927bacb6d070]

Perry, Kalea. “Ad-Pro Forum.” Online posting. 20 July 2011. Laulima Discussion. 20 July 2011. [https://laulima.hawaii.edu/portal/site/KAP.35103.201140/page/eb4947ce-d356-43a3-b5fc-927bacb6d070]



Log of Completed Activities
__X__ July 14- Intro to Paper #2. Read the Guidelines for Paper #2.
__X__ July 15- Complete readings for paper #2.
__X__ July 18- Laulima Discussion: Ad Pros and Cons
__X__ July 19- Laulima Discussion: Logical Fallacies Exercise
__X__ July 20- Submit RD2 [50 pts]. Review the guidelines.
__X__ July 21- Submit three RD2 evaluations [50 pts]. Review the guidelines.
__X__ July 22-25 – Submit FD2 [125 pts]. Review the guidelines.

Wednesday, July 20, 2011

Influences and Fallacies of Advertisements (RD2)

Alexander Lau
20 July 2011
RD2



Influences and Fallacies of Advertisements

People are bombarded with advertisements throughout their daily lives. Advertisements can be seen on the television, radio, Internet, magazines, newspapers, buses, taxis, billboards, and many other places. Unless a person has been living under a rock, they will see at least one advertisement throughout the day. They can be very invasive, wanting us to buy things or do things according to the advertisement. [Thesis] Advertisements can be a negative force on our lives by preying on our subconscious. [Thesis]

One such advertisement is a commercial for Old Spice body wash. I came across this commercial on Youtube on Tuesday. It is an advertisement targeted mainly toward women even though the product is intended for men. The ad starts out with a shirtless muscular handsome black man standing in front of a shower. In his hand is a bottle of Old Spice body wash. He asks the audience, “Look at your man, now back to me, now back to your man, now back to me.” Then he tells the audience that if they use Old Spice that their man could smell like him. The scene quickly changes where the man is still shirtless, but now on a boat. He walks along the boat suggesting that the woman watching could be on a boat with a man that smells like him. The man stops and lifts up with his left hand to reveal a clamshell. The clamshell opens up displaying two tickets. Suddenly the clamshell falls off and a pile of diamonds starts forming. Then out of the pile of diamonds raises a bottle of Old Spice body wash. In the end, the camera zooms out revealing the man is sitting on a horse with the Old Spice bottle in hand. This commercial incorporates more than one logical fallacy. The first being non sequitur. The commercial suggests to the audience that a real man means having good looks and being muscular. A real man can be handsome and muscular, but they do not go hand in hand. By advertising the way they do, they are trying to tell women that their man is in adequate, but by buying Old Spice their man can at least smell like the man. That suggestion is a negative one. It not only makes women think their man is inadequate, but makes men feel less of a man when compared to the muscular man. The second fallacy is begging to question. Does using Old Spice really make men smell like real men? The third fallacy I see is bandwagon appeal. The commercial is basically saying real men are handsome, strong, and confident. First off, what is the definition of a “real man” anyways?

Another advertisement I came across on Youtube on Tuesday is one for Volkswagen, a car manufacturer. The commercial starts off with background music from the iconic movie Star Wars. The camera starts panning upwards to reveal a figure dressed in black. It is a child dressed as Darth Vader from Star Wars. He is walking down a hallway towards the camera. The scene cuts to a room where the child is standing with arms partially up in front of a bicycling machine. He seems to be trying to use the “force” on the machine to get it to do something, but fails. The scene then changes to another room where the child is in front of a dog laying on the floor. This time the child is trying to use the “force” on the dog, but again he fails. A close-up shot of the dogs face shows his lack of excitement. The scene changes to a laundry room where the child is trying to use the “force” on the washing machine. Then the scene quickly changes to what seems like his sisters room with a doll sitting on top the bed, again trying to use the “force” on the object. The child looks depressed as he has failed to use the “force.” The child is then shown following the dog down the hallway across the camera pretending to use the “force” to move the dog. The scene changes to the kitchen where he is with his mother at the kitchen counter. Next to the mother is a sandwich. The child tries to use the “force” to move the sandwich towards him. The mother instead moves the sandwich to him. The child is saddened by the results and drops his head in disappointment. The scene cuts to a car turning into and up the houses driveway.  Then the scene cuts to a saddened Darth Vader until he is interrupted by the dogs barking. The car is then shown with the child’s father coming out. The child starts running towards the car. The father thinks he’s being greeted by his son, but gets ignored. The child is then shown standing in front of the car, again trying to use the “force” on it. Some time passes then suddenly the car starts up. The child is surprised and jumps backwards. The scene changes where a remote is shown and one of its buttons being pressed. The camera zooms out revealing the child’s mother and father standing near a window watching their son. The scene cuts back to the child who looks confused. He looks around trying to see if anyone is around. The scene changes to a black background with white text apeearing, telling the audience that the all-new 2012 Volkswagen Passat is coming soon, and that it is priced around $20,000. This commercial is an ad populum fallacy. It preys on the audiences emotions. The commercial conveys a mishmash of feelings without telling the audience anything about the car. The lack of details about the car also bring up the begging the question fallacy, like what makes the car all-new. The background music being from Star Wars is well known. The music and Darth Vader are considered evil for those that know Star Wars, but the child dressed as Darth Vader negates that because children are seen as cute and not evil making the advertisement fun and enjoyable. The Star Wars theme now becomes one of nostalgia. Also, in the end, the commercial stats that the car is all new, but no mention throughout the commercial why it is all new. The whole commercial is there to entertain the audience, hoping that the audience remembers the commercial by appealing to their emotions. This can be negative as it manipulates our emotions into referencing to their products.

