Bored..

Since it's raining here in San Diego and I'm bored in the trailer, I thought it would be the perfect time to catch up on my posts.

Reporters and Rhetoric
In one of this week's essay, Geoffrey Cowan wrote about news reporters and their use of words. He thinks that words used in the news often influence not only the general public but also political leaders. He explains how NBC did so in November of 2006 when they called the war in Iraq a "civil war". He also believes that, "Indeed, there are times when good journalists need to be as concerned with the accuracy of their language as they are with the accuracy of their facts"(161).

I not only actually understood this essay, but also agreed with it. I think that often times journalists write with such emotional words that they don't think that they can influence the general public and sometimes political leaders. But I have a feeling that sometimes they write with these words to be of influence. Just as some people will do anything to persuade one to be on their side, I often think that reporters and journalists do the same.

Welcome to the Infotainment Freak Show

In this day and age, would a news channel report a Britney Spears meltdown before a story of importance, like U.S. troops being killed overseas ? Well of course not, our troops are more important right ? Wrong. In What Orwell Didn't Know, an essay by Martin Kaplan wrote of how this kind of new coverage is more popular and demanded than actual, factual news. "Welcome to the Infotainment Freak Show" is clearly about how the media is much more fascinated and concerned about reporting the "news" concerning celebrities so that their ratings are high. He talks about how many media outlets are making sure they are the first to discover breaking news even if it isn't the truth.

After reading this essay, I couldn't agree more. I remember the time when Britney Spears locked herself in he restroom with her son and how every news station was there to report it and that was all that filled my screen. All news was stopped just for this crazay lady who lip syncs for a living. I could care less what that woman does in her life, it should be private. I would rather see real news about my state, city, and community so I am aware of what's going on.

Politics and the English Language.

George Orwell wrote this famed essay to explain how horrible the English language has gotten and what we need to do to stop it. He gives alot of examples of what he considered really bad English. Most of the examples showed an author using big words and too long of sentencdes to express a simple idea. In the end he gave 6 simples rules to consider while writing so that we do not continue the cycle of bad English writing. Those six simple steps were:

1. Never use a metaphor, simile, or other figure of speech which you are used to seeing in print.
2. Never us a long word where a short one will do.
3. If it is possible to cut a word out, always cut it out.
4. Never use the passive where you can use the active.
5. Never use a foreign phrase, a scientific word, or a jargon word if you can think of an everyday English equivalent.
6.Break any of these rules sooner than say anything outright barbarous.

While I was reading this essay at home I was really overwhelmed with Orwell's own use of the English language. To me it felt like he was breaking his own rule and could have used a lot more simple, shorter words to express his thoughts. I know when we write we must go into further detail so our reader can understand where we are coming from but with Orwell I was just lost. I think he could have just simply stated his six rules with simple explanations from the get go.

"I'm coming home again.."

For high school students, the homecoming football game and dance that accompanies it is supposed to be one of the best times of the year. Although that wasn't the case for one Southern California teen Friday night. While I was watching Channel 11 Fox News last night, the story of a sixteen year old high school student being shot at her homecoming game appeared on screen. Melody Ross was the honor student at Wilson High School in Long Beach, California who was gunned down after the school's homecoming game. Ross was one of the innocent bystanders who was hit by a stray bullet and later died at the hospital. Motives for the shooting are unclear and police are still searching for suspects.

As a teen in Southern California I am not only saddened by this story but even more worried when I go out anywhere. It is horrible to know that now and days teens cannot just simply enjoy a football game without being worried about the chance of dangerous altercations. I am angered that whoever committed this crime would do so in such a public place where innocent people were harmed. I am also concerned that the suspects are still on the loose and that security wasn't as secure as they should have been. Security was supposedly beefed up since the school was playing their archrival yet they couldn't track down suspects. I am hoping that these crimes will come to an end and that Southern California can be known for something other than the crimes that give a bad name to the rest of the country.

Rest In Peace... Melody Ross