#1: Criticism and Theory

In “Summary: Theory for Beginners,” Michael Ryan makes the case that criticism is important in daily life. He persuades his readers to look at their surroundings critically rather than accept everything they see and hear without consideration. Ryan wants his readers to see how much they are influenced by socialization, through stories and even individual words. For example, when children learn history in school, it is presented to them through a lens. Someone chooses what to put in a history textbook, and how to say it. Someone decides which events and stories are important enough to include, which aren’t, and what perspective to take on each event. After all, there are many, many ways to talk about the same occurrence.

Something that Ryan doesn’t really address in his article is that, although certainly “not all stories are true,” there may not be one true version of history and current events (167). Instead of one true story, there are many stories from many different perspectives. That is not a bad thing, either, because having more perspectives creates a more complete picture. Of course, as Ryan demonstrates, some perspectives are given more credit than others. People with power often want to present one side of a story as the only valid side, because it supports the position they represent. For example, President George W. Bush was not interested in legitimizing any other perspective on America’s “War on Terror” than the one he held, because other perspectives would not have supported the action that he wanted to take. As Ryan says, “groups with power. . . seek to promote norms that preserve their power” (162). George W. Bush’s “War on Terror” is a good example of why it’s so important to learn to see an issue from different perspectives. This skill, which Ryan addresses in the section, “Learn Arabic,” is essential for cooperation with other people, or, on a broader scale, that ever elusive cliché “world peace.” We all need to learn to question the common assertion that there is one true way of seeing the world.

Wikipedia article

1. Choose a Wikipedia article. Summarize it in one paragraph.
2. Find another article that provides context and analysis. Summarize in one paragraph. Explain how it differs from Wiki article.

"Minimum Wage in the United States." Wikipedia.
"The Bogus Case Against the Minimum Wage Hike." Salon.com. Dean Baker & John Schmitt. 4 Jan. 2012.
 
The Wikipedia article “Minimum Wage in the United States” provides some basic information to introduce the reader to the concept of minimum wage in the U.S. Several times between 1912 and 1938, when politicians introduced the policy of a minimum wage, the Supreme Court said it was unconstitutional. In 1938, however, the minimum wage effort was successful, and the wage was $0.25 per hour. Throughout the years, minimum wage has increased, although when adjusted for inflation, the real value of minimum wage has gone up and down. Since 2010, states have had the right to establish a minimum wage that is above the federal minimum wage. Cities and counties can also do this. The Wikipedia article also attempts to cover the disagreement about whether minimum wage is more beneficial or more harmful to society. Many economists believe raising the minimum wage increases unemployment, so it actually has negative rather than positive results. Many other economists believe that raising the minimum wage is a beneficial thing to do.

In “The Bogus Case Against the Minimum Wage Hike” Dean Baker and John Schmitt argue that a recent increase in the minimum wage of several states won’t cause job loss, as many people say. They say that the classic economics idea of how when price rises, demand falls, is not necessarily true in the real world. They claim that an increase in wages can actually benefit employers because it could result in workers being more productive and not leaving their jobs for other better paying jobs. They say that high turnover rate of minimum wage jobs costs employers a lot of money, and raising the minimum wage could help decrease that cost. Baker and Schmitt go on to explain that the results of raising minimum wage are not as simple as workers being laid off. They say that there isn’t a huge decrease in the number of minimum wage jobs available, and that workers will more likely be asked to work fewer hours, but that at the higher rate of pay, they still benefit.

“The Bogus Case Against the Minimum Wage Hike” provides context and analysis that the Wikipedia article lacks. Baker and Schmitt focus more specifically on a recent policy change, and effectively respond to some opponents’ claims. It’s a more interesting article to read because it has a clearer focus, and makes more sense as a cohesive piece. Their cogent analysis provides an argument that’s worth considering.

Research Paper Proposal

Ex-convicts have significant barriers to integrating themselves into society.  I started thinking about this when I read about House Bill 70 on the Kentuckians for the Commonwealth blog. (If passed, HB 70 would restore voting rights to former felons.) I'd like to explore the challenges that someone leaving the corrections system would face, and what kind of rehabilitation and support they get, specifically here in Kentucky. For instance, what kind of discrimination do people face when trying to get a job or rent an apartment? What opportunities do prisons in Kentucky offer for education and developing job skills?
It would be interesting to look at it from the perspective: What if I committed felony? (theft, drugs, assault...) Walk through the process of the correctional system. What might be some things I would experience that would make me more or less likely to end up back in jail later?

kentuckyreentry.org

corrections.kentucky.gov/reentry

kftc blog topic "restoration of voting rights"

prisonministry.cdlex.org

Evert, Jaclyn. "'There is no rehabilitation in prison': Ex-cons and their advocates call for reform." Twin Cities Daily Planet. 7 May 2009. Web.

Sperring, Ann. "Seeking a better way: Programs tackle felon rehabilitation." Ocala Star-Banner. 16 June 2008. Web.

Cheves, John. "Report: Inmates need help before release." www.kentucky.com. Lexington Herald-Leader. 10 Oct. 2008. Web.


