Author: philly321

Definition Argument-Philly321

What is fear?

P1. Police whose lives are often at risk may fear for their safety even from suspects whose guns are unloaded or who brandish what looks like a weapon. The fact that they were not in mortal danger in no way diminishes their reasonable fear. Are police officer’s wrong to shoot “an unarmed suspect” or are they within their rights to neutralize a suspect whose intention was to harm? On the night of August 9, 2014, police officer Darren Wilson of the Ferguson Police Department was on patrol when he received a call about a robbery and physical dispute between an 18 year old male and a Ferguson Market clerk. A nationwide study conducted in 2013 by USA.com found that the average crime rate in Ferguson, Missouri, is 2,6885.38, which trumps the Missouri crime rate of 1,858.24 and the national average crime rate of 1,669.05. Officer Wilson spotted Michael Brown walking down the street wearing a hoodie, a red hat and yellow socks that matched the offenders description. Michael Brown’s hands were in his pockets, which perhaps gave the illusion (from a police officer’s perspective) that he could be holstering a weapon. The high crime rate alone was enough to justify officer Wilson’s feelings of uneasiness. Officer Wilson had to acknowledge that there was already a physical altercation with the Ferguson Market Clerk, so his defensiveness is valid. When officer Darren Wilson confronted Brown, Brown reached through the window of the police car, disrespecting the barrier that separates Brown from officer Wilson. Darren Wilson pleads that Michael Brown reached for his hosteled weapon forcing him to fire through Brown’s hand, which signifies the heightened severity of the situation. Because Brown’s physical gesture posed a direct threat to the safety of Darren Wilson, officer Wilson got out of his car to pursue Brown and shot him six times. While six shots seems inexcusable, we can relate to his heightened sense of perceived danger. Officer Wilson shot Michael Brown because Brown appeared to have an apparent intent to cause harm. The fact that he may not have a weapon in no way diminishes officer Wilson’s fear for his life. One of the central questions in the case of Michael Brown that was argued is whether officer Darren Wilson’s response to a situation that calls for instantaneous reactions could hold him accountable. The decision made by officer Wilson reflects an officer’s moral instinct to protect the public at any time and place that the peace is threatened.

P2. As we learn from Chris Mooney in “The Science of Why Cops Shoot Young Black Men,” we are not “born with racial prejudices. We may never even have been taught them. Rather, prejudice draws on many of the same tools that help our minds figure out what’s good and what’s bad. In evolutionary terms, it’s efficient to quickly classify a grizzly bear as dangerous. The trouble comes when the brain uses similar processes to form negative views about groups of people.” A study conducted by Lewis Loflin, a former U.S. Army and military officer , in 2012 found that of the total 2,029 arrests made in Ferguson, Missouri, 558 were white/hispanic and 1,471 were black. It is entirely possible that officer Wilson reacted to many cues in addition to the race of Michael Brown. It has been argued that the six shots to Michael Brown’s body was both excessive and unnecessary. Perhaps police officers learn to be suspicious of individuals that the general public do not fear. Officer Wilson could have developed reflexes that we don’t have, causing him to react faster or with more force than we would.

P3. Officer’s lives are often threatened. They have an obligation to respect the rights of suspects. They also have a (sometimes conflicting) right to defend themselves against mortal danger. Under the Law Enforcement Officers’ Bill of Rights, American law enforcement personnel is partially protected from investigation and prosecution arising from conduct during official performance of their duties, and provides them with privileges based on due process additional to those normally provided to other citizens. But police officers are not fully protected. This leaves them vulnerable to due process for a natural instinct. Michael Brown posed a threat to officer Wilson by neglecting to respect the barrier that separates the inside of the car from the outside of the car, while attempting to retrieve officer Wilson’s gun. As we learned from Sunil Dutta, an advocate for police safety and 17-year veteran of the Los Angeles Police Department, in “Column defending cops in Ferguson sparks online fury,” people should  “not challenge law enforcement — save that for lodging a complaint later. Do what the officer tells you to and it will end safely for both of you.” If people simply cooperated with police officers, there would be fewer arrests and less violence as a result. We can relate to officer Wilson’s sense of perceived danger.

P4. A study conducted by Police One showing the reaction time of a police officer when faced with different scenarios. The test subjects were 24 male volunteers recruited from an active-shooter training class at a regional SWAT conference. Each officer, equipped with a Glock training pistol, was to progress through 10 rooms in an abandoned school where an officer was to confront a suspect with a similar pistol at a distance of 10 feet. According to prior instruction, one-fifth of the suspects followed the officer’s order to surrender peacefully, whereas the rest, designated as attackers, were told to try to shoot the officer at any time they chose. Analysis showed that the suspects on average were able to fire in just 0.38 second after initial movement of their gun. Officers fired back in an average of 0.39 second after the suspect’s movement began. The officer and suspect effectively shot at similar times. Why should an officer be held responsible for a natural instinct? These numbers validate police officer’s rights to react in the way they do to certain situations. Officer Wilson shot Michael Brown’s hand out of pure response to the altercation. While the next six shots seems inexcusable, we cannot understand officer Wilson’s perceived sense of danger and excessive reaction to a potential violent situation. Effectively, it is either kill or be killed.

P5. Neil Bruntrager, a lawyer for Officer McMellon, said, “According to State v. Anthony, once a defendant injects self-defense into a case, the prosecution bears the burden of disproving the defense beyond a reasonable doubt.” Self-defense is an extremely difficult burden to carry in a court of law. The fear of imminent danger in law enforcement is a reasonable defense and may outbalance the burden of proof. (Explain why)

P6. Finally, police officers, as a highly scrutinized group, should not be held responsible for a potential threat to their well-being and others around them. The burden we place on police officers, to protect the safety of everyone they encounter, is incompatible with their human instinct to protect themselves from danger. When we scrutinize their actions without considering how often they place themselves in danger on our behalf, we impose an unjust burden on them. The threats they recognize, that we might not, are mitigating circumstances.

