Disney

I am going to begin by saying this was a very difficult read. It was interesting to see the portrayal of disney in this light, but it also makes for a very controversial piece. I think one of the main points that the author is trying to portray encompasses the idea that even seemingly harmless aspects of our world can be evil. Its harsh and is usually met with much rebuttal, but I applaud the author for essentially breaking apart Disney and its movies. My personal experience with the disney classics is just like most others' in this class. This excerpt takes somewhat of a harsh tug on our childhood but it is interesting to say the least. The word choice that the author uses to describe disney allows for a whole different perspective. The author claims Disney is a machine and almost personifies Disney as a human who makes mistakes.

Response to Giroux's "Children's Culture and Disney's Animated Films"

I absolutely hated this reading. Of course, growing up in the 90s, I, too, was a beloved fan if Disney movies- animated ones in particular. I have heard some of the theories mentioned in this chapter from Giroux’s The Mouse That Roared before, but have never considered any of them to be true. I do not believe that the Disney writers and producers intentionally created the stereotypes that Giroux scrutinized so harshly and even further, I feel like theories such as these could be made about many other children’s films or shows that are not affiliated with Disney when looking at them the way that he did. The characters created on the Disney films that were mentioned were created with their time-period and location in mind; for example, Mulan, Pocahontas, Aladdin, Hercules, etc. Also, Giroux focus largely on the films in which the main character was a woman (The Little Mermaid, Pocahontas, Beauty and the Beast, etc…) saying that these women were “ultimately subordinate to males”. He neglects to realize that these women were all portrayed as strong, ambitious women who, yes, fell in love in the end, but how is that a bad thing? They found love because of their strength and determination and there is nothing wrong with that. What these movies actually show is that there is always hope for a better, happier future and to never let those who put you down stand in the way of your dreams.

One of the worst examples that I found in Giroux’s reading was on page 580 regarding Ariel from The Little Mermaid. He begins by calling her “a slightly anorexic Barbie doll”- Ariel lives under the sea and probably eats seaweed so, yeah, of course she’s skinny. And she does eat in the movie so I don’t believe that Disney is trying to influence children to develop eating disorders. Of course she is subordinate to a male because the main male figure in the movie is her father who is also a KING. She is not portrayed as being subordinate to Prince Eric; in fact, he is a gentleman to her and helps her throughout the movie as she learns the ways of the ‘land’. Giroux also talks about how Eric kisses Ariel before she gains back her voice as if it is a ungentlemanly action, but disregards the fact that he did not just randomly kiss her, he waited until he had been around her for a while and had gotten to know her and the way that she acted. How would that be any different if Ariel was permanently deaf?

The second example that I thought was completely ridiculous was on page 582 when Giroux criticized Mulan for being a cross dresser. She dressed as a male warrior in an attempt to save her father’s life. In those times, a woman would never have been allowed to fight but the men that were drafted were required to. Her father was much too old and weak to fight, so she went in on her own instead to save him.

Personally, I find Giroux’s claims completely foolish. I couldn’t stand reading it, but I found myself locked into it wondering what ridiculous thing he would say next. I just feel like he tore every piece of these movies apart when they were never intended to be seen in a negative light.

Disney Movies

Like most other kids of the '90s I grew up watching Disney movies. They were magical and spectacular to watch, but I never noticed any of the underlying themes Giroux talks about. It seems like the themes of racism and sexism are things one does not really notice in Disney movies until someone points it out, and once that happens you can not help but notice. While I do not think the Disney creators intentionally made racist and sexist films, I have to say there is no denying the fact that some of the films are a bit racist and sexist. I also do not believe that watching Disney movies corrupts children. We all grew up watching these movies and we are not more inclined to racism and sexism than those that did not. The examples from Aladdin are the most obvious examples of racism in Disney movies. The theme song lyrics are a bit ridiculous and making the bad guy look like the typical Arab does sort of cast Arabs in a bad light. I think that a lot of the messages are more for adults to pick up on. No 6 year old is going to watch the Little Mermaid and realize that Ariel gave up everything for a man, and realize that that is both unrealistic and wrong. It is up to the parents to watch these movies, realize the underlying themes and make sure to show alternatives of those views to their children.

Mr. Walt Disney

To me, one of the greatest men that has ever lived. There are few better examples of living the American dream than of Walt turning a Florida swampland into a multi-billion dollar company that owns Theme Parks, Radios stations, and even multiple tv channels. Giroux's main arguments are petty and an one of the multiple attempts to tear down the powerful and dominant legacy that Walt has left behind. In one of Giroux's points he asserts how racist the movies he made are because antagonists in the story will typically have an accent or be foreign in one way or another. Keeping in mind that almost all of Disney's work is aimed at children, it is absurd to think that consciously or subconsciously children are led to believe that foreigners are the bad guys or have evil intentions. Children are very impressionable at a young age but, they could not possibly have the cognitive abilities to process and understand that because they are not white males that they are automatically evil. I have been to Disneyland seven times in my life and have seen or own just about every Disney movie ever created but do not feel more racist or predisposed to racism as any other average kid my age. Real racism is what we see in some middle east countries in this day and age. Radios that must be permanently kept on, school systems with mandatory curriculum and posters all lining the streets, all condemning the west(especially America). These children are brought up to HATE Americans without any just cause other than the fact we are American. Walt Disney has not created a generation of racists. Hating Jafar just because he is Indian would make me and Walt racist. Children dislike him and other villains in the story because we see the message they are trying to promote. One of either a dark world, world domination, or other negative notions that children identify as bad. Not the villain him or herself.