Key words for research:
felon rehabilitation
prisoner re-entry
offender barriers

Context

Topic: Lexington economy

Context: transportation

Write two paragraphs that use this topic and context.

The Lexington, KY community is heavily dependant on cars for transportation, which is bad for our health and unsustainable for our economy. What will happen when our population grows so much that the road traffic is so bad that no one wants to go out unless they absolutely have to? Every car on the road adds to the air pollution in our community, and many families have two or more cars. If we as a community chose to invest more in our public transportation system, and then started using it more, we would be healthier, our community would be more attractive

Improving our public transportation system would benefit the people who already rely on it to get around. Cars are very expensive, with having an auto payment, paying for gas, paying for repairs and maintenance. It is a very large and often unpredictable part of a person's budget. Public transportation is not only cheaper, it takes away the possibility of suddenly having a huge expense that could be devastating to someone just barely getting by financially.

Group discussion to brainstorm topics

Our group talked about how many of these broad topics relate to the others. We also came up with more specific topics that could fit under one of the broad categories. Moving Mountains relates to the broader topic of "On the Margins" because many people in eastern Kentucky communities are ignored for the benefit of the coal industry. The actions of coal companies often disregard the effects they will have on people that live in the area of the coal mine.

I'm interested in exploring the Community/Economics topic, because I have noticed a lot of tension between my two classes this semester: Economics 101 and English 101. My Economics class is mostly from the perspective of capitalism being the model of a healthy economy. However, capitalism is based on a system of using more, buying more, and selling more. Basically, more is always better. If left unchecked, this free market model produces problems that can be seen in many of the articles we have read in English class. We can see that if making more money is the top priority, it often comes at the expense of the well-being of people and the natural environment. This conflict of interests leads to some interesting questions. For example, does a minimum wage law actually harm the people it's supposed to help, as many economists claim, because it messes with the free market economy? They say that hurting the economy ultimately hurts poor people. My question for these economists is, what alternative do they propose? How would it not include some people getting paid a wage they can't live on?

Reflection on short essay writing process

This short essay was the first paper I've written in several years. True to my history of writing anxiety, I found myself putting off working on the paper, and dreading it more and more. I think what finally got me to stop procrastinating and tackle the paper was realizing how important succeeding in this class is to my future. To succeed in college, I have to crank out papers, and that starts with this writing class. Since this wasn't a research paper, I just sat down and tried to write my stream of consciousness about my topic without worrying about the best choice of words to express my thoughts, or the best way to organize them. It's very difficult to silence my obnoxious inner critic, but I just kept trying, and eventually I got a paper out. It was good to know it didn't have to be good when it was just a draft for the peer review. Later, when I revised it, I made some pretty big changes. I find revising my own work to be a very difficult process, because it's hard for me to see my work with fresh eyes, and imagine how I could change it to make it better. I asked my friend who's a high school English teacher to read it and give me some feedback. This helped me get some new ideas of ways to improve it. All in all, I can say this in response to my essay writing process: Writing is really fucking hard and I'd rather have dental surgery.

3 comparison-focused paragraphs

I had given up on college. After two tries that ended in failed classes, wasted money, and depressed spirits, I decided college and I just did not fit together. Now, five years later, having experienced working in child care full time and unsuccessfully trying to get a job which was not in child care, I am entering the college community again. For some reason, when I turned twenty-six last October, I suddenly had a strong urge to have a college degree. I'm not afraid that there will be a disappointing result to my efforts like before, because I am different, and the college environment I'm choosing is different.

My first two attempts at college were at small liberal arts colleges where people took college very seriously. I find that being at a community college is a much more relaxed and encouraging experience for me. I know when I look around at the other students that I am in the company of many other people who also have hurdles to overcome in getting their education. I don't feel like such an oddball for finding college difficult. Also, the knowledge that people don't have very high expectations of me just lets me feel like I can breathe easy and do my work instead of worrying about whether or not I'm good enough. Another improvement to my environment is that I'm only taking two classes. I always took a full load before, and I think it was a wise decision for me to come back to college with only two classes, in order to not overwhelm myself.

When it comes to school, I am my own worst enemy. I cannot claim that I have overcome the perfectionism and anxiety that crippled me in my earlier college attempts, but I do know that I'm much more aware of them. I've learned to be my own life coach, encouraging myself with post-it notes of pithy wisdom, and journaling to work through frequent bouts of writer's block. Another big change in myself is that my motivation for getting a college degree is now coming from within myself, rather than from the social pressure of it simply being what I'm "supposed to do." The pressure to get a college degree came from my private high school, my degree-holding parents and older siblings, and that classic pressure from my friends of "everybody's doing it." I suppose these pressures motivate some people, but I guess I'm unusual because they just make me want to avoid my responsibilities by sleeping a lot and eating a lot of brownies. Perhaps my biggest asset for finishing my degree this time is just being older and wiser, and knowing that life isn't so much about doing things "the right way" or "the wrong way" Life is more about doing things, period. There is more wisdom in that Nike campaign than I ever realized. "Just do it," is my new life motto.