Works Cited

“http://www.policeone.com/Officer-Safety/articles/3705348-New-reaction-time-study-addresses-whats-reasonable-in-armed-suspect-encounters/” Police one. 26 May. 2011. 28 Oct. 2016.

“http://www.cnn.com/2014/08/20/us/ferguson-column-police-reaction/” CNN. Josh Levs. 20 Aug 2014. 28 Oct. 2016.

“http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2014/11/science-of-racism-prejudice” Mother Jones. Chris Mooney. 1 Dec. 2014. 28 Oct. 2016.

“https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/volokh-conspiracy/wp/2014/11/26/officer-wilson-had-a-powerful-case-for-self-defense-under-missouri-law/” The Washington Post. Paul Cassell. 26 Nov. 2014. 28 Oct. 2016.

“http://www.usa.com/ferguson-mo-crime-and-crime-rate.htm” USA.com. 1 Jan. 2016. 9 Nov. 2016.

“http://www.sullivan-county.com/racism/crime_missouri.htm” Lewis Loflin. 3 Feb. 2016. 10 Nov. 2016.

White Paper-Philly321

Hypothesis: Police officers do not receive individual attention regarding their mental stability following a life threatening scenario that calls for instantaneous reactions.

Hypothesis 2: Police officer’s choose not receive individual attention regarding their mental stability following a life threatening scenario because they fear for lack of confidentiality or perception of weakness.

It seems counterintuitive that we allow ordinary individuals to enter harmful, chaotic environments that ultimately affect both their physical and mental health in an effort to protect other people.  And to then assume, that after they endure life altering events, that they will either return to their former lives or even maintain a normal, healthy lifestyle without any effect upon themselves or their family members. (Expansion of my premise)

Short Arguments:

  1. “Why Departments Need to Develop Mental Health Programs for Cops“

The Essential Content of the Article: This article examines the idea that in a predominantly male culture that emphasizes toughness and a suck-it-up mentality, officers are forced to withhold their emotions and resort to detrimental methods of coping with their stress, including alcoholism, drug use, risk-taking behaviors, etc.

What it Proves: An officers health, confined by cultural beliefs,  is not being dealt with in a healthy, productive matter.

  • “In a predominantly male culture emphasizing toughness and a shrug-it-off, suck-it-up mentality, officers are forced to keep their feelings to themselves and resort to unhealthy methods of coping, which result in negative outcomes (such as alcohol abuse, risk-taking behaviors, etc.”
  • “Research has shown time and time again that police officer occupational stress is directly related to higher rates of heart disease, divorce, sick days taken, alcohol abuse, and major psychological illnesses such as Acute Stress Disorder, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, Depression, and Anxiety Disorders.”
  • Peers and supervisors should be trained to recognize an officer in distress, especially after an investigation is over.
  • The system of protecting our officers is broken, as it often fails to help officers by a lack of effort to do so.
  • Sure, there are a significant number of peer support programs in use by police departments throughout the USA and internationally, but not everywhere. Some departments still fail to recognize and help officers cope with their mental complications.
  • Just because an officer says that is “fine” doesn’t mean that it is going to stay that way. Perhaps he is lying to begin with.
  • Some officers oppress their true feelings because of the societal construct that men should not express their emotions.
  • The theory that all men should retrain their feelings is ludicrous because it is shown statistically that people who bottle up their problems can be a detriment to themselves or the people around them.
  • It is important to get treatment for officers, as certain problems could develop into more serious mental illnesses.
  1. “PTSD Symptoms in Suburban Police Officers”

The Essential Content of the Article: This article focuses on a study conducted by Cleveland State University that says 63% out of the 100 suburban cops surveyed stated that a critical debriefing period would be beneficial following an extremely stressful event related to duty. This study is dedicated to help officers, almost immediately, following an incident such as a mass shooting.

What it Proves: This survey is extremely useful because it supports my claim that officers are not given the proper care needed to maintain a level of stability in a highly stressful job. There is obviously a major flaw with law enforcement and I intend to expose this flaw by using these statistics.

  • “Many subjects said that they did not have much trust in their Employee Assistance Programs. The attitude seemed to be related to past experience and concern about not being understood by a superior when stress-related behaviors developed.”
  • States should require officers to talk with trained professionals at least once a week. This could be used as a debriefing period and a step away from work.
  • Employee Assistant Programs should consist of retired officers who have dealt with similar problems in their line of duty.
  • It doesn’t take much for an officer to go from a simple situation to a high stakes, life threatening situation.
  • The benefits of helping an officer cope with their line of duty the first few years far outweighs the cost of helping veterans or retired officers down the road.
  • Though many officers never encounter a life threatening situation, psychologists should still be required, as they could still suffer from high levels of stress.

Definition Essay: Life threatening scenario. Before I go into a Police officers health, I need to define life threatening scenarios. What makes a situation dangerous and/or more dangerous than another scenario? Perhaps pulling over a car and walking up to the window is equally as dangerous as approaching an active shootout with a criminal. I want to examine how these unrelated scenarios are similar.

Cause/Effect: I might need to demonstrate by research that when officers experience a highly stressful event, an officer may indulge is bad habits such as excessive alcohol or drug use, while their occupations demands their attention to the next case. This would demonstrate that we need to give individual attention to officers if we ever hope to avoid health disparities among police officers.