Disney Article

I had heard from friends about the symbolism occurring within Disney films before, but never researched the actual legisitics and details of what Walt Disney was thinking when creating the animations. It was a real shock factor when Giroux listed explicit examples from some of the most classic Disney films we all know and grew up watching. I feel that since the movies (on the surface) are still lighthearted, fun, and even (in some cases) lesson-teaching, they aren't doing much harm, especially since the younger audiences that tend to watch them the most aren't able to comprehend the racist, sexist, and other harsh metaphors added in his films. The innocent eyes and ears of children (from our own childhood, and kids in present day) aren't being soiled from watching their beloved cartoon movies. Sure, what Walt Disney conspired and placed in the films is highly frowned upon and essentially unethical to do, but these films are still enjoyable to the mind of a child ..and heck, even some bored college students with too much time to kill...

Disney

As a kid, I was a huge fan of Disney movies. Even today, I still enjoy taking a break every now and then by watching a Disney movie. As a child, I never considered any of these movies to be sexist or racist. Giroux says that these movies are racist because the protagonists sound American while the antagonists have some sort of accent. As a child, although I had noticed these accents, they really didn't mean anything to me. I never stopped to think about whether or not these characters were portraying non-Americans as inferior or evil. Giroux says that many Disney movies are sexist because they show men as being dominant over women. He also points out a few inappropriate things in movies or on their cases. Again, things like this did not even cross my mind when I was a child. When it comes down to it, I do believe that some Disney movies have some racist, sexist, and inappropriate parts within them. I also believe, however, that Giroux exaggerates their effects on children. I never noticed any of these things when I watched the movies, and things that I did notice (such as accents or portrayal of male dominance) did not generate much thought. I think that Disney is only trying to antagonize adults while providing entertainment for children. Subtle things thrown into movies are not going to influence children in any way. These things are so subtle that the only way to find them is if you are really concentrating and looking hard for them. Although these things are present, I still believe that Disney's main goal is to provide entertainment for children.

Disney

I have always been a sucker for animated movies, especially ones that are aimed for a younger audience. I don't know what it is, but they are just fun and entertaining to watch, especially Disney. Disney World isn't called "the happiest place on earth" without any reason. My personal favorite Disney movies were Pinocchio, Lion King, Aladdin, and Fox and the Hound. Giroux argues that the Disney corporation has these hidden messages through each movie. Aladdin is racist through the voices of the villains having accents, while Aladdin, Jasmin, and the Genie all have American sounding voices. Other movies are sexist because men play a considerably more dominant role in the movies compared to the women. Also, there are numerous times where the word "sex" can be seen on screen. Do I agree these things are in the Disney movies and these kinds of things are wrong to be in a movie made for kids? Yes I do agree they are there and that they are wrong, but seriously you can only find this stuff if you are looking for it. I have seen Lion King many times and the only time I've seen the word sex is when you slow down the picture. If you do not look for these things, the magic of Disney movies remains to all kids and prior generations. Regardless of what Giroux says about how the films are racist and sexist I will always enjoy them because the clear meanings of the films are what is most important, not the hidden messages.

Disney

Disney movies were something I always looked forward when I was younger and went to the movies. I would just watch the movies and just love the story. It never really crossed my mind, especially as a young kid, that any of the movies I loved and cherished were racist, sexist, or antidemocratic. Nowadays, I knew that Walt Disney was not very fond of the US government and was racist against many groups of people. I just never thought it took it to that point. Especially that every bad or evil character in a Disney Movie was darker and depicted with a African American or Hispanic voice. It is kind of sad especially since Lion King was my favorite one. I definitely agree with the author about Aladdin. I watch Aladdin not too long ago and wondered why the two protagonists had normal voices and the bad guys had accents. I saw it as kind of racist. Also, the sexism shown throughout the movies is vivid. The Little Mermaid, Aladdin, and Lion King all show men as superior and you can definitely tell that is the way Walt Disney wants it. The one that struck me as the most suprising comment in this article was the anti democratic views shown by the Disney corporation. I never realized it but I can see some of that in the movies but not so much. It is not as prevelant as racism or sexism. The only movies I can remember that did not really show any of these views were Hercules, Mulan and Beauty and the Beast. I could watch those again and still not see anything wrong with them. This article really struck me and I was suprised at many of the issues brought up, and I agree with most of them.

Disney Article

Disney was a huge part of my childhood and still is today. I have been to disney world five times and I love it more and more every time I go. I have pretty much watched all of the disney movies, however I forget a lot of them because the last time I watched them was when I was a child. Since I was very young, I did not catch all of the references that Henry A. Giroux is talking about in his story. However, as I read about the arguments that he makes, I understood what he was trying to say. Most of his arguments make sense, and for a while I thought it was Walt Disney who had a lot to do with what appears in the movies, but after reading the story, I realize that it is just the Disney corporation in general. One of his main arguments is that most of the movies are racist. At first, I had no idea what he was talking about, but after reading more in depth, I began to agree with what he was saying. The theme song to Aladdin is a great example as to how the movie is racist towards Arabs. Being a child, most people will not catch on to the racism slurs that are presented in the movies, but if parents were to watch it with them, they might be very offended. I also agree with his statement about children learning from exposure to popular cultural forms. If children watch these movies enough times, they might fall into the idea of what the movie is trying to show within racism. This will not benefit them in the future, because they will look at certain people in negative ways. Another point that Giroux brings up, is that the movies are sexist as well. I agree with this to an extent, but I also think that when the girl does things for the guy in her life, it is out of love and not because of the males power over the woman. When I watched these movies as a child, I thought of them as love stories or comedic stories. I did not look in between the lines as to what was really happening. When I went to Disney World, I enjoyed every minute of it, and the movies had no influence on the way I felt about the characters or souveneirs that were being sold. All of the points that Giroux brings up are more for the parents to encounter, rather than their children. I also have heard about inappropriate gestures that were in the cover of movies and in the movies themselves. However, as a child I didn't pay attention to those things, because I didn't really know what they meant. As I grew older, I began to look for these inappropriate things, because I found it interesting that Walt Disney would want to do such a thing. It just shows a lot about who Walt Disney was as a person and how the Disney corporation is run. However, no matter how many offensive things that are shown in the movies, they are still one of the largest corporations there is and they benefit from everything that they produce.

