Amber Robinson--Is Remixing/Recycling of Content Considered Creativity?

    Using old materials and remixing or recycling the old material and transferring the material into a new material is know to some people as creativity, however, to some people is known taking copyrights that isn't theirs to use. In contemporary rhetorical invention remixing or recycling a content can be considered a legitimate platform of creativity. The contemporary rhetorical invention can be considered legitimate platform by the copyright policies. Through the bad lip reading and DJ Earworm will demonstrate how remixing or recycling can be legitimate platform for creativity.
    The first example of recycling a content is that is known as bad lip reading. For these set of videos the artist takes a video clips from other artists. From those videos the artist will lip over the characters and have the character seem like they are saying something totally new. With the bad lip readers video are making some of the serious videos turn into comedies. With this certain the bad lip reading makers take different videos of NFL football players and make the football players seem like they are talking insanely or talking about random object, instead of focusing on football. 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rRqKYXcL-2U 
    After watching this video clip by the bad lip reading there is a better understanding of old material that is remixed into a complete new idea or video. There may be old video clips used, however, the bad lip reading did the work of putting the voice recording and thinking of the idea of using old video recording and recording over them, so the characters would be saying something humors. This one example that I personal believe that remixing can be considered a legitimate platform of creativity. Even though in the second example the whole video is made with someone else's work, it the created of forming the words and music videos to form a whole new song and music video.
      The second example is by DJ Earworm with his remix of music videos. He will take the top rated music video and transfer them into a complete new music video that has a new meaning to the music video.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZGRQKKaox5Q
    After watching the video this video demonstrates that DJ Earworm has to be creative to think outside of the box to create a music video with all these different artist music video and have it flow all together. With his new music videos brings a new meaning to it and he was using his resources to get his point across just like the other music artist do with their music. In July of 2013 the Copyright policy came to realize that the internet is becoming to powerful and copyrighting is becoming bigger issue. The copyright policy is starting to find a neutral agreement with the remixing of legitimate platform is becoming more know on the internet.
      In the argument that the copyrighting is can not be slowed down with the legitimate platform, however there is new rules that are being made with the legitimate platform. It is being stated that any work that is taken most be go through its own copyright with the work this was stated by the (Copyright policy, creativity, and innovation in the digital economy, July 2013)
   
 

Anika Top- Abortion, the "jack-of-all-rhetorical-trades"

Abortion is one of those political issues that call forth all sorts of rhetoric and passion from either side of the issue. Each side feels free to call each other names, stereotype leaders, provide false information, and act contrary to their words and beliefs. The ideographs(systems of ideas and ideals, specifically ones that form a platform of economic or political theory and policy) in play here would be best described as Conservative and Liberal. These two sides latch onto positive-sounding phrases that mean the exact opposite. Both parties claim to be “Pro-Women” and base their arguments off this basic principle. It is very interesting, and almost comedic, to see how each side twists specific rhetorical devices to be in exact opposition to the beliefs of the side.

The Liberal side uses this “Pro-Women” catchphrase to allow women to decide how they can use their bodies. They believe women should be free to choose if they want to have an abortion. They argue that it is their body and they can do what they want. To justify these views and make it more medically acceptable they add the issue that sometimes it is healthier for women to abort than wait for the full-term. The Liberal side tries to find provocative photos to illustrate their points in a very real way.

The Conservative counter-part uses the “Pro-Women” slogan in another manner. They ask what about all the unborn women that are aborted? They have no choice or rights. They argue that the Liberal side robs these baby girls the choice about anything, not just the choice about having an abortion or not. These Conservatives believe that it isn’t a woman’s body alone, but there is a child inside as well. This side switches between trying to persuade people to be anti-abortion by showing graphic photos (which I will not include here) of aborted babies or strict logic.

Euphemisms are tempered or indirect words (or expressions) substituted for one which sounds too harsh or blunt when referring to something unpleasant or embarrassing. Examples of euphemisms in the abortion debate would be the terms: “Pro-Choice” and “Pro-Life.” Both sides choose positive sounding descriptions of their side on the issue, but when describing the other side, both parties label each other either “Anti-Choice/Anti-Abortion” or “Anti-Life/Pro-Death.” Another way this debate is spun into greater proportions is when both sides use slavery arguments to deal with the abortion issue as well. The two quotes beneath demonstrate this:

                 Fascinating how one political issue can make use of so many rhetorical devices, I did not even cover the other devices of propaganda, Topoi, “select, reflect, deflect”, or the specific oratorical categories explained in class. Is it wise that each side tries to cover so many rhetorical devices and is it helpful to their cause? Or they should stick to a specific argument and stick with it? Who is to say, because the abortion debate continues to rage after almost 5 decades…

