The Next America?

Paul Taylor's book Next America: boomers, millennials, and the looming generational showdown was a very interesting read (from what I got of the first 3 chapters). Focusing on the Millennial Generation, and how the world is changing politically, socially, culturally, and economically due to the great divide between baby boomer's way of life and millennial's way of life. I love how he doesn't just blame millennials for the crappy economy and the "hostile" work environment: he insults Gen Xers and Baby Boomers alike. Baby Boomers, he says, are responsible for the amount of debt America is in, and Millennials are unfortunately stuck back home afraid of the crazy economy and the failing job market. So basically, we're all kinda screwed unless we work to fix it. He talks about the interesting topic of the decline of the white majority and how race and social classes make this generation different from the rest. He describes almost everything about millennials as ambiguous, whereas the baby boomers pretty much had everything black and white. Now, so far this book has been a really good read, and I cant wait to hear more about my generation!

College Seminar in Review!!!

Hello all! I am approaching the middle of my first semester in college!!! I think it would be nice to reflect on what I have learned, primarily in this Me Generation Seminar. In leaning how to think rhetorically, I have used this in my many many readings (english major, it's all I do) to give myself a better perspective in using genre, audience, context, purpose, stance, etc. Those are all elements of thinking rhetorically, and it has come in handy in developing a deeper perspective and understanding in my readings. In this seminar, I have also developed better writing skills. I have learned to incorporate my own voice into my writing, which is something I had stayed away from in fear of being too immature and unsophisticated. I think the most overwhelming part of it all has been the fact that all of this is done over the internet and via google docs and blogger. I am a very "paper" person and I need to use printed documents and journals in order to be successful with my writing assignments. I think that's why I am also just a few days late on assignments due to the overwhelming amount of tabs and articles I need to keep track of in any given writing assignment. I don't really know how to solve this problem, but I know I'll be okay if I just take it all in stride and try not to get myself too worked up. I know I'll get used to it eventually (just like I did with using my voice in my writing. I really like this seminar a lot and am glad I am learning a lot from it. Anyway, that's my small mid-semester reflectionHappy blogging guys!!!

Arguing and Youtube

In the Millennials in the Workplace Youtube Video, I noticed many arguing strategies they used related to "Strategies for Arguing. In this video, it showcases millennial generation workers and how they would typically act in the workplace. They do things like ask their boss for raises and praise just for doing what they were supposed to do in the first place. They're seen on their phones constantly and walking in late every morning. They also are seen asking to take off of work frequently. Then a person pops up on the screen "advising" as to how to deal with the workers and their many superficial demands. It's literally a how to deal with millennials in the office video training video. In the video, there is use of Definition and Description, when they define what a millennial is and describe what he or she may be doing. They also use Examples and give a lot of examples in the form of little skits and scenes of them in the workplace. However, the most effective strategy I saw they used was Humor. The video is clearly Satirical and geared towards poking fun of pesky baby boomer bosses who don't take too kindly to the new generation's ways. It was used to provide a lighthearted way of saying that the older generation just needs to take in what's new and get used to changes. I know I linked the video above, but if you "lazy" millennials are too tired of putting in work on the computer mouse to access the video (Kidding!! ;P), It's also below!

Strategies For Arguing

In Chapter 14, there are many ways (as explained) to argue and get your point across. In the first example, for Analogy in the use of arguments, Barack Obama is quoted saying "our destiny is stitched together like those 50 stars" as an example. This use of destiny like 50 stars in the united states flag offers an inspirational mood to the argument, making people feel more together and their dreams more achievable. It's easily a great way to get people on your side. Another argument tactic, classification, which is like going into greater depth of what dogs are by doing deeper into breed, variation, etc. Comparing and contrasting can go deeper, with two primary methods: block method and point by point. Block is comparing one, then the other separately. The example used in chapter 14 was comparing how men see their attractiveness and how women see their attractiveness. Point by point is mashing them both together and compare them each at a time, such as the comparison in childhood used in the book. It's also good to use definition in an argument to make sure the audience knows what side you're on if a topic or phrase is subject to many different interpretations. For description, Williams' description of the atomic bombs was effective because it put the audience at the site of where it all happened, causing more powerful emotions and opinions on the topic. Examples are also good, especially when you can use them to evoke emotions and sympathy from people. Steve Jobs experience with cancer in the chapter example to make his audience feel what he felt, which made his argument to do things before time runs out that much more effective. Humor is effective in arguments, especially for satirical news site The Onion for example had a post about a university cutting all academic funding to make room for their sports, obviously joking at their argument that the university in fact is a mess in the academic department because they focus too heavily on sports. Problem/Solution, a big one with writers gives the audience a way they can help with the problem posed (the argument). It's basically making the decision for them. Reiteration is also a good way to argue because it gets one point in people's heads and makes it memorable for them. a big example of this is Martin Luther King Jr.'s Speech "I Have A Dream". The reiteration of "I have a dream" stuck in people's minds for generations to come.

