COVID 19 and New York

The coronavirus death toll continues to climb at an alarming rate. It has now overwhelmed heath care officials, politicians, cemeteries, and families."To date, the state has recorded more than 24,000 deaths, most of them in New York City." Americans' largest city does not. have the room to store bodies. Funeral homes are no longer accepting bodies because there is no room. 

That leaves friends and families to wonder, "What will I do with my family members' body." It is said that cremations are scheduled to start in mid-May but that date could later change. Burials are also backed up in New York. 

A funeral home in New York ran out of space for bodies. A funeral home was pictured storing bodies in hot trucks. A source says that the funeral home was limited on refrigeration so they continued to lay bodies on ice bags. 

During a time when families are grieving and love ones are in confusion, the U.S government should help to relieve some of the pain and stress. Funeral homes should now be monitored to ensure that the inappropriate behavior of bodies does not happen to other families. 




https://www.cnn.com/2020/05/03/us/coronavirus-funerals-bodies/index.html

EOTO

According to Merriam Websters, "Propaganda is defined as the spreading of ideas, information, or rumor for the purpose of helping or injuring an institution, a cause, or a person."

Propaganda was first introduced by Pope Gregory XV and The Congregation for Propagation of Faith. This congregation was made up of a group of cardinals, tasked with spreading the faith and monitoring churches in areas that were not a part of widely held religions. The Congregation for Propagation of Faith was insistent on converting individuals without using violence or “without the sword”. When propaganda was initially utilized, it did not carry the negative connotations that it manages to come along with today. During World War One, propaganda began to be used more regularly as a weapon of war, especially when being used to elicit fear within the common man.

Another specific aspect of communication it attempts to explain is the differences between propaganda and persuasion. Though persuasion is also focused on influencing people, it does so on a rather smaller scale in comparison to propaganda, which reaches a much larger audience.

 

Propaganda is used in everyday life whether it is obvious to the human eye or not. An example of propaganda is advertising. One strategy that a company may use to advertise their product is by portraying how their product/brand is better than a specific competitor’s. Verizon has launched multiple commercial advertisements on why people should switch to them and stray away from AT&T. One of their claims was how Verizon has 5 times more 3G coverage than AT&T and this was presented to consumers by showing a side by side map of the United States comparing both companies' 3G coverage.

 

It can affect different groups due to what the message focuses on. Many times women are more likely to fall for influence so propaganda can target them heavier and persuade them to do something. Also, if a rich person sees a Bently commercial they might go and get the car. But, a poor person does not have the luxury of going to get that car. So propaganda with a luxury car commercial for the poor would not work.

Propaganda involves the distribution of specific ideas that can help cause someone else harm. This theory has been tied to negative connotations, however, it is a tool that is very beneficial.

https://www.historians.org/about-aha-and-membership/aha-history-and-archives/gi-roundt able-series/pamphlets/em-2-what-is-propaganda-(1944)/the-story-of-propaganda

Self Audit

Looking back on my old social media made me cringe. Looking at my 14-year-old self made me laugh but also made me realize how much I have grown. I do not believe I have a big online footprint now. The only social media platforms I have are Instagram and Facebook. I mostly upload photos of me and my family.  Also, I do not have a personal website but I know some college students do. 

If someone was to look at my social media they would learn that I attend High Point University. I have two puppies and I am in a relationship. Indirectly they could see that I do not hang around a lot of friends and take pictures with them. Also, I do not post often thus signifying that I am not always on Instagram. 

I have never given out my phone number on social media because people can be crazy. Also, something I would never do is give my address to strangers on social media due to privacy. 


The Atlantic wrote that Facebook can be possibly making us lonely. Within the mist of social media, it can be a feeling of loneliness. I do believe that social media can make us more distant. We will be hanging out with friends and spend more time with our noses in our phones than hanging out with that person. Also, some teens report that social media has caused them isolation. 

In conclusion, I believe my online presence is presentable for social media. I do not post pictures that could be used against me and could slander my reputation. 


https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2012/05/is-facebook-making-us-lonely/308930/

Final Exam Prompt

Technology has taken over and we are utterly consumed. Society is constantly on their phones,
tablets, and any other device. Also, amidst the Covid-19 epidemic, more and more people have turned to technology such as TikTok.( https://www.digitalinformationworld.com/2020/05/data-shows-that-us-consumers-are-loving-the-tiktok-during-the-covid-19-pandemic.html). TikTok is taking leaps to
try and connect with society.

