Rhetoric and Civic Life | Matt Mouck

I'm not an all-knowing being. I don't know what is right and what is wrong all the time. Sometimes, for instance, I think it's acceptable to put ketchup on macaroni and cheese but then I remember I must be in the wrong based on the disturbed image of my food eating comrades. And sometimes I think the best use of one's time is to take a nap at noon, but apparently this is also "not acceptable." But on more important note, I don't know when it is best to draw the line for tolerance. I know that I am an advocate for tolerance in pretty much every aspect of it in politics, but I don't know if the culture that surrounds political correctness (PC culture) has crossed boundaries and is demanding too much without enough substance to back it up. This is why I have decided to focus on this culture as my paradigm shift, as I have a personal interest in deepening my understanding of a current social situation. Two different perspectives on political culture expr...

I have been alive for 19 years. I am so old. I have certainly seen some things. I have witnessed the rise and fall of Pokemon Go in one summer. The rise and fall (and rise?) of Britney Spears. I have seen the rebirth of Star Wars and I've already graduated high school. Like I said, I've seen a lot. But apparently , a lot has happened before me. My parents like to tell me I they ' ve seen stuff. But then again, I'm sure my grandparents tell them the same thing. And true, I've only been alive    0.00000008274930624490   galactic years .  So I'm willing to consider there may have been a past before me. Let's see what cool stuff happened to old people! The first paradigm shift I identified is that it is now cool to be smart! If my reliance on parental anecdotes and sitcom jokes from the past are accurate (and let's be honest, there's a fair chance they're exaggerated), then being a nerd was social suicide. But today, it seems intelligence and ge...

A GREAT SPEECH IS ONE THAT GRABS YOUR ATTENTION RIGHT AWAY AND DOESN'T LET IT GO. STARTING OFF STRONG IS SURE TO AT LEAST GET ATTENTION, BUT THE AUDIENCE MIGHT BE DISTURBED IF EVERYTHING IS YELLED. So maybe yelling everything isn't the best answer to a great speech. I know one way for sure not to give a great speech, which is to forget your introduction and stare blankly at your audience (shoutout to myself!). So what actually makes a speech good? Of course, we all know the content of the speech is integral to its success. A speech with definitive logos and clear organization will be far more persuasive than one of stretched reasoning and muddled expression. But what clinches a speech, what truly moves the speech to the next level, is the speaker himself. The speaker might have the most well constructed ideas that would resonate with the audience, but if he cannot connect to the audience then everything is in vain. A speaker who captivates the audience with varied inflectio...

Image Courtesy of BrainDecides Did you know that 83% of Penn State students have watched How I Met Your Mother? If you're a part of that 17%, perhaps you are now contemplating watching it to see why so many people here have. The figure is powerful and I could use it to try and argue for you to watch the show if you haven't. Of course, that statistic is fabricated and is actually a reference to the show as Barney Stinson consistently chooses that percentage when trying to win an argument. This small exercise was a reminder that although factual statements seem always trustworthy because they are presented as facts, sometimes manipulation occurs. But, when credible statistics are actually implemented into an argument, the argument gains momentum and it is more easily accepted by the audience. The 83% was a statistic which falls under the umbrella term logos, which is the rhetorical device that relies on reasoning. Logos often serves as the backbone of arguments. The reaso...

Image Courtesy of HannaPritchett The artifact I have chosen is an advertisement by Coca Cola, a company whose product we are all intimately familiar with because of its ubiquitous presence in restaurants and social gatherings. The advertisement was aired during the Super Bowl, the most viewed television event every year and indubitably a defining feature of American culture. The advertisement received backlash from the conservative spectrum for "America the Beautiful" being sung in languages other than English. This artifact is integral to study because the reaction to the advertisement was immediate and divisive, thus cementing this commercial as a snapshot of America in the early 21st century. It engages its audience to be civic with subtlety rather than blatantly asking individuals to accept the diverse culture of America. Indeed, it achieves its civic engagement by demonstrating the beauty of the current America with all of its backgrounds. Instead of directly as...

Passion Blog Idea #1: This Writer Deserves a Participation Trophy In my 11th grade AP English Language and Composition class, we wrote a couple of satirical pieces throughout the years. Writing those pieces was some of the best moments in the class as everyone had tears in their eyes from intense laughing. I have been looking for the opportunity to exercise satirical muscles once again, and I see this course as a potential answer. This is blog that shifts current events or current problems into a satirical light. through the lenses of iGeneration (or at least from the perspective of someone from the iGeneration). The main vehicle for the satire will be stories and situations that are presented as facts, but are in actuality fabrication to demonstrate the irrationality of reality. These blog will experiment with different types of satire but will typically focus on Horatian satire rather than Juvenalian satire. The choice to focus on Horatian satire is due to the audience, as the aud...