Research Paper

In 1964, The United States Government enacted the Civil Rights Act, which protected the rights of racial minorities. That law criminalized discrimination against African-Americans and other minority groups. However, it was easy for employers or educators to reject these minority groups by using other excuses to hide their prejudices. In an effort to combat stealth forms of discrimination, the United States government applied different processes of affirmative action. The implementation of affirmative action helped open doors for many minorities. Currently, African-Americans have moved into every employment field and now have opportunities available that were unavailable before, including rising to the presidency of the United States. I believe that affirmative action is now obsolete and the United States should abolish its practice due to the progress made by all minority groups.

Scholars, who theorize on issues such as affirmative action, have split it into two different forms. The two types of affirmative action are procedural or weak affirmative action and preferential or strong affirmative action. Procedural affirmative action requires that society make a significant effort to treat all races, sexes, and other identity groups as equal without any special treatment, while preferential affirmative action is when a society attempts to correct any perceived imbalances among various minority groups by giving those same groups preferential treatment. In fact, President Lyndon B. Johnson signed an executive order in 1965 to promote the idea of preferential affirmative action. While the process helped many underrepresented groups enter many different fields that society had previously excluded them from in the past, affirmative action is now a hindrance in promoting equality.

Often, preferential affirmative action will create situations where a business is order to meet diversity quotas will not promote the most qualified individual. This is commonly known as being passed over. If an African-American is the more when applying for a job, the company should hire the more qualified person barring any nepotism or favors. This is not to say that racism no longer exists in the United States; however, race is a near non-issue in hiring. Corporations and businesses want the person who will generate the most revenue. This is relative to the idea of the free market where in the best ideas generate the highest values. Thus, the best corporations will hire the best employees regardless of race. The evidence of the progress of African-Americans becomes clear during black history month. Television and newspapers regularly feature celebratory content in regards to the many successful endeavors of minorities.

While there are some successes like Barak Obama, John McWhorter, or Richard Parsons, there are still persons of minority ethnicities that do not succeed.. However, sometimes the unsuccessful minorities attempt to abuse affirmative action in order to get ahead regardless of their efforts. For instance, in 2009, twenty firefighters passed a promotion exam given to mostly Caucasians along with a few Hispanic and Black candidates. However, because very few minorities passed the exam, the state decided to disregard the results and no one received any promotions. The United States Supreme Court ruled that Connecticut violated the rights of the firefighters denying their promotions (CNN.com). This is considered a case of reverse discrimination, which is ironic because the state wanted to avoid any discrimination lawsuits. The entire suit was a waste of time and taxpayer money. If lawmakers abolished affirmative action before the lawsuit, the deserving firefighters would already have the promotion.

The public sector is not the only place where preferential affirmative action interferes. The private sector is also pressured to hire minorities at all costs, even if they are not the best qualified for the job. The philosopher Thomas Nagel believes that sacrifice is required in order to advance opportunities for minorities and women. Nagel states that, “policies of strong affirmative action must reckon with the costs of some lowering in performance level: the stronger the preference, the larger the cost to be justified.” (Nagel) This means that businesses will have to adjust to lowered productivity standards in order to raise the prospects of the disadvantaged.

While it may seem like a good gesture to hire a minority or disabled person in order to level the playing field, diversity should not be the driving force of employment in a corporation like the preferential affirmative action ideal requires. A business is in existence to turn out a profit and if that main goal should not be compromised in order to give special treatment when none is needed. . Although Thomas Nagel believes that affirmative action will become obsolete at some point, he states that it will not occur in this generation. Nagel believes that “Affirmative action has not done much to improve the position of poor and unskilled blacks. But increased access to higher education and upper-level jobs is an essential part of what must be achieved to break the structure of drastic separation.” (Nagel) What Nagel fails to realize is that there are social programs already in place that help poverty-stricken individuals like welfare with job searching and Financial Aid which is available for all including minorities. Additionally, affordably priced colleges like the City University of New York offer exceptional courses at the fraction of the cost of Ivy-league schools. More focus should be placed on education and earlier preparation of higher learning.

While on the subject of education, there have been studies, which state that preferential affirmative action does not benefit minorities in colleges as well. In the article, “Explaining the Black Education Gap”, John McWhorter states that affirmative action does not help students and uses statistics to defend his argument. He states that in 1997 “70,000 students applied for admission to American law schools,” however; only 16 black students that applied scored a 164 or higher on the LSAT, which puts them in the bottom quartile of the entering class at the nation’s top six law schools. In contrast, over 2500 white applicants had a score above 164.