Cause/ Effect source: http://www.milestonegroupnj.com/?page_id=348

Rebuttal Arguments:

  1. Only police officers working in poorer neighborhoods or those with higher crime rates experience physical danger on an almost daily basis, which trumps the necessity of health care services for all officers nationwide.
  2. Statistics show that during a career, 95 percent of officers will never have to use deadly physical force.
  3. New advancements in medication, such as Xanax or Valium (taken only as prescribed), help officers cope with many distressing situations, which eliminates the need for public health services or psychiatrists.

Opening Strong:

Alternate first sentence: (Find story)… Officer (find name) is proud to pin the badge of the (find city) Police Department to her dress blues, but since she discharged her service revolver last April, the badge reminds her that she mortally wounded a teenager in the line of duty.

A police officer’s badge symbolizes an oath to serve and protect the people of this country, but for distressed police officer’s, a badge reminds them of an internal struggle caused by a deeply unnerving event in their line of duty. A nationwide study conducted from 2008-2012 by Pamela Kulbarsh, a psychiatric nurse for over 25 years and a member of San Diego’s Psychiatric Emergency Response Team, found that nearly 150,000 officers have experienced symptoms of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, not to mention the officers who, because of the stigma of appearing weak, have yet to come forward with their symptoms. But when officers decide to confront their physiological problems, Kulbarsh found that the men in blue were being deprived of a stable support system to help guide them in the right direction. For years, we have ignored the calls for help from the guardians of our safety who have pledged to protect our nation.

Current State of the Research Paper: I am feeling pretty good about the evidence I have gathered thus far. I think my opinion has solidified by the more research I have done. I anticipate that my eventual outcome will be that officers are naturally prone to stress by the confines of their job, but working with them could help manage their anxieties. I am basing on my paper on the premise that everybody dies, but not everybody lives. Officers should be provided access to more helpful services to help them cope with work, while also letting them live a normal, heathy life. We need to draw the line between work and living life.

The only problem I am really experiencing is the idea that we learned in class about the black and white shoe. I want my conclusion to be something out the ordinary. I do not want to be confined to black and white. I am having trouble thinking outside the box. I hope, with the more research I acquire, that i will be able to draw a more colorful conclusion.

Polio Notes-Philly321

  • Medical treatment facilities should recognize all diseases, even those considered “wiped out.”
  • Due to poor sanitary practices in foreign countries, it does not take much for an epidemic to turn into a pandemic.
  • We need legislation to act upon the remaining 1% of Poliomyelitis in the world. Legislation should entail volunteers and funding to help eradicate this disease.
  • The goal to eradicate Polio is so close, yet so far. Our legislative system seems broken by their inability to provide will power and resources to help eliminate all cases of Polio.
  • The benefits of vaccinating 250 people, in which might cause paralysis, to eradicate Polio far outweighs hundreds or even thousands of potential Polio cases a year. This proposal is quite radical, but should be considered as a viable option as opposed to much more severe consequences.
  • The unpredictability of refugees in today’s society should be sufficient evidence that all diseases should be taken seriously until proven to be eradicated.
  • Legislators should require vaccinations for children in an effort to ensure the safety of themselves and others around them.
  • People need to care more about vaccines. The lack of trust comes from the poor and residents of foreign countries due to a lack of sufficient funding and volunteers.
  • If eliminating Polio in other foreign countries seems nearly impossible, why haven’t we placed laws in effect all around the world to make immunizations mandatory?
  • The system of vaccinating people is broken because the drops have been proven to work, but the lack of effort to expand this vaccine has led to a remaining 1% of Polio cases left in the world.
  • Polio vaccination efforts are common, but the ironic truth is that there are still laws in place to deny immunizations. How do we expect to eradicate Polio if these laws do not reflect our ultimate goal?
  • General reluctance for vaccinations has led to perfect conditions for Polio to return.
  • Vaccines do not cause autism. There is thin evidence to help support their claim that the measles vaccination in fact causes autism. Further research and analysis should be conducted.

Practice Opening

The drastic decrease in Polio cases around the world since the 1970’s has been astronomical, but could also be an indication of a future epidemic. There is still a remaining 1% of Poliomyelitis in the world and the general reluctance for vaccinations has led to the perfect conditions for Polio to return. In simple terms, we need to show that we still care. An increase in funding and volunteers would allow the poor and residents from foreign countries to receive vaccinations, which would help to expedite this process. If we are able to receive enough funding and come to together for a disease that has taken so many innocent lives, we will eradicate this disease and prevent a future epidemic.

Safer Saws-Philly321

1a. In the article “If Table Saws Can Be Safer, Why Aren’t They?,” Chris Arnold wrote,”But as well as the technology works, the major tool companies have failed to put this kind of device on any of their table saws”

1b. It claims that major tool companies have neglected to make table saws safer, which correlates directly to the idea of “failing.”

1c. This claim is pointing its finger in the direction of the saw making industry and blaming them for the lack of safety in this field of work. This claim is pure opinion and objects to the under-use of technology that could help prevent countless numbers of injuries.

 I like that you’ve identified Arnold’s “have failed” as an indication that they are ignoring an ethical obligation. The claim is more than mere opinion. It’s a Proposal Claim, that something SHOULD BE or NEEDS TO BE done.

1d. This claim clearly shows Chris Arnold’s voice and his unhappiness that table saws could be safer, but major tool companies have not done their part to ensure the safety of their consumers. Chris Arnold is making a direct claim that major tool companies should include SawStop as a part of their saws.

2a. In the article “Bosch Tools SawStop Lawsuit,” an unnamed customer states, “a system to provide unheard of safety and respect to the use of an electric saw.”

2b. It claims that electric saw’s require a level of respect for its power and versatility by using a system that has provided “unheard of safety.”

2c. This claim is pure opinion in its argument that stresses the uncommonness and remarkableness of the SawStop. By virtue of the article’s title Bosch Tools SawStop Lawsuit, the idea of “respect” portrays the injuries that come along with these table saws.