Education

Education does not necessarily mean you go to school. Obviously you need a teacher, but that teacher could be yourself. Some of the smartest people in history failed/dropped out of school or didn't even go to school. Organized education has boundaries and to me can only get you so far. You need to be educated outside of the classroom as well. You need to expand your education through books and real life experiences. You can't be as successful if you are only "book smart". Outside of school, there are no limitations. You can learn about anything you want. That is what education should be like. Why go to a class that you're "required" to be in if you have absolutely no interest in. I have learned from last semester that you're only successful if you are actually interested in the subject. Education's biggest problem is that students only learn inside school. Most do not read or try to educate themselves about the outside world and that is the best education you can get.

What does it mean to be educated?

I have always thought that being educated meant going to elementary school, middle school, and high school, and graduating from high school and going on to college getting a college degree. I have also thought that someone who goes through elementary and middle school but maybe drops out of high school is still educated but just not as educated as someone who graduates from high school and goes on to college. But why is that the case? I think that everyone has just been told that that is what it means to be educated but who decided that? I have no idea and after thinking about it I do not necessarily think that there is any criteria to being educated. Or if there is then there is a huge difference between being educated and being intelligent.

What Does It Mean To Be Educated?

The purpose of education has never really crossed my mind or even the thought of what it means to be educated. Now that I think about, I believe that being educated means having a higher sense of learning and you can apply that learning to today's world. Also, being educated means having a sense of how things work and also what is going on in today's world. Society ultimately decides what it means to be educated. Most people will give the example that having an education means going to college and having a graduate degree. Also, it means being able to survive in today's society and being able to find a job that will fufill the purpose of your education. Ultimately, being educated boils down to what you learned throughout your school years. Lastly, our society tells us from day one that education is important because with education, you can lead a successfull life, and being successful is being pinpointed as educated.

What Does it Mean to be Educated?

There is no single correct explanation for what it means to be educated. Personally, I believe that a person should be considered “educated” based upon their success in the primary aspect of their life, whether that be school, work, mothering, etc. For example, an educated person could be someone that has a college degree, but what about someone who joins the military after high school instead of going to college? Does that make them uneducated? Or how about someone who becomes pregnant and drops out of high school, but is an excellent mother? Is someone less educated that receives a college degree from an American university than someone who receives one from a university in Europe? Does schooling always trump personal experience? There are millions of questions similar to those above that we could ask, but any answer that we come up with could be debated. To be educated is more a matter of how well we use what we do know.

What does it mean to be educated?

Education is the level of understanding that someone has of ideas that shape our society. Education comes not only from school and teachers, but also from your parents/guardians and your peers. Your parents and peers can teach you things that schools can't, such as social norms or how to behave in certain situations. Education is one of the most important things that someone could have. Your level of education can determine your future. For example, someone who drops out of high school probably will not go to college and will not get a well-paying job, where as someone who does very well in high school will probably go to a very prestigious college and will get a very well-paying job. Sometimes a person's peers can determine whether or not he/she is educated. Throughout school years, many children label others as being either smart or dumb based on their grades. A lot of the time, college applications can determine whether or not someone is educated. SATs and ACTs give representations of how educated someone is in certain subjects. College applications give universities insight onto how educated a person is and whether or not they are educated enough to attend that specific school.

Education

To be educated means to understand the concepts taught in certain intellectual fields. When someone is well educated, they have the capability to benefit society by applying what they know. Levels of education can vary depending on schooling systems, and the extent of someone's education. Someone who graduates from college is going to be better educated than someone who only graduates from high school. It is important to be educated in order to get a decent job in today's society. I think only yourself can be the judge of whether or not you are truly educated. It is possible to get through schooling without learning as much as others think you have. However, if you know that you obtain and understand the information that was taught to you in school, you know you are well educated.

What It Means To Be Educated

What does it mean to be educated? Who decides what it means? Who should decide?

In my opinion, being educated involves many different things. There is the standard aspect of school, which is the typical vision of education. We start off in grade school, working on memorizing dates and formulas and events that will quickly be replaced with the next year's new information. Senior year, for example, you most likely do not remember the exact lectures you learned about American History and the Revolutionary War in fourth grade. If someone brings up a name or an even, you may have a vague memory and a general notion of who they are and what happened. But in general, you won't remember everything. So education in this sense, while it helps us prepare for newer, harder, and more "intellectual" subjects, sort of seems to fade with time.
Then there is the "live and learn" aspect. I believe that, while we learn many a great and helpful thing from books and lectures, we learn the most from our own personal experiences. These don't have to exclusively fall among travels, relationships, mistakes, and friendships, although these are definitely a major component. They can also fall within the actual school system. Think about it, so far you've spent most of your life in school. That's where you meet people, have your first experiences of all sorts, and learn about all the things in the world you can experience and be educated from. In a sense, the typical "school system" education prepares you for the "live and learn" part of life.
As of now, our elders officially decide what it means to be educated. They structure our school system and decide what we learn, when, and how in depth we go. But they only decide the school aspect. They can't decide the "live and learn" part, because they live their own lives, and you decide your own education in that aspect. Who should decide our education? I think the system works as it is. We follow the structure of the school system and use that to decide what we do and do not want to learn on our own. There will always be disagreement between the generations of what works, because the younger generation wants to decide for themselves while the older generation knows what works. In reality though, it is a healthy balance between the two. The older generation supports our education until we ourselves can make our own educated decisions.

