position paper rough draft

Laura Combs

English 101

Begert

11/19/15

Paper #3: Should the U.S. minimum wage be raised?

In this day and age in America, the economy is changing with a blink of an eye. Certain companies and people have power over others, drastically impacting where and who money goes to. This creates a huge difference in economic status within Americans. With certain people having an advantage over others, “people working at minimum wage jobs, especially that are supporting a family, shouldn’t have to be living a check-to-check life.” With this in mind, the minimum wage in this country should be raised.

“It has been six long years since the minimum wage was changed.” In 2009 it was raised about two dollars to $7.25 nationally but this is still not enough to support a family. Candidate Bernie Sanders is hopeful in aiming to raise the minimum wage to $15 an hour. His valid point is to “protect the least powerful members of our society from predation.” (dailycaller.com)

Wolf, Connor. “It’s Been Six Years Since Feds Raised The Minimum Wage. What Were The Economic Results?” The Daily Caller News Foundation.  The Daily Caller News Foundation, 25, Jul. 2015. Web. 19, Nov. 2015.

http://dailycaller.com/2015/07/25/its-been-six-years-since-feds-raised-the-minimum-wage-what-were-the-economic-results/

Harvey, John. “The real argument for raising minimum wage.” Forbes Leadership. Forbes Leadership, 31, Jul. 2015. Web. 19, Nov. 2015.

http://www.forbes.com/sites/johntharvey/2015/07/31/real-argument-for-raising-minimum-wage/

Delsiver, Drew. “5 Facts about the minimum wage.” Fact Tank. Fact Tank, 23, Jul. 2015. Web. 19, Nov. 2015.

http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2015/07/23/5-facts-about-the-minimum-wage/

Comparing articles with Spriggs

When we compared our articles with Spriggs’ essay we all noticed that they all relate in a clear and explicit position that they stood by the whole time. They all had responses to what other people had said about the subject. Some of the differences were that an essay by Sophia A. McClennon was that she made general assumptions of information and didn’t have much specific evidence to support her statements in attempting to argue her position. There was a “straw man” appeal in one part of her text. In an article by Sean McElwee, he took a position on abolishing the death penalty. He had good examples of both sides but had a strong opinion on abolishing the sentence because he feels it is unjust. He used statistics and facts to help him have a strong position and to help us see how he feels. He used a lot of compares/contrasts to other Countries and how there have been a number of people in prison being proven to be killed by the death sentence but they turn out to be innocent. We noticed that the essays that were most compelling were the ones that effectively utilized other sources of information other than their own opinions, and the ethos of these articles were better established by those who did “their homework”.

In class lab

Reading sources critically:

What arguments does the author make?

He argued that no other race should say the N word at all and that if you are in any kind of group that has an offensive label then you are the only person that can say the offensive label, and if you are outside of the group then it is not your place to say it. 

2.    How persuasive do you find the argument?

There is historical evidence of the argument he expressed, like how the term was used back in the day and how degrading it was and how “white folk” shouldn’t call their friends the N-word loosely. There really isn’t any citations or links, it was just Tim Wise at what it seemed a conference. He was citing that there actually is history how the term was used and it was offensive and how he sees people throw the word around when it shouldn’t be. 

3.    What is the author’s stance?

He does use multiple examples of different types of people, “Black folk”, Redneck and also about him being Jewish, he didn’t only talk about the N word. He did have a particular bias about no one using terms that are derogatory or offensive even if they think it may not be offensive, people of that certain group like being a redneck can call themselves and others that but not people that are not redneck is what he says. He is using only one viewpoint saying that terms calling people a certain name isn’t okay. 

4.    Does the publisher bring a certain stance to the work?

He brought up Jeff Foxworthy and how really all he talks about when he is doing comedy is redneck jokes and it is okay for him to do that because he is from the South and he actually is a redneck and he calls himself one so it is okay, if a different comedian Jerry Seinfeld were to crack jokes publicly then it is not okay. 

5.     Do you recognize ideas you’ve run across in other sources?

 Yes white people cannot say the N word. It should be common sense not to use offensive words like that.

