EOTO #2: Propaganda

 EOTO #2: Propaganda 

Although it is rarely acknowledged propaganda is used by every single government all the time. When we think of propaganda our first thoughts go towards popular war propaganda such as Uncle Sam and other pieces of media used to encourage and unite the nation during times of war. However propaganda is far more stingier than that. Propaganda is used for persuasion and manipulation through visuals.

When you google the word 'propaganda' the definition states that it is; information, especially of a biased or misleading nature, used to promote or publicize a particular political cause or point of view. Although the definition from one google search tells you that propaganda is used in a biased or misleading nature, we tend to skip over it and accept it as normal patriotic behavior. Every single government uses propaganda to gain support, unify the country, present the government in a positive light, influence actions, shape intention opinions, etc. 

But one of the main usages of propaganda especially in war times was to undermine or weaken morale or political standings verses opposing countries. We see this very strongly in World War II. WWII propaganda aimed to reinforce nations political ideologies while tearing down other using hate, fear, and disgust towards the enemy. Propaganda was made to be simple and memorable in order to reinforce these ideas in your head. 

All countries, Axis and Allied Powers, used propaganda. The Italians used posters and newspapers such as II Popolo d'Italia, cinema and radio, music and paintings, and public events to reinforce fascist ideologies. They would also censor rival views to keep their people in the fascist state of mind. Germany used major themes such as German superiority and demonizing and belittling the enemy to continue to enforce Nazi ideologies of German purism onto the German people. Japan used propaganda at a more calm approach, they mainly highlighted family, honor and their Emperor, Things such as The Bushido Code (death before dishonor) encouraged their soldiers and citizens to keep their fighting spirit. 

Although the Axis Powers usage of propaganda seem ruthless the Allied Powers were guilty of the same actions. American propaganda used dehumanization and racism to belittle the enemy through short animated clips depicting the enemies as cruel, stupid, and incompetent. They would also draw each countries people with hideous and animalistic features. 

Propaganda throughout the Untied States (and other countries) continued to be just manipulating as they were in WWII. Three big examples of U.S propaganda are; The Sinking of the USS Maine, Iraq & WMD, and Gulf of Tonkin. Each one of these were used to push for invasions, war, etc. without the public realizing it. 

The USS Maine was sent to Havana in January of 1898 to protect Americans during the long standing revolt of the Cubans against the Spanish government. Published in the papers was The Sinking of the USS Maine on the front page; it was said that Spain suck the ship but in reality the USS Maine's gunpowder's magazines exploded causing the ship to sink. But the usage of blaming Spain helped persuade U.S citizens into being pro-war for the Spanish-American war.

Iraq & WMD was when President George W. Bush said that Saddam Hussein's regime possessed WMD (nuclear, biological and chemical weapons) and were actively developing more, posing an immediate threat to the U.S and its close allies. Because of this serious accusation United States military along with their allies launched a military invasion in March 2003 to disarm Iraq of their WMDs and remove Saddam Hussein from power. After the military invasion no stockpiles of WMD were found in Iraq, leaving people to wonder if the information given to the Bush administration was flawed or if it was just an excuse to invade Iraq. 

Lastly the Gulf of Tonkin incident, where two U.S Navy destroyers were attacked. These attacks lead to the Gulf of Tonkin resolution which was passed by congress on August 7th, 1964 and allowed President Lyndon B. Johnson to take all necessary measure to repel any armed attack against U.S forces to prevent further aggression in Southeast Asia. This resolution passed with unanimous support and effectively gave the President authority to escalate military presence and involvement in the Vietnam War. This further escalated the United States involvement in the Vietnam War. 

Although we might not always see it in clear daylight our government uses propaganda to reinforce our patriotic ideologies and make us agree with what our government is doing regardless of how good or bad it may be. 

Eoto 1 Reaction Post

 EOTO #1 Reaction Post: Invention of Magazines

After listening to my peers present their EOTO presentation, the one that stood out to me the most was the invention of magazines. Magazines started in the 17th century after the printing press was developed. The earliest known magazine was produced in Germany by Johanna Rist and titled: Edifying Monthly Discussions. This magazine went on to inspires people all over Europe and people started publishing their poems, short stories, and news.

In the 18th century magazines brought many women into the area of literature. Women would publish their own pieces of work which caused a chain and inspired female readers and writers to start reading and publishing in these magazines. This helped magazines thrive through the high number of female readers who read them for entertainment and knowledge. 

Magazines started taking off in Britain in the 18th century, these magazines would publish everyday or several times throughout the week. These were classified as "fast newspapers" but had the exact same style as a magazine. A Britain magazine titles The Review wrote about domestic and foreign affairs as well as political articles which helped expand knowledge of the people.

