Free Speech

This semester has really proved to me that free speech is a magnificent power and should be used by all to change the world. It seems that free speech is all around us and if we just open our eyes we can see how different people are trying to tell us something. I started this class thinking that speaking and voicing our opinions was a main type of free speech, but now I realize that blogging and writing can be just as effective. Also, for me it seems that blogging is more effective because of the shy personality that I have. Blogging allows me to share my thoughts and concerns with the world and not fear public speaking. This is a practice that I hope to continue after this class.

Privacy Concerns

My group project has really got me thinking, so I wanted to share. We are doing a presentation on wiretapping and it made me think about how I think about my privacy. I am a pretty private person, and as I learned about how easy it is for people to ease drop and wiretap, I began to get nervous. Has anyone ever experienced a negative or positive example of wiretapping or ease dropping?

Media Bias

This is an excerpt from my capstone on column writing. I thought it fit well. I hope to hear people's thoughts.

"The biggest issue that journalists face in their writing is bias. All writers have their own thoughts, and while columnists are able to use their personal bias in their writing, journalists can not. In the book Bias, Bernard Goldberg explores bias in the media. He wrote that in many of the news organizations liberal thoughts overtake the writing and reporting in both editors and reporters because reporters write what the editor wants. However, he went on to say that being a liberal journalist is acceptable to most reporters “as long as we keep out biases out of the stories we cover, [because] what’s the difference how we feel about abortion or gun control?” (Goldberg, 118). While bias will always be in a reporters mind, journalists need to make their biases disappear in order to write both sides of the story."

Bias and Ethics

Watching the movie in class on Wednesday made me fear the future of our media. Bill O'Reily is a very powerful man because he can speak well and speak strongly to his audience. It is true, I think, that people look for answers and his strength may give people answers that they want. Still, this does not make it true information. Journalists follow an ethical code and his biased answers and information does not follow that code. I think all people know how to spot bias, but they will listen to whatever they want to hear. I guess my hope is to have people remember to look at both sides.

Blogging

While writing my essay on blog, I realized how much importance free speech brings. I really enjoyed reading other people's blogs in depth and was inspired to continue writing a blog of some sort after this class. While I also appreciate the importance of free speech and use it wisely, I now understand the importance of using life experiences as free speech. One person's story and life experiences can really change another person's life.

What would you do?

In the last class we watched a movie that asked the question, "Would you stand with a group of people who you disagreed with?" I really thought about this and decided that yes, if I knew it was a form of helping the community or better helping the environment. I feel that I would be able to put my anger aside of one day to make a better solution for the future. This really interested me, I would love to hear others thoughts.

What is Art?

In the last class we talked about where the line is drawn between porn and art. I feel that there is a difference, but every person is entitled to their own expression. I was a dancer and a musician for many years and understand the importance of personal expression. This is where one can show their talent and their ideas to the world through different forms. But when does personal expression end and porn begin? Maybe in the case of Annie Sprinkle, her personal expression was describing things as a sexual artist. I guess what I am asking is, does having dance shoes on or a paint brush in hand make something art? Or can a lecture about sex also be art?