2d. This claim, that a saw deserves respect, is probably accurate, at least to the degree that the customer supported it. The customer examines the power of an electric saw that people tend to underestimate when using it. His or voice indicates that the SawStop is the solution to this problem and should be used for respect of something as powerful as a table saw.

This is another proposal, Philly. It claims that users and manufacturers too often fail to respect the danger of a saw. That they SHOULD DO more is a proposal.

3a. Susan Young, who represents Black and Decker, Bosch, Makita and other power tool companies, said,”Many consumers won’t want to pay for the SawStop technology.”

3b. It is claimed that customers will not pay for a large additional fee that would come along with the SawStop.

3c. This claim is opinion based that states that the SawStop and its additional fees will be to expensive for consumers. Being that Susan Young is an employee at a power tool company, her viewpoint reflects her companies lack of support for SawStop and its capabilities.

3d. The claim is narrow minded and comes from the representative of Black and Decker, Bosch and Makita, which reflects the overlying belief of major tool companies that the SawStop is too expensive. This claim has virtually no support in its claim and  has failed to provide the reader with any statistical analysis.

I don’t disagree with anything you’ve said, Philly, but you can’t refute an argument by saying that it hasn’t provided enough evidence. No argument is required to do so; however, it opens itself to easy refutation by anyone who supplies a shred of evidence to the contrary.

4a. A consumer safety advocate from the National Consumers League wrote, “Approximately 40,000 Americans go to hospital emergency rooms every year with injuries sustained while operating table saws.”

4b. It claims that approximately 40,000 American go the hospital emergency rooms every year with injuries sustained while operating table saws.

4c. This claim, that injuries are sustained while operating table saws, is a factual claim that is meant to persuade manufacturers into adapting to a safer, more innovative way for using a saw, such as the SawStop.

4d. This claim, that approximately 40,000 Americans are injured while operating table saws, is certainly true factually. What is unclear is whether these injuries are related to the blade directly or another source of injury such as the wood itself or an electrical malfunction. The vagueness of the phrase “injuries sustained” provides little incite as to what these injuries were or how they could have been avoided.

This is very smart. Statistics can easily be used to mislead. 40,000 trips to the ER do not equal 40,000 injuries that SawStop could prevent.

5a. An unnamed plaintiff from Pro Tool Reviews wrote, “the technology could have prevented his 2007 injury from a Bosch miter saw.”

5b. It claims that an injury sustained in 2007, resulting from a Bosch miter saw, could have been avoided by technology.

5c. This claim is pure opinion in its effort to make table saws safer and prevent future injuries as opposed to his single incident. This unnamed plaintiff uses the existing technology as a backbone to support his argument that his injury could have been avoided.

Not to mention, his injury while using a MITER SAW couldn’t possibly have been prevented by SawStop, which is available only on table saws.

5d. This claim is intended to influence the legislation of SawStop and force major tool companies to make a change in their production. His plea deliberately attacks the saw industry and makes the case that their technology, that has been available for years, could have prevented his injury.

7a. Chairman Inez M. Tenenbaum from the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission wrote, “I called on the table saw industry to address this hazard through the voluntary standards process and work to prevent the needless injuries that occur each and every day.”

7b. It is claimed that Chairman Inez M. Tenenbaum has already addressed the table saw industry about the dangers of a table saw.

7c. This claim shows that the table saw has been a problem in the past. His statement reflects his attempts to diminish table saw injuries in the past, but the word “hazard” shows the the table saw is just as dangerous as it has been in the past.

7d. This claim shows that there must be a change in the table saw industry. The table saw is to much of a “hazard” to Chairman Inez M. Tenenbaum that he felt it was necessary to address the table saw industry again. His claim is reflection of his impatience regarding the manufacturing of table saws.

You’re really good at this, Philly.

9a. Steve Gass, inventor of the SawStop, said, “It’s the right thing to do. And if you don’t do it, you’re going to be liable for the injuries.”

9b. It is claimed that Steve Gass’s invention should not only be acquired by major tool companies to put money in his pocket, but because it is the morally right thing to do.

9c. This claim is pure opinion in its effort to win over manufacturers as well as government officials to buy his product. He could have easily replaced “right” with the word “necessary,” but he chose “right” to reflect the moral standards that major tool companies should be held accountable for.

You’ve identified several Proposal Claims in your analysis, Philly, without knowing what to call them. I don’t fault you for that. You have made clear in every case that the claim-makers wish to impose a moral or ethical burden in making their claims.

9d. This claim is intended to win over manufacturers as well as government officials to buy into the SawStop. The morality used in this claim is effective and makes manufactures look terrible by ignoring the various injuries that occur with table saws.

11a. Carlos Osorio, a flooring installer in Boston, said, “There was blood on my face, my body. It was everywhere.”

11b. It is claimed that Carlos Osorio was in an accident involving blood everywhere.

11c. This claim objects to the safety of a table saw. He chose to use the phrase “it was everywhere” to reflect the harshness of his incident. His claim points directly towards large power tool companies that should have been held accountable for his blood.

11d. This claim is meant to place blame on the hands of the manufacturers. Osorio’s plea is an extreme example of why power companies should add SawStop to their industry. The blood is “everywhere,” including the hands of the table saw industry.

Bravo, Philly. The blood is on the hands of the table saw industry. I’m on my feet applauding.

Visual Rewrite-Philly321

A Glimpse of Happiness

0:01

The opening scene starts off with a middle aged African American man turning the volume louder on his stereo. The man turns the volume up loud and bobs his head. This head motion tells us that he is in tune with the beat. Clearly the volume would not be that loud if the event was serious or romantic. Is the music for his own personal enjoyment or for the enjoyment of others? It could be both. It is hard to imagine that he is raising the volume to impress any male friends because that might even embarrass him to use it for men. The generic all-grey styling of the stereo indicates that this scenario is not party related and reflects more of a casual event. His facial expression shows that he is filled with good, lively energy. His sleeves are rolled up slightly to indicate that he is comfortable and relaxed. Because this is a celebrity endorsement, we see that the man is in great physical condition. They could have used any man for this part, but they chose a man in fantastic shape. This ad could be making a claim that all men should be held to a higher standard in terms of health and muscle mass.