McWhorter also states that poverty is not the cause for the abundance of low grades among African-Americans; a majority of black families lives above the poverty line. The real issue, according to McWhorter, is the culture of victimology among black minorities. African-Americans are constantly viewed as “victims” because of the segregationist history in the United States. While social programs are available, the programs create a mindset where dependence on others is necessary in order to be successful. He considers these social programs the result of an influence of anti-intellectualism within the African-American community. McWhorter states, “this anti-intellectualism is the product of centuries of slavery and segregation during which blacks were denied education, but it has been perpetuated by the powerful strand of separatism in black culture, a legacy of the 1960s, that rejects as illegitimate all things ‘white.’” (McWhorter) John McWhorter believes that attention must be devoted to anti-intellectualism and victimhood if blacks want to raise their numbers out of poverty.

Additionally, John McWhorter poses a contrasting example that while Jewish people survived centuries of persecution and the Holocaust and they still expect their children to achieve any academic pursuit that they choose. He also shows that the Chinese were tortured in San Francisco up to the 20th century and were restricted to servant jobs but their children still excel. Yet people believe that Black students are unable to excel when they have not had to deal with quite as atrocious oppression as the Jewish and Chinese people. It seems that preferential affirmative action might foster a belief that they can achieve their goal with minimal sacrifice.

The Jewish and Chinese people have overcome great strife and have larger percentages of successful individuals than African-Americans have and it is my belief that affirmative action may be the culprit. Affirmative action affects other individuals as well, Philosopher, Steven M. Cahn states, “Preferential affirmative action has bred doubts about the abilities of those chosen while generating resentment in those passed over.” (Cahn) Individuals who have excelled in their skills but are rejected in favor of someone with fewer qualities have a right to be upset. Hard work should be rewarded and the best person for the job should be hired.

Cahn also states, “Recent defenders of preferential affirmative action now place emphasis on recognizing the benefits society obtains from members of different groups. This approach is now called ‘diversity.’” (Cahn) In order to avoid alienating other groups with affirmative action, diversity is now used to hire minority groups. It is the same practice wrapped up in a different package in order to please all groups. However, individuals of a certain race do not follow a stereotype and diversity can be achieved by hiring a person for who they are, rather than what race they are from. Celia Wolf-Divine has stated that “a Hispanic who is a Republican is no less a Hispanic, and a woman who is not a feminist is no less a woman.” (Cahn)

Regardless of the label is placed on preferential affirmative action; it still affects others in negative ways. In the case of Grutter vs. Bollinger, Barbara Grutter, a white applicant for the University of Michigan Law School brought a lawsuit against the school because she was rejected for another student in the name of diversity. While she lost the case in the United States Supreme Court, Justice Sandra Day O’ Connor who voted in favor of diversity believed that at some point in the future, diversity may be unnecessary.

Justice Clarence Thomas, an African-American, viewed the general admission as flawed when stating, “no one would argue that a university could set up a lower general admission standard and then impose heightened requirements only on black applicants. Similarly, a university may not maintain a high admission standard and grant exemptions to favored races. The double standard is not fair or equal to any race. It shows preferential treatment to specific races, which is unequal.” (GRUTTER V. BOLLINGER) When Thomas discusses the view of the school and their argument in having educational benefits of a “diverse” student body, he mentions the inconsistencies of priorities. “The school refers to the compelling interest in securing the educational benefits of a diverse student body.” However, the school also makes another claim stating, “The need for openness and integrity of the educational institutions that provide [legal] training without reference to any consequential educational benefits.” (GRUTTER V. BOLLINGER)

Moreover, Thomas notes that the institution wants diversity without educational requirements while stating that diversity has its own educational merits. The statements show that the school is more interested in diversity, rather than the actual educational benefits. This kind of affirmative action can lead to students who have lower grades receiving preferential treatment in school admissions based on the color of their skin and not their work ethic.

