TED Talk Thesis

The goal of my TED talk is to share my strengths and techniques as a snowboarding instructor who encourages others to be confident and seek out new experiences.  My thesis is, “the experiences I have had as a snowboarding instructor have had a positive effect on my life and allow me to be confident and encourage my students to explore something new and challenging.”  I want to talk about how teaching someone to snowboard can make them feel like they have accomplished something.  It also makes me feel good because I have helped them overcome their fears and insecurities of a new experience.  

I will use narration and talk about my own personal experiences with following the advice I give to students.   Snowboarding takes place in an environment that I love, which helps me to enjoy the process of learning to teach and watch others learn.  I will also talk about how different age groups affect athletic ability and attitudes towards learning something new.  I also think cause and effect would work in my TED talk because snowboard instructing has allowed me to be more open to others, more responsible, and more independent.  It also makes me feel better about myself because I can make a difference in others lives.

"Letter From Birmingham Jail" Double Entry Response

"Human Progress never rolls in on wheels of inevitability." (P.595)

In the “Letter From Birmingham Jail” Martin Luther King, Jr. he addresses it to the white Clergymen of the south.  Martin Luther King, Jr. understands that the southern clergy commands the respect of their church followers, who look to the clergy for guidance and direction.  He realizes how important the support of the white clergy is to the civil rights movement.  

Martin Luther King, Jr. explained how the approach to the civil rights demonstrations are well thought out and timely. In my mind this quote is hinged to understanding the meaning of inevitability.  Inevitability can be defined as the quality of being unavoidable.  For example something that is inevitable would be death, seasons changing, or a broken heart.  These are things that will happen and cannot be stopped.  I believe that in this quote Martin Luther King Jr. is implying that positive change doesn't just eventually happen over time, but change happens when people do something to make it happen.  In order for positive change to happen, it takes many people’s actions to make civil rights a reality.  Civil rights can also be considered as a step toward human progress.  Martin Luther King Jr. is not just talking about a minor change such as changing a speed limit, he is talking about a much bigger change that will impact the lives of many people.  He is calling for the right for all people to be treated with respect and dignity.  He is calling for an end to racial injustice.  Another important idea I found in this writing was that people cannot just wait for change.  This quote makes me think about another quote I’ve heard before,

“If nothing changes, nothing changes”.  These quotes are based on a similar idea that a problem must be recognized, and that positive action needs to take place that works toward a positive outcome. I believe this is what Martin Luther King Jr. was trying to do. He used non-violent protest to bring attention to the problem which forced a change which eventually lead to a positive outcome.

Partner Response to "The Wife-Beater"

"The undershirts also attained popularity at wet T-shirt contests, in which the wet, ribbed tees accentuated contestants breasts".(529)

After reading this quote I think Gayle Smith is implying that women are supporting the stereotype that some people have that woman want to be seen as sexual objects.  The women who choose to participate in wet t-shirt contests are supporting the use of the name wife-beater in reference to the undershirts.  The acceptance of the phrase wife-beater is one of the main points in the writer's argument and she emphasises this point by making a connection between the t-shirt and an activity that is degrading to women.  These women and other society members do not stop to consider the negative stereotype of males that these shirts represent.  The women that participate in wet T-shirt contests, and men who encourage these events further supports the idea that women want to be sexual objects.  These types of contest send the message that women want to have their bodies on display while wearing only a ribbed wife-beater t-shirt and having water thrown on their breasts.   

I agree with Haley’s idea on this quote being ironic, and she makes very good points. She commented on the fact that some women do like the style of this undershirt.  These shirts are becoming more widely used as a fashion accessory.  Haley’s thoughts helped me make an ironic connection of my own.  I see the irony a little bit differently.  I think a lot of women wear the undershirts as a way to cover more of themselves because of a plunging neckline which shows too much cleavage.  These types of shirts seem to fit comfortably under clothing and are often more about modesty than how revealing they can look when women are braless and soaked through with water.  

TED Talk Topics

One of my ideas for my TED talk speech is my hobby of snowboarding. It is one of my favorite things to do. It is also my job, I am a snowboarding instructor at Buena Vista Ski Area.  I would discuss the basics fundamentals of the sport.   It would also be good to talk about safe snowboarding, to prevent injuries. It is a difficult hobby to learn but its extremely fun. I can talk about the increased popularity of the hobby.    

A topic of interest to me is how dogs can have a positive effect on a person’s life.  I was really close to my dog and pretty much grew up with him, and now that he is gone I realize how special he was to me and had a positive effect on me.  Dogs make really good friends and owners can develop a close meaningful relationship with their pet.  Some dogs are used for therapy, or rescue and can make a huge difference or even save a person’s life.

A third topic I think would be good is Tennis, I have been playing tennis ever since I was really young and its been a big part of my life.  I really enjoy the sport.  I thought for this topic I could talk about how it feels being apart of a team, and the relationships that are built along the way.

Another topic I could use is the importance of water in all aspects of life.  I think I could include how most people take it for granted, while others see water as survival.  Its crazy to think how we can get water instantly, but in other places in the world people have to walk miles to get water. This topic is very broad, so I would need to narrow the topic and be more specific.  This topic is thought provoking because it makes the average person reflect what their life would be like without accessible water.

My last topic I have is recycling and how it helps the environment by lessening the amount of waste that goes into landfills, reduces the amount of product or packaging being created.  Recycling is more than just separating trash, it has become an important way of living and it is an attempt to make the planet a better place for everyone.

Fallacies in "Thirty-Eight Who Saw Murder Didn't Call the Police"

 In the story "Thirty-Eight Who Saw Murder Didn't Call the Police", I found several fallacies.

"For more than half an hour thirty-eight respectable, law-abiding citizens in Queens watched a killer stalk and stab a women in three separate attacks in Kew Gardens."  In this quote the author is making assumptions that the thirty-eight citizens who witnessed the murder are all similar in character and behavior. Martin Gansberg uses the fallacy of Hasty or Sweeping Generalization in order to grab the reader's attention in his opening paragraph.  He continues to use this same fallacy with the quote "But the Kew Gardens slaying baffles him -- not because it is a murder, but because the "good people failed to call the police."  In this part of the text, the police officer, as Gansberg did previously, is now the one making the same assumptions that the citizens are all "good" people who should have responded to the terrible crime in a good way.

Gansberg used the fallacy, Appeal to Doubtful Authority in this article when he state, "Assistant Chief Inspector Frederick Lussen, in charge of the borough's detectives and a veteran of twenty-five years of homicide investigations."  This use of  fallacy occurs with the author's attempt to strengthen his argument by implying that Lussen is an expert when discussing this case.  It is true he is highly knowledgeable in the field of homicide investigations, but he is not an expert regarding the dynamics of human behavior in reference to the thirty-eight witnesses. While the investigator's personal opinions are thoughtful, they are still only an opinion.

Non sequitur or It Does Not Follow  is another fallacy found in this text.  "Today witnesses from the neighborhood, which is made up of one-family homes in the $35,000 to $60,000 range with the exception of the two apartment houses near the railroad station, find it difficult to explain why they didn't call the police." The information about the home values and locations does not logically follow the first part of the statement. That information seems off topic and unnecessary.  This fallacy can also be found when he gives the description of the killer.  It makes sense to say that has no previous record, that he is married and has two children, but it is illogical and unnecessary to give his exact home address.

It would be interesting to discuss how the world has changed since 1964, and how people would react to a similar situation 2014.