A quote from Alexandra Aoki stated, “Advertisements main purpose is to promote and lure people into wanting and/or agreeing with what they are putting forth to the public.” And, a quote from Kalea Perry stated, “They can lead people into believing that they need something that they really would not even want or desire in a normal situation.” I fully agree with both statements. That is why advertisements can be a negative influence in our lives. Advertisements influences the way we do things in this case, buying items even if those items aren’t needed.

Advertisements aren’t necessarily bad, but the way they are used is. By preying on our insecurities, ads try to makes us feel the need to buy products to make us better than who we feel we are. Like in the Old Spice commercial, it’s telling the female audience their man isn’t manly enough, and the male audience that they aren’t real men because they aren’t the man in the commercial. Ads also prey on our emotions. The Volkwagen commercial is funny and enjoyable. It’s a memorable commercial. It may not make you want to buy a car, but it makes a lasting impression, which is a win as long as the brand is remembered. People watching or looking at ads need to understand what is going on to not be influenced by what they see.



Work Cited:

Aoki, Alexandra. “Ad-Pro Forum.” Online posting. 20 July 2011. Laulima Discussion. 20 July 2011. [https://laulima.hawaii.edu/portal/site/KAP.35103.201140/page/eb4947ce-d356-43a3-b5fc-927bacb6d070]

Perry, Kalea. “Ad-Pro Forum.” Online posting. 20 July 2011. Laulima Discussion. 20 July 2011. [https://laulima.hawaii.edu/portal/site/KAP.35103.201140/page/eb4947ce-d356-43a3-b5fc-927bacb6d070]

Wednesday, July 13, 2011

Trauma? I See No Trauma


Alexander Lau
13 July 2011
FD1


Trauma? I See No Trauma

Mary Pipher, author of "Saplings in the Storm," stated in one of her writings, "Between adolescence and menopause, women experience trauma in adjusting to their gender roles." [Thesis]Gender roles are something we learn as we grow in the society we live in, and adjusting to them should not be a traumatizing experience. [Thesis] 

When discussing whether women experience trauma or not due to gender roles we need to define what trauma means. According to the medical dictionary at dictionary.com, a physical trauma is "a serious bodily injury or shock," and a psychological trauma is "an emotional wound or shock that creates substantial lasting damage to one's psychological development." Referring to the definitions previously stated, trauma is basically a serious event happening in a person’s life to be able to change them physically or psychologically. Something to look at here is what the roles of women are. That depends on the location and their view of women. Another thing is what the norms are as girls grow up to be women. Should puberty be a traumatizing experience or is it just part of growing up.

The environment women live in plays a big part in shaping gender roles. Gender roles vary from place to place. Women are expected to grow up and conform to the society and culture of where they live. In the United States, women have been fighting for equal right since 1848 with the first women’s rights convention. They have been for the most part successful, at least in retrospect. Women are holding jobs they normal would not 163 years ago. It is not rare or unusual to see a woman in a managerial or executive position.  According to a Catalyst census, in the year 2009 and 2010, 50% of Fortune 500 companies had at least 2 women as part of their board of directors. Women that grow up in the U.S. tend to understand that there is still gender inequality, but also know that they can strive to be equal or better than their male counterparts without harsh repercussions. Let us take Michelle Wie as an example. She is currently a professional golfer playing in LPGA tournaments worldwide. In Jemele Hill’s article, “Wie Deserves Our Applause, Not Those Jeers,” when Wie was 16 she decided to try out for the men’s PGA tournament, specifically the U.S. Open. Michelle Wie failed to qualify and people questioned why she would do such a thing in the first place. But, the fact that she was allowed to compete in the men’s tournament and at such a young age shows that, at least in the US that women are allowed to strive for the best even if others think they should not. Of course this is just one society and one country. Other countries are different. In certain countries in Africa, women are limited in what they can and cannot do. But, by understanding their roles in society, women can better come to terms to what are expected from them.

