Liberation vs. Terrorism

I'm taking a class called Intro. to Speech Communication 190.

It's all online material and the lectures to me, are boring. Well, most are. Some students have been engaged in this art of rhetoric material, though every once in a while, I'll hear my professor more clearly in other parts of these lectures than I do in others. I heard him loud and clear just moment ago.

I came across this part in my professors lecture:

What is the nature of the world created by Rhetoric?

Social-Constructivist
Through the use of language, individuals come together & build a community. It is only through language that we can understand one another, it is only through language that we can understand the world, live & affect the world.
Therefore, the world is both a reflection and creation of our use of language.
The language we use, the symbols we use, create the world in our image.

Terministic Screen
Is like a filter that stands between each person and the world that s/he observes. The symbols that we use, create a screen or filter, and that screen changes what we’re able to see out of it. A screen or filter lets in certain things and keeps others out. As screen or filter distorts what we're able to see in the distance and magnifies other things that we can see.

Example: when we were little kids, the symbol "dog" meant just about anything with four legs and fur. We drove by a field and pointed to the cows and said, "dog." We saw a cat and said, "dog." We saw a bear in the zoo and said, "dog." All we could see through our screen, were dogs.

When we got a better screen, we could see the difference.

"A choice of words, is a choice of worlds." - Kenneth Burke

Simply put: When we use one symbol, rather than another, we create a different world.

When we say "Terrorist," we create one world. When we say "Freedom Fighter," we create another world.

When we name a situation, that situation is so devine, it requires certain actions. Those actions are discint to that situation.

Rhetoric allows for people to choose the most appropriate action for each situation.

For instance: We are at war in Iraq. We term that situation a war against terror.
When we used that term, it sets up the rules that we have to live by and we have to play by in this war.

Had we used something else, such as a term we used in the 90s, a Liberation for example when we removed Iraq from Kuwait, all we had to do was take care of moving one person out of another area.

Now we use the term "War against terror," and we have a whole different set of rules we have to deal with.

Rhetoric tells us how we should feel about situations, rhetoric tells us what behaviors are appropriate, rhetoric tells us how to draw comparisions and distinctions.

Rhetoric provides a map of that world and also provides a key for that map.

If you want a definition of rhetoric, I do not have one for you.

Go here: http://www.amazon.com/History-Theory-Rhetoric-James-Herrick/dp/0205566731/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1240778279&sr=1-1

and you'll see the book I've been studying out of for this class.

I thought this was an interesting example he used. Let me know your thoughts!

LINKEDIN [easy access to my page]

I figured I could blog about this on here.

Go ahead and take a peek if you're interested!

http://www.linkedin.com/profile?viewProfile=&key=23667340&locale=en_US&trk=tab_pro

Twitter

All right. For those of you who don't 'get' it, or want to 'get' it, or are on a balance beam and haven't found your focus yet:


http://www.twitip.com/how-to-follow-alot-of-people-on-twitter-and-still-be-engaging-using-tweetdeck/


Thanks to Kelly Olexa from Chicago.

PRSSA members: I'd get in contact with her if I was you before you leave for Chicago in April. I don't know whose interested in what though. Your main focus might be agencies, but as pr people, we do know it's good to keep our horizons open.

Green (but not with envy) and ready to go!

"Believe in Yourself," is a small book --maybe a 3"x 5"-- is a great inspiration to me. And once again, I'm keeping this one short. I'm exhausted.

http://www.peterpauper.com/

"Don't be frustrated by your inexperience -- all green things inevitably grow."

"Sound the note that calls to your soul." - Sanaya Roman

"Be courageous. It's one of the only places left uncrowded."

"If you don't take control of your life, don't complain when others do."

"If at first you don't succeed - try setting more realistic goals."

"Being busy doesn't necessarily mean you are being productive."

"Apologize, don't agonize."

"There are no mistakes, no coincidences. All events are blessings given to us to learn from." - Elisabeth Kubler-Ross

"Falling's part of the game. It's like my dad always says: "No matter how good you are, the ice is still slippery." - Michelle Kwan


I have very little experience in public relations, but I know that once I get going, I'm going to do great things. Mankato, for me, plays a different tune and I'm not so good at playing along with it, especially because my first reaction isn't to call my friends on "Thirsty Thursday" and ask them to go to the bar. I'd rather go skiing, to a movie, a theater show, or to some restaurant downtown Minneapolis that I've never been to.
I do find it difficult to be courageous in this world today, because I feel inferior. But that right there...that word "inferior," isn't an option today or tomorrow especially if I wake up and I'm given the gift of being able to awaken to the sun shining. I don't know exactly what it's like to have somebody take complete control over my life either, however, I know what it's like to be pushed into something I'm not comfortable doing. But soon, I'll have the option to be able to be the interviewee and ask questions. I'm putting myself in the interviewers shoes, for now.
School just...quite simply, isn't my thing. I'm all about entertainment.