This situation could not be romantic. When we think about romanticism we think about dim lights, candles, table cloths and a button to push that would play seductive music. The stereo looks like he tuning into the radio. This indicates that this music is for his male companions.

The wall does not display any type of woman’s touch. This could be an indication that this man is divorced or lives in a bachelor’s house. In fact, the two paintings shows that he is putting them up to take up space. The wall is a plain color and there are no artifacts or furniture that tell the audience that there is woman in the household.

0:02-0:03

The man is breaking down and putting ice cubes into a bucket. The amount of ice shows that their might be more than one person. This ad could have used a small bucket, but they chose to use a larger, more modern appliance. Perhaps its purpose is meaningless or that it wants to hold the viewer to a higher standard of newer appliances. Ice is for casual events. Perhaps, it could be used to keep the beers cold for the boys. We can make a connection between the radio’s volume, the paintings on the wall and the ice cubes. These are all indications that this event is for men, which could be a number of things like fantasy football, ordering strippers, etc.

0:04-0:05 Here, this man is pouring pretzels into a bowl. Up to this point, the man has not prepared anything fancy or romantic, which suggests this could be for a friend or a child, perhaps both. It is hard to imagine pretzels would be used for a meal or served as an entree. Could it be that the man cannot afford more expensive products? It is entirely possible. Pretzels are not a necessity, but can be used as comfort food when people are talking. The colorfulness of this caption has a friendly nature that may introduce a sense of energy or liveliness. The bowl also gives off an impression that he lives in a house with children. It’s not the type that a grown man would use; it may even embarrass him to use in front of other adults. Also, there is no ring on his finger to show the audience that he is not married.

0:05-0:06

The camera angle shifts further back to get a full view of the refrigerator and a few colorful beverages that the man seems to be placing into it. The cans are colorful and resemble a kid’s drink such as tomato juice.The ad chose to have the man holding four drinks instead of one. What is the purpose? Could they be misleading us into believing that there are more guests?  It is entirely possible that the man has these drinks for personal enjoyment, but it could also be an indication that his potential guests are younger. His facial expression seems a little more flushed with fatigue perhaps to show that setting up for his guests has taken its toll on him. The modernness and size of the fridge could be used to signify that he lives with multiple people or eats a lot, but could also mean both.

The walls and cabinets are plain colors. We are missing a woman’s touch in the house. Similar to the paintings on the wall, there is nothing really decorative about the house. A fridge and cabinets are the basic necessities for a man to sustain himself and have a couple friends over.

0:06-0:08

A caucasian delivery man appears at the door with a box and a separate bag of food. Delivering food is a good because it is quick and easy and requires little effort. Could this be an indication that the man lives alone? It is also entirely possible that the man does not know how to cook. Still, we do not get any indication that there is another male or female in the household that could lend him a hand in cooking. Here, we get a full view of the man. The collared shirt up to this point still raises multiple questions. Is he preparing for a woman? Are the filmmakers being misleading so that we would be surprised by the nature of his guests?

0:09

A green table is carefully placed in the middle of the room. Why green? Green in commercials is interconnected with the idea of health and the balance of emotions. It is entirely possible that this ad uses green to indirectly make a claim that overall health and maintaining a balance in your life is extremely important. While we do not fully understand what is being established here, we can make a claim that, through color psychology, this man is bettering his health. It could also be concluded that a green table could be an indicator for some type of card game. Why a card game? A card game is sort a mindless game that could be used for fun or to occupy time. His hand placement reveals that he wants everything to be perfect and neat. In the background we see paintings on the wall. These paintings are the first indication of a woman’s touch in the home. A bachelor pad certainly would not have fine, complex paintings such as the those provided. The kitchen in the back has marble counter tops and tiles on the walls to give it more of a modern look. The modernness of the kitchen and the various kitchen supplies tells us that multiple people live there. It would be simply ridiculous for one man to own a surplus of kitchen supplies.

0:10

A chair is placed beside the table furthest away from the man. He leaves a small space between the chair and the table. Perhaps someone with a smaller body, like a child, would be able to sit down comfortably. There is wood floorboards underneath the table. The significance of the floorboards could be a statement that little children do not live in the house. If a child were to live in the house, the ground would not look as spotless as it does given that children are messy and somewhat destructive. The drawer in the back seems to be more a woman’s touch. It is hard to believe that a man would take the time out his day to buy a drawer for decoration purposes. However, his efforts to set this whole thing up seems strenuous and exhausting, which shows that he cares deeply for the people coming over.

0:11-0:13

The camera shows three different phases: the stacking of cards, a separation of cards into two piles, and a shuffling of the cards. It could be inferred that this process is preparation for a card game or trick. While the ad does not go out and say it, it certainly implies that the man is preparing for a card game or potentially a card trick. The camera angle is a close up of his hands so that the audience’s attention is drawn to the placements of the cards.

0:14-0:15

The cards are being dispersed into three piles, including one for the man. This gesture assures the audience that there are definitely two guests. The three piles of cards gives us an idea that the game could be gold fish or some child-like game. His hands seem to be tossing the cards without regard for its neatness. This is clearly not an organized event or to be taken seriously. We can see this through the man’s energetic flick of the cards into three different directions. If the cards were distributed slowly, it could indicate that he is dreading this occasion.