Another thing is that adolescence and menopause are development stages of a woman’s life cycles. In “Saplings in the Storm,” Mary Pipher expresses that girls going through adolescence tend to lose themselves due to society. The gap between the two stages of development is from the years of 13 to 50 according to Erik Erikson’s concept of development stages. It is a normal process that everyone goes through. Schools, at least in the US, teach children about such things as the human body and the changes that will happen, so that they are prepared for what is to come for them.  As adolescence grow so do their perception of the world around them. They begin to see what sort of role they play in their society. These roles differ depending on where each woman lives and knowing themselves. Some learn it sooner than others. But all this is part of growing up such as, relationships, marriage, pregnancy, raising children, and death.

Claudia Ong’s view of the cause of gender role trauma is not totally wrong, but the media is but a part of growing up. Yes, media can influence the norms of gender roles, but they do not dictate them. People decide whether or not to follow what they see on T.V. or in magazines. Gender roles are dictated by the environment one lives in.  And, media is a part of such environments.

Women do not experience gender role trauma. Because as girls grow up to be women they learn gradually to understand what roles they are expected to fill. Women also learn gradually to understand themselves either through school, peers, or personal enlightenment. Knowledge gained by women allows them to better cope with gender roles.




Work Cited

Pipher, Mary. “Saplings in the Storm.” Dialogues: An Argument Rhetoric and Reader. 6th edition. Eds. Gary Goshgarian and Kathleen Krueger. New York: Pearson-Longman, 2009. 425-432.

"trauma." Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary. Merriam-Webster, Inc. 12 Jul. 2011. [Dictionary.com http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/trauma].

Catalyst. “Census Reveals Lack Of Progress, New Study Offers A Solution.” 2 May 2011. Women Worth Watching. 11 July 2011. [http://www.womenworthwatching.com/census-reveals-lack-of-progress-new-study-offers-a-solution/]

Hill, Jemele. “Wie Deserves Our Applause, Not Those Jeers.” 6 June 2006. MercuryNews.com. 8 June 2006 [http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/sports/14756706.htm].

Ong, Claudia. “Causes and Solutions.” 8 July 11, 2011. Laulima Discussion. 11 July 2011. [https://laulima.hawaii.edu/portal/site/KAP.35103.201140]





Log of Completed Activities
__X__ July 5- First Day of Instruction. Read the welcome message, which includes instructions on how to navigate our class blog. Next, log in to our Laulima discussion forum and your hawaii.edu mailbox. Become familiar with these instructional media. Carefully review the information in our class blog, especially the schedule and syllabus (click on the tab at the top of the page).
__X__ July 5- Laulima Discussion: Who Am I? Post your response by midnight. Possible topics: your academic and career goals; your favorite pastime; favorite book, movie, song; favorite physical activity or sport; favorite quote; personal philosophy on the purpose of life; your personal thoughts on why it’s important to become an excellent writer; favorite food or restaurant; favorite vacation destination; etc.
__X__ July 6- Intro to Paper #1. Read the “Guidelines for Paper #1” by midnight.
__X__ July 6-8- Set up your personal blog for all class papers. Click here for instructions. Alternately, see the “Blogger” links in the right sidebar in our class blog. To begin, complete the initial setup. You’ll be able to add finishing touches as the RD1 due date approaches. If you need help, post a request in the “Q&A About My Blog” forum in Laulima.
__X__ July 7- Laulima Discussion: What Is “Trauma”? One definition or many different definitions? Post your response by midnight.
__X__ July 8- Complete readings for Paper #1 by midnight.
__X__ July 8- Laulima Discussion: Causes & Solutions: What causes gender role trauma? What’s the solution? Assume that there is more than one cause or solution. Post your response by midnight. [10 pts]
__X__ July 11- Submit RD1 (Review Draft #1) [50 pts] Review the guidelines.
__X__ July 12- Submit three RD1 evaluations in Laulima. [50 pts] Review the guidelines.
__X__ July 13- Submit FD1 (Final Draft #1) [100 pts] Review the guidelines.

