Two Websites

Throughout the semester we have been learning all of what to learn about critical thinking and arguments. The two websites called Mission Critical and the Casual Argument are both other alternatives to what we have been learning all this time. I feel that they are very helpful for this type of class if you don't have the actuall Boss text. Mission Critical is all about analyzing arguments very thoroughly from the types to the different ways they can be used. It provides a lot of info about the basics of arguments, its fallacies, and its analyzation. Casual Argument on the other hand talks about how arguments are the most important in many different ways and how we can use it to our most advantage and to its highest potential. If we want to succeed in the class we should look over these websites as references for a quick review for a class similar to communications 41.

Predictions

Your perception of someone or something may or may not be true.There have been many incidents in which I mistakenly thought something of a person or situation. For example, when I came into work one day, my boss did not really seem outgoing that day. Normally she's outgoing every single second. However, that day she spoke only a few words to me and to me she didn't put on a single smile for everyone. I predicted she was not looking forward for her day and was just dissapointed in not only my performance at selling but me in general. I even thought she was so mad at me. But the realy case was that I had nothing to do with her abnormal behavior. On fact, she simple just needed to use the restroom but didn't want to use public ones. You have to thoroughly think about a situation until you know for sure what the real deal is. You can't just assume automatically.

Horoscope

From my.horoscope.com for Virgo:

"Just as a watched pot never boils, so, too, do anxiously awaited checks or letters refuse to arrive in the mail, Virgo. Beyond double-checking that the person or company has your correct address, there isn't much you can do but continue to wait. Trust that it will arrive shortly, and then your financial difficulties will be behind you."


I don't read horoscopes often just because I don't believe them at all. In magazines and websites I'd be a bit bored and simply read for fun, that's it. Reading other people's horoscopes seems like I could relate to everyone's. My horoscope today talks about financial issues. Doesn't almost everyone have financial issues? The only thing I can count on my money problems is myself, not what a long fortune cookie-like statement. In the text, they mentioned that all statements may actually seem true altogether. I believe that that is true because different people can have the same hope for what a horoscope says. In a way it can also make you feel special because there's an outlook just for you. But in the end I always disregard it. 
I have to admit though, if my financial issues will be behind me if I have trust and am impatient, I might turn the other cheek. I can assure you, however, as a college student my financial situation won't be behind me anytime soon. 

Plagiarism

  "The Wrongs of Internet Plagiarism: The Quick Arguments" by Brook Sadler, talks about how plagiarism not a good thing for students no matter if they earned a better grade or not.  Russel Hunt, on the article, "Four Reasons to Be Happy about Internet Plagiarism," believes plagiarism is okay because some students just need that extra boost to pass and it helps the awareness of the subject. In my opinion, I believe that Sadly made a better argument because her reasons all point to the righteousness of what we are stating about the subject. It's only fair to gice credit when needed and to get the grade by what you deserve on your original work. I would not want someone using my ideas and getting praised for it. Sadler also pointed out that it just go against acedemic rules. Some student worked hard for their grade, they shouldn't be doing all that work for nothing. Those who slack and get the good grade because of cheating should be punished.

Misrepresentation of Scientific Findings

One concept I found interesting in chapter 11 was the one that went on about how some scientific findings are reported false. Usually when on the television news, my family automatically believes it is 100% true. But as a current college student, I know to check sources first before believing something since we're always taught to have legitimate sources provided in our essay assignments. In this section, there are many great examples of how reporters can just add a statement whether if it's true or not just so they can grab some attention. I personally think this is not the right way to gain followers or fans. It's like they're playing with other's emotions. This sections also talked about how assumptions from other sources are turned into facts for the reporters which is not fair. We go to the media for what's really happening in the world it shouldn't be playing mind games.

Media Experience

Still living with my parents I get unlimited access to the television and internet. It is like the first things turn on when I get home and the last thing I turn off. I would say that a lot of people around my age do the samething because every one of friends relax like this too from a long day of school. Because a majority of the people I know, including old family members, have facebook, I get a majority of news about how they're doing, what's going on with their lives and even what goes on with the world. For example, through Facebook I was able to be notified by shootings at school and what places to avoid. All of my friends were posting how astonished they are and praying for everyone. The media is powerful. Sometimes it can be so powerful false accusations may seem real which is why I always look up the internet for more research for accuracy. The media is like a needed social network of connections for various ways.

Advertisements

An interesting topic I found most fascinating was the part about advertisements. Working in retail, I only knew the advertising of television and my retail jobs. I am consistently advertise for my store by showing the new arrivals of shoes and the awesome promotions going on. For television shows, they show the sponsers and how or what the products works or does. I did not know that advertisements can give wrong information to get people to be aware of it or buy it. For example, I looked up this weight loss supplement that I was going to buy. But reading reviews, the results were the same as if you were to workout without it. We have to be able to realize that finding out on our own the true product or promotion is the best way to go about advertisements. By doing this, we can eliminate the fallacies and weal arguments for our benefit.

Food Argument

Wootan and Liodice both try to back up their claims about the government regulation of advertising about food and young children. They both do a great job with their supporting arguments. Wootan is taking a stance on how particular advertising will just make kids even more fat. So by advertising only healthy foods unlike Mcdonals commercials, for example, kids will start wanting the healthy foods all the time. On the other hand, Liodice believes this concept is crazy. She wants advertisements to have a freedom of whatver they want to advertise. These companies worked to get their marketing strategy within television and other popular ways to get noticed. I believe that kids are getting obese with the junk food commercials but it's the parents we have to regulate. They're the ones that provide for their children, not the kids going out on their own. They wouldn't even have transportation access or money to get the junk food. So I firmly believe liodice's position is valid and strong.

Being a Consumer

I have only worked in retail so I know all the tactics for bringing customers in and persuading them to buy something. The way that my managers have always taught me was to build a relationship with the customer so that they will come back and buy something all the time. Most of the time when I shop I don't fall for the deals that are not really good deals and the posters and signs that say the deals. I tend to ignore them and just find whatever looks nice and if it's in my price range I'll get it whether it's on sale or not. But I have found that I can fall for the worker's trap when they approach me with a deal that will last only for a while and when they actually show me what they think I would wear. For example, "Hello, just to let you know our buy one get one free promo is for only today. Let me show you some great tops I think you would like." This is an effective tactic to say the promotions in a comfortable manner and being like a personal shopper to them. A bad tactic would be to constantly hover over the consumer. I have done this before and the resuts were that the consumer walked away from the store instead of staying and buying something. You don't want to scare the consumer away.