Obama's Kansas Speech

"These aren't 1% values or 99% values. They're American values." These are strong words from Barack Obama from his speech in Osawatomie, Kansas last week. Obama addressed a lot of hard hitting issues and personally, I agree with most of his strategies to turn the economy around. America needs a business leader, not a government official pointing and clicking to create jobs. We actually need businesses to expand, to create, to develop, and to experiment. Obama talked about this and also talked about the plans of his competitors in the upcoming election. He gave various examples of how theories were tried in the past by other presidents and how the economy reacted. When talking about these reactions, you almost envision the economy as a living thing, and in some ways I guess it is. Obama has always been a great public speaker, but this has become one of my favorite speeches by him just because of the impact and clarity of the delivery. It is well thought out and doesn't beat around the bush on topics Americans care about. It gives straight answers but still keeps your interest with background, examples, quotes, and emotion. He even comes right out and says that he will veto any argument from congress that will prevent the economy's growth in the way he is thinking. He only scrapes the surface of the presidential election, which in a way, is a good thing. People don't want to hear how someone can bash the beliefs of another person; they want to hear your argument, your stand, how it will all come together. Being persuasive can be a good tool at your disposal, but having a reasonable and well thought out idea also brings people around. This is what America needs. Obama addressed that we need better schooling for higher education, fair taxes, and for everyone to do their "fair share." Using the word "fair" also catches an audience's attention. But, I am curious as to what exactly "fair" means to Obama and what needs to be implemented in order for things to be fair for everyone.

"What's Goin On..."

For me not to talk about this would be ignoring a large part of media. "What's Goin On..." is a youtube video created by a fourteen year old gay teen. It is heartfelt and emotional and has grabbed national attention. The boy in the video's name is Jonah, and he holds up flash cards during the video that read that he was bullied for years, a national problem that gained interest after the suicide of Phoebe Prince. Celebrity support of Jonah has grown and now Lady Gaga, Zooey Deschanel, and many others support Jonah and his struggle in school. What makes the video powerful is his facial expressions and tear-filled eyes. Almost everyone has been bullied at one time or another, and watching this video takes you back to a dark place where you may have been in his position. No matter who you are, it somehow hits close to home. The media has covered this story numerous times, and even though the video was put on Youtube in August, it continues to gain steam and an audience. This just goes to show how powerful internet media and social networking are. This video has had millions of views and the message is getting out to everyone.   It is the perfect example of new media and its effect on people and its audience range. It can allow a 4 minute video to be viewed all across the world and for a young boy to tell the world "what's goin on."
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=TdkNn3Ei-Lg

What Is Crossing the Line For Sexual Harassment?

In a recent article, a 9 year old boy from North Carolina was suspended after saying he thought his teacher was cute. His mother was furious that the reason for his suspension was classified as sexual harassment towards a teacher. He did nothing more than say the teacher was cute, and the school took the measures to suspend him for two days. These days, sexual harassment has no clear lines, but honestly I don't think a 9 year old meant any harm by saying it. He did not grab her or make any uncomfortable attempts, so I think the school took the matter too seriously. Yes, maybe a time out or something if the teacher felt uncomfortable would've been okay, but two days of suspension seems a bit lengthy of a sentence for this boy. I found the reporting for this story to be pretty scattered. As more information comes out, they add to it, but it doesn't seem like they are adding useful information. They seem to be repeating a lot of things and only adding one new fact. As some of this new information comes out, more claims as to why the school took that measure have been uncovered. The school claims that the nine year old was saying inappropriate things to classmates and swearing. They said he was being a disruption to the class, but the boy's mother says she was never told about these disruptions and warnings the school gave her son. Whatever the truth may be in this story, I still think a two day suspension was a little much. There are other ways of disciplining but when it is disruptive conduct of a small child, letting him have a two day vacation usually doesn't solve the problem.

Occupy Takes a Turn for the Worse

BBC news reported yesterday that Los Angeles police took apart a two-month-old occupy protest camp. Reports said that police wrestled protesters to the ground if they refused to leave. Police wore riot gear and made 150 arrests in Los Angeles. In Philadelphia, a similar event took place where about 50 arrests were made. So the question is, why now? These camps have been present for two months and now all of a sudden police are taking extensive action to remove them. As it turns out, the camp's eviction deadline was two days ago, and police were taking the notice very seriously when protesters still would not leave their camp. Many protesters did leave willingly, but many returned to rally on a nearby street. Personally, I have become less and less of a supporter of the occupy protests. their message has become hazy as more issues arise, and their protests have become sloppy. It's now unclear what exactly they are fighting for. Even here on campus, occupy UMass persists. Tents are set up in the middle of campus, although no one is actually staying in the camps.They occupy different buildings on campus and march around outside in the middle of the day. Their practices have become more or less an annoyance rather than a statement.They disrupt classes, pester employees who have nothing to do with the problems they are having, and don't actually get their messages across. I would have more faith in their cause if they knew what their cause was. They tackle too many issues at once and expect equal attention to each, but really it just makes it difficult to know what the individual issues are. Also, their protests on campus are sloppy and not very well executed. Twelve people running around the Whitmore Administration building holding signs and screaming doesn't exactly send a professional or serious message.