0:16-0:17

The camera angle switches to a close up to the gentleman’s face. His facial expression shows that he is trying to be sneaky and mysterious. He hides his face underneath his cards to give off a playful persona. It is quite ridiculous that a grown man has child-like tendencies such as the one provided. We can conclude that his guests are children or close family because it would be hard to believe he would make a face like that with his male friends. The ad could have chosen any facial expression (angry, sad, humiliated) but they chose this face. There are five cards in his hand, which reveals that the game is most likely gold fish or some other fun, kid-like game.

0:18

Here, the camera angle switches to the entirety of the man. The man lowers his cards and looks to his right with a blank face. It could just be from his enormous build, but his arms are spread throughout the entirety of the table. The ad is trying to provide the audience with a sense of comfort. If the man was nervous and uncomfortable it would be evident in his body’s posture. Once again we get a glimpse of the kitchen. The ad chose to use the kitchen because that is generally referred to as the heart of a home for a family. A kitchen is where meals are prepared and families get together to talk about their day. This is a clear indication that his guests are part of his family.

0:19-0:20

Two young boys enter the screen. Is this man their father? Where is the woman of these children? The children are wearing casual clothes. Now that the audience knows his guests were children, we learn that his dress shirt has been deceitful through out the whole video. I believe that this ad has become less persuasive because of his shirt. A casual shirt would have been just as effective and less misleading for the audience. The man lowered his cards to confront his child on the right. Both children have their jaws open in astonishment and shows the playfulness of this scenario. The ad is creating a fun, playful environment perhaps to set a standard for families and encourage parents to spend time with their children. The kitchen is being still shown in the background. This ad is clearly trying to relay the message of family by the importance of a kitchen in a household.

0:21

The man is now visibly happy and content. The children are laughing hysterically, perhaps to indicate that the man lost. The cards have been lowered even further, perhaps to focus the audience’s attention more on the atmosphere rather than the game itself. The ad is depicting laughter and joy to make the audience feel a certain way. The audience could be jealous, happy, or upset depending on their family situation. A correlation between the kitchen and the people in the video is made by the sandwiches and drinks on the table. The ad is trying to influence the audience to eat healthy by providing fruit juice, pretzels, carrots and a white bread sandwich, the perfect mix of nutrients to maintain a healthy diet. This environment symbolizes togetherness and sets a high standard for families to eat healthy and spend time with each other.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O3_f8tEnY-o

Open Strong-Philly321

Officer Darren Wilson was proud to pin the badge of the Ferguson Police Department to his dress blues, but since he discharged his Sig P229 pistol on August 9, 2014, the badge reminds him that he mortally wounded a teenager in the line of duty. A nationwide study conducted from 2008-2012 by Pamela Kulbarsh, a psychiatric nurse for over 25 years and a member of San Diego’s Psychiatric Emergency Response Team, found that nearly 150,000 officers have experienced symptoms of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, not to mention the officers who, because of the stigma of appearing weak, have yet to come forward with their symptoms. But when police officers decide to confront their physiological troubles, Kulbarsh found that the men in blue are being deprived of a stable support system to help guide them in the right direction. For years, we have ignored the calls for help from the guardians of our safety who have pledged to protect our nation.

A05:Proposal+5-Philly321

Blue Lives Matter

For my research paper I will prove that police officers do not receive individual attention regarding their mental stability following a life threatening scenario that calls for instantaneous reactions. A study conducted in 2012 by Pamela Kulbarsh, a psychiatric nurse for over 25 years and a member of San Diego’s Psychiatric Emergency Response Team, found that 150,000 officers have experienced symptoms of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, not to mention the officers who have yet come forward with their symptoms, following a shooting with a criminal. In 2015, 102 law enforcement officers have committed suicide after displaying significant signs of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. As a nation that prides themselves on a strong law enforcement system, America has ignored the calls for help from the people who have set out to protect our nation.

In my research I have found that there were 51 deaths by suicide of law enforcement officers in the last six months of 2015. That would indicate that approximately 102 law enforcement suicides occurred last year. The pressures of law enforcement has led to the development of high blood pressure, insomnia, increased levels of destructive stress hormones, heart problems, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, and suicide. How are they to be brought back to their original self? American’s have grown so dependent on law enforcement that they fail to acknowledge an officer’s signs of distress, which is mind boggling considering we live in a country that is so fixated on improving our overall health. It is inexcusable how many lives have been damaged and/or taken from the lack of support for people who sacrifice their lives on a day-to-day basis to keep us safe.

Sources:

  1. “Why Departments Need to Develop Mental Health Programs for Cops“

The Essential Content of the Article: This article examines the idea that in a predominantly male culture that emphasizes toughness and a suck-it-up mentality, officers are forced to withhold their emotions and resort to detrimental methods of coping with their stress, including alcoholism, drug use, risk-taking behaviors, etc.

What it Proves: An officers health, confined by cultural beliefs,  is not being dealt with in a healthy, productive matter.

  1. “Suicide leading cause of death among police officers”

The Essential Content of the Article:  This article focuses on a study conducted by Badge of Life, a national surveillance of police suicide, that lists the amount law enforcement officers who have committed suicide in 2015 as a result of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. It also highlights the emotional affects that a distraught officer has on his or her family. The overall well-being of the officers and their family are being put into jeopardy by not offering any assistance to help officers cope with their anxiety.

What it Proves: My thesis says that there is nothing being done for law enforcement that examines their mental health following a distressing situation. Since this article focuses entirely on the death toll of police officers, it provides me with a basis for my argument that officers are not getting the type of support they need to be efficient in their line of duty.

  1. “Patterns of PTSD among Police Officers”

The Essential Content of the Article: This journal recognizes that shooting incidents are a rare phenomenon in low violence police work. How do we prepare for something of this magnitude? The article focuses in on 37 police officers of the Amsterdam police force, who were involved in serious shootings incidents in the period between 1977 and 1984.

