Everybody knows that criticism is a hard pill to swallow, what they don’t tell you is that it isn’t easy to prescribe it either. We have been taught all through our lives to be kind to people, to encourage rather than to tear down. Even if we don’t always (or even mostly) reach this ideal, it is still a influential part of how we interact with others in society. For this reason it’s hard to write good criticism. When I start critiquing something it takes a bit for me to warm up and deliver some truly constructive comments. Good criticism forces the writer to reanalyze what they have written without impacting their moral. I find the more detailed the criticism the more helpful it is. Rather than write, “This paragraph is too vague”, elaborate on why it’s vague and how to improve it. For example if someone writes “the 1960s was a time of great turmoil”, suggest a few reasons they could include to back that claim (women’s rights, the Vietnam war, etc). While grammar and structural editing is always important, good criticism, if followed, can turn a good paper into a great paper. The value of another person’s ideas and experiences are impossible to measure. When you work on something for too long you tend to develop tunnel visions and an outsider’s insight provides a welcome breath of fresh air. I believe I give pretty good criticism but I sometimes find myself succumbing to laziness and providing the most rudimentary of editing. It’s difficult to truly analyze a text and expose its weaknesses and how to correct them. Still if everyone edited each other’s works in a systematic and thought provoking way we can tap into our collective pool of knowledge and experiences. So I guess good criticism is more like an vaccine rather than a pill, if everyone takes it then it benefits everyone.
Monday, June 6, 2011
Wednesday, May 25, 2011
Gender Stereotypes
When I started reading the blog post I was pretty skeptical that something as trivial as humorous bathroom signs could be a real foil on gender relationships in society, but after reading through all the arguments I have to admit that she has a point. If aliens ever came down to take a gander at our bathrooms they would assume that half our population has sprouted strange triangular growths and had to be segregated to a different washing area. Her point that men were considered the norm or the template and women are just a offshoot has interesting biblical, historical, and cultural ramifications. The Christian notion of women being created from man is reflected in the drawings for the men and women on the bathroom stalls. From man begets women… wearing dresses. This brings up the point of why we need separate bathrooms at all. The first reaction to that statement (from me anyhow) was shock. Of course we need separate bathrooms! Men and Women cant use the same washroom! That’s wrong… for some reason. Our culture is so wrapped up in the stigma of sex and sexuality that we have had blinders on from birth which if analyzed, don’t have any real logical reason for being there at all. The idea that men are predatory is most often put forward as an explanation, that women are somehow more vulnerable. If that argument were true we would have segregated pools, gyms, and beaches (which was somewhat true 50 years ago.). Perhaps it just takes more time to break our ingrained beliefs, like the bathroom sign from the 1800s that portrayed men as we would now see as feminine. Maybe in another 50 years bathrooms will go the same way as the pre 1920s voting system. Its funny that we read this article now because I was thinking about gender definitions at work yesterday. I had to make a instructional video on how to rent uhuals for training purposes at the storage place I work at. I used my friends (a couple) as actors. We quickly found that subconsciously we were delegating the more “masculine” tasks to the male actor. He signed the contracts while the woman smiled demurely. He grabbed the equipment while she grabbed the furniture blankets. Finally he ended up driving the uhual out of the lot. I only noticed this while I was editing yesterday and I just found it strange that although nobody planned it to be this way, we didn’t even have a script, we naturally filmed the entire interaction in a classic gender stereotype. Still, the fact that I even thought about the discrepancies means we have taken great leaps in the last 50 years. It seems like we are exponentially breaking down cultural stereotypes as our world becomes ever more interconnected and everyone’s views and beliefs get a chance to see the sun. Recently a majority of Americans approved of supporting gay marriage, something inconceivable just 10 years ago. While our stereotypes might be ingrained at birth it is up to us to reinvent them.
Tuesday, May 24, 2011
addidas "fake hurts real" Advertisement
The addidas ad does an admirable job of appealing to the logos, pathos, and ethos of its target audience. The ad is aimed at running and sport enthusiasts who value a quality athletic shoe. Its logical appeal lies in its simplicity. By choosing a simple foot over images of a flashy shoe or attractive models addidas is trying to portray that they are above the style over substance advertisements of other shoe companies. Logically, running shoes are tools to keep you functioning at your best; addidas manages to tap into that underling idea. The pathos appeals are definitely the weakest of the three in this advertisement. The band-aids are still portraying the brand on the foot of what one assumes to be a seasoned athlete. They are trying to portray a “mans’ athlete”, someone who puts athletic prowess in front of aesthetics. This taps into men’s basic desire to be perceived as masculine and tough. The ethos appeals are another strong component of this advertisement. The scarcity of words has the effect of making its message seem more legitimate. Its simplicity once again conveys the effect of the up and up and how the company is looking out for your best interest. Ultimately I think it’s the ethos components of this add that rise above the rest. Something about its sparseness rings true in a way that instills confidence. It seems like an honest attempt to protect the consumer rather than just a slick marketing ploy, even if the brand is still featured prominently. I think this is a creative advertisement that does a good job in promoting the idea that while imitations might be cheaper; addidas insures that all of its products are of the highest quality. They then tie that promise to the idea that “legitimate” athletes care more about a shoe's ability as an athletic tool rather than its style or economy.
Monday, May 23, 2011
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