6.    Does this source support or challenge your own position -or does it do both?

This source would support our own positions, we do not say the N word, or any other derogatory words that we know would offend or make others feel bad. 

7.    What can you tell about the intended audience and purpose?

The intended audience would most likely be anyone actually because he does not only talk white people or black people the main purpose is to inform everybody of how to not be racist and to watch what you say, don’t use offensive terms and all people need to be aware that people do get offended by what others say and not to say words about labeling people in an offensive way. 

how things mean

Reading sources critically:

What arguments does the author make?

He argued that no other race should say the N word at all and that if you are in any kind of group that has an offensive label then you are the only person that can say the offensive label, and if you are outside of the group then it is not your place to say it. 

2.    How persuasive do you find the argument?

There is historical evidence of the argument he expressed, like how the term was used back in the day and how degrading it was and how “white folk” shouldn’t call their friends the N-word loosely. There really isn’t any citations or links, it was just Tim Wise at what it seemed a conference. He was citing that there actually is history how the term was used and it was offensive and how he sees people throw the word around when it shouldn’t be. 

3.    What is the author’s stance?

He does use multiple examples of different types of people, “Black folk”, Redneck and also about him being Jewish, he didn’t only talk about the N word. He did have a particular bias about no one using terms that are derogatory or offensive even if they think it may not be offensive, people of that certain group like being a redneck can call themselves and others that but not people that are not redneck is what he says. He is using only one viewpoint saying that terms calling people a certain name isn’t okay. 

4.    Does the publisher bring a certain stance to the work?

He brought up Jeff Foxworthy and how really all he talks about when he is doing comedy is redneck jokes and it is okay for him to do that because he is from the South and he actually is a redneck and he calls himself one so it is okay, if a different comedian Jerry Seinfeld were to crack jokes publicly then it is not okay. 

5.     Do you recognize ideas you’ve run across in other sources?

 Yes white people cannot say the N word. It should be common sense not to use offensive words like that.

6.    Does this source support or challenge your own position -or does it do both?

This source would support our own positions, we do not say the N word, or any other derogatory words that we know would offend or make others feel bad. 

7.    What can you tell about the intended audience and purpose?

The intended audience would most likely be anyone actually because he does not only talk white people or black people the main purpose is to inform everybody of how to not be racist and to watch what you say, don’t use offensive terms and all people need to be aware that people do get offended by what others say and not to say words about labeling people in an offensive way. 

possible topics

• vegetarianism 

• alternative energy

• political viewpoints

• world hunger

• homelessness

• social status

Texting & Driving: It Can Wait

In this public service video, stories about three teenagers' tragedies were brought to attention. This Video was made by AT&T to bring awareness to the harmful and sometimes deadly effects of texting while driving. In this day and age, cell phones are used by almost every one. There have been far too many deaths caused by a simple text message while driving, and AT&T has brought this to attention to the public that this cannot go on. The company AT&T uses emotional, ethical and logical appeals in this video to help raise awareness of this easily harmful action. With immense uses of emotional appeal, this video has tugged on the heartstrings of viewers. The fact that this video in itself is about cases of death brings many to an extremely emotional state. Ethical appeals are brought in by the interviews that they had with friends and family of the lost loved ones. Credibility and important information was given about these young people who died, creating an even more effective appeal to the audience. There are logical appeals in this public service video that were able to create a powerful message to the views; Don't text and drive. With these factual cases of paralyzation and even death, the target to get people to stop texting while driving has skyrocketed. Ads with just a message on a screen can be informative and meaningful, but not nearly as would true horror stories of this dangerous act be. There is absolutely no logic to texting and driving, and that is brought to realization with the outcomes in this video. Thanks to AT&T, this message should tell everyone to put away their phones, and focus on staying safe.

Analyzing Arguments summary

This passage explains that not only are there arguments in everyday life when you may least suspect, but it goes into depth about the meaning behind these arguments. It is explained that the decisions we make daily happen to just as well be arguments, such as choosing an outfit to wear or changing an email to sound more professional. In page 279, it goes on to say "as an author, you should always think hard about where you are coming from in the arguments you make". Just this sentence is very important in the passage and explains the importance of explaining your reasoning behind the statements you make.