I'm currently, busy, being me. Donating plasma twice a week, doing homework, going to class, watching The O.C. (I own all four seasons), hanging out with my friends and finding out what my "dream job" is. I'm not being productive...at all. I'm doing what I need to do, to get to the next step.

It's so, so, so, easy, to point fingers when we make mistakes. But each time I do so, I've got three pointing right back at me, unless I have an actual story.
I'm learning though, in this life. Roughly a quarter of a centry old and I'm finally starting to get this life.

It feels good and so awesome to know what it's like to really start living. Are you truely living?

I believe in myself = key ingredient. How do I know?? Because I know. I am inexperienced, but all green things must inevitably grow.

Job--less . . . Fear--less: the future is my own.

I've been out of a job for longer than I expected.

What I have more time for -and more time than I desire for- is homework. But I haven't been doing homework every waking moment.
I'm using this time to find out what my desires are and finding out what happens when the sun doesn't want to shine and I feel like somewhat running out of time.
Point blank: it's a rollercoaster ride, but I'm not just sitting on my couch waiting for something to just 'fall into my lap.'
Nowadays, I'm taking control over my next destiny and I have the opportunity to take all the time in the world to find out what opportunities are out there. Just read an article by Glamour [http://www.glamour.com/] and take a look at who is on the front cover. I read this and I like it. Gave me another piece of motivation.
Right now, I'm standing up for me, even when everything is seems to be falling apart.

The life I lead isn't stressful, it's uneasy, but I have all the control in the world as to where I want to make my next move.
I know what I want and who I am: I care about people and listen to what they want, I may not always have the words I'm looking for when I need them, and your dang right I stumble, but I am picky about detail and notice the little things and then speak on them. I'm strong-willed, sometimes carefree.

Here's another thought: If the bills are being paid, I can take my vacations and still enjoy my time with family and friends and then have some left over for whatever, that's what I'm looking for. Comfort. Not a huge paycheck. I wouldn't know what to do with $1 million.
I do know what I'd do though if I won the lottery. As I mentioned before, I'm a care-giver. I'd pay off my debt, my families and a few others. I'd also buy my parents their dream retirement home, invest, buy a few cars that I'm interested in and then I'd continue working. And heck yes, I would donate a big portion of it to charity.

If you don't think you quite get who I am by now, then I don't know what you're not getting. Especially if you've kept up with the pieces I'm writing.

40 Days til Easter

I texted my friend the other day regarding what I've been thinking about giving up for 40 Days and then I paused, when she was confused. No, not because I had 'offended' her, but because she had never heard of this before. Even though we both have the same beliefs.

I also talked with one of my roommates about cults when it comes to religion. Very interesting topics came to mind. There were no arguments. We fed off each other and we're very open minded about many topics. You name it, we've talked about it, or someday we will get there if it comes to the table.

Each religion has it's own ideas as to what's 'right' and what they want their people to do to stay true and not 'wander.'

I, for one, don't have a label. I have my beliefs, that's my story, which is still being written and I continue to plan on turning the pages and allowing the blanks to fill when the time is right.

Then again, for some, the next 40 days, in a sense, is like another chance to fix what you've done to break your New Years Resolution.

Why give something up though? This is what Catholics do after all.

Why not add something to your life for the next 40 days and do something good for the next door neighbor, surprise your best friend by picking up the insane tab for dinner, find an hour of you time, send out those 'Thinking Of You' cards, make plans for another vacation just to get away and focus on life. Plan a weekly family get-together dinner or find something fun to do as a family every week. The first quarter of the year is almost gone, already.
Perhaps you've just gotten engaged, or have only been married for 6 months, perhaps your newest relationship is going really well and you want to do something to let them know what's really going on in your head.

The options are endless. Add something good to your life, don't delete, no matter who you are or what you believe.

Today, instead of going for my Diet Coke, I grabbed a Yoplait Original 99 percent fat free Strawberry Cheesecake. It was just as satifying and refreshing as a Diet Coke, but healthier for me.

Tonight, I'm going to get one of my professors off my back -he's virtually yelled at me, which is a first from all the class I've taken at MN State University, Mankato- and turn in a revised assignment that I could have turned in two weeks ago [I have until May 1], but I have 4 other classes to concentrate on. Plus for that specific class, I had studied 15 hours or so for the test and had another assignment to turn in, plus I have another assignment due before next Friday and other homework to get turned in. Oh! And I have another huge huge test coming up at the end of March.
I wish . . . I wish . . . ahhhh, I'll keep that statement to myself.