What does it mean to be educated?

To me, education is a very valuable thing to have. To be educated shows many qualities about you as a person. A lot of students are educated in different ways based on what their high schools have taught them. My high school was pretty good at educating students in the classes they taught, and I would consider myself pretty educated. Having an education can get you very far in life, and in this time period, education may be the only thing that can help you succeed in your future. Being educated determines what college you attend and the type of job you obtain. A more educated person might get a better job than someone who is less educated just based on the fact that they know more information and have better qualifications. Education is something that students grow up with from the time they start school. However, some students might get a better education then others because of the school they go to or the environment they are brought up in. I think education can be taught by many people in a students life. It can either be by a school, university, the students parents, or even outside sources. Education comes in many forms and presented in different ways. I also think it has to do with what a student wants to learn and how much they want to be educated. If a student is willing to put the time in to go to school and be willing to learn, then they will become educated. Education is the basis for most accomplishments in life and based on how well someone is educated, shows how far they will succeed in life.

what does it mean to be educated?

I have never thought what it means to be educated. Our public school system says that if you pass a few standardized tests it means that you are educated. However I know a lot of people in amazing colleges who still can't spell correctly and have no common sense at all. Education is also relative. One society will value knowledge on a topic that another one might not. Earning a graduate degree is a way to tell the world that a person has been educated. In my opinion being educated is the ability to be motivated to learn new things and take that interest outside of school and try to be the best person you can be.

What does it mean to be educated?

Going through grade school isn't just about all of the tests, homework, projects, SOL's, due dates, blah blah blah. There's something much more to being a part of an educated community and having those experiences while growing up. I don't agree with those teachers that dish out busy work and stupid time-consuming projects. In my opinion, a real education includes the subjects' connection to real-life situations and using "hands-on" learning, all while keeping the students interested. In a typical American high school, actually learning isn't always at the top of a teenage student's list of priorities. They have to balance their extracurriculars, social life, and life at home. And if the schoolwork is boring or seems to be pointless, then the student has lost all interest in learning all together. On the other hand, in many inner-city schools, kids are literally giving up everything they have to be properly educated. They want it more than anything else. Why is their mentality so different from the average suburban teen?

Education

Education is and important aspect that gives people so many opportunities for their future. With an education one is able to reach their goals and have a successful career. I do not think that any particular person should decide who should or should not get educated and what it means. Everyone should have an equal opportunity to education, which is not always the case. A lot of people may argue that the United States is a place of equal opportunity when it comes to education but it is not actually true. There are many places such as inner city schools who do not have the best of teachers and therefore those student will not get the same education as students who go to school in a rich suburban area. The idea of equal opportunity does not exist.

What does it mean to be Educated?

The phrase, to be educated, is a human constructed concept that is manufactured to the technological advancements of the current time. Education is a variable. It is never constant. As one ages, their education (in parts) becomes somewhat obsolete. Technology drives this concept. Without the renovation of one's old information with the new, how can one continue to be truly educated? This is where the concept becomes controversial. Education standards vary throughout the nation and aren't uniform. This distorts what it means 'to be educated' in our country. For me, the road to becoming educated begins with how you were raised. Parents are the first teachers. They instill many of the vital lessons that help us grow. It is off this block that many students falter early on. If this part of education is not adequate then how can a student succeed? I also believe being educated means that you have an understanding of the world around you. It is more than just being able to read and write. It requires knowledge in various different fields and also in current events.

As you can see, education is complicated and I believe there are many views that can be taken on this subject.

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Standards of Learning. Standard Aptitude Tests. Scantrons. Kids of the future, including our generation, are manufactured to be test takers. These tests and quizzes are supposed to keep students on track and make sure teachers follow lesson plans. Unfortunately, I think the excessive planning, specific instruction, and many other barriers placed on youth today in order to make sure we “keep up with other countries” is being counterproductive. How is true genius supposed to be discovered, inspired, and encouraged when all the education systems seem to care about is how well you can bubble in on a sheet.

The technologies in our era are rapidly progressing and allowing us to read, work, and act quicker than ever before. Kids have access to iPods, Kindles, and even cell phones that are nearly as fast as computers today. Education systems need to find a way to embrace the current technology and adapt it to learning plans today. Conventional teaching methods such as whiteboards and blackboards are a thing of the past, yet are still seen in nearly every classroom. Children are no entertained by words on a chalkboard when they could or do have handheld devices that are in full color, teach lessons quicker, and are interactive. The one on one interaction with children using the devices is much more rewarding and effective than sitting in a class with 25 other kids trying to grasp a single concept on that board that can take hours to cover.

What does it mean to be educated?

Education is more than just passing tests in high school and college. I think education means learning and applying the information that you have learned. In high school, education was measured by standardized tests. However, I do not think that this is a true measure of education because many teachers taught students only what they needed to know to pass the tests. I think there are many different definitions of education. For many states across the country, education means being able to pass a standardized test. However, many employers want people who have completed high school as well as college. The employers base education on where you went to college and the degree that you earned.