But, this leaves me to ponder, "How do I interact with technology". I believe my relationship with
technology is healthy. I do not excessively use social media. The main platforms I use are Instagram and Youtube. Both are great to help me stay connected to the world and also gives me the opportunity to learn. When social media is the thing you eat and sleep then that means that it is taking up too much of your life. Technology for me is not taking up to much time. I am on social media about two hours a day which I believe is common.

During this crazy time when we do not know what is going to happen to us and our livelihoods, social media can be misleading but also informative. One of the ways it has been informative was that I was able to gain knowledge about how to create my own mask and also how to make my own hand sanitizers. But, it can be misleading because some things are fake news. Many times we are not able to tell what is real news and what is fake news.

One tool I have been using is CNN. CNN has been great to gain daily knowledge. I feel as if I am able to get my daily dose of news. They also make it easy to know the important news stories for the day. They have a summary of the important news that takes about 5-7 minutes to read. This is great for people who are on the go but they want to be informed, citizens. 

In conclusion, technology has been one of the greatest human advancements. It has helped us save lives, grow in knowledge, and even more. I have a healthy relationship with technology and social media and know the boundaries of social media.

Eight Values of Free Expression - Promote Innovation

One of the key things I love and value about America is the right to self-expression. One of the Eight Values of Free Expression is the Value to promote innovation. The key idea around this is this concept: "A community in which free speech is valued and protected is likely to be a more energized, creative, interesting society as its citizens actively fulfill themselves in many diverse and interesting ways."

It can be shown in many ways that when one has the right to self-expression. they are far better off than those who don't. 

The first example I can think of are children. Children are so fun and carefree. One minute they are dragons and the next minute they are in Africa chasing rabbits with a slingshot. Their imaginations are far greater than those who are older. One example of a school that promotes innovation would be Monnisouri schools. These schools do not pressure kids to learn certain things. Rather, the school lets them learn what they show interest in. Also, with schools not having a traditional desk and a teacher at the whiteboard, this allows students to be more creative. They are not held hostage to a desk all day long. They are able to explore and be creative. 

This type of school is vastly different from traditional public schools. At schools like this children are usually not able to show self-expression. It does not matter if they are interested in a subject because that is what they will be taught. Also, many programs such as art class and music classes are being cut from the school. Nearly all forms of classes of self-expression are gone.  


When we shut the mouths of creatives we are doing an injustice to the nation. We should value the ideas and creativity of children by making learning fun. We should let our children have a say so in what they learn but most importantly how they learn. 

Black Students Being Penalized For "Ethic Hair"

Many of us have seen the videos on Facebook and Instagram of young,  black kids being forced off teams and hair being cut in front of large crowds. You might wonder, "Why is that?" Many schools have policies about hair and how it should be worn especially for sports. Experts say that policies do not take into account the diverse student body. Not only in color but in hair texture. 

Many recent cases have been caught on camera and have even made local and national news. Last year, high school senior DeAndre Arnold was told by school officials that he would not be able to graduate unless he cut his dreadlocks. Taking to social media, many celebrities were appalled by this and protested against the unjust behavior. 



School officials have the right to justify their policies by saying that rules are rules and regulations are regulations. Policies favor normal hair. Which is typically white hair that is easy to manipulate. But, for kids with ethnic hair how can they follow those same rules if their hair is not deemed normal?

Teachers and advocates believe that banning hairstyles and punishing those with ethnic hair is an attack on those specific kids' cultures. But, many school officials, administrators, and school boards maintain their rules aren't meant to be discriminatory. 




https://www.cnn.com/2020/03/08/us/black-hair-discrimination-schools-trnd/index.html

The Coronavirus and U.S. schools

As of March 5, 2020, there have been more than 550 confirmed cases of Covid-19. Anxious parents wonder, "What are they going to do about schools?" Millions of students in China, Iran, Iraq, and other countries have closed to try and prevent cases from spreading. 


As cases continue to rise in the United States, schools have started to close their doors.  A high school in  Snohomish County, Washington,  a boy tested positive for the coronavirus. The school decided to shut down until cleaning was done of the building.

Schools are preparing by keeping in contact with the state and county health departments. Health departments advise for students and teachers to avoid touching their eyes, nose, and mouth. Also, schools are continually wiping down doors and desks.



Many schools have a solution in place if school closures are mandatory. They have decided to bring the classrooms to their own bedrooms. Students will be given work and watch lectures from the comfort of their own homes. Thus, being able to continue their school work. Other schools suggest doing it the old school way by preparing instructional packets with a pencil and paper. 


https://www.cnn.com/2020/03/02/health/coronavirus-us-schools-preparation/index.html