While preferential affirmative action improved the lives of African-Americans after the Civil Rights Act passed in the 1960s, the idea has become obsolete and is now a burden to others. Companies hire employees based on the idea of productivity, and affirmative action will lower the performance level. Businesses may have to sacrifice their progress in order to promote diversity. While diversity is supposed to enrich the lives of others it employs an unfair double standard. Affirmative action no longer opens opportunities for minorities because opportunities are already available for the skilled, regardless of race. More studies based on anti-intellectualism in black culture should be performed, considering the effects from the denied education during the era of American slavery. The prospect of life enrichment is available through education and career opportunities, but the poverty-stricken minorities must take advantage of them in order to succeed.

Works Cited

Cahn, Steven M. Exploring Ethics. New York: Oxford University Press, Inc., 2011

CNN.com. 25 November 2009. 14 May 2011 .

GRUTTER V. BOLLINGER. No. 539 U.S. 306 (2003) . Supreme Court. 23 June 2003.

McWhorter, John. "Explaining the Black Education Gap." The Wilson Quarterly (2000): 72-92.

Nagel, Thomas. “A Defense of Affirmative Action.” Philosophical Problems in the Law. Ed. David M. Adams. Belmont: Thomson and Wadsworth, 2005. 300-303.Print.

“Presentation” of e Portfolio

http://achonilloeng151.blogspot.com/

Good afternoon, Ladies and Gentlemen. My name is Alberto Chonillo. The presentation I am making today involves the work I have completed for my English class for the spring 2011 semester. Although ENG 151 is an early class that is usually taken by freshmen and sophomores, I am taking it during my second half of my junior year. With that being said, I can easily state that I improved my analytical writing with this class and I wish I’d taken it sooner. I would have saved a lot of frustration from difficulty writing other papers and saved money from smashing keyboards out of frustration.

So I would like to begin presenting my work from this semester’s English class with my personal statement. In this piece I give a little history of my life and future goals. Nothing out of the ordinary. I am an older student, but I’m not quite yet ready to collect social security.

My next post is the Rhetorical Analysis. I wrote about an article where a reporter talks to a Pittsburgh Steeler player about choosing words carefully during an interview. The article was written about a week before the Super bowl and I thought the subject was relevant since many people watch the Super Bowl. In addition, I’d never thought I would hear of a reporter and pro football player basically have a conversation on rhetoric.

My third article was about internet privacy. I spoke of comments and pictures that can come back to haunt a person in the future. I learned that one should be careful what they put on the internet. In the age of Facebook and Twitter, one has to be very careful what they put out there because once it is out there, it isn’t going away.

The next post was about social utopia. I wrote about several viewpoints on what could be a utopia. However, there can never be utopia because one’s utopia could easily be another’s dystopia. I had to use work from different people with different ideas on a utopia and it’s interesting because a utopia is different for each person.

My fifth article is about reflection on note taking. This skill has become very valuable to me because my thoughts that I write down during the note taking becomes very important when I write a draft. The notes help my thoughts flow as well as any new ideas that I think of at that moment. Note taking will become very handy during my senior seminar in Political Science/Philosophy next semester.

My final article is about the Research Prospectus. After doing some research, I decided to write about affirmative action and how it is no longer needed. This may be a controversial topic to some, but I made my argument which will appear on my blog soon and I think it is compelling to say the least.

Well, as I conclude my presentation, I’d like to say that my research paper will soon be up and that will probably be my last posting for this class. The class wasn’t a party, but I always look at a finished semester as an experience, and even though this English class was online, I learned a lot and read a lot of interesting articles. As we all move forward, let us learn from our experiences and let them enrich our lives as most positive experiences do.

My name is Alberto Chonillo and I thank you for your time.

Research Prospectus

Affirmative Action has helped minorities in the past, but at this point in time, it hurts more than it helps and the practice should be abolished. This topic is a very important issue in the United States of America and can hurt race relations. I plan on reviewing decisions made by the U.S. Supreme Courts, philosophers who debated on the issue, and news articles on the misguided application of the idea. My belief is that affirmative action actually divides races rather than improving the situation of certain races that have had difficulties adjusting to new rights and opportunities. I hope to convince others that while racism is still present in America, Americans care more about productivity rather than race. A minority with exceptional skills can succeed without worrying about their race impeding their progress. In addition, other races can also succeed without the fear of being passed over for another disadvantaged race. The treatment of all races equally truly evens the playing field and eases any resentment between the races.

Note-Taking Reflection

Using note sets to gather information for academic papers was an interesting task. Generally, when I take notes for assignments, I would write down bits of information from my sources onto a notebook. The note taking tasks for the research paper was thought-provoking because I never wrote down thoughts along with the notes I take.