Monday, July 11, 2011

Trauma? I See No Trauma

Alexander Lau
11 July 2011
RD1


Trauma? I See No Trauma

Mary Pipher, author of "Saplings in the Storm," stated in one of her writings, "Between adolescence and menopause, women experience trauma in adjusting to their gender roles." What do I think of that statement? [Thesis]Gender roles are something we learn as we grow in the society we live in, and adjusting to them should not be a traumatizing experience as long as we know what is coming. [Thesis] 

There are a few things I would like to look at when discussing whether women experience trauma or not due to gender roles. First off, what is trauma? According to the medical dictionary at dictionary.com, a physical trauma is "a serious bodily injury or shock," and a psychological trauma is "an emotional wound or shock that creates substantial lasting damage to one's psychological development." Referring to the definitions previously stated, trauma is basically a serious event happening in a person’s life to be able to change them physically or psychologically. The problem here is what the roles of women are. That depends on the location and their view of women. Another problem is what the norm is when a girl grows up to be a woman. Should puberty be a traumatizing experience or is it just part of growing up.

The environment women live in plays a big part in shaping gender roles. Gender roles vary from place to place. Women are expected to grow up and conform to the society and culture of where they live. In the United States, women have been fighting for equal right since 1848 with the first women’s rights convention. They have been for the most part successful, at least in retrospect. Women are holding jobs they normal would not 163 years ago. It is not rare or unusual to see a woman in a managerial or executive position.  According to a Catalyst census, in the year 2009 and 2010, 50% of Fortune 500 companies had at least 2 women as part of their board of directors. Women that grow up in the U.S. tend to understand that there is still gender inequality, but also know that they can strive to be equal or better than their male counterparts without harsh repercussions. Let us take Michelle Wie as an example. She is currently a professional golfer playing in LPGA tournaments worldwide. In Jemele Hill’s article, “Wie Deserves Our Applause, Not Those Jeers,” when Wie was 16 she decided to try out for the men’s PGA tournament, specifically the U.S. Open. Michelle Wie failed to qualify, and people questioned why she would do such a thing in the first place. But, the fact that she was allowed to compete in the men’s tournament and at such a young age shows that, at least in the US that women are allowed to strive for the best even if others think they should not. Of course this is just one society and one country. Other countries are different. In certain countries in Africa, women are limited in what they can and cannot do. By understanding their roles in society, there should not be any reason for them to feel traumatized.

Another thing to look at is that adolescence and menopause are development stages of a woman’s life cycles. In “Saplings in the Storm,” Mary Pipher expresses that girls going through adolescence tend to lose themselves due to society. The gap between the two stages of development is from the years of 13 to 50 according to Erik Erikson’s concept of development stages. It is a normal process that everyone goes through. Schools, at least in the US, teach children about such things as the human body and the changes that will happen, so that they are prepared for what is to come for them.  As adolescence grow so do their perception of the world around them. They begin to see what sort of role they play in their society. These roles differ depending on where each woman lives and knowing themselves. Some learn it sooner than others. But all this is part of growing up such as, relationships, marriage, pregnancy, raising children, and death. The fear of growing up is reduced as knowledge is obtained and knowing that others are going through the same situation.

Claudia Ong’s view of the cause of gender role trauma is not totally wrong, but the media is but a part of growing up. Yes, media can influence the norms of gender roles, but they do not dictate them. People decide whether or not to follow what they see on T.V. or in magazines. Gender roles are dictated by the environment one lives in.  And, media is a part of such environments.

Do women experience trauma because of gender roles? No, because as girls grow up to be women they learn to understand what roles they are to fill. Those roles are decided upon the society they live in. And, growing up is a gradual process, which allows them to learn who they are and what they are to others.






Work Cited

Pipher, Mary. “Saplings in the Storm.” Dialogues: An Argument Rhetoric and Reader. 6th edition. Eds. Gary Goshgarian and Kathleen Krueger. New York: Pearson-Longman, 2009. 425-432.

"trauma." Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary. Merriam-Webster, Inc. 12 Jul. 2011. [Dictionary.com http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/trauma].

Catalyst. “Census Reveals Lack Of Progress, New Study Offers A Solution.” 2 May 2011. Women Worth Watching. 11 July 2011. [http://www.womenworthwatching.com/census-reveals-lack-of-progress-new-study-offers-a-solution/]

Hill, Jemele. “Wie Deserves Our Applause, Not Those Jeers.” 6 June 2006. MercuryNews.com. 8 June 2006 [http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/sports/14756706.htm].

Ong, Claudia. “Causes and Solutions.” 8 July 11, 2011. Laulima Discussion. 11 July 2011. [https://laulima.hawaii.edu/portal/site/KAP.35103.201140]