Post 13

When considering the discourse community I will be explaining, I want to center my questions and observations around different types of restaurants and power positions within them. I have worked for a few different restaurants, and by this point I've noticed some common traits between all of them, and also some distinct differemces. I've narrowed most of my interview questions down to members of the staff I work for now, but my explanations will involve everywhere I've worked. I'll mention terms like 86 and on the fly, but also lingo that is only in the restaurant I work in. By doing so, I can apply terms from the readings like modes of beloning and enculturation to show examples of interpretation. Not only will I do this with responses from interviews, but from first hand experiences.

The restaurant is a really interesting place to experience multiple modes of discourse, from each employees original dialect, and their shared discourse within the work environment.

My interview questions will be focused on adaption, or how the employee came to find their “role” within the community. I will ask questions like how much previous experience they've had, and how that affected their integration. I will also ask if they had previous relationships with staff members before joining, and if so, did that prove helpful or harmful? I also want to know how long it took them to feel comfortable, or come into a role of respect/leadership. The rest of my work will be from observation between members.

Post 12

Wenger describes three types of new belonging: engagement, imagination, and alignment.

Engagement can be understood as the development of interpersonal skills within the new work environment. Imagination is the act of transcending the reality of the new environment, or trying to view the broader system as a whole. Alignment, finally, is the act of negotiating perspectives amongst members.

For example, engagement could include any interactivity amongst the newcomer and present staff. It could include attending employee training, outlining new goals and projects, or any other activity that forms an interpersonal community. Imagination is great for imagining yourself within the broader scheme of things. What do you do for a living? What does your company do for your community? How does this impact society? This is your way of connecting yourself to the broader picture. Alignment is the coming together of engagement and imagination. Where is the company headed? What is the vision? These three factors are very important for a newcomer to understand in order to define themselves in the new environment.

Within the environment I've chosen, as a server, all newcomers must go through these processes. Initially, the engagement, or training period. Second, the imagination process and how they fit into the bigger picture of the greater whole, or where they stand as a team member within the staffing environment. Finally, with alignment, how they must progress with the goals and changes of the organization. Not only do they have to understand the greater whole of the organization, but their smaller individual role as a worker and their relations with other members.

Post 11

Presenting Monday- exemption reminder!

Post 10

Although Pencils to Pixels is an old text, one that was only able to project over the possible changes technology would make to society, Baron was accurate in assessing that we are on a new learning wave. Communication technology has affected my personal life in many different ways, especially because I wasn't born in the first generation to have it. Cellphones became an absolute while I was in junior high/high school, just as the mac book, kindle fire, ipod touch, iphone, and all other major touchscreen devices became popularized while I was in college. I'll admit owning a few of the aforementioned, but not all. Owning these devices not only saves time, but space. Although I miss a certain degree of nostalgia from buying my books paperback, to transferring them into digital text, I must say it is nice to have everything I need at my fingertips. Our technology is just another aspect of our instant gratification culture, I want it and I want it now, information included. However, I won't say this is necessarily a bad thing. I feel that these devices have affected the way my friends and myself interact, to the way I study, to how I research. Technology is even changing the way we speak, spell, and pay attention...self included.
Aside from spelling, there are so many ways of composing in the technological age with words: texting, emailing, word documents, blogs, social networks, and instant messaging. Oonline images and symbols/emoticons are another way of constructing a message, but without the use of words. There is also the creation of animation, music, and video that can be used to display images and transfer meaning. Often times, written text is used with photographs, symbols, sounds, and videos to make a complete experience. Not only am I responsible for sharing these different forms of meaning, I also gather their meanings from the online use of others and the messages they are trying to convey. We really are no longer limited in our expressions.

post 10

A literacy event is any action involving one or more people, where the interpretation of print plays a role. It is the examination of the relationship between spoken and written language within modern day society. It can be used in a variety of ways, but a situation such as a professor teaching from a PowerPoint or handout would be an example: there is a relationship between what is being spoken and read, and an intermixing of the two.