A skill that I learned from this class that I am using for the research paper is the writing of notes and placing my thoughts with them. It seems similar to actually writing part of the essay where the outside sources are included. Since I already wrote my thoughts down with the notes from the researched texts, I can cut and paste the work into my draft and then make any changes that would help with the flow of the paper.

A good way to brainstorm for the note set is to write the double journal. When the researched information is placed in the appropriate column, any opinions or observations come easily. Both sets of information can be added together and then written out in the note set format. The two strategies combined really helps critical thinking skills, which then lead to a well-written paper.

Using the note sets also changes the essay from an unorganized mess to a well laid out and readable format. When the notes are written out and are placed in order, one can see how the paper will look before the draft work is done and then writing the draft flows quickly and efficiently.

The note sets helps the essay form and any good academic writer should use this format. The combination of taking notes and writing thoughts develops the paper and makes it more readable. It is a useful skill that can be used throughout an academic career.

Social Utopia

A social utopia or a society wherein the political, social and legal systems all work in perfect harmony and perfect justice is unrealistic. From the readings by Dr. Martin Luther King, Elizabeth Cody Stanton, and the speaker Slavoj Zizek, the idea of a social utopia seems to be impossible. While each author seems to believe that, they have the correct model for an idealized society in each of the cases these societies that they propose do not work in the idealized manner for which they have spoken. The foremost reason why their idealizations do not work is because they make assumptions that the society will en mas agree with their position that their way of ruling society is the best possible solution and give up whatever Individual liberties that the singular person has become accustomed to under the old form of government.

In Dr. Martin Luther King's I have a Dream speech, he talks of the ideal society that he wishes to create in which "all of God's children, Black men and white men, Jews and Gentiles, Protestants and Catholics, will be able to join hands." However, Dr. King's social utopia is unrealizable because he seems to theorize that once the legislation is put in place that creates racial harmony people will suddenly give up all of their ancient and inherited racism and prejudices and join hands with the people for whom they have previously held, an oft times irrational, hatred. His belief in cultural harmony can also be used to create odious legislation that seeks to create equality but nevertheless creates a new form of inequality.

With respect to the idea of all men and women joining hands in racial and cultural harmony. This is an unattainable model for society because not every person within the society will want to come together with people from other cultures. Take for example the Ku Klux Klan; this is an organization within America that has persisted in continuing their beliefs in the separation of the races and general racism. No amount of legislation will sway the members of the Ku Klux Klan to believe that it would be best for society that they eschew their racism. They believe that they have a fundamental right to be and continue to remain racists. There are also religions that believe that they should not engage in miscegenation, which is the mixing of the races or religious cultures. While, many may not believe that racism is an appropriate belief, every human being on earth has the right to believe whatever they would like because as it says in the Declaration of Independence, every human being is “endowed by their creator” with the rights to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. If their individual liberty is created through allowing them to remain racist, any society in which racists are forced to eschew that right is a society that does not have a perfect legal, social, or political system as the rights of the racists would be non-existent.

Additionally, there is the situation where the society would create laws in order to create racial and cultural harmony; however, as is seen in our own American society, these laws create another form of injustice. In America, legislators in the wake of the Civil Rights Movement created laws in order to combat the institutional racism that plagued American society. The laws of Affirmative Action and Equal Opportunity were supposed to create a situation where race, sex, and other identity information were not supposed to play a part in education or employment. However, these rules which started out as procedural affirmative action, affirmative action that is supposed to create laws that combat racism, became preferential affirmative action. Preferential affirmative action is when companies use race as a factor in education or employment and create a system where while once African Americans were penalized because of their race they are now given preferential treatment because of their race creating a reverse racist situation.

Another idealized worldview that is presented is that of Elizabeth Cady Stanton, in her Declaration of Sentiments and Resolutions is that of a world that does not impose upon women any subjugation; however, this worldview also does not consider the individual liberty of other human beings. There are the religious beliefs that disagree with her sentiments as well as women who are perfectly happy living the traditional role as a woman. Additionally, while she asserts that women should have the right to assert themselves within society she does not make any claims as to the pressure that is put upon men to conform to the traditional roles that they are bound to within society.