Amanda Zhang- Now creative production website becomes popular

       With the great development of techniques and digital network, digital media replaces newspaper and television. People could find more informations and interests online. They don't follow the shows schedule of channels. Also, inventions of cameras and photography are stimulating people that they can hold on their cameras and creative their own films or Vlogs. As we all know, movie which shows in cinema is an art and sometimes the way that movie shows plots and meanings would be a little exaggerated and sort of far from realities. In a high-speed society now,what we need is real images or videos that about our real emotions. Apparently, creating films by ourselves satisfies these requirements from audiences.

        This short movie is from an asian american production company which names Wong Fu Productions. There were three asian american who started this first and because their approaches to make films were really creative and funny, more and more people joined after. They added pretty real and representative stuffs into the films and with extremely funny expressions in it. Their films look pretty simple without any other high-tech effects, giving audiences feel like the story is familiar with and it is like that happened in our lives before. I believe that these are successful and attractive reasons for this production. Meanwhile, as many people joined and they want to make more films about people's life, they started to accumulate people's short films samples through iMovie emails. And then they create them into a complete films. At the end they post them to youtube channel and their personal page. They would also contact to the person who has a wonderful short film and invite them to join the procedure if they have available time. I think that all these organized ways they used are also a reason to explain why now creative products are becoming much more popular. Especially in teenagers circles.




http://www.hitrecord.org     hitRECord by Joseph Gordon Levitt



        Also there is another creative products website.However, this website is not only about sharing people's life experiences. Most of them are talking about the art but in another way, like meaningful images, short films with characteristic drawing styles and animations. They give more chances to people from all over the world that you can send anything you created and think that they are perfect and let people see your talents. They will pay for products if they are going to adopt your ideas. Therefore, adding some economic stuff attracts more attentions from the public. Also, Joseph is a great talent actor form Hollywood and his fans are willing to support his job career. With these influences and the way absorbing people's art ideas, this is also a good example of rhetoric in nowadays.

Playing around or Plagiarism

     Rhetorical Invention is the rhetorical canon developed by the ancients. This process for creating and critiquing speeches were created with intention, arrangement, style, delivery, and memory. These five are the building blocks for Rhetorical Invention. Each process determines a purpose, audience, and conducts research. We learned in class it's normal in the Digital Networked world to use the infamous three R's. Remix. Reuse. Recycle. But is this movement really effective? Or is it hurtful?

Best Remixes Of 2013 Chart Mix Top 20 by ElectroHouseDanceTv

     The real rhetoric dilemma is whether or not the movement, filtering, and connection of existing chunks of information is worth attention for assembling a song to call your own. Plagiarism is often brought up in the fact that other producers paid cold cash for their own voices and record deals. The real crisis in creativity remains a secret. Online users say bricolage is arguable in the sense they want people to cherish their voices. Artists appreciate the praise they receive from their voices at hand.

Last Remix: Lorde - Royals in Ableton Live 9 by Sadowick Production

     Sadowick produces many videos altering the levels of bass out of his house and offers tutorials on how to mix on your own terms. The process of altering celebrities voices grabs attention and makes people notice how easy it is to flip a 180 on any kind of song. The obvious issue is one needs a copyright holders written permission before legally reproducing and remixing a song or video of choice. Sadowick and for example, DJ Earworm, all have copyrights to take their videos and songs to recreate meaning on a different level. Copyright infringement can be avoided. Usually is avoided. But is it really his material??

     

Humor Used in Networked Media

Provide an example where humor was used in digital/networked media to make a serious political or cultural argument. Was it effective?

Political satire is commonly used for entertainment or humor. Meaning, that it establishes the error rather then provide a solution for the problem. When Saturday Night Live premiered in 1975, they forever changed the way comedians would depict the President on a networked media.

The example I found was the political satire used in Saturday Night Lives sketch Weekend Update. Weekend Update is a fake news segment on the show that uses humor to describe politics and current events. One of the more popular skits involve President Barack Obama giving a speech before the elections:

During the 2008 presidential campaign, Saturday Night Lives use of political satire gained major popularity with Tina Fey and her impressions of the vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin. Despite the fact that they already shared a striking resemblance, the impression of the vice presidential candidate was even more humorous because Tina Fey would sometimes use exactly the same words Sarah Palin said in campaign speeches or interviews.

