Persuasive Paper (Final polish)

May 27, 2013                                                                                                                  Whitehead 1

1126 Longworth

Washington DC, 20515

 

Congressman Sam Farr,

Most people care about keeping their home clean. When it comes to the home we all share though, by this I mean our ecosystem, it seems to not be in the front of our minds so much. I have observed that most people do not really think about the environment on a day to day basis. I go to school and live near Santa Cruz and I have noticed that it is a place where people generally care for the environment. We are at the edge of the Pacific Ocean and actually see some of the human effects on the coastline and most people are aware of this. Santa Cruz is only one small area in the world and outside of coastal areas a lot of people actually do not believe global warming, or any other environmental issues are going on. If the public understands the importance of taking care of our home and takes action accordingly the earth and every organism living on it, including us would be in a lot better shape.

            Humans have driven a lot of species into extinction. This is due to the belief that we are the “master species”, and lack of knowledge about the animals that have been systematically decimated for human pleasures, such as money. Very few actually went extinct because we ate all of them; it is usually because they have some other kind of value to us. For example, with whales we want their natural oil.  We extract what we want from the kill and then dispose of

Whitehead 2

the rest of the animal. With humans rapidly growing in numbers we need places to live, so we have built towns and cities by cutting down trees destroying habitats. This has also driven species into extinction. We have massive brains and are able to communicate using language better than any other species, but does this give us the right to dictate the world?

            We are land animals, so we do not know a lot about the ocean even though it dominates 71 percent of our planet. Because we do not live in the ocean habitat, a lot of people are not aware that we are trashing it. According to my Oceanography teacher David Schwartz and my Marine Biology teacher Nicole Crane there are garbage piles the size of Texas in the middle of the ocean. This happens because on each side of the hemisphere the water has a current that spirals and down wells in the middle. This is called a gyre, sort of the effect of a toilet bowl in the ocean. Because the current spirals toward the gyre this is where trash- such as plastic- accumulates and essentially stays forever.

 What are even worse than the visible heap of trash are the micro plastics. Except for a handful of plastics that are made to break down most particles only break into microscopic particles. It will never completely be gone, and humans just keep contributing to it and unknowingly consuming it along with all of the animals in the sea. Seven Billion pounds of bisphenol A are manufactured each year and they are known to cause health problems in people and animals. These synthetic particles are found in nearly every sea creature and because we eat them they are in human bodies as well. There was a study done in Japan that detected the women with high levels of bisphenol A were the ones who had several miss

Whitehead 3

carriages and in some cases they were never able to conceive. This not only interferes with human reproduction, it also as some of the same effects on fish. One out of every four male sword fish produces female eggs due to these toxic synthetic particles that cloud the water.  Scientists and engineers have had ideas to take the trash from the gyres and convert it into energy, the problem is it is expensive, the particles are to small pick up, and we really do not have the technology yet. When or if we do figure it out, we have to be cautious of putting too much carbon dioxide into the atmosphere which is a whole other problem.

            Too much carbon dioxide is very detrimental to life on earth. There are many theories of why dinosaurs went extinct. There were huge numbers of volcanoes erupting during the time of dinosaurs so one of the most plausible theories is that the gas from the volcanoes caused their mass extinction, because there is mostly carbon dioxide in the gas exploding off volcanoes. According to U.S Geological Service the changes in levels of carbon dioxide have mimicked the global temperature(USGS). Every year 300 million tons of carbon dioxide is emitted into the atmosphere by volcanoes, which seems like a lot, but in comparison with the human activity it is only 1 percent of total carbon dioxide emission. We top the charts at 26.8 billion tons a year. To reduce this amount our society would have to be less dependent on oil and burning fossil fuels in general. Because we rely on it so much it is extremely difficult to get people on board to try a different energy source now, unless we find alternate energy sources that work just as efficiently.

           

Whitehead 4

Finding alternative energy sources and using products that are biodegradable is not impossible. Hydrogen engines have even been made to replace the use of gasoline. Although the gasoline industry is so profitable that the government makes is seem like that is the only option for us so they can make money. The well being of the economy is really important too, but that can always be altered to fit our life style. The shape of the environment is essential to all life and that cannot be reversed. We need to look at the big picture. If we don’t try to slow down the global warming green house effect, our food source will be slim from the decreasing crop fields and loss of habitat.