Ad Analysis

Laura Combs

English 101

Begert

Nov. 5th, 2015

Ad Analysis

For this paper, I chose to do an analysis on the objectification of women in ads for alcohol. Alcohol has been popular for a long time and has been many people's go-to drink after a long day at work, at a party, or even along with a meal. Specifically, men are known to drink more alcohol than women. According to the National Institute for Alcohol Abuse in 2013, a reported 16.6 million Americans 18 and older have an AUD, (alcohol use disorder.) and 10.8 of those million are Men. This is just a statistic of alcohol abuse, not counting the number of deaths from alcohol of that year. With these studies in mind, some companies selling alcohol have geared their audience toward men, and in the process...have objectified women.  

In these advertisements, you’ll see that they all have a female in them. Two of them, you can’t even see their eyes, but their bodies are what is targeted for these ads. Not only are their bodies being shown off with minimal clothing, but they don’t look happy. These women have little to no expression, being another aspect to seeing these people as objects, not people.

In relation to alcohol, One of these ads shows an overjoyed man wrapped around two ladies’ legs with a drink in each hand. The ladies’ faces aren't even shown, suggesting that they don’t matter. This ad is trying to showcase that with this product, you can get any girl you want. And in this case, girls plural.

With this happy expression on the man’s face, this will apparently get men to buy their product, not even thinking twice about the misogynistic, inappropriate aspect in the first place.

In the second ad, there are two women on either side of a vodka bottle, only focusing on their mouths. Again, there are not one but two women in this advertisement, suggesting that they come a dime a dozen to men. These women are expressionless and look like mannequins, possibly suggesting that with this bottle of vodka, you will receive the “perfect” woman you deserve. With the infamous cherry red lips and flawless complexion, this product is bringing more attention to the ironic statement at the bottom to “Go Natural.”

In the third ad, there are not one, not two, but three women posing for a budweiser advertisement. They are all laying down on a towel appearing to be living perfect and relaxed lives. Although somewhat dated, this picture still speaks a thousand words. These women are the same size, same skin color, and nearly same hair color and texture. This Budweiser ad from the 80’s was released in the summertime, appealing to the satisfaction of an ice cold beer on a hot summer day. And in this satisfaction comes every man’s dream; the perfect woman! With no question, this picture has been photoshopped, showing no flaws. These women have been sexualized to be more appealing to the buyers of this product, including the idea that if women get this product, they may look the same as the women in this picture!

All of these advertisements relate in the visual and verbal content of objectifying women for alcohol. With the fact of alcoholic beverages being loved around the world, companies have used this to their advantage to get men, specifically to buy their products.

Think about your writing

Recently, I have done a lot of writing. One piece that I am proud of is my Essay on "The objectification of women in Alcohol ads", which was about the analyzing three ads and publishing your own thoughts. 

In the generation we are in, people are taking a stand to subjects that haven't been talked about before. Gun control, LGBTQ+, environmental changes. These and more have been brought up in the past decade and really gotten people's attention. With these in mind, I decided to write about the social issue of objectification of women, specifically in alcohol advertisements. I believe I took a stand in this essay, I put my point across, and I made an impact on whoever may read this. The first step to solving a problem is realization of the problem, and with this subject matter, hopefully in years to come, it will be a thing of the past to objectify women, men, or anything of that matter. In this essay I believe I brought to attention that we are not objects, but human beings.  

Yes We Can

In this video, "Yes We Can", it consists of artists, actors, singers, and the president of the United States showing the power of us as a nation. The message in this video is to reinforce positivity and the ability to do anything you set your mind to. With the help of visual aspects such as words on the screen and people of different race and gender, it brings the whole message together that We Can. The argument focused on this video is Barack Obamas running for president, and that with him as the leader of our nation, we can do anything as long as we do it together. As a nation, as a group, and as human beings; Yes We Can.

Positio Papers

Things I've taken a position on in the past few days

• Whether to eat a healthy breakfast or a yummy breakfast
• Going early to class or sleeping in
• Whether to curl or straighten my hair
• Presidential election
• Environmentally concious decisions