What it Proves: The article provides me specific, concrete examples that allow me to build off my thesis that, even during the early 1980’s, there was little support given to officers that were traumatized by one single incident.

  1.  “Impact of Stress On Police Officers’ Physical and Mental Health“

The Essential Content of the Article: This article gives statistical analysis of how an officer’s stress level can put them at risk for several health complications, such as high blood pressure or cardiovascular disease. It also shows that suicidal thoughts are three times higher in law enforcement than in other municipal workers.

What it Proves: Health complications and suicidal tendencies among law enforcement officers are becoming more prominent because of high levels of stress.

  1. “PTSD Symptoms in Suburban Police Officers”

The Essential Content of the Article: This article focuses on a study conducted by Cleveland State University that says 63% out of the 100 suburban cops surveyed stated that a critical debriefing period would be beneficial following an extremely stressful event related to duty. This study is dedicated to help officers, almost immediately, following an incident such as a mass shooting.

What it Proves: This survey is extremely useful because it supports my claim that officers are not given the proper care needed to maintain a level of stability in a highly stressful job. There is obviously a major flaw with law enforcement and I intend to expose this flaw by using these statistics.

 

E03: Critical Reading-Philly321

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder

  1. “The house is often as quiet as a morgue. You can hear the cat padding around.”
  • House: The word “house” indicates a wholeness or collectiveness assessed in the argument here. The author wants to show the environmental effects of Caleb’s illness by describing the home.
  • As quiet as a morgue: Perhaps, to make the claim more effective, the author uses a simile to compare the quietness in the house to that of death.
  • The downfall of this claim starts when the cat is introduced because it is irrelevant to the idea presented.
  • The claim would be more effective if the the author had touched more upon the idea of death. The cat fails to paint a picture in the authors head.
  1. “After making sure she’s at least an arm’s length distance away.”
  • A household effect of PTSD
  • Eliminates any type of injury in the bedroom
  • This claim reveals that Brannan’s carefulness is nearly installed into her way of life
  • The distance that the author talks about is not the point at all
  • The “making sure” is a reflection of Brannan’s hesitant and anxious personality that is merely a reflection of Caleb’s PTSD.
  1. “This PTSD picture is worse than some, but much better, Brannan knows, than those that have devolved into drug addiction and rehab stints and relapses.”
  • Brannan infuses her personal opinion
  • Someone who has abused drugs has it bad certainly. But this author has no authority to categorize different levels of PTSD.
  • There is no data to support her point, which leads to a generalization.
  • This claim would have been more effective if she gave first hand examples of people who have devolved into drug addiction in an effort to cope with their PTSD.
  1. “Some hypotheses for why PTSD only tortures some trauma victims blame it on unhappily coded protein, or a misbehaving amygdala.”
  • This is a categorical claim because it groups the opinions of PTSD patients into one category.
  • Some. From the word “some” we can make the assumption that there is at least two people in the argument.
  • There is more opinions and ideas that have yet to be tested
  • This claim is made to amplify that this field of study has a lot more information to uncover
  1. “But whatever people have called it, they haven’t been likely to grasp or respect it.”
  • This claim is unclear, but it seems to be an attempt to stand up for PTSD victims in a sense that not many people can relate to what they are going through.
  • Who is “they”?
  • The term “they” suggests there is more than one person who has failed to understand PTSD and its side effects.
  • This author fails miserably in her claim because the author is not a credible source, therefore, cannot relate to people with PTSD. The claim is entirely subjective.
  1. “You can’t see Caleb’s other wound, either.”
  • This claim makes a comparison between Caleb’s physical signs of distress as opposed to his internal battle
  • The author talks directly to the audience by using “you” to focus on Caleb’s internal wounds.
  • We feel obligated to show remorse for Caleb.
  • See. This sensory detail allows for an effective, persuasive argument, yet could be more efficient if the author used other senses such as feel or sound to paint a more vivid picture for the reader
  1. “The Army has rules about that sort of thing now.”
  • What rules? What “sort of thing” do they have rules for?
  • This claim is technically true, but it does not convince me that the Army is doing everything in its power to help people affected by war.
  • Sort of thing. This broadens the horizon significantly. Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder is a specific sickness that should be identified as such. There are numerous injuries that result from war. The author is being too vague here. The author should focus specifically on PTSD instead of making a blurred claim that may confuse the reader.
  • It seems entirely unclear what the Army is actually doing to support its non-active duty members. This claim fails to specify any sort of moral or physical support for people that suffer from PTSD.
  1. “But there’s still a lot about brain damage that doctors, much less civilians, don’t understand.”
  • This sounds like a repetition of the fourth claim about the lack of knowledge in this field of study, but the addition of society allows the claim to make a connection with the reader
  • Why the writer chooses this point in his argument to add civilians to his argument is unclear.
  • Why is the author focusing more on what we don’t understand instead of giving advice to people with PTSD?
  • This claim fails because it is irrelevant to the subject matter. It is more of a topic sentence rather than an analysis on Caleb and Brannan.

Stone Money Rewrite-Philly321

The Value of Green

When we first hear about the island of Yap and their money, we think it’s counterintuitive that the transfer of limestone rocks (some of which are never seen) could be physically exchanged in return for tangible goods and services. On Yap, a small group of islands in the Pacific Ocean, a large, cylinder-like stone, referred to as a rai stone, was used as a source of currency to pay for trade amongst the Yap Islanders. In the article The Megalithic Money of Yap, Stella Novus said, “the rai stones were special, reserved for things like a bride’s dowry or exchanged when one tribe came to the aid of another in time of war and hardship.” Yap came to trust in their money so completely that they dispensed with the need to move huge stones from one person’s house to another. Ownership of the rock “changed hands” only metaphorically. So why does it at first seem counterintuitive, and then, when we (the “moderns” looking back at the changeover) compare it to our own system, why does it seem to be at least as reasonable as ours? Of course, money did not simply acquire power. It had to legitimize under the counterintuitive notion that paper could be equivalent to gold. Once this idea took hold, we developed a system similar to the island of Yap by transferring money electronically (that could be paid later) in exchange for palpable goods and services. Our trust in technology and money (most of which is never seen) correlates directly to the Yap’s trust amongst other islanders and limestone rocks.

