Author: myrtleview

Casual Argument- Myrtle View

The Black Community Lose A Part of Themselves When Black Fashion Becomes Mainstream.

1. Black fashion in the mainstream media causes cultural appropriation.

The best thing about diversity is being surrounded by people and cultures that can be similar and very different from our own. The world is becoming more and more diverse and unfortunately things like cultural appropriation do occur. Cultural appropriation is when a race steals elements from a culture in an opposing race and uses it for financial gain or re-branded ownership. During this era, black women and men are embracing their culture in a most positive way. Black fashion is one of the ways the black community speaks to the world without saying anything and will continue to inspire people. Although, this type of fashion is only acceptable when worn by someone not black. For example, in 2015 Zendaya, a famous celebrity teenager, graced the Oscars with her styled in faux dreads. Zendaya was then criticized for looking like she smelled of weed. Kylie Jenner also wore faux dreads for a Teen Vogue story and was labeled “edgy”, “beautiful”, and “raw.” The more black fashion is exposed in the mainstream the more likely it is that the black community will lose black fashion.
2. Black fashion in the mainstream media causes black people to lose their identity.

Since cultural appropriation effects how black people are first perceived it is hard for the black community to feel lost in what their identity is. A big majority of black culture is black fashion. Black fashion was and is still a major approach used by the black community to fight back against oppression and the conformity of society. The black community has to live with knowing that they exist only because of the 246 years slavery existed. They must also learn that after slavery the black community continued to feel pain because of segregation which lasted about 89 years. Through these years the black community has fought wars and forced laws all to make living a little easier. Black fashion is what makes black people happy as well as surviving subjugation and racism. This explains why black people are so passionate and interested in incidents regarding cultural appropriation towards their culture. Knowing that black people would become just like everyone else is what pushes this group of people forward to stop this from happening. If the barrier between mainstream “trends” and black fashion was to be removed many black youths would grow up confused at how to define their style and wear their style actually originates.
3. Popular white celebrities and black fashion causes cultural appropriation.

These trends in mainstream fashion do not come out of nowhere. Most of the trends in fashion are determined by popular celebrities who are seen by the media.  They are also more likely to set a “trend” if they are white. The Kardashian family is infamous for cultural appropriation since they draw inspiration from black culture and profit from it or rename a fashion in black history. Popular white celebrities wearing black fashion causes cultural appropriation which also causes black people to lose their identity in society. White people wearing black fashion does not cause them to be a victim in the negative side effects of being black.

Visual Rhetoric—MyrtleView

Ad Council – “Restaurant”

:00- :01

The camera is zoomed out so that the viewers can see that the setting is a restaurant filled with people eating and talking among themselves. In the center of the frame we find a couple in a restaurant sitting down. They seem to be the camera’s main focus. The waiter is facing the woman, I assume he is taking her order.

:02- :16

The camera then zooms in on the woman. The woman is firing question after question towards the waiter. Her date seems calm during the interrogation but the waiter does appear to be a little flustered.

:17- :25

The words “we ask questions everywhere we go” appears in the middle of the scene to draw the audience’s attention. During this frame the camera goes to the setting of an examination room and the woman from the restaurant is sitting on the exam table. The woman is very shy and quiet when her doctor asks her is she has any concerns. At the end of this scene the words “except here” are in bold white in the middle of the frame.

:26- :30

The ad ends by directing people viewing this to get questions they should be asking their healthcare provider.

 

Definition Argument—MyrtleView

The more black fashion appears in mainstream the less black, black people become.

When black fashion is pictured we start to imagine black men and women in gold jewelry, wearing Air Jordan’s, and braids. These are just three things that make black people black and it also give representation to the black community. However somewhere along the line the public–mostly white celebrities, started to notice the stylish ideas that were being created. This was not a big problem until they wore it and it was branded as there own to sell and distribute with no acknowledgment of where it really originated.  This lead to widespread cultural appropriation and people believing that they could be accepted into the black community by dressing like black person.