Today you can still get a printed magazine either mailed to your address through an online subscription, you can pick up magazines at the grocery store or book store, or you can simply look up an edition online. Although the content within magazines has changed a little it is still the same source of entertainment they used back in the 17th century. 

Privacy

 Privacy

Since we live in the day and age where everything and everyone is online it is incredibly simple to find any information you want on a singular person. Growing up I was always told to "watch what you post" and I always thought it was stupid, because I could delete it and it's gone, but thats wrong. Because of technology we unlocked a new form of invasion of privacy.

Everyone has a digital footprint, which means, anything you have ever posted is always out there for anyone to see. The first thing most employers do when they're looking to bring in a new hire is googling their name and seeing what they find. This means they will look through all your social media, indeed profile, anything you can possibly find on google about yourself they will look at. They do this because it gives them a prospective of who you are, what you do, and how you choose to carry yourself online. Meaning if you post photos of yourself on instagram partying they could view this as unprofessional behavior and choose to not hire you. Some may argue that personal life has nothing to do with your work life, but many employers would disagree.

The biggest invasion of privacy on technology is GPS and data tracking. According to the TedTalk, the government and local police will use things such as your GPS and roadway camera and know exactly where you're going. This feels like an invasion of privacy because these are things they really don't need to know. However you can argue that these two things are in place for crimes committed which aids local police in tracking down who their perpetrator is; this is sensible but still feels invasive.

The biggest thing mentioned in Darieth Chisolm's TedTalks titled: How revenge porn turns lives upside down, she discusses how people use explicit images as blackmail and post them for everyone to see. This is a big issue that goes overlooked all the time. Although there is one federal bill called the ENOUGH Act by former senator and vice president Kamala Harris that could criminalize revenge porn it has not been passed. Only 40 states and D.C have laws in place for revenge porn; but these laws are only $500 fines as of 2018. This action of putting out explicit images could effect anyone and cause people to lose their jobs, reputation, etc. 

Not only do we need to watch what we put on the internet, we also need to protect the people who have pictures posted of themselves against their will. The government should be helping people who are affected instead of using traffic cameras to track our every movement. 

8 Values of Free Expression

8 Values of Free Expression

One of the main things our country prides themselves on is free expression. We are gifted freedom from religion, of religion, speech, press, assembly, and petition by the First Amendment. The eight values of free expression directly correlate with our first amendment rights. 

After reviewing the eight values of free expression, the one that resonates with me the most is individual self-fulfillment or self-actualization which means, "Free speech enables individuals to express themselves and thereby create their own identity..." This one resonates with me the most because identity is something I have always struggled with. I rarely had a sense of individuality when I was younger; due to having older sisters I would follow their interests, what toys they played with, hobbies they had, etc. This wasn't necessarily a bad thing but I realized when I got older that I needed to become my own person, have my own interests and hobbies, and create who I am supposed to be. 

A big help in finding my identity was through the power of words. I was always the shy kid, I never spoke my mind in fear of rejection or isolation, but as a got older I realized that I wanted to be heard and that my opinions deserved to be thought about amongst my peers. Freedom of speech through writing is something that helped shape who I am as well. I would constantly write down everything from my emotions, stories I made up in my head, and any thought I had. Because of my freedom of speech, verbal and written, I have found myself as a person, and I am grateful for who I am.

Out of the eight values of free expression I believe the most important ones are, individual self-fulfillment and check on governmental power are the most important ones. As I said before individual self-fulfillment helps us express ourselves through our freedom of speech. 

Check on governmental power is also incredibly important because we tend to forget that we the people are allowed to speak out and get our government in line. Although there is not much we can do, journalists take this responsibility and are advocates for us people. Journalists are the ones to ask those hard hitting questions in the White House press pools, they are the ones who air out government officials dirty laundry in order to inform the public of what our government is doing behind closed doors. This is one of the most important values of free expression because it not only allows us to speak out but it allows us to humanize the people in higher powers.

The main one I see taking action today is Participation in Self-Government. In todays world everyone's view points are very black and white, a lot of people don't care to educate themselves with their opposing political parties views and this can greatly effect us as a nation. People pick one political party and vote for the same one every time without educating themselves on who the other person running is. I believe that we need to take deep dives into all political candidates in order to discover which candidate our views align with the most. The biggest mistake is that people do not educate themselves before voting, and we need to start doing so.  