 We are so accustom to wrapping nearly everything in plastic. Plastic is good material for things that need to have a long life such as cars, but for things like wrapping food in plastic and plastic water bottles, it just does not make sense that we wrap permanent materials in products that last no longer than a week. Consumers can help by bringing their own bags and try to minimize the things they buy wrapped in plastic, such as plastic water bottles. The problem is nearly everything is wrapped in plastic, so it’s difficult to avoid and that is where the government can help. By putting regulations on wrapping material we can minimize the amount going into the environment. Monitoring the materials used to produce plastics may cut out some of the bad side effects it has on humans, animals, and the environment. When the synthetic plastic materials were first made nobody thought about where these particles were going to end up. Now that we know how toxic and permanent they are it is time to change our ways.

            Whitehead 5

Our intelligent brains are part of the reason we are in this mess, but if we use our brains we can slow it down. Just getting more people to realize what is slowly happening to our earth, it could help to figure out how to move forward while doing less damage to the environment. Congress can help by setting regulations for factories that produce hazardous materials like bisphenol A. This is our home and it’s time to start taking care of it. The rising heat has affected a lot of the animals in the North and South poles already, and it is only a matter of time until it will directly affect us.

Sincerely,

Hailey Whitehead

           

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Works Cited

 

"Plastic Not-So-Fantastic: How the Versatile Material Harms the Environment and Human

Health: Scientific American." Scientificamerican.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 29 Apr. 2013.

 

"Volcanic Gases and Their Effects." Usgs.gov. N.p., n.d. Web. 29 Apr. 2013.

 

"TOXIC: Garbage Island - Part 1." VICE. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 May 2013. <http://www.vice.com/toxic/toxic-garbage-island-1-of-3>.

Persuasive essay (Final draft)

May 27, 2013

1126 Longworth

Washington DC, 20515

 

Congressman Sam Farr,

Most people care about keeping their home clean, although, when it comes to the home we all share it seems to not be in the front of our minds so much. I have observed that most people do not really think the environment on a day to day basis. I go to school and live near Santa Cruz and I have observed that it is a place where people generally care for the environment. We are at the edge of the Pacific Ocean and actually see some of the human effects on the coastline and most people are aware of this. Although Santa Cruz is only one small area in the world, and outside of coastal areas a lot of people actually do not believe global warming or any other environmental issues are even going on. If the public understands the importance of taking care of our home and takes action accordingly the earth and every organism living on it, including us would be in a lot better shape.

            Humans have driven a lot of species into extinction. This is due to the belief that we are the “master species”, and lack of knowledge about the animals that have been systematically decimated for human pleasures, such as money. Very few actually went extinct because we ate all of them; it is usually because they have some other kind of value to us. For example, with whales we want their natural oil.  We extract what we want from the kill and then dispose of the rest of the animal. With humans rapidly growing in numbers we need places to live, so we have built towns and cities by cutting down trees destroying habitats. This has also driven species into extinction. We have massive brains and are able to communicate using language better than any other species, but does this give us the right to dictate the world?

            We are land animals, so we do not know a lot about the ocean even though it dominates 71 percent of our planet. Because we do not live in the ocean habitat, a lot of people are not aware that we are trashing it. According to my Oceanography teacher David Schwartz and my Marine Biology teacher Nicole Crane there are garbage piles the size of Texas in the middle of the ocean. This happens because on each side of the hemisphere the water has a current that spirals and down wells in the middle. This is called a gyre, sort of the effect of a toilet bowl in the ocean. Because the current spirals toward the gyre this is where trash- such as plastic- accumulates and essentially stays forever.

 What are even worse than the visible heap of trash are the micro plastics. Except for a handful of plastics that are made to break down most particles only break into microscopic particles. It will never completely be gone, and humans just keep contributing to it and unknowingly consuming it along with all of the animals in the sea. Seven Billion pounds of bisphenol A are manufactured each year and they are known to cause health problems in people and animals. These synthetic particles are found in nearly every sea creature and because we eat them they are in human bodies as well. There was a study done in Japan that detected the women with high levels of bisphenol A were the ones who had several miss carriages and in some cases they were never able to conceive. This not only interferes with human reproduction, it also as some of the same effects on fish. One out of every four male sword fish produces female eggs due to these toxic synthetic particles that cloud the water.  Scientists and engineers have had ideas to take the trash from the gyres and convert it into energy, the problem is it is expensive, the particles are to small pick up, and we really do not have the technology yet. When or if we do figure it out, we have to be cautious of putting too much carbon dioxide into the atmosphere which is a whole other problem.