Black fashion has always been a political statement of freedom and fighting against oppression. According to Buzzfeed’s video 100 Years of Black Fashion, ” natural hair, Afros, and African cloth became symbols of African heritage and pride and were further popularized throughout the 1960s.” From the 1960’s and 1970’s black fashion depicted the struggles of the Civil Rights Movement. Members of the Black Panther movement popularized afros and dark sunglasses. In the 1973 the greatest contribution to music was created otherwise known as the birth of hip hop. Hip hop music influenced many teens to sport bright athletic sets and loose fitting clothes. Black icons such as Michael Jackson, Salt and Pepa, and Whitney Houston brought their unapologetic style and grace to the 80’s with flaming red leather jackets and matching outfits for couples. Finally we come to the most inspirational era of black culture The 90’s. During the 90’s black women were going back into their roots and wearing a multitude of  fashionable braids. Janet Jackson, Alicia Keys, and Erykah Badu influenced generations to come that it was okay to be natural and take care of black hair. In today’s era some aspects of black culture are flourishing while others are being taken advantage of completely. According to “Money flowing into the natural hair industry is a blessing and curse for those who built it up” an article on  LA Times written by Makeda Easter, in 2016 2.5 billion dollars was spent on black hair care product by black consumers. While natural hair goes up hair relaxers are taking a 36 percent dive in prices from 2012 to 2017, stated by the article “USA: Relaxer sales fall but Black hair care market is booming, thanks to natural hair movement” from the website Brazil Beauty News. Unfortunately, the more black women wear their hair out the more attention it grabs as with all black fashion.

Black fashion has always been a major factor in how black people and the world view themselves.  The black community has always suffered from the ignorance, oppression, and racism of others who saw them as less. With that being said, black people remember their history through appearances first.  The issue of black fashion becoming more mainstream is that a community of people become muffled and silenced by the others wanting to be like like them but not like them. To be truly black means to experience the hatred the world has for them and wait for the everything that is considered yours to be stolen from underneath your feet. To be truly black is to feel numb every time the news reports of another innocent black victim dead at the hands of the police. Being truly black means to be called “urban”, “hood”, “ghetto”, and “scary”. These attributes may also find there way into other minorities but they can never truly understand the pain and the hardships. The styles the black communities wear are a message all on its own that says to the  world,”I have a history and it will be recognized.”

In no way am I saying that cultures should stick to their own culture since that would be a terrible world. I am saying that if a person doses take from a culture they should definitely refer back to their cultural influence.  Many celebrities have done this in the past and have gotten away with it countless times. Even though the black community show strong disapproval towards the celebrities actions with no apology. Then the media surrounding these famous celebrities increase the exposure of these “trends”. Cultural appropriation happens when a culture, different than the culture a person is in, is worn and is not acknowledge or is demeaning for others outside that community to wear.

  1. https://www.buzzfeed.com/gustavecadet/we-showcased-black-iconic-looks-throughout-history-reminding?utm_term=.mh3PQ2kmew#.ncnvVWqbA3
  2. https://www.highsnobiety.com/2016/03/02/black-panther-party-influence-music-fashion/
  3. http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-natural-hair-industry-20170809-htmlstory.html
  4. http://www.brazilbeautynews.com/usa-relaxer-sales-fall-but-black-haircare-market,2110

 

PTSD Claims- MyrtleView

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“Way up north, and nearly as west as you can go, in Ferry County, Washington, there’s a little town with no stoplights by the name of Republic. There’s an abundance of parks and lakes and campgrounds—though I lose track of how many people warn me not to walk any unknown path for fear of trip wire and booby traps.”

A factual claim since you can prove that there is a town in Washington called Republic with no stoplights. Also an evaluative claim because he believe that there are many parks and hazardous traps outside of the paths.

2. “Yeah,” a county commissioner says, squinting against the afternoon sun, speaking of the high proportion of Vietnam veterans who live here, “they wanted to get away from society. And for the most part, they’ve blended in really well.”

The county commissioner makes an evaluative claim stating that the veterans that moved into town fit in well with the locals.