History of the U.S Supreme Court

  History of the United States Supreme Court

The United States Supreme Court is the highest federal court judiciary and consists of nine justices; one chief justice and eight associate justices. They have the responsibility of interpreting the U.S Constitution as well as making sure laws and government actions are constitutional. Due to the Supreme Court being the highest ranking federal court in the United States, they are also tasked with resolving issues amongst lower courts. 

One thing I learned was how the Supreme Court handles cases brought in by a federal or state court. The original case goes to the federal or state court and the losing party of the case can appeal to the Supreme Court requesting their case to be been at a national level; a very small percentage of cases gets brought to the U.S Supreme Court. The losing party can file a document call Petition for Writ of Certiorari which asks the Supreme Court to be informed of the case. The Court will then review the petition and decide whether or not they bring the case to their level for not. If the Supreme Court accepts the request The Court will schedule a time to hear all arguments from each lawyer and agree on a decision.

I believe one of the most important takeaways from learning about the U.S Supreme Court is that they are the ultimate decision on all laws and government actions. In today's world it's easy for people in our government to try and overlook our Constitution and create laws that go against the very document our nation was founded off of. The Supreme Court helps our country in ensuring that all government actions abide by our founded rules because the people in our government have the tendency to get too "power hungry" and forget our rules. 

The one thing that changes my perspective about The Supreme Court is how much work and responsibly they take on. The justices of The Court are allowed to resign or retire but they are also granted the option to remain on The Court until they die, which is important because no other branch of office gets this privilege. The Court has protected the people of the United States and continues to do so to the best of their abilities. 

Top 5 Sources of News Information

My Top Five Sources of News Information

Due to the advancement in technology, I gather all of my information online. I have unfortunately never picked up a newspaper for the sole purpose of reading the news because I can find everything online. These are my top 5 sources of news information:

#1 TikTok

Although this could be seen as controversial due to the spread of misinformation, I find TikTok to still be a good source. Influencers, such as the influencer Spencewuah post daily about what out government is doing and how it directly impacts everyone, not just the people our government is singling out. As I said before, TikTok can often be a lot of misinformation, and because of that I will take the topic TikTok has presented to me and do my own research in order to get the full story and correct information.

#2 USA Today

Due to the misinformation that can be spread on social media, often when I go on google to fact check the information provided to me, one of the topic articles is usually published on USA Today. I enjoy reading off of USA Today because the articles are short but give me the information I need. As someone who has grown up around technology my whole life, I find that unfortunately my attention span is very short. So articles published by USA Today are helpful to maintain my attention and if I see something while I'm out and happen to not have a lot of time to read multiple long paragraphs, their short and easy writing styles helps me a lot. 

#3 News 12: Connecticut 

I've grown up watching News 12: CT my whole life since it provides Connecticut residents with local news of crimes, new businesses, traffic updates, anything that involves Connecticut as a whole. Without fail News 12: CT is always on in my house when my mom isn't watching her shows she throws on the News 12 station. I find News 12 to be an incredible source for local news wherever you are because they provide multiple different areas with live and local updates to inform people what is going on around them.

#4 ABC News

ABC News is another station I grew up on. ABC provides more nationwide news keeping people updated on everything that is happening within the United States. They also cover international stories which helps the public stay informed of what is going on in our world. Although ABC is known to be a more left leaning news cite, they try to keep their information unbiased unlike news outlets such as CNN or Fox News, which is something I greatly appreciate about ABC because we all know unbiased information is more beneficial then biased information. 

#5 ESPN

My final source of news information comes from ESPN. Growing up as a hockey family we would always watch the Boston Bruins play on ESPN. ESPN is also helpful for when you are on the go because you can download their app and select all your top sports teams and they provide you live updates on plays, scores, player injuries, etc. I find the ESPN app to be very beneficial because it also allows me to watch games live when I can't sit in-front of my TV. 

Final Post: Societies Relationship with Technology

 The Beauty and Devastation of Technology

In our society we use technology for absolutely everything; school, work, finding jobs, communicating with friends, photography, etc. It's a huge part of our lives and we have to accept that. Unfortunately technology can also take a life, cause depression, isolation, anxiety, and a plethora of negatives. 

As a girl in today's society social media and technology is essential. I learn new skin care tips on TikTok, find new favorite items being promoted by influencers, share funny videos with my friends, and participate in new trends.

I love technology. I couldn't imagine my life without it! But I also hate the constant comparing, not getting enough likes on a post, dissecting images of myself, and the loss of tone in a text. Despite all of the negatives me and my peers face, I'm chronically online and up to date on all the latest TikTok trends. 