            Too much carbon dioxide is very detrimental to life on earth. There are many theories of why dinosaurs went extinct. There were huge numbers of volcanoes erupting during the time of dinosaurs so one of the most plausible theories is that the gas from the volcanoes caused their mass extinction, because there is mostly carbon dioxide in the gas exploding off volcanoes. According to USGS.gov the changes in levels of carbon dioxide have mimicked the global temperature. Every year 300 million tons of carbon dioxide is emitted into the atmosphere by volcanoes, which seems like a lot, but in comparison with the human activity it is only 1 percent of total carbon dioxide emission. We top the charts at 26.8 billion tons a year. To reduce this amount our society would have to be less dependent on oil and burning fossil fuels in general. Because we rely on it so much it is extremely difficult to get people on board to try a different energy source now, unless we find alternate energy sources that work just as efficiently.

            Finding alternative energy sources and using products that are biodegradable is not impossible. Hydrogen engines have even been made to replace the use of gasoline. Although the gasoline industry is so profitable that the government makes is seem like that is the only option for us so they can make money. The well being of the economy is really important too, but that can always be altered to fit our life style. The shape of the environment is essential to all life and that cannot be reversed. We need to look at the big picture. If we don’t try to slow down the global warming green house effect, our food source will be slim from the decreasing crop fields and loss of habitat.

 We are so accustom to wrapping nearly everything in plastic. Plastic is good material for things that need to have a long life such as cars, but for things like wrapping food in plastic and plastic water bottles, it just does not make since that we wrap permanent materials in products that last no longer than a week. Consumers can help by bringing their own bags and try to minimize the things they buy wrapped in plastic, such as plastic water bottles. Although nearly everything is wrapped in plastic, so it’s difficult to avoid and that is where the government can help. By putting regulations on wrapping material we can minimize the amount going into the environment. Monitoring the materials used to produce plastics may cut out some of the bad side effects it has on humans, animals, and the environment. When the synthetic plastic materials were first made nobody thought about where these particles are going to end up. Now that we know how toxic and permanent they are it is time to change our ways.

            Our intelligent brains are part of the reason we are in this mess, but if we use our brains we can slow it down. Just getting more people to realize what is slowly happening to our earth it would help to figure out how to move forward while doing less damage to the environment. Congress can help by setting regulations for factories that produce hazardous materials like bisphenol A. This is our home and it’s time to start taking care of it. The rising heat has affected a lot of the animals in the North and South pools already, and it is only a matter of time until it will directly affect us.

Sincerely,

Hailey Whitehead

           

 

Works Cited

 

"Plastic Not-So-Fantastic: How the Versatile Material Harms the Environment and Human

Health: Scientific American." Scientificamerican.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 29 Apr. 2013.

 

"Volcanic Gases and Their Effects." Usgs.gov. N.p., n.d. Web. 29 Apr. 2013.

 

"TOXIC: Garbage Island - Part 1." VICE. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 May 2013. <http://www.vice.com/toxic/toxic-

garbage-island-1-of-3>.

Persuasive paper (revised draft)

United States Congress,

As a member in our society I have noticed that a common mind set is that as humans we can do whatever we want with no regard for the environment or other species. I go to school and live near Santa Cruz and I have observed that it is a place where people generally care for the environment. We are at the edge of the Pacific Ocean and actually see some of the human effects on the coastline and most people are aware of this. Although Santa Cruz is only one small area in the world, and outside of coastal areas a lot of people actually do not believe global warming or any environmental issues are even going on. If everyone understands the importance of taking care of the environment and takes action accordingly the earth and every organism living on it, including us would be in a lot better shape.

            Humans have driven a lot of species into extinction. This is due to the belief that we are the “master species”, and lack of knowledge about the animals that have been systematically decimated for human pleasures, such as money. Very few actually went extinct because we ate all of them; it is usually because they have some other kind of value to us. For example, with whales we want their oil.  We extract what we want from the kill and then dispose of the rest of the animal. With humans rapidly growing in numbers we need places to live, so we have built towns and cities by cutting down trees destroying habitats. This has also driven species into extinction. We have massive brains and are able to communicate using language better than any other species, but does this mean we have the right to rule the world?