While Ms. Stanton might believe that it is a man's duty to “encourage [a woman] to speak and teach, as she has an opportunity, in all religious assemblies,” there are many religions that disagree with her statement. Christians, Muslims, Jewish and other religions all have traditionalist and orthodox sects that believe a man and a woman have distinct, significant roles that some may see as backwards and primitive. Ms. Stanton may have the best intentions when she requests that religions give women equality, but she cannot rewrite established doctrines that are believed to be the word of God and by not following those rules the believers are in danger of eternal damnation. Furthermore, she misinterprets the bible by making it seem as though there aren’t any quotes in the bible, Koran or other religious text that state that women are given specific realms within the religious ministry; while one such example would be 1 Timothy 2:11-12 which states, "Let the woman learn in silence with all subjection. But I suffer not a woman to teach, nor to usurp authority over the man, but to be in silence." This verse from the bible is in contrast to her statement and in order for someone to comply with Ms. Stanton’s Declaration of Sentiments and Resolutions they would have to go against their religious belief which would create a dystopia rather than a utopia for those that hold those specific religious beliefs.

She also fails to make knowledge of the idea that there might be women and men within society that enjoy the roles in which they play and also that there might be men that feel beleaguered by the role that they are forced to play as men. When she says that women “may no longer publish their degradation by declaring themselves satisfied with their present position, nor their ignorance, by asserting that they have all the rights they want” she is imposing upon women and men who are perfectly satisfied with the traditional roles that women have played her will and thus she is depriving them of the “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness;” which she purports to support in the second paragraph of the declaration. If it makes a woman happy to raise children, take care of her husband, and spend her life at home, what right would Elizabeth Cady Stanton have to force women to pursue a life that does not create happiness for her? Ms. Stanton also does not seem to make an argument for the men that are oppressed by societies view that men must gather the lion’s share of income for the family, or the perception within society that if a man were to care for the children while the woman worked outside the home that he was in some way less of a man for doing so. Because she does not consider the other half of the society that she is imposing these rules upon.

There is also the idealized society that Slavoj Zizek promotes in his documentary “Living at the End of Times” where he shows all the wrong that comes from what he calls Liberal Capitalism and suggests that communism would be a better society because it doesn’t have the problems that are associated with capitalism one of those being Bernie Madoff. He also mischaracterizes the problems that occur in China as occurring because they have embraced some aspects of Liberal Capitalism. Mr. Zizek however, refuses to believe that there are some people that enjoy capitalism. Furthermore, he doesn’t realize that oftentimes, in communist societies the will of the people as a whole destroys the individual liberty that all human beings have a right to pursue.

One such problem with Mr. Zizek’s idealized society is that he assumes that communism will not have the same problems as capitalism and that the people will embrace communism after it takes hold within society. This is not a correct assertion because every form of realized communism that has ever graced out society has had rampant problems. In Russia, there was the mass slaughter of nearly 20 million people under Stalin which is significantly more than the people killed by Adolf Hitler (History Channel). Furthermore there are the reports that millions of people in China do not have the freedom to choose how many children they can have and how they can practice their religion (Olesen). All these things are done in the name of keeping the society together and that these religions as Mr. Zizek believes are put in place to oppress the society. However, the realistic realization of communism has resulted in the lack of individual liberty for many of its subjects.

Furthermore, he also forgets that there are people that enjoy capitalism. If one looks to the culture of rap music, it is very obvious to see that money is enjoyed by these artists as the fruit of the creative labors. Mr. Zizek believes that it is a mental disorder to love money that loving money is an addiction and that it can be cured through communism. However, there will always be people who love working and creating and if they receive the same compensation as a person who provides no added value to the society what extra incentive would they have for making more music? Especially if they enjoy the fruits of their labor like the jewelry and expensive liquor that is part of the hip-hop culture are fond of. By following Mr. Zizek’s communist utopia rap artists would have their right to pursue happiness taken away from them which would not be a perfect social system.

Due to the multitude of differing ideals within society, there cannot be a social utopia that would help everyone. While Feminists might enjoy the social utopia of Elizabeth Cady Stanton there are many women that would much prefer their traditional roles without being looked down upon by people like Ms. Stanton. And while others might enjoy a society that is free from racism members of the Klan, Nazi’s or even racist African Americans would find such a society oppressing and against their conscience. And while redistributing wealth and having all goods owned by the community as would be the case in Mr. Zizek’s Communist Utopia would be beneficial to Communists and Socialists alike, capitalists, the selfish, and those who just love making money would all be denied their individual liberties. Thus, there is no way to create a social utopia where no person is oppressed by the government and because a utopia must have a perfect government, legal, and social system by failing the citizens of the society in regards to their individual liberty creates imperfection.