How Computers Change the Way We Think

After reading Sherry Turkle's article How Computers Change the Way We Think, It makes me think a lot about how I have been affected by computers and technology. While I agree that technology has stunted our capacity for information, for instance we struggle nowadays with long text and sentences because we are so used to social media and tweeting all condensed in a nice 140 character format, I also disagree with her point about powerpoints. Power points I feel are a nice way of getting your ideas across - especially the important parts - to remind the viewer of what's important during your speech or lecture so they know what to keep notes of and what to remember for a test or exam. Other than the power point argument, I agree that technology has limited our privacy and limited our self-identity with the option of creating avatars and IM's ("catfishing" is wayyyy too common nowadays). But despite all these negative things that technology has brought, there has also been good things. Connecting with family and friends who live far away is possible now thanks to social media, and I have access to every major news site at my fingertips. While some may not use technology to its full potential, I am grateful that I can and that its available to me.

Millennials and Youtube

     Hey guys, I took a look at two youtube videos, one called "Millenials: We Suck and We're Sorry" and "Millennials in the Workplace". They have two very clear and very different approaches to millennials and how they are viewed. The first video, which I enjoyed very much, had a satirical approach to the common stereotypes of millennials and how the previous generation - the baby boomers - viewed them. The intended audience was clearly toward millennials and baby boomers alike, to sarcastically ridicule the baby boomer generation for insulting millennials, while they themselves have brought on much more distress to the economy and society than millennials ever have. This video was very effective in their point that millennials aren't really the problem, and their parents are the ones that messed a lot of things up. I would applaud the creators of this video because not only is it hilariously sarcastic, but it's also blatantly factual in the evidence it provides, such as how baby boomers have put us in debt and started wars which millennials were forced to fight in. The other video, however, I disliked entirely.
     In the Millennials in the Workplace video, it was basically a mock tutorial of how to deal with "dreaded" millennials at work. the video displays young workers who are lazy, who take off work a lot, and who expect praise everywhere. The intended audience is clearly older people who also agree with the hassle it is to deal with millennials, and its focused on many of the stereotypes that millennials are faced with today: lazy, self-entitled, attention-needing. This video made me very upset because it provided no evidence whatsoever to back up these claims: they were just bad stereotypes that were imposed from the beginning, just like they were imposed on the baby boomers from the generation before them. all in all it made me very mad.

     Take a look and tell me what you think. Happy blogging everyone!!

Cultural History of Narcissism

In Imogen Tyler's article, she discusses the rise in narcissism in the Me Generation. It focuses at first at the negative implications of being narcissistic. Tyler focuses on Sigmund Freud's concept of narcissism and how "social norms and values are internalized within the formative structures of the psyche by the incorporation of ideals that control the subject by directing his or her desire." I definitely agree with this aspect, mostly because with the upcoming and ever-going social media craze, it's definitely heightened egoism and self-absorbed behavior. I also agree with the point he makes about narcissism being necessary to a certain extent. In my opinion, narcissism is a very extreme form of confidence, so without at least a small percentage of narcissistic ideology, people's insecurities would outdo any warrant to initiate changes and revolutionary breakthroughs. One thing about the article, however, was the introduction of Lasch and his extremely sexist views on women and narcissism. With claims such as

"the liberalization of sexuality and sexual mores has made women, already prone to narcissism, even more narcissistic. The culture of narcissism, he argues, ‘requires that women smoke and drink in public, move about freely, and assert their right to happiness instead of living for others’ (74). Lasch makes analogies between a series of female figures – the prostitute, sexually liberated women, feminists, career women, lesbians and bad mothers – whose narcissism variously illustrates the catastrophic impact of the decline of the patriarchy on the male psyche and wider society."

These claims and ideas just made my blood boil as I read. This insight to the history of narcissism was very eye-opening for me, and I like that Tyler presents these ideas and chunks of evidence to show how narcissism took height in American culture, no matter how much I disagreed with some of them. I also enjoy her little tidbit on how without narcissism, nothing would be how it is today. All the technological, social, and economical advances in our society has been brought here through narcissism and people wanting to better themselves.
     All in all, after reading this article, I agree that there is a happy medium where Narcissism can lie in both being good and bad for this generation and for society in general.