One of the first examples Heath gives is that of product recognition. Even children who don't quite know how to read, know how to identify a product label. They also notice common advertising themes and mascots.In Trackton, there seems to be little written text for children to read from. Therefore, they often times have to hear stories from the oral tradition and add as they go. The children also invent their own poems and emotional tales, much different from how literature is traditionally taught (written form). Since most of the individuals in this town are not literate, reading to them is common for job training, documents, and church sermons.

Sherman is a really excellent example of a literacy event learner. He teaches himself how to read by using comic books. Although he does not know any of the words, he uses the association of the pictures to understand what is happening and then learns to translate. This relates to Heath's point that children often recognize brand labels, or understand visually first. They can later understand linguistics through association.

The 99% and the Pitfalls of Consumerist Culture

Consumerist trends have become the hot topic of American discussion the past few years. The most prominent name being the Occupy movement. Unless you live free of all media consumption and seldom the public, it is unlikely you're unfamiliar with this form of protest. In order to gain recognition and raise awareness, these advocates have blockaded the inner streets of most major U.S. cities. Unfortunately, most of the attention has been drawn away from the message at hand and been directed, in large part by media coverage, to the police violence against peaceful protesters.

To continue their message off the streets, the 99% have developed a website covering an array of topics, one article in particular named “Is Consumerism Killing Creativity?” became the center of discussion for my media analysis.

The article goes on to conclude that excess stifles creative, whereas shortage can spur it. They claim that many successful entrepreneurs came from shortcomings and developed a creative nature to make a sustainable living. Basically, when you have to make do to get by, you get creative with your limited resources (Glei, 2012).

This picture carries a greater message that provides a persuasive context. The artist isn't just using contrast for visual appeal, but wants the readers to relate it back to the context of the article. Considering the article admonishes the cons of consumerism and emphasizes the pros of minimalism, what is it this picture is implying? It has a context based on website position alone. This is also where you'll identify ethos, or the ethical appeal of the author. This individual author may hold credibility with his audience because of his association with the occupy movement. Considering the large fame the movement now carries, his work has a credibility just by association to the cause and placement on their website. In some contexts, this could make his persuasion more believable from notoriety alone.

From a personal perspective, I think it says we are unconscious consumers living entirely unaware to the brainwashing of our society. I think it means we put our life into the desire and possession of material goods. Our happiness is reliant on our status, not personal experience or enjoyment with others. We define ourselves by what we own and this picture is calling us out.

From a rhetorical point, this picture is trying to persuade us away from consumerist behavior. In a way, it is suggesting you won't come alive until you change this habit. This is where logos and pathos are most easily identifiable. The website is constructed around portraying the “dangers” of mass consumerism, which plays largely on logos, or reasoning. Their intent is to educate and thereby persuade the audience to change their habits with logical reasoning. Pathos, or emotional appeal, however, is used by the removal of the heads from the bodies. This physical removal suggests that we are essentially the walking dead, zombies to the pitfalls of consumerism. Any individual should have some emotional concern if their life is associated with aimlessness and uselessness, as this photo implies.

Exigence begins by identifying a problem, something to be overcome. What is the adversary in this picture? Mass consumerism. But why, what negative impact could it have on society? Based on your ideology, this could result in an assortment of responses. While there is no golden ticker answer, there is a perspective offered from the minimalist stand-point. They stress that technological advancement has surpassed it's warrant and pervaded every aspect of human nature, past what is necessity into a deficit. Humans have become entirely removed from nature. We no longer grow or catch our own food, exert little effort to go from location to location, spend frivolously, and in the end are no happier with our new possessions than we were without them. This has resulted in obesity, shortened attention span, laziness, and depression. There is an obvious need for awakening amongst the general population so they too do not become victims of circumstance. We don't want to become a society of isolated, incompetent human beings incapable of even the most mundane tasks.