Privacy in this internet age

The internet is the connection of millions of computers around the world and the active sharing of information between them. While the internet was created to share information, there is certain data that is important to keep private lest this data is used for sinister reasons. Although the World Wide Web is very large and the sharing of data occurs easily, there should be some sort of privacy filters to help users have some control in the sharing of their private information. In this age of identity theft and personal experiences, individual privacy is crucial in order for a person to live his or her life without the fear of faceless individuals ruining their lives.

Of course, sharing some information can be important for some people. Esther Dyson, the author of “Reflections on Privacy 2.0,” believes that there are new and compelling reasons for people to disclose private information in order to share detailed and accurate health information from medical histories (Bloom, and Smith 379). There can be a benefit in disclosing private information. Doctors and hospitals can find medical history much quicker and can possibly cure the patient faster with this information. Retrieving info on certain ill people from certain regional areas may find causes for these afflictions. If the water supply of a community is causing them to be sick, their medical histories can clue the doctors in on where their illness is coming from.

While sharing this information can be useful in finding a cure, there still must be some sort of discretion with their medical pasts. Diseases such as HIV should be kept confidential for the sake of the individual. Diseases like those carry a discriminatory element with them and patients usually wish to keep it a secret. The individual should have some sort of control over his or her own privacy. Most people know that others can view some of their information such as doctors, specialists, pharmacists. Daniel J. Solove, the author of “The End of Privacy?” stated that people leave a paper trail wherever they go and that the individual’s information is shared with others but they should retain some sort of control (Bloom, and Smith 388).

Patients are also concerned about the privacy of their medical past for financial reasons. Many medical insurance companies raise premiums or flat out reject coverage to those who have preexisting medical conditions. This situation has lead people to attempt to hide their illnesses when applying for health care. Falsifying their applications due to privacy reasons is problematic and can lead to charges of fraud. People would not care about medical privacy so much if revealing the truth about their health did not expose them to costly medical bills and insurance premiums (Bloom, and Smith 379). Recently, the health care bill that would force insurance companies to overlook preexisting conditions was declared unconstitutional ("Foxnews.com"). Legislatures must find a balance between competition and offsetting medical insurance premiums from patients with previous illnesses so that patients do not have to worry about privacy with their medical conditions.

There is also the problem of young individuals who share information that could affect their lives sometime in the future. Dyson states that some of the adolescents are aware of the risks of using social-networking web sites but do not take them seriously (Bloom, and Smith 386). Many youths post up unflattering pictures on their Facebook page or even nude pictures on photo-hosting websites such as Flickr or Photobucket. They can also post tweets or status updates with offensive posts. In addition, a friend could post the embarrassing photo or an unflattering blog post. That blog could haunt the individual sometime in the future. An employer who searches the internet for information on a potential employee could find this negative data, which could influence the decision of the employer. Solove himself states that “having your personal information may fail to improve my judgment of you. It may, in fact, increase the likelihood that I will hastily condemn you” (Bloom, and Smith 386).

How does one anticipate avoiding a situation like this? That job has to go to informed parents. Dyson claims that it is likely that some kind of statute of limitations on foolish behavior will emerge (Bloom, and Smith 383). However, a statute of limitations can only go so far. An employer may forgive a time of binge drinking, but getting into many fights can hurt a job applicant. Elevated visibility that comes with living in a transparent online world means you may never overcome past mistakes (Bloom, and Smith 387). Parents need to become more aware of technologies that can ruin their children’s lives. It is their job to protect them.

Informed parents can protect their children’s future simply by employing a few strategies. For instance, there is the recent epidemic of teenagers sending each other naked pictures with their camera phones. A parent can disable the picture messaging option by purchasing a family plan and restricting the photo emails. Phone companies have become aware of the problem of “sexting” and placed picture-blocking options for only the adult to access. Another way they can protect their children is using internet filters. Websites such as netnanny.com gives parents the option to block any website they feel is inappropriate for their children, including photo sharing sites. They can also block social sites such as Facebook. However, if the parent lets their children use Facebook, they can remove any name tagging in order to avoid internet search engines from finding their name attached to photos.