Education means to have knowledge about a wide array of topics, especially ones important to your career. For college students our job is learning and gaining an education for our future. In high school everyone sort of learns just general knowledge that someone somewhere decided it was important for everyone to know. We all learn the same things in high school and the same is for gen eds. in college. We learn general information and start to figure out what exactly we want to do with our lives. After that we start to get a more practical and personalized education. Society as a whole decides what it means to be educated. It dictates what is taught in schools, what employers want in workers, and what people consider education. Education is a complicated thing. There is more than one way to be educated, but in America we seem to only deem a formal education in the classroom as worthy of the education title.

What does it mean to be educated?

To be educated means that one is a well rounded person. History, english, science, math, art, music and life lessons have been taught and understood. The government should provide broad outlines for schools and districts, but leave the teaching to the teachers. They know what is best for their students. The teachers know their childrens limitations and expectations. Lessons should be tailored for each individual class. The teachers can't teach because they are worried about providing students with facts to memorize so that they can pass placement tests. The "No Child Left Behind Act" leaves no children. They are viewed as bodies that must consume the information that they are told to learn by the government. If children are left to explore subjects for longer periods of time, the information would stick better. It's difficult to comprehend the lessons being thrown at you when you are constantly being introduced with new ones. I believe that all students should be required to learn eight main subjects. History is crucial because in order to predict the future, one must study what happened before. It is also important to understand ones culture and to respect others. Foreign languages should be taught at the earliest possible age. After a certain point, it is almost impossible to learn and use fluently. Knowing how to speak multiple languages is a helpful and valued trait. English is the most basic subject and is needed to build the others. Sciences and math are two of the most important concepts that students need to grasp. They may be considered some of the hardest, but in order to be successful people, one must succeed in these subjects. Art and music should not be optional like they are in many schools. They should be required because they allow students to explore different cultures and the other side of their brain.

Question 1

Thick and Thin. Conceptual devices that are used to convey a message of how complex a meaning may be. A situation may be viewed as thin when it is described as good, or with another simple adjective. This is a bare bones type of response that is universal in its meaning. Many cultures see this adjective (good) in a positive manner. Thin devices tend to be consistent throughout many societies and cultures. Starting with thin topics to fully understand thick ones may be a good approach. Thick on the other hand is described in more complex terminology. In order to fully depict a situation, one must fully understand it. Without understanding, there is confusion. Descriptive adjectives such as strength, depict that there is more vivid detail in the situation we are talking about. Appiah interestingly brings morality into play and describes morality as thick. Usually one would start at a thin concept and move to a thicker one as it is understood. But, Appiah says that this is not the case with morality. Morality is already complex. It requires a thick understanding. He implies that one should pick apart thin concepts in morality that relate to the thick concepts. This would help one understand. Interestingly enough, morality is 'extra thick.' It changes within each society. This causes confusion, and hinders the breakdown into thinner concepts. This in turn causes a lack of understanding. Morality is the same as say respect. Different societies and cultures view respect in different ways. In the United States, we may label someone as Mr Doe to show respect. In Japan however, one should bow before speaking, especially in business deals. This complex idea of respect becomes harder to understand the more you branch out from your own understanding.

Question 1

Thin is very broad, generic, and more widely accepted term. Thick goes into more detail and explains the significance of what is going on. When you say terms like "good" or "bad" you are being thin about an action. Morality starts off thick, however, to find points of agreement, concepts begin to become thin. Thick and thin is found in all cultures. There are just different definitions of the terms throughout different nations

Appiah often used the words thick and thin to describe words applied to morality. Thin words are words that are universal across many nationalities and cultures, such as "good" and "bad". Thin words describe something, but do not really hold too much depth and meaning. Thick words, however, add much more meaning to a description. These words are more special and specific to certain cultures and their histories and traditions. As examples, Appiah used "courageous" and "rudeness". These apply more to particular social contexts, and you have to think of the act you are describing. Thick words are exactly as they imply, they are thick with meaning and background and thought.

Question 3

I enjoyed reading about the long list of taboos in the article. Mainly because it put some perspective on the culture. I was a little confused by some of the norms like not touching a menstruating women, even to touch her hand. I realized that I had a very ethnocentric point of view and should try and see the tradition behind it. I enjoyed learning about the different cultures though and think it's very interesting that a child's uncle is in charge of its well-being since that would be very unusual in America.

Appiah uses a list of taboos to show that all humans find something disgusting because it has been an evolutionary force throughout history. Even when normal chocolate is "shaped like dog feces" we will not eat it. In addition, people find different things disgusting because of their culture. I think he describes a variety of disgusting things in order to relate to many different cultures and audiences. This excerpt also shows the power of a culture. Even when eating cats does not cause any danger, many cultures still refuse to take part in the act. I think the purpose of the passage is to show that all cultures are different but not deficient.

Question 1

The term thin is used to describe a word that has a generally accepted meaning, but does not go into great detail. Thick is a term used to describe a word that goes into great deal explaining something. For example, think of a boy giving up half of his lunch to a friend who forgot his. If one were to describe this using thin language, he/she would say that the boy did a "good" thing. The message that is being conveyed is clear, but vague. To reword this statement using thick language, one would say the boy did a "kind" thing. The word "kind" is much more descriptive and gives a better picture of what is trying to be said. It shows that the boy did something to help someone else without any obligation to do so. Thin concepts are very universal and widely accepted whereas thick concepts are more society-based. Most disagreements arise from thick concepts due to either conflicting views or an inability to understand one's views.