            We are land animals, so we do not know a lot about the ocean even though is dominates 71 percent of our planet. Because we do not live in the ocean habitat a lot of people are not aware that we are trashing it. According to my Oceanography teacher David Schwartz and my Marine Biology teacher Nicole Crane there are garbage piles the size of Texas in the middle of the ocean. This happens because on each side of the hemisphere the water has a current that spirals and down wells in the middle of the northern and southern hemisphere. This is called a gyre, sort of the effect of a toilet bowl. Because the current spirals toward the gyre this is where trash like plastic accumulates and essentially stays forever.

 What are even worse than the visible heap of trash are the micro plastics. Except for a handful of plastics that are made to break down most of these particles are made out of Bisphenol A which breaks into microscopic particles. It will never completely break down, and humans just keep contributing to it and unknowingly consuming it along with all of the animals in the sea. Seven Billion pounds of Bisphenol A are manufactured each year and they are known to cause health problems in people and animals. These synthetic particles are found in nearly every sea creature and because we eat them these particles are in human bodies as well. There was a study done in Japan that detected the women with high levels of bisphenol A were the ones who had several miss carriages and in some cases they were never able to conceive. This not only interferes with human reproduction, it also as some of the same effects on fish. One out of every four male sword fish produces female eggs due to these toxic synthetic particles that cloud the water.  Scientists and engineers have had ideas to take the trash from the gyres and convert it into energy, the problem is it is expensive and we really do not have the technology to do this yet.  When or if we do figure it out, it may put too much carbon dioxide into the atmosphere which is a whole other problem.

            Too much carbon dioxide is very detrimental to life on earth. There are many theories of why dinosaurs went extinct. There were a lot of volcanoes erupting during the time of dinosaurs so one of the most plausible theories is that the gas from the volcanoes caused their mass extinction because there is mostly carbon dioxide in the gas exploding off volcanoes. According to USGS.gov the changes in levels of carbon dioxide have mimicked the global temperature. Every year 300 million tons of carbon dioxide is emitted into the atmosphere by volcanoes, which seems like a lot, but in comparison with the human activity it is only 1 percent of total carbon dioxide emission. We top the charts at 26.8 billion tons a year. To reduce this amount our society would have to be less dependent on oil. Because we are so dependent on it, it is extremely difficult to get people on board to try a different energy source now, unless we find alternate energy sources that work just as efficiently.

            Finding alternative energy sources and using products that are biodegradable is not impossible. Hydrogen engines have even been made to replace the use of gasoline. Although the gasoline industry is so profitable that the government makes is seem like that’s the only option for us so they can make money. The well being of the economy is really important too, but that can always be altered to fit our life style. The shape of the environment is essential to all life and that really cannot be reversed. We need to look at the big picture. If we don’t try to slow down the global warming green house effect our food source will be slim from the decreasing crop fields and loss of habitat. We are so accustom to wrapping nearly everything in plastic. Plastic is good for things that need to have a long life such as cars, but for things like wrapping food in plastic and plastic water bottles it just does not make since that we use permanent materials for products that do not last long. Consumers can help by bringing their own bags and try to minimize the things they buy with plastic. Although nearly everything is wrapped in plastic, so it’s difficult to avoid and that is where the government can help by putting regulations on wrapping material. When the synthetic plastic materials were first made nobody thought about where these particles are going to end up. Now that we know how toxic and permanent they are it is time to change our ways.

            Our intelligent brains are part of the reason we are in this mess, but if we use our brains we can slow it down. Just getting more people to realize what is slowly happening to our earth it would help to figure out how to move forward while doing less damage to the environment. This is our home and it’s time to start taking care of it. The rising has affected a lot of the animals in the North and South pools already, and it is only a matter of time until it will directly affect us.

           

 

 

Works Cited

 

"Plastic Not-So-Fantastic: How the Versatile Material Harms the Environment and Human

Health: Scientific American." Scientificamerican.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 29 Apr. 2013.