Embarrassing photos posted on Facebook may not be the only reason why one needs to control their own privacy. Discrimination against a person who is affiliated with a particular group is another risk with unrestricted access. A job applicant who is affiliated with a certain political party could be turned down. If the employer is a Republican and the applicant is a left wing Democrat, that person could be denied the job without the employer ever giving out the real reason for the rejection. On the other hand, the employer could be an Atheist who despises Christians and the applicant happens to be Christian. It is obvious on how this situation can be abused without any sort of privacy restriction.

Another way on how privacy can be abused is with the situation with Facebook and Social Ads. In Solove’s article, he described the situation where advertisements were used with profiles that existed on Facebook. Many users were upset that their profiles were used in this manner without permission and rightly so. No one should have his or her profile used without confirmation. A situation could occur where a user purchases a product and because of the purchase, the company approves using that profile in their advertisements. However, if the product is unsatisfactory, the user may hate the product and become enraged when they see their profile in the advertisement. The user may become so angry; they may try to bring up a lawsuit against the company. Although a person’s name or image can be used in news, art, literature, or on social-networking sites, the appropriation tort protects against using someone’s name or picture without consent to advertise products (Bloom, and Smith 388). The user would probably be successful in that lawsuit.

Some people may feel uncomfortable with specific information out in the public while others may be okay with it. There could possibly be ways to accommodate both groups. As more people are introduced to the internet, more information will become available to those who are interested. Social-networking sites such as Myspace, Facebook, and Twitter are still in their infancy and privacy issues have to be ironed out as time goes on. This idea on privacy restrictions is very important, but common sense when publishing information on the internet will go a long way.

Works Cited

"Judge Rules Health Care Law Is Unconstitutional." Foxnews.com. Fox News Network, 31 Jan 2011. Web. 18 Mar 2011. .

Bloom, Lynn, and Louise Smith. The Arlington Reader: Contexts and Connections. Third. Boston, MA: Bedfordst Martins, 2011. 379-389. Print.

Rhetorical Analysis (110 Percent)

As long as there has been Pro-athletic sports and media, athletes has been interviewed countless times to gain their perspective as they excelled in their respective sport. Athlete interviews began with newspaper reporting. When the radio gained popularity, games would be broadcast as well as post-game interviews. Naturally, when televisions became a home staple, viewers could actually see the athlete's emotions. However, there are not many athletes who are trained in public speaking and may have trouble describing what they have just experienced or their current feelings. This issue is what the author, Joel Stein decided to address when he wrote the article, “110 Percent!” He felt as if athletes use a general, basic, unwritten script and he wanted to give at least one player some pointers. He was able to interview Ryan Clark, a safety for the Pittsburgh Steelers who were waiting for the Super Bowl.

What is interesting about the article itself is that the author and the player talk about using rhetoric in their interviews and how having a lack of word play usually works best in order to avoid situations. Ryan Clark mentions that he tries not to draw attention to the team. He stated to a reporter that the only story in Pittsburgh is that the team has six Lombardi trophies and is trying to get another. The reporter turned out to be an employee for the New York Post, a newspaper who has a history of writing sensationalized articles. The reporter took Clark's comments and reworked them as “Steel City became Snob City yesterday when the snooty Steelers offered to let the poor, little Jets kiss their six rings.” Clark said that the Jets used it for motivation. “The Jets' LaDainian Tomlinson came to me at the beginning of the game and said, 'We don't care about your six trophies,'” and the Jets played a hard game because of those false quotes.

The New York Post author used several Rhetorical devices when that sentence was written. First, Ethos was used when the author used “snooty Steelers” and “six rings.” This Ad Hominem attack made the Pittsburgh Steelers look like a dominating, overconfident team who believed that they can beat the Jets without a sweat. This appeal to character helped out the Jets because most people who don't have a vested interest in a game will usually root for the underdog. The more people who root for a team, the more momentum and confidence that team will have.

The other rhetoric that is used is the Pathos, or the appeal to emotion. Again, the use of “snooty Steelers” and “poor little Jets” are used to get an emotional response from the reader. Any Jets fan will probably get angry over a comment like that because it appears as if Ryan Clark is trash talking and that the Jets have no chance.