Aside from the noteworthy impression done by Tina Fey, many other fellow cast member’s depicted politicians in humorous ways. Chevy Chase opened an episode of the show with his impersonation of Gerald Ford. Chase did not change his appearance to look like President Ford, and he impersonated the president by falling down on stage repeatedly. Some of the other famous presidential impersonations on Saturday Night Live include Dan Aykoyd’s Richard Nioxon and Jimmy Carter, Dana Carvey as George W. Bush Sr., Darrel Hammond as Bill Clinton, and Will Ferrell as George W. Bush. Fred Armisen was the first cast member to impersonate President Barrack Obama, but the show’s current Barak Obama impersonation is done by Jay Pharaoh.

Amber Jacobsen- Can Suicide Be Funny?

It is common lately to turn to humor in any negative situation. In fact, many people laugh in awkward and serious situations simply because they don’t know what else to do. But are there other issues that cannot be humorous? The issue of suicide is one that has been around for as long as people can remember, and there seems to be no way to address it properly. Suicide prevention is a very touchy topic, and if we’re being honest, no one really wants to talk about the thoughts that cause people to want to kill themselves.

A website developed recently, mantherapy.org, takes a different look at men’s health and suicide prevention. Using humor to get across to people can be very controversial with sensitive topics, but I feel that in this case it is effective. Of course, I am not a man and this campaign is not designed for people of my demographic, but I still see the many benefits of this idea. Through a series of youtube videos, Dr. Richard Mahogany walks men through steps to reach a better state of mental health, which he calls Man Therapy® Manly Mental Health Tips. What could be more appealing to men than being manly?

This collection of videos looks at suicide in a different light, and takes away the stereotypical "taboo" that is placed around it. Richard Mahogany makes the subject seem normal and as though those who struggle with it are the same as everyone else. This is a different approach than most sources take. If one is to do a Google Search for "suicide prevention" many very sad, very negative websites come up, about what to do if you or someone you know is having suicidal thoughts. Although these are good approaches, because suicide is a very sad and negative topic, it may be better looked at through the lens of humor. 

One could argue that websites such as suicideprevention.org place all their emphasis on how suicide is not a joke and this is a very effective strategy. While this is true, there are still hundreds of people who commit suicide each year. The way which is being used is obviously not working for everyone, because there is no one way to fix everyone's problems. Different people respond to different things in different ways, because that is exactly what people are: different. The saying goes "laughter is the best medicine" and I feel that this series of videos demonstrates this perfectly. 

Yuyao You - The Daily Show with Jon Stewart

Provide an example where humor was used in digital/networked media to make a serious political or cultural argument. Was it effective?

"The Daily Show (titled The Daily Show with Jon Stewart since 1999) is an American late night satirical television program airing each Monday through Thursday on Comedy Central and, in Canada, The Comedy Network. The half-hour long show premiered on July 21, 1996, and was hosted by Craig Kilborn until December 1998. Jon Stewart took over as host in January 1999, making the show more strongly focused on politics and the national media, in contrast with the pop culture focus during Kilborn's tenure. It is currently the longest-running program on Comedy Central, and has won 18 Primetime Emmy Awards.
Describing itself as a fake news program, The Daily Show draws its comedy and satire from recent news stories, political figures, media organizations, and often, aspects of the show itself. The show typically opens with a long monologue from Jon Stewart relating to recent headlines and frequently features exchanges with one or more of several correspondents, who adopt absurd or humorously exaggerated takes on current events against Stewart's straight man persona. The final segment is devoted to a celebrity interview, with guests ranging from actors and musicians to nonfiction authors and political figures.
The program is popular among young audiences, with organizations such as the Pew Research Center suggesting that 80% of regular viewers are between 18 and 49, and that 10% of the audience watch the show for its news headlines, 2% for in-depth reporting, and 43% for entertainment, compared with 64% who watch CNN for the news headlines. Critics have chastised Stewart for not conducting sufficiently hard-hitting interviews with his political guests, some of whom he may have lampooned in previous segments. Stewart and other Daily Show writers have responded to such criticism by saying that they do not have any journalistic responsibility and that as comedians their only duty is to provide entertainment. Stewart's appearance on the CNN show Crossfire parodied this debate, where he chastised the CNN production and hosts for not conducting informative and current interviews on a news network."(The Daily Show From wikipedia, the free encyclopedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Daily_Show)

Actually I didn't know The Daily Show until when I saw a short video(of course with Chinese subtitle) cut out from an integrated show which Jon Stewart satirized that China had sent a spacecraft to the moon. 