 

"Volcanic Gases and Their Effects." Usgs.gov. N.p., n.d. Web. 29 Apr. 2013.

 

"TOXIC: Garbage Island - Part 1." VICE. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 May 2013. <http://www.vice.com/toxic/toxic-

garbage-island-1-of-3>.

Bibliograghy Annotation

"Teen Health and the Media." Washington.edu. N.p., n.d. Web. 05 May 2013.

            The information in this website comes from the University of Washington from the teen futures media network. They work towards the prevention of teen pregnancy, sexually transmitted diseases, tobacco, alcohol and other drugs, youth violence, nutrition, and body image. They have a lot of different article regarding all of these issues on the website, but the article I was looking at was all facts and statistics from their own studies and other credible sources like the Kaiser Foundation. The website states that since world war two popular media has increasingly held up thinner body images. In every three articles in teen magazines focuses on appearance and beauty. As a result 40 percent of girls have tried to lose weight between the ages of 9 and 10. At the age of 13, 53 percent of American girls are “unhappy with their weight”. This increases to 75 percent by the time they get to age 17. Eating disorders affect more than 5 million Americans each year. All of these statistics can help with the argument that we are living in a “killer culture”.

 

"Progressive Movement." Center for American Progress. N.p., n.d. Web. 05 May 2013.

            This is an independent nonpartisan group dedicated to improving lives of Americans through progressive ideas. They address challenges such as energy, national security, economic growth and opportunity, immigration, education, and healthcare. According to this group the re-election of president Obama will help to create a more multiethnic, cross-class coalition. The millennial generation (between the ages of 12 and 29) is the largest, most diverse and most progressive generation in American history. The progressivism is visible in issues like immigration, marriage equality, and women’s health and rights. Most young people whether they are conservative or republican identify with progressive views and they will be the ones to shape our culture. This would be a great argument that our society is actually becoming a “pleasure dome” with how equality is slowly emerging in our culture.

Persuasive paper (rough draft)

United States Congress,

As a member in our society I have noticed that a common mind set is that as humans we can do whatever we want with no regard for the environment or other species. I go to school and live near Santa Cruz and I have observed that it is a place where people generally care for the environment. We are at the edge of the Pacific Ocean and actually see some of the human effects on the coastline and most people are aware of this. Although Santa Cruz is only one small area in the world, and outside of coastal areas a lot of people actually do not believe global warming or any environmental issues are even going on. If everyone understands the importance of taking care of the environment and takes action accordingly the earth and every organism living on it, including us would be in a lot better shape.

            Humans have driven a lot of species into extinction. This is due to the belief that we are the “master species”, and lack of knowledge about the animals that have been systematically decimated for human pleasures, such as money. Very few actually went extinct because we ate all of them; it is usually because they have some other kind of value to us. For example, with whales we want their oil.  We extract what we want from the kill and then dispose of the rest of the animal. With humans growing numbers we need places to live, so we have built towns and cities by cutting down trees destroying habitats. This has also driven species into extinction. We have massive brains and are able to communicate using language better than any other species, but does this mean we have the right to rule the world?

            We are land animals, so we do not know a lot about the ocean even though is dominates 71 percent of our planet. Because we do not live in the ocean habitat a lot of people are not aware that we are trashing it. According to my Oceanography teacher David Schwartz and my Marine Biology teacher Nicole Crane there are garbage piles the size of Texas in the middle of the ocean. This happens because on each side of the hemisphere the water has a current that spirals and down wells in the middle of the northern and southern hemisphere which is called a gyre, sort of the effect of a toilet bowl. Because the current spirals toward the gyre this is where trash like plastic accumulates and essentially stays forever.

 What is even worse than the visible heap of trash is the micro plastics. Except for a handful of plastics that are made to break down most of these particles are made out of bisphenol A which breaks into microscopic particles. It will never completely break down, and humans just keep contributing to it. Seven Billion pounds of bisphenol A are manufactured each year and they are known to cause health problems in people and animals. These synthetic particles are found in nearly every sea creature and because we eat them these particles are in human bodies as well. There was a study done in Japan that detected the women with high levels of bisphenol A were the ones who had several miss carriages and in some cases they were never able to conceive. This not only interferes with human reproduction, it also as some of the same effects on fish. One out of every four male sword fish produces female eggs due to these toxic synthetic particles that cloud the water.  Scientists and engineers have had ideas to take the trash from the gyres and convert it into energy, the problem is it is expensive and we really do not have the technology to do this yet.  When or if we do figure it out, it may put too much carbon dioxide into the atmosphere which is a whole other problem.