Question 3

In the terms of contention section of the reading Appiah poses questions to introduce and explain his ideas. His questions are rhetorical, open ended questions with many possible responses and no absolute answer. Answers to Appiahs questions are merely just the opinions of the answerer. The purpose of these questions are to make the reader truely think about his ideas and not just think about his ideas from one side because to understand Appiahs ideas you have to think about the questions from many different sides. It also causes one to question their own previous opinion on a topic. In a narrative of some sort or a persuasive essay of some sort I feel that I could successfully utilize Appiahs rhetorical question strategy. At the same time I feel that if one was to misuse his strategy it could have a greater negative affect on ones paper.

(Christian Brown, Question #2) I believe that the list of “taboos” in Gross Points is essential for the audience to fully understand the point that Appiah is trying to get across, which was basically that there are numbers of different customs that differ from culture to culture. He included them in order for the reader to be able to relate to one of the examples he gave. I found the example about “Americans eat pigs, but not cats” to be one of the more interesting, not only because I’m a vegetarian, but also because I feel that it was one of the more effective examples he listed. This subject as a whole was a real eye-opener, although was familiar with a handful of the examples from taking Cultural Anthropology last semester He hopes to gain acceptance of the fact that different cultures have different ideas and standards. I think that Appiah truly wants the reader to become familiar with the idea that there are different cultural values that must be respected. This chunk of text in particular is important to the whole excerpt because what seems to be “good” in one culture may be the complete opposite in another. And he used the list of examples to emphasize that.

Appiah: Question 3

In "Terms of Contention", Appiah talks about the overlap of values between different cultures. He describes, for example, how some people believe that spanking their children disciplines them while others may not feel the same way, or how the term "sexual immorality" can be interpreted into a variety of different meanings. Appiah brings about these examples by posing questions that cause the reader to really analyze the situations in order to come to a conclusion. The use of such questions is an excellent way to grab readers’ attention and get them involved in a reading. They can be very effective in many types of writings, especially persuasive and informative papers.

The list of taboos in "Gross Points" is used so that the audience can find an example that they "happen not to do". Appiah includes these so that the reader can relate to one of the taboos, but also become acquainted with others one might not be as familiar with. He hopes to gain acceptance of the fact that different cultures have different ideas and standards. "Many Americans eat pigs but won't eat cats" is used to show the reader that eating cats is acceptable and normal in other regions of the world. Depending on where one grew up and which culture one came from shapes the individual and their thoughts. Appiah yearns for the different cultural values to be respected. He mimic's peoples thoughts of foreign ideas in his writing style in "Moral Disagreement". The variety of examples he uses connects to his purpose of spreading acceptance.

Emily Unger

Question 1

Appiah uses the words thick and thin a lot when talking about the concepts of morality. Thin words are words such as good and bad. They are very vague and just gloss over the general meaning behind an action. Thin words do not give one too much detail on the act, plus thin words are much more general than thick words. Thick words have more meaning and depth behind them. They also put a lot more emotion and impact behind an action. For example calling an act brave or courageous paints a much more detailed picture than calling the same act good. The same goes for cruel or evil verses bad. Thick words are debated more on the fact that different people see situations differently. People are more likely to debate if an act was courageous or crazy than they would over whether it was good or bad. People from different communities often agree on thin words used to describe things and debate more on the thick adjectives. People's backgrounds greatly effect how one perceives an event on the thicker level. Thin words are much more universal, while thick words are more community based.

Hi, I'm Christopher Davis and I did question 2. The purpose of the long list of taboos listed is to describe the differences between the cultures of the world. Such as eating cats, the thought of eating a cat, especially when thinking that cats are domestic pets to Americans, disgusts us. Also, the differences of Churches desrcibe such as the priests not eating the "sacred donations" if they have touch people that are polluting. I believe overall that they are listed just to show the different cultures and backgrounds of practice in the world and to show that some should not take us aback. The effect that I believe readers would have to this section is maybe a changed mindset of not to think as other peoples' practices as disgusting. The reader could start accepting those practices as ok and just a way of life in other cultures. This strategy is shown throughout the article because it gives the reader a sense of the other cultures maybe they have never known. It gives the reader a sense of what goes on throughout the world and maybe leads the reader to become a little more accepting of those other cultures.

Question 2

I think the purpose of listing all the taboos is to show that they can lead to disagreements among many people. People can disagree about what they find gross and find normal. Many people have different habits that they portray, and whether one person thinks that habit is gross, is their decision. The effect that Appiah hopes to have on his readers is so they can see what different habits people have in different cultures. Even though something may disgust one person in one culture, another culture may disagree and be disgusted by something else. Everyone is different, and Appiah wants to show the differences between people and their "traditions." As i mentioned above, this strategy connects to the overall purpose because it shows how people can have different taboos or be disgusted by different things. It shows how people disagree about certain things and even though not one person may be right, they all have their different opinions about certain disgusts and why those things disgust them.

My name is Adriana Figueroa, and the community I belong to is the Hispanic community. I have always had great pride in being latina and it is the community in which I have always felt most comfortable. Both of my parents are from Puerto Rico and have passed down many of the traditions that they, as they were growing up, have also followed. Everything from the food, to the music, to the dancing, and language are all things that I feel I have in common with the rest of my latino/hispanic community.