The video can be seen here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-AjsHDAmfhQ (The one I have seen is longer than this but it can only be streamed within Mainland China)I thought that was really funny and then I searched more about The Daily Show. But the truth is that whatever he says or how frequently the audience laugh will not cause any influence to the Chinese politics because this is only an American TV show. No matter how big the influence it has cause to American politics, I do not think it can affect China at all. Because China is actually still a feudal country. Moreover, it can not do influence to any other countries except America. However, I consider that the influence made by The Daily Show is very little. Firstly, the host is not a politician and he can not affect the policy directly. Secondly, it may affect some people's attitude on something but people's attitude is usually not a problem. If it is in China or North Korea, I don't even think that the government will let it be on as a TV program. People's view is absolutely nothing connected with the politic in China or North Korea. By way of conclusion, I think that The Daily Show can just probably cause a little influence when it make a serious political or culture argument. That's to say, not effective.

Bryce Anderson - Language used to mold society

Language is used to mold our social reality.  Even in music, the way media portrays artists selects many words that may reflect negative ideas about an artist and reject the many positive ones that are actually present.  J. Cole is a prime example of an artist who the media takes and portrays in a negative spotlight that takes away from his many positive features.  It seems that a lot of our language is affected by the way the media actually portrays it.

Much like the example used in class about Richard Sherman being called a “thug” also resembles many of the rap artists who fill the music industry.  Rappers such as J. Cole are often times seen negatively through his music about drugs and killing.  Many people misunderstand J. Cole’s work because it’s labeled with the “rap” genre of music, but sends a very different message than what people actually expect.  For the simple fact that J. Cole is in the rap genre, much like Richard Sherman, J. Cole is labeled as a “thug” by many people.  Many people select this word for J. Cole because they feel he negatively affects society through his music.

            What is reflected by this term “thug” is that he harms society through his music about drugs, killings, and negative view of women.  Through this term J. Cole is seen very negatively from his music. 
The things that are rejected from this term thug is the fact that J. Cole is very educated.  J. Cole actually graduated from St. John’s University on an academic scholarship.  Additionally many of the messages through J. Cole’s music are misunderstood because he’s labeled in the rap genre.  Many of J. Cole’s songs are about drugs and killings, but it’s not about participating but instead trying to end these situations.  What’s reflected from the media is that J. Cole had grown up through poverty and seen many members of his family addicted to drugs.  J. Cole is proud that he was able to get out of poverty, not through selling drugs or other illegal activities, but through his hard work in academics and then later music.

            This example proves that language is used to mold our society.  Media heavily uses language to change people’s perceptions of not only things, but other people.  J. Cole isn’t recognized for his charity work, but instead his explicit language used in his music.  This is a problem in society that should be recognized more often.

Stephanie Hines- Reports of Sexual Assault in the Military

    Reports of sexual assault in the military increased sharply during the last fiscal year, new Pentagon figures showed Wednesday, just weeks before a defense bill with provisions to tackle the problem is expected to reach the Senate floor.

    According to New York Times, there were 3,553 sexual assault complaints reported to the Defense Department in the first three quarters of the fiscal year, from October 2012 through June, a nearly 50 percent increase over the same period a year earlier. Defense Department officials said the numbers had continued to rise. 

 

The numbers included sexual assaults by civilians on service members and by service members on civilians. Sexual assault was defined in the report as rape, sodomy and other unwanted sexual contact, including touching of private body parts. It did not include sexual harassment, which is handled by another office in the military

    In 2012, surveyed Active Duty Members of the military anonymously revealed 26,000 records of unwanted sexual contact.  This included coerced and abusive sexual contact, aggravated sexual assault and rape. This is all prohibited by military law. In one study, 37 percent of female veterans report being raped at least twice. Additionally, 14 percent of female veterans report experiences of gang rape. Most women do not report it because no one saw it and they needed to move on.

   “ I, along with a group of women, were sexually harassed by a civilian worker on base.  The result:  they gave, the perpetrator a list of our names and told him not to talk to us.  They gave the guy our names!!  This, of course, was after telling us we were imagining it and should move on.  But, after nine women came forward with notarized statements, they "resolved" it.” Said one military rape victim.    

      

       But it is not just women being raped. 76 percent of men who were sexually assaulted did not report their attacks.  Why don’t men report rape? Police say fear of stigma and labeling as reasons why so many rapes where men are the victims end up never being reported, to police or anyone else, and add that such crimes are more common than many people might think. The Pentagon estimates that 85 percent of sexual assault crimes go unreported.

This cartoon shows how women in the military are basically put in chains  due to how far up they are on the food chain  and whether or not they can report it.