            Too much carbon dioxide is very detrimental to life on earth. There are many theories of why dinosaurs went extinct. There were a lot of volcanoes erupting during the time of dinosaurs so one of the most plausible theories is that the gas from the volcanoes caused their mass extinction because there is mostly carbon dioxide in the gas exploding off volcanoes. According to USGS.gov the changes in levels of carbon dioxide have mimicked the global temperature. Every year 300 million tons of carbon dioxide is emitted into the atmosphere by volcanoes, which seems like a lot, but in comparison with the human activity it is only 1 percent of total carbon dioxide emission. We top the charts at 26.8 billion tons a year. To reduce this amount our society would have to be less dependent on oil. Because we are so dependent on it, it is extremely difficult to get people on board to try a different energy source now, unless we find alternate energy sources that work just as efficiently.

            Finding alternative energy sources and using products that are biodegradable is not impossible. Hydrogen engines have even been made to replace the use of gasoline. Although the gasoline industry is so profitable that the government makes is seem like that’s the only option for us so they can make money. The well being of the economy is really important too, but that can always be altered to fit our life style but the shape of the environment is essential to all life and that really can not be reversed. We need to look at the big picture. If we don’t try to slow down the global warming green house effect our food source will be slim from the decreasing crop fields and loss of habitat. When the synthetic plastic materials were first made nobody thought about where these particles are going to end up. Now that we know how toxic and permanent they are it is time to change our ways.

            Our intelligent brains are part of the reason we are in this mess, but if we use our brains we can slow it down. Just getting more people to realize what is slowly happening to our earth it would help to figure out how to move forward while doing less damage to the environment. This is our home and it’s time to start taking care of it. The rising heat has affected a lot of the animals in the North and South pools already, and it is only a matter of time until it will directly affect us.

           

 

 

Works Cited

 

"Plastic Not-So-Fantastic: How the Versatile Material Harms the Environment and Human

Health: Scientific American." Scientificamerican.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 29 Apr. 2013.

 

"Volcanic Gases and Their Effects." Usgs.gov. N.p., n.d. Web. 29 Apr. 2013.

 

"TOXIC: Garbage Island - Part 1." VICE. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 May 2013. <http://www.vice.com/toxic/toxic-

garbage-island-1-of-3>.

  

Reading Analysis to "Killer Culture"

It is not easy to persuade a reader of something especially if they already have a different opinion about it. The only way you can write a great persuasive paper is by using different modes such as narration, description, exemplification, process, cause and effect, compare and contrast, classification/division, and definition. David Kupelian uses all of these in his article “Killer Culture”, to justify why he believes our culture is so poisonous that we need to protect our children from it by homeschooling. The following examples are some of the modes he used to persuade the reader that this is the right way to educate our future generations.

                Kupelian is in his 60’s and he compares and contrasts the clothing choices in the generation he came from to the present day trends. He explains “…the generation uniform of Levi’s and work shirts and peacoats in their celebration of blue collar workers, “the Real Americans,” so today’s adolescents have co-opted inner-city black street-style as the authentic way to be”(649). He defiantly has an angle on this statement. He believes that the blue collar way to dress is superior to the “gangsta generation”. His audience is parents so he is also connecting with them because they may be from this generation.

                When talking about the companies that target teens to make money he goes into detail about MTV. He concludes that everything on his channel is a commercial, whether it is a music video, cloths, or a commercial for a movie funded by that company. This is an example of exemplification. When he continues discussing MTV he also uses process to show how they figure out what they can sell to youth. Kupelian says “They hold focus groups. They send out culture spies to pretend to befriend and care about teens so they can study them-what they like, what they don’t like, what’s in, what’s out, what’s cool, and what’s no longer cool. They engage in ‘buzz marketing” (651-652). He goes on in more detail about the process they use to sell their product. This is a turn off for most people because people generally don’t like it when they know someone is selling something to them.