3. Between 200 and 300 people show up, a big turnout in a county of 7,500 spread over 2,000 square miles. Dressed in a patriotic red shirt and blue jeans, Danna smiles easy but moves pretty slow because she threw her back out  again.

This is an quantitative claim that shows the number of people that come to this event.

4. It may take years for the verdict to come in on whether secondary trauma will be officially acknowledged as its own unique form of hell.

Amoral claim since it suggest the hell is similar to feel secondary trauma.

Summaries—MyrtleView

Men Define Rape

It seems counterintuitive that men be allowed to dictate the rape of women. Author Erika Eichelberger published Men Defining Rape: A History an article that shows the progress of rape throughout the actions and beliefs of men during the different years. Going back to the Babylonian empire, the Code of Hammurabi-the laws of Mesopotamia, believed that if a woman was raped when she was a virgin then her rapist would have to pay her father in property damage. As degrading as that sounds married women were treated much harsher when raped since they were thrown into a river for adultery. Rape was better determined in the late 13th century with consent being prohibited to girls under the age of 12. This is the foundation of statutory rape today.  Skip ahead hundreds of years later and rape is only acknowledged if the women were white since by this time slavery has ended. If a woman was of minority you were disregarded. Finally, in the 21st century men still have not learned their ongoing lesson. In 2011, Republicans advocated to limit funding of abortions for rape victims who did not show signs of resistance. Thankfully this plan did not come into effect, however a new term called legitimate rape is on the rise. Legitimate rape means the woman’s body has the ability to ‘shut down’ or stop the effects of being raped.

Happiness Cannot be Pursued; It Must Ensue

It seems counterintuitive that looking for happiness causes people to be less happy. In 2013, The Atlantic publisher Emily Esfahani Smith wrote There’s More to Life Than Being Happy, an article that discusses the differences of having a meaningful life as opposed to a happy life.

To convey the message, she uses the help of holocaust survivor, psychiatrist and neurologist, Viktor Frankl. Frankl questioned what the meaning of life was if people were living to die in the end. In a concentration camp, Frankl discover the circumstances that need to happen to determine his answer through two of his patients. One man had nothing to live for except his child while the other was supposed to live in a foreign country in the future. This single distinction has made all the difference.  Frankl concluded in his book, Man’s Search for Meaning, that happiness could only be achieved as a result while a meaningful life is determined by how much one has suffered and the greater the responsibility someone takes on.

Researchers have confirmed Frankl’s theory. Studies suggest that people who have a purpose improves their mental and physical health as well as a high life satisfaction. Unfortunately, those who decide to try finding happiness are more likely to be less happy.  Psychologists were also able to analyze the categories meaningful and happy lives fell into. Meaningful lives were filled with people who are considered ‘givers’ while happy lives were ‘takers’. People with happy lives usually had every desire supplied to them and avoided high-stress situations. People with meaningful lives often had responsibility that came with self-sacrifice as well as dealing with a plethora of stress. At the end of the article it is concluded that one should strive for the meaningful life since it is more rewarding long-term.

Are Multi-Vitamins Dangerous?

It seems counterintuitive that multivitamins are unhealthy. In 2012, Mother Jones publisher Kiera Butler wrote Do Multivitamins Really Work an article discussing the effects multivitamins have on a person’s health. Butler let it be known that this billion-dollar market will say any positive health-related claim to make consumers buy their products. In reality, multivitamins are not the cause for good health in Americans. Those multivitamins that are said to protect customers from the risk of disease and illnesses do not.  Nutritionists believe that most of the vitamins and minerals people receive in the United States are through the foods they eat already. Adding multivitamins into a person’s average lifestyle could increase health risks and take away money that could be used for something more worthwhile. As a result of the negative effects of multivitamins senators want these products to be labeled by the FDA. These products should not be used by everyone because everyone does not need to take them. For this reason, the manufacturers of multivitamins are not happy with this new plan and are fighting against getting the FDA-approved labeling.