Economic Citizenship: Homework

Before this class, I never actually thought about place, space or my identity in depth. I always knew the typical definition of place and space but never delved into my own personal definition. Due to various activities in class and outside I have been forced into thinking more about place, space and my identity. These articles, the Osnos piece and this piece peers into my development of each of these things.

The idea presented in this article, scotosis is something I employ in my daily life. The definition of scotosis is the “process of selecting which things to basically prevent yourself from realizing”. Sadly, I can say I employ this, because over time I have learned facts and problems that pertain to anything we do in our lives. For example eating processed foods is actually a very disgusting thing, especially the way its made. But I choose to keep it “blind” to prevent me from thinking to much or feeling guilt over the actions I take. If I were to think about everything that happens to the things I wore, or ate, I would not be able to function in this world.

Personal decisions are another thing that we perform that changes our ideas of place. The typical decisions we know are supporting certain candidates or parties is an American or democratic process. But this process is also done self-consciously by just purchasing goods. Since corporations are “people” according to the Supreme Court they have opinions and take action in support of certain groups such as Chick fil-a with anti-gay groups. These things are made transparent by the Internet. The internet is a double edged sword. This “sword” allows us to understand the idea of place, and space could also reveal certain facts we did not want to know about.

As citizens the actions we take such as being “blind” to certain things to purchasing items we form the our world around us. These actions are not always independent because companies employ tactics such as Starbucks with its logo drags us in. But controlling habits, decisions and being educated allows us to decide better and serve the community better. Our lives have transitioned from being citizens of our independent community and nation to a global and economic citizen due to globalization. I feel like there is no separation between a global and economic citizen because the world is sadly run by money.

“Everyone Knows This is Somewhere” Blog Response

At the very beginning of the speech I could tell this was a journey to a new place. In fact, the title “Everyone Knows This is Somewhere” gave it away.  This speech could be classified as a great speech due to various reasons.  The author Chuck Klosterman, draws in the audience with his casual tone. He is basically talking to us. The audience which in broader terms could be anyone  that could relate to the idea of a new environment. If we looked at what the speech targets even closer, it would be people that were drawn into New York and people who have transitioned from a smaller town / city into a bigger one.

The author uses the three appeals in the speech rather well. He uses ethos throughout by first establishing he came from a very small town and a farm. The establishment of where he was from could help support the ideas of how New York seemed different, and weird. With this background, it helped us, the audience understand why he thought NY was the place for him. His emotional appeal (pathos) was the idea of entering a new environment as seen in the quote “I am an absolute alien here, akin to the likes…” He also employs the logos into the piece by comparing logic in his hometown and NY, such as the discussion of car batteries. Also, he employs the idea of “cool” in NY and trendy.

Introduction Speech

     Whenever I think about where my identity comes from I always go back to city of Louisville, but even more so my family. I consider my family as a mobile place, a place that I can always return to. My house is the extension of my family, where we have stayed in for 24 years. I lived my whole life in that house. My family being immigrants from Taiwan created a very odd mixture of Asian culture dominated with the typical American culture.

     My family provides me the focus and the drive I have to venture further in this world. I remember all the late nights through high school trying to prepare and cram in last minute studying for the exam next day. My parents would always be in the background to make sure I was still on task, but mainly to check to make sure I wasn’t too stressed out.

     Various people may find this a sappy choice of a place, but it defines who I am more than anything else. When it comes down to it, if I had to rank the places that had truly shaped who I am would me my family, and then my high school. During my high school life my family faced trials due to my grandmother’s battle with cancer. This battle was a key moment in my family’s collective lives and would further shape me. 

My Favorite Speech

One of my favorite speeches I’ve come across is the speech that was made in the pilot episode of “The Newsroom” on HBO. It was a factual speech and emotional speech about America. He points out the current problems of division in our society, and lost of community. It represents what citizens need to do to continue a legacy our predecessor laid out before us.

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