My main form of technology is my phone. The first thing I do when I wake up in the morning is check my phone and it's also the last thing I do before I go to bed. I view my phone as my lifeline and personal time capsule, my entire life fits in a 5 by 2 inch chunk of metal. 

The biggest flaw I see in technology is the invention of social media. Although I use it as my source of entertainment everyday I find that it has impacted me and my peers more negatively than positively. In a University of California article titled Social media’s impact on our mental health and tips to use it safely; it's written that, "Social media can negatively impact our overall wellbeing by fueling anxiety, depression, loneliness and FOMO (fear or missing out). These issues are especially prevalent in teens and young adults." The constant need to be "be my best self" is one I feel all the time when sharing my presence on social media

My main form of social media is Instagram, a platform where everyone shares what's going on in their lives; aka what exciting things they're doing. No one's going to post themselves on a regular day, Instagram is used for big events like concerts and vacations. 

Taking photos is one of my favorite things to do, it doesn't matter if I'm behind or in front of the camera I love it regardless. But when it comes time to post the photos on Instagram, I find myself constantly checking the like count, seeing who viewed and commented on it, and I never like the answers I receive. I find that it doesn't matter how much I love the photos, if they don't "get enough likes" I suddenly hate them. 

Although technology is here to stay, I believe that everyone could benefit from hanging up and hanging out, putting the phone down and acknowledging what's in front of us. Live in the moment. Sure, pick up your phone and take a couple photos, there's no harm in that; but don't be sitting around at dinner with your family or friends sitting on your phone instead of appreciating who's around you.    

EOTO #1: Carrier Pigeons

 Carrier Pigeons

Carrier Pigeons have been used for many years to send messages across long distances in order to spread important information from one person to the next. Now we just shoot a quick text that can reach others, whether you're down the road, states away, or whole oceans apart. Because of this we as humans have left pigeons to wander the streets of big cities as we make up conspiracies about how pigeons aren't real and that they're really robot government spies. 

Carrier Pigeons have had multiple different names throughout their years such as; mail pigeons, messenger, and homer pigeons. The nicknames carrier, mail, and messenger are pretty self-explanatory because they send mail and carry messages. The name homer pigeons comes from the fact that pigeons always find theirs way back home. Although scientists haven't come to a full conclusion on how pigeons know where they're going, some have theorized that they use landmarks, magnetoreception, and infrasound to figure out where they are and where they're going. 

The first potential usage of carrier pigeons dates back to the ancient civilizations of Egypt, Mesopotamia, and Persia. These pigeons were used to carry new of the Nile River flooding to different civilizations because the Nile was such a crucial source of food and water, transportation, and provided fertile land for agriculture to many who lived by it. We also saw carrier pigeons being used by the Greeks, to share results of the Olympic Games to distant cities; and the Roman Empire used them for military communication.

Similarly to the Romans, during World War I and World War II, carrier pigeons were used to spread messages to the from the front lines. During WWI pigeons were most commonly used by the British Expeditionary Force to send messages from the front-line trenches or advancing units, to provide them with crucial information. During WWII both the Allied Powers and the Axis Powers used carrier pigeons, although it was more favored among the Allied Powers. Pigeons were used when communication methods like radio were unreliable or unavailable, they used pigeons to send messages from the front lines to the generals at the top. 

Carrier pigeons were a crucial part of the World Wars and were even awarded for their message sending abilities. Cher Ami, a WWI pigeons delivered a crucial message that saved a large group of surrounded American infantrymen while dodging German bullets. Cher Ami lost his right leg and was permanently blinded, the but message was delivered. He was awarded the Croix de Guerre by the French government to honor bravery on the battlefield. Another pigeons Gi Joe, an American career pigeon who saved more than 1,000 lives by delivering a message to cancel the scheduled bombing of a city in Italy that has earlier been captured with the Dickin Medal by the Lord Mayor of London. Finally Commando a British carrier pigeon during WWII carried out more than 90 messages in and out of Vichy France to Britain, from agents in France. He carried information such as locations of German Troops, industrial sites, and injured British soldiers. He was awarded the same medal. 

In the early 1860's journalists would use carrier pigeons to get new reports from on city to the other. New York City newspapers in the 1800's would station reporters in Halifax, Nova Scotia to receive reports from ships arriving in Europe and use these pigeons to send their stories to New York. Although pigeons were commonly used for long distance communication, we also saw papers in New Orleans use them to deliver photographers film from sporting events such as Tulane football game. They would send the film straight from the stadium down to the newspapers office in about six minutes. 

Carrier pigeons have helped aid humans throughout many years. Although we have no use for them anymore we still remember carrier pigeons as being a humorous way to communicate with each other.