Our banking system [via online banking, direct deposit and paperless bank statements] makes an economy run smooth and effectively. On Yap, a limestone (that may not even be real) was being exchanged for tangible good or services. Yap had an abstract concept of the value of money (relative to currency) long ago and we’ve seemingly advanced this idea by accommodating to an ancient method of valuing money. By reflecting and seeking out the insufficiencies in Yap culture, we were able to build a more sufficient economy that’s fast and efficient.

The intrinsic value of money stems from how people perceive its worth. Worth can be defined through the perceived importance of something palpable or impalpable. For example, the Blackfeet tribe, an indian tribe in Montana, found value in their horses after utilizing their beneficiaries and capabilities. A horse could carry large amounts of luggage and allowed Native Americans to both move and catch their prey quickly. All of these attributes were seen as assets that gave a horse value. The Native American’s ideology directly correlates to America’s perception of a small, green slip of paper. Take a sandwich for example. A sandwich could have cheese, turkey and mayonnaise, however, without bread the sandwich is incomplete and unworthy. The people are the missing bread to the sandwich.The public’s faith in the value of currency allows an economical system to run effectively. Once the public establishes a little bit of faith, the value of currency develops. Humans, in the most basic form, have the ability to determine what is and isn’t significant to them.

Money originated from a string of shared beliefs in Yap, a small group of islands in the Pacific Ocean. A large, cylinder-like stone, called a rai stone, was carved of limestone formed from calcite crystals. Rai stones were used as a source of currency to pay for trade amongst the Yap Islanders. The rai stones weighed in at nearly 4 metric tons, which made it nearly impossible for people to move these stones around. How did the Yap Islanders know who owned the rai stone? Truth is, the rai stone switched hands rapidly and had new owners more frequent than not. The people figured out who owned the stone pending a tradeoff among two of the islanders. Although it seems ridiculous, Yap paved the way for American economics based on their transactions and cultural practices.

In “The Megalithic Money of Yap,” Stella Novus notes the similarities between our present economy and the tribal culture of Yap.  Online banking is an electronic payment system that enables consumers to make transactions via the Internet. Online banking started in New York in 1981, with the help of large banks such as Citibank and Chase Manhattan. New York set a platform for the online banking system by creating an new, innovative way to make business transactions both quick and easy. People are now able to make a payment online with the click of a button. The physical storage and distribution of money has been revolutionized by technology. Management and movement of cash during the 20th century may have been very complex on the island of Yap, but at the same time there is an obvious connection. On Yap, people may not have been able to see their rai stones, but they knew they were on the island somewhere. This relates to the idea of online banking because we might not able to see our money, but we make the assumption that our money is placed safely in the bank of our choice.

In 1931, France necessitated that the United States pay them gold to help stabilize their economy. Instead of physically sending the French gold, the United States set aside gold in their national bank to satisfy the French. The gold assumed ownership, by virtue of their agreement, under France’s name similar to early Yap practices. As French gold reserves grew, the United States gold reserves plummeted, thus causing the downfall of the U.S. economy.

In 1994, during the presidency of Itamar Franco, Edmar Bacha introduced the idea of the “Unit of Real Value”. The “Unit of Real Value” was virtually make-believe money that served as a unit of currency used to value goods. How did it work? In “Brazil-The Real Plan,” Country Studies explains that the number of cruzeiros rose every couple of days while people were distracted by the idea of new currency. For example, someone may buy an apple and use one “Unite of Real Value” worth ten cruzeiros. The next day someone might by the same exact apple and use one “Unit of Real Value” worth twelve cruzeiros. The fluctuation between the underlying worth of the apple drove inflation numbers back to normal. Bacha’s plan saved Brazil’s economy by stabilizing inflation in the form of a new currency.

Ultimately, the United States does not differ much from other economic backgrounds. A slip of paper was a simple concept until someone wrote symbols on it and deemed it essential to our way of life. France gained its wealth with gold that was stationed in the United States. The evolution of money has made its way into the digital form. Brazil’s economy has made a drastic recovery based on the public’s blind faith in something fictitious. Yet, we still ask, what is money? The only rational explanation is that money has no intrinsic value. Currency is a string of beliefs that has been made up to make it easier for someone to purchase a horse without having to trade a pig or cow in return. In the end, none of these scenarios would have been accomplished without the individuals behind them. As Edmar Bacha believed, the people are the foundation for an effective economy.

Works Cited

Country Studies. “Brazil- The Real Plan.” Brazil- The Real Plan. U.S. Library of     Congress, 2012. Web. 13 Sept. 2016.

Friedman, Milton. “The Island of Stone Money.” Diss. Hoover Institution, Stanford            University, Feb. 1991. Web. 13 Sept. 2016.

Moore, E.R. “Horses and Plains Indians.”Horses and Plains Indians. Rolf E. Moore and Texarch Associates, Feb 2013. Web. 02 Nov. 2016.

Novus, Stella. “The Megalithic Money of Yap.” Ancient Origins. Ancient Origins, 04 Jan.     2013. Web. 12 Sept. 2016.

“The Invention of Money.” 423: The Invention of Stone Money. This Is American Life,      WBEZ. Chicago. 7 Jan. 2011. Web. 13 Sept. 2016.