In addition, the “quote” that the New York Post used is clearly an exaggeration. This tactic is also rhetoric because it can bring about all the different emotions I stated earlier from the reader. Most of the readers of the Post probably did not know what Clark originally said. Even the Jets players took the quote seriously and put up a bigger fight because of it (Stein).

Another device used in the quote that one can easily miss is the Alliteration of the letter S in the phrase. “Steel City because Snob City yesterday when the snooty Steelers offered to let the poor, little Jets kiss their six rings,” has eight significant S sounds. This technique is normally used in poetry and helps us remember terms such as “sink or swim,” or “bigger and better.” The alliteration helps readers remember the phrase, thus helps readers remember their emotional response.

Clark learned from his quote mistake and did not want to give out any more firepower to the opposing team. Joel Stein realized this because although he found Clark to be witty, Clark denied that the team was interesting and went so far as to call the Steelers, “a boring team,” when Stein stated that Clark used “boring-ass quotes.” Stein was sick of athletes stating that “they're going to play their own game, keep doing what they did to get there and give 110%.” A fine balance must be found between interesting quotes but avoiding language that can be misinterpreted.

Joel Stein realized that Ryan Clark will probably be interviewed several times during the two weeks before the Super Bowl, so he gave Clark a few pointers to punch up his quotes before the big game. The first strategy for Clark was to use humor as a response to questions. If any of the reporters asked Clark for any predictions on the game, his response should be that he's pretty sure the other two guys in the Black Eyed Peas aren't going to get a lot of camera time (Stein). The Rhetorical device that is used in that answer is the Red Herring. It is used to divert attention from the original issue, which is exactly what Clark wants.

Another strategy that Stein wants Clark to use is misdirection. If the reporters ask him what he learned from appearing at the Super Bowl two years ago, Clark should state that he was disappointed to learn that they don't show the commercials on the field (Stein). This answer is another Red Herring. Instead of commenting on strategy, he made a comment on something that only benefits the viewers at home. That was another way to divert attention from the original issue.

Apparently, the word “disappointing” is Rhetoric for the Pittsburgh Steelers. Clark told Stein never to use that word because it is a symbol that stands for something else (Foss, 4). The word stems from controversy for the Steelers earlier in the season. The Steelers former Super Bowl MVP Santonio Holmes was accused of assault on a woman and the president of the Pittsburgh Steelers stated that he was “disappointed' in the allegations. The charges upset Steelers fans and Clark wants to avoid using language that reminds fans of the controversy.

Joel Stein wants to pretty up the speech of athletes but realizes that too much substance should be avoided in the quotes. Answers to questions should be lighthearted and not be taken serious. Rhetoric should definitely be used along with humor. These techniques should enhance any interview an athlete conducts and get rid of the old boring cliches.

Article: 110 Percent! By Joel Stein

http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,2044714,00.html

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Personal Statement

My name is Alberto Chonillo and I'm a 33 year old Hispanic living in Staten Island, NY. I have a wife and a three year old son. I am a Junior attending the College of Staten Island and I am pursuing a degree in Political Science and Philosophy. Once I receive my degree, I plan on attending law school and then plan on working in the public sector, most likely as a prosecutor.

As a Poli Sci major, I would know what ideology I fall under and I believe that I am half Conservative and half Libertarian. Like most of the country, I lean toward the center/right. As far as my conservative side goes, I am mostly a fiscal conservative, which means I prefer the government to spend less money and have a balanced budget.

My Libertarian side believes that the government should have less laws that control the lives of Americans. For instance, as far as marriage rights go, I believe that the government should not be in the business of marrying anyone. I always believed that marriage is a religious institution, which should stay in the church. Anyone who wants parental or spousal rights should have a civil union. No reason why church and state should mix.

Even though I prefer the government to have less laws applied to our lives, I feel strongly about obeying and upholding the law. If I really felt as if a law is very unjust, I would start a grassroots campaign to have legislature reverse the law, rather than committing civil disobedience to change laws. Our government officials work for the public and they have to listen to us or get voted out. So far, I like criminal law and while not perfect, I think that it helps keep the public generally safe. That's why I would like to become a prosecutor.

Keeping criminals behind bars is used as a deterrent for many other criminals and keeps the public safe from them. I have a Criminal Justice degree so I've learned how the entire system works together for public safety and I would like to contribute to that. I have actually interned in the District Attorney's office and helped with criminal files. While it's not as glamorized or dramatized as Law and Order, being there showed me how important and rewarding the work is.