                Kuplelian also believes that the culture today is literally obsessed with death. He uses definition to explain some horrible things youth do to their bodies to look cool or get a rush. “The act of suspension is hanging the human body from hooks pierced through the flesh in various places around the body” (656). He also explains, “Or, How about tongue splitting-literally making yourself look like a human lizard-how could that be a positive, spiritual experience?”(657). He gives these definitions to show the public how gruesome some of the things that the young generation does because some people might not know what the words mean. It also gives a visual that most people would find disturbing which helps prove the point that our culture is just to poisonous to put our kids in the midst of it.

                The points Kuplelian makes are very valid, and the modes help a lot with his argument. Although, the article did not persuade me or the majority of the class. In my opinion it was just too far out there, and a little crazy. He did put some facts but it was mostly all his opinion. He was very persuasive and had all the components of a great persuasive paper.

               

Response to "Killer Culture"

Today’s youth are the future of our society. It is very common for their confused young brains to get targeted by a lot of different things such as social media, peer pressure, or just the desire to fit in. David Kupelian wrote a very controversial essay about this called “Killer Culture”. His response to the problems that popular culture inflicts on kids is to keep them isolated until they are ready to go out into the world. I do not agree with Kupelian’s solution to this problem, but he does have a valid point about this issue.

                Kupelian noticed the pressure kids feel to conform when he observed his son Joshua. His son always hated body jewelry until he met and hung out with his older cousin on a vacation. After the vacation he wanted to get a choker just like the one his cousin owned, even though he previously believed men should not wear jewelry. Another example of this he states is the “gangsta generation”. Baggy sagged pants, hip-hop music, body piercings, tattoos, backwards hats, and even a different attitude are some of the things that became attractive during this time.

                Things like fashion trends and music do not spread on its own, media has a lot to do with this. Huge companies figure out what the youth wants and what is in style by sending out “culture spies”. These people make friends with the kids and pretend to care about them, but they are really just gathering information about things that they like so their products will sell. MTV is an example of this; Kupelian believes everything on MTV is a commercial whether it is a music video or a show with trendy clothes. Kupelian wonders “Is the media really reflecting the world of kids, or is it the other way around”. (653) His point is that it is hard to tell if this kind of media is being based of youth or if youth is actually following the examples on the television. In reality it is most likely just a continuous circle.

                Kupleians response to this is that it is mostly the parents fault for not censoring their children from these kinds of corruptions. He thinks children should be home schooled so parents can choose what kind of things their kids will be exposed to. By doing this we would be creating a safe “subculture” for youth. Kupelian’s intentions become very clear when he states “I believe homeschooling today represents the single most important and promising avenue for true rebirth of American Judeo-Christian culture.”(662)

                Although I do see valid points in his concerns, I do not agree at all with his solutions. First off styles of generations are ever-changing and the “Gangsta generation” will be gone as soon as it came and be replaced with another style, which is already happening. I personally believe that not everything on MTV is a commercial. MTV came out with the show 16 and Pregnant in 2009 which is a documentary of a variety of different young teenage mothers and the hardships that they go though during the pregnancy and afterwards. According to the Christian Science Monitor 82 percent of teens who watched the show said it helped them better understand the hardship of being a young mother. Statistics even show a 6 percent decrease in teen pregnancy from 2008 to 2009 and a 10 percent decrease in Hispanic teen pregnancy. I find it hard to imagine being homeschooled as a child. Going to a public school, I not only learned skills in school I also learned social skills and really important life lessons too. Censoring every aspect of a Childs life from what I have seen is not effective in most cases because rebellion is what a human does when they feel they are being repressed. I have seen firsthand that the parents who control their children too much end up with trouble maker kids because they try to break free.

                It is so difficult to solve these problems the youth faces in today’s society because it is all around them in their everyday lives. All a parent can really do is teach their children good morals, and to not always listen to what a peer or a TV show is telling them to do. Kids will be kids and they go through a lot of changes and phases. As long as they know right from wrong and what they should and should not follow I think they will turn out as decent human beings.

 

 

Works Cited

 

Jonsson, Patrik. "A Force behind the Lower Teen Birthrate: MTV's '16 and Pregnant'" The Christian      Science Monitor. The Christian Science Monitor, 21 Dec. 2010. Web. 15 Apr. 2013.

 

Kupelian, David. "Killer Culture." (n.d.): n. pag. Web.