I am Emily Unger. I was born and raised Mechanicsville, VA with both of my parents and my older brother. All my friends at school think I live out in the boonies because of the name of my town, but Mechanicsville is just suburban America. I am a nursing major here at JMU, and although trying to get into that major is very stressful I would not have wanted to go to another school. For my narrative I plan on writing about being a part of my high school track team. Although I did not run for all four years track was a major part of my life and taught me so much. I learned a lot about how people perceive you based on your actions and it really shaped my life and my time spent in high school.

Hi, my name is Kristina Janitschek, but everyone just calls me Stina. I was born in Germany, but I am a dual citizen of Denmark and the States. While that sounds pretty exciting, I just grew up in Woodbridge, Virginia; a calm, but pretty awesome town if I do say so myself. I recently decided to major in Elementary Education (I hope to become a fourth grade teacher--that was my favorite year of school), and I'm planning to double major in Communications. For my narrative I've decided to write about the most influential community in my life. There are many communities to choose from, as I'm sure you all experienced, and choosing to write about this one does not diminish my appreciation for the others. But the community I feel I can write most passionately about is rowing. I've participated in over six sports, and rowing is by far the greatest one; and as corny as it sounds I feel rowing is more of an art than a sport. Being on a crew (rowing) team, is like getting automatic family. Everyone just gets along, and it works out perfectly. I'm looking forward to telling you guys all about how much my four years of rowing shaped me into who I am today, and how much more there is to it than sitting down and moving your arms back and forth (rowing is actually only ten percent arms). As a team, you have to be perfectly in tune with the other members, otherwise you don't move forward. Actually, you can quite literally stand still. Just like my coach always used to say, "You're either syncing or you're sinking".

My name is Connor Massei, and im from Warrenton, VA. I am currently undeclared but am leaning towards a sports management major. I have an older brother that is a sophomore at JMU. When I was 2 my parents divorced, so I have no memories of living with both of them in the same house. I lived with my mom in Arlington, VA until middle school when I moved in with my dad in Warrenton. I have lived primarily with him ever since. In my narrative I plan on writing about how having divorced parents has affected my life.

My name is Alanna Herman and I am a psychology major and Spanish minor. I want to be fluent in Spanish and I would like to study abroad in Spain. I lived in Reading, Pennsylvania for most of my life but my family is currently in the process of moving to Massachusetts. I have one older sister and two miniature dachshunds, Olive and Franklin. Ever since I was in elementary shcool, I have always wanted to play the violin. After ten years of playing, it still remains one of my passions and it has played a large role in my life. In my narrative, I plan to explain the power of music and how it has impacted me.

My name is Christopher Davis and I am a Health Sciences major from Chesapeake, Virginia, which is near Virginia Beach. My lifelong dream has always been to somehow help people in life, whether this would be through medicine, volunteering or even teaching. Physical Therapy became a true dream of mine when I injured my knee my sophomore year. I was doing therapy so much that I began to truly love what they were doing. As hig school went on, I volunteered at therapy facilities and thought maybe I could fulfill my dream of helping people by going into the practice of physical therapy. Also, it could possibly bring me a job with Duke basketball. The community I am choosing to write about is Duke Basketball. Since I was 4 years old I have been following Duke with all my heart. It is a true passion for me and a special community I feel happy to be a part of. In this narrative essay, I want to explain why it's so special to me and why I follow it like a religion.

Community

My name is Christian Erik Coker. My parents are still together and I have a 30 year old sister. She has two little girls of her own. I am a blonde-haired, blue-eyed, half native american male, born and raised in Virginia Beach, VA. Ever since I can remember, the beach has been my backyard. When I was around 6 years old my parents let me ride my bike to the beach by myself. From there I fell into a community that is internationally known and locally respected, the 1st street surfers. I had no idea at the time that I was going to be part of any group. I just wanted to surf and 1st street had the best break. Every day before and after school I would meet my friends at Jr. Market, then we would all ride our bikes to the beach and go surf. To be a part of my community you have to live in the area near it. And if you don't, get the hell out! Most people would call my community unwelcoming and violent, we call it protective of our territory. The way we were brought up was to show respect to those who were older than us or surfed better than us. Also, it was the older generations job to make sure we knew our place in the line up and our responsibility to the beach. I remember once around the age of 13 I threw a piece of trash in the sand. Three older surfers saw me do this, picked me up and stuffed me into a trashcan for what seemed like an hour. Now sometimes we would get picked on like this for their amusement but most of the time the hazing and abuse taught us lessons about respect for the earth and for the community.

My name is Jeremy Mento and I am a Finance major who would like to someday become an investment banker. I have two brothers and I live in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. I am a snowboarder on the Ski and Snowboard Race Team at JMU. I also have other hobbies which include fly fishing, music production, and wake boarding. When I graduate, I hope to live in NYC.

For my community narrative I plan to write about the fly fishing community I belong to. I want to explain the characteristics of fly fishing through my own personal experiences. For the research part of my narrative, I plan on studying the medical and stress relieving effects that fly fishing has on the body.

Blogtastic

My name is Kevin Katz and I am a freshman Sport and Rec Management major here. I come from Centreville, Virginia. I love movies and have over 300 dvd’s in my collection. I love comedies most of all and I am always laughing. I keep active all year long and have played just about every competitive sport including soccer, swimming, baseball, basketball, rugby, football, wrestling, and anything else that sparked my interest. I have three brothers that are ages 23, 21 and 16. The 21 year old Will is a senior here at JMU and a big part of why I chose to come here. I plan on writing about my rugby community for my personal narrative. I was on the team for my four years of high school. The team was a great community because it was compiled of people from five high schools in the surrounding area which created a very diverse, but very successful team.