The second aspect after addressing exigency, is audience. When viewing a picture of this nature, what can an audience member do with the rhetorical message? Initially, accept or reject it. If the member decides to adopt it, how can they work out the implications? In this case, they would first have to readjust their value perspectives scale from a consumerist set to a spend thrift mindset. This would require a life adjustment, as spending less is substantially more challenging than one would think. You'd have to no longer impulse buy, but put conscience time and effort into your purchases. This isn't a call to completely cut yourself off from buying, but rather to transfer your mind over to a less is more perspective. This means buying really only what you need and truly desire, not just because it's there. This pivotal point in the message will be the make or break point for the vast majority of the audience. In other words, do they buy into it?

Also, which audience is the artist trying to address with this style of picture? Personally, I would say a young, somewhat activist crowd which tends to range from 20-35, during young adult educational and early career phases. The design is similar to what you would see by Mac products or similar modern brands. Most members participating in the Occupy movement are relatively young, though this clearly only relates to the majority, as there are a minority of all age members. Unfortunately, the design is also confined to the “special interests” section of this particular website. It is highly unlikely that those outside of the given reference frame will ever come across the picture.

This is also where constraints would come into play. A limited audience is a constraint. Limited viewers are constraints to a message. Not only are there constraints from underexposure, there are constraints of values, beliefs, and perceptions. First, anyone in protest to the Occupy movement would unlikely be on the site to begin with. If someone in opposition did happen to review the site, what do you think their perception would be of this image? If they happen to support a capitalist system and believe it is the most respectable form of economy, then they would clearly disagree with this message. Some individuals see purchasing as a virtue that keeps businesses going and people employed. Is there anything wrong with that viewpoint? They may also disagree that they are mindless consumers. They may claim to be well aware of their behaviors and see no wrong doing in it. If purchases give a person pleasure and happiness, is that wrong?

Other constraints? Age limitations could be an interference. Some viewers too young may not yet grasp the concepts within consumerism, as well as older generations might not be able to interpret the image. To children, these may just be headless people with no distinct purpose. Misinterpretation is always a possible constraint with personal interpretation.

Overall though, an educated audience on current events, especially one reading the article, could easily transfer the meaning of this image.

References

Glei, Jocelyn K.(2011). 99%: Insights on making ideas happen. Retrieved January 23, 2012, from www.the99percent.com

Carroll, Lauren B. (2010). Backpacks vs. Briefcases: Steps toward Rhetorical Analysis. Retrieved

January 23, 2012, from www.parlorpress.com

Post 8

A literacy sponsor can be looked at as something of a mentor. It is an individual, often times of lofty socioeconomic status, that has the power of influence over an attendee. Often times these indivduals are well-spoken and live a life of moderate publicity. People such as priests, political figures, teachers, and so forth.

Pertaining to Malcolm X, his greatest influence was Elijah Muhammad, an african american religious leader of the Nation of Islam. Muhammad influenced, alongside other factors, toward readings about the black power struggle and the oppression from the white man. His social isolation, caused in part from prison, only allowed him a narrow view of society and the behavior of whites for a prolonged period of time. This in turn influenced his radical behavior in terms of overcoming slavery. His reading of the dictionary, page by page, exposed him to knowledge he otherwise never would have had. From this, he developed a strong interest in the history of brutality caused by the white man.

Malcolm and Muhammad had similar religious upbringing, and Malcolm a life of crime. He was in a vulnerable state to be influenced to change his religion, which is often times common within a prison environment. He was likely from a low income standing and probably felt the need to blame someone, especially white society. This is not to say that he didn't have merit in some of his beliefs. It is not surprising then that the combination of his upbringing alongside prison and the teachings from the Nation of Islam, that his message was a violent one.

Had he been exposed to a wider array of information, he would also know of the humanitarian acts of some whites and their civilizations. Though there is plenty of blood on the hands of the white race, that does not account for the entirety. Very limited, prolonged social exposure and persuasive speakers can immensely shape a person's view of the entire world.