My name is Jason Staub. I'm from Centreville, Virginia (outside of DC). I'm currently undeclared, but my plan is to work in a recording studio. Music has been a huge part of my life. I am a multi-instrumentalist (I play drums and guitar). For my narrative, I plan on writing either about the musician community or my hometown, which has also had a big impact on who I am today.

My name is Chris Hudgins. I'm a Sport and Recreation Management Major and I am from Norfolk Virginia. I have a younger sister and a dog and I love sports, especially lacrosse. I have played lax all my life so for my narrative I have decided to either write about the lax community or about 757. In case you don't already know 757 is the Southeast region of Virginia also called Hampton Roads. It contains 7 cities which are Norfolk, Virginia Beach, Suffolk, Hampton, Newport News, Portsmouth, and Chesapeake. 757 is a very proud community and very diverse. The lax community is very proud as well and very tight knit.

Community Narrative

My name is Shannon Connolly and I am from Midlothian, VA (outside of Richmond). I am the oldest of four, with one brother in high school and two sisters in elementary school. I have not yet declared a major because I can’t seem to make up my mind about what I would like to try to do with my life, but I’m hoping to have a better idea by the end of this semester. I am on the JMU Varsity Cheerleading team, and while most people have come to know me for that aspect of my life, there is another similar yet considerably different side to me that not many people know about. I have been an Irish dancer since the age of five and have competed and performed around the world. For my narrative, I would primarily like to explain the concept of Irish dancing for those who know nothing about it but I would also like to write about being a part of the Irish dancing community and how it has impacted my life both through the immense involvement that is required of me to compete against dancers in the highest levels and the allegiance that I have come to feel for my Irish heritage.

My name is Erica Wise. I'm from Scotch Plains, New Jersey. I am a marketing major and also want to do something with broadcast journalism. My friends are my life and I love my youth group that I am a part of. I can no longer participate in it since I am too old, but I still stay involved as best I can, and have maintained my friendships that I've made throughout the years. Because I've been a part of my youth group for so long, and have had so many accomplishments while being in it, I consider it my personal community. There are so many things that people don't understand about being part of a youth group, and I intend to share all of those responsibilities and accomplishments in my narrative.

My name is McKenzie O’Connor and I’m a freshman majoring in Communications. Ever since I was a little girl I’ve always wanted to come to JMU. Purple is my favorite color, which led to me choosing this University! I love to sing in the car and shower and love to dance everywhere! I’ve played soccer, basketball, and lacrosse, but prefer dancing. I was one of the captains on my high school’s dance team for two years. My favorite kind of music is anything you can move to. These hobbies relate to almost all teenage girls. It was fairly easy to make friends in my dorm whom shared the same interests as me. For my community narrative, I plan on writing about being a member of Hoffman Hall’s first floor. My dorm is sometimes called the Hoffman Hotel because it was recently redone. The first floor consists of all girls. As you can imagine, it is drama and estrogen filled. I am hoping to research how people interact when they are confined to quarters and studies with their same sex.

Prep Community

I'm Steve Dombrowski and I am from Washington Township, New Jersey. I love sports and music. I also have a 2 year old golden retriever named Riley. For my essay I've decided to share the uniqueness of the Prep Community. St. Augustine Prep is where I went to high school and I plan on sharing how we are different than most high schools. Through sports, academics, and even alumni events the Prep's "Brotherhood" still goes strong.

I came up with a few different ideas to write my narrative on. Some topics include my vegetarian lifestyle, growing up in a smalltown, and being a musician. I'm leaning towards one of the first two for several reasons. With a vegetarian paper, I could explain the "why" factor to my audience (and I have more than just one reason why). With a "smalltown" narrative, I could really show the characteristics of my super-rural hometown and even share some humorous anecdotes on the topic. Either one I feel comfortable writing about.

Blog #1

My name is Kelly Waters. I'm from Flemington, New Jersey. I have two older brothers, a cat, and a dog. I'm a psychology major and hope to be a clinical psychologist one day. I live on a golf course and during high school my team won state championships for New Jersey all four years. Considering a large part of my life has been dedicated to golf, I consider myself part of the golf community. For me, the most interesting part of golf is the unspoken language between players. Simply teeing off first could be considered completely rude. I plan to research the most absurd etiquette rules for a golfer.

Nicole Lee | Letter-writing Community

Here is an example to follow for your first blog post. You do not need to copy my format! Just make sure you do two things:
1. Introduce yourself
2. Share your idea for your community narrative

My name is Nicole Lee and I'm a fourth semester graduate teaching instructor at James Madison University studying Writing, Rhetoric, and Technical Communication. I love JMU and I have a yellow lab puppy named Madison. Since I was an undergraduate student here, I've worked for Orientation, Residence Life, and Summer Conferencing. Some of my hobbies include freelance writing, ballet, yoga, and skydiving. 

For my community narrative, I'm planning to write about being a member of the letter-writing community. One of my best friends lives in Colorado, and we write each other handwritten letters on a weekly basis. Even though we call and email each other, too, I love writing and receiving letters from her. I believe letter writing is a lost art since most long distance communication is conducted through digital technology today. For the research portion of my narrative, I'm planning to look at how email communication differs from sending paper mail through USPS in terms of type and quality of writing.

Welcome to our GWRTC103 Community Blog!

Welcome, bloggers!

We'll talk more about the blog in class, but, briefly, we'll use this space to brainstorm writing topics, share ideas about our readings, and expand upon discussion points that come up in class. You will each gain administrative rights to the compose, revise, and comment throughout the semester.

See you in class!