Blogg #6 Anti-War Voices

Ukraine, Iraq, Syria... all countries of war currently, and yet why are involved? That is what the Antiwar and The American Conservative websites are asking. Each of these blogs is of a strong Anti-war voice. The AntiWar blog was developed to promote the idea of non-interventionism. The page's initial goal was to fight against intervention in the Balkans, and they have continued that same ideology into more current issues of war. The American Conservatives was founded in 2002 to discuss what they believe to be the best quality of America. They are promoting a "main street" movement to educate modern political and cultural leaders. These current advocates are not shown much or promoted in mainstream media. 

War is a hot topic in the media these days, and the sensalization of news has only made this an even bigger case. News sources want to get people's attention, they need viewers, what more jarring cause than war? Once they get your attention many sources will keep working to get viewers' attention. As we talked about in class with the collection of data it is easy to track who is looking at what and continuously promoting related content. This can cause echo chambers on social media, and from other news sources as well. One study found that 17% of Americans get their news only from one political-leaning TV source. 

When people only get their news sources from one point of view, their opinions and beliefs are skewed to one side of an issue. However, this isn't the only reason we may not be hearing these issues. When I tried to find other sources or research done on why these anti-war sites are not as prominent in mainstream media, no sources were to be found. This leads me to believe this is because the issues haven't reached and gained enough support from the population, or this idea is being suppressed in order to not give people another perspective. 

Blog #5- EOTO Reaction

The timeline of commutation has continuously evolved, but being able to put into perspective the key moments our society has changed due to innovation, was enlightening. My presentation was on the history of the newspaper which was further back in history compared to some of the key moments my classmates chose, however, the base on which technology and society need to share information has continuously built on similar concepts. The invention of the fountain pen led to a smoother writing process and stimulation of ideas, leading to the printing press, which was the foundation of the newspaper, the newspaper is now incorporated into a digital form that wouldn't have happened without the invention of the web, the connections could go on forever. 

I was intrigued by my classmate's presentation on the typewriter. This invention was what brought ease of writing away from traditional handwriting. The first book published on a typewriter was done by Mark Twain. However, what I truly loved to learn was how this was what brought women into the workplace. So, not only was the new form of technology a transformative invention for communication, but also societal standards. Women were able to get a foot in the door into business, whereas, before, this was a less common practice.   

Being able to see the positive effects of this invention now is much easier than when it was first invented. The typewriter was a heavy machine that had a few different models before it became common. People during this time were used to writing with a pen. However, I think the convenience this invention brought and being able to decrease the time it would take to write something was what really helped to easly gain the traction it needed to be a revolutionary communication product. It would stay around because there was nothing else like it, and it continues to influence our invention now, considering how our keyboards are set up the same way. 

Blogg #4- The History of the News Paper

    

The concept of sharing news has been around for a while now, In 202 B.C. the Chinese people, distributed government bulletins and reports from the palace, intended for bureaucrats. In ancient Rome, the Acta Ciurna was the first concept of the “NewsPaper” sharing critical information for the public. The “gazettes” in Venice Italy, were very popular and shared politics and governmental issues. 

However, none of these were mass-produced, until after the printing press was invented in 1440. The technology strengthened the speed at which we were able to communicate with each other. During this time, there were limited options to learn about news, this new technology revolutionized that process. The current concept of the newspaper as we know it now was created in 1605 by Johan Carolus. He called it “Account of All Distinguished and Commemorable News” and it was first published in Strasbourg. Carolus paper was the first mass-produced, easly accessible, reoccurring public newspaper. This concept continued to catch on in other countries spreading around Europe. 

 This early structure of the Newspaper, however, was monitored or controlled by the government and rarely focused on current events. As time went on and the ideas surrounding freedom of the press came about, more newspapers had the power to share current events, and products in the market, and later politics would come back but from the people's perspective, not the government's. 

Now, once Europe expanded its territories, this concept continued to the United States. The first successful attempt at a newspaper in the United States was by John Campbell in Boston, publishing what was called “The Boston News Letter” Others had tried beforehand but chosen too political topics, and no other issues were continued. This publication was focused more on the happenings in England and tall tale stories of pirates. This would continue for years, however during this time the process was quite strenuous, and large volumes could not be produced. The papers were expensive and not for the common people. As the country started to form its government, these papers became essential to political information and lobbying.

One of the defining moments for the newspaper in politics was with the case Crown v. Zenger. It started with an article in The Weekly Journals that criticized Governor Cosby, After a long legal battle the court ruled Zenger not guilty. This case raised the need for the freedom of the press and the ability to criticize the government without fear of retribution. Most importantly, in 1791 the First Amendment was passed and granted the freedom of the press for citizens of the United States. Printing eventually developed with better and faster technology that allowed for better access by the people. 

 The history of the newspaper is complex and continues to grow and develop, however, its impact is profound and has been a major part of history. It has educated the people on current issues and important topics. It allows for a more informed community, willing to participate in the happenings of our society. It builds an environment that allows us to share our opinions and the facts of life. Most importantly it changed the way we communicated with others. While we don’t know where the newspaper will continue to go in this digital age, we can all recognize the influence this had on our country and history. 

Blog Post #2-Supreme Court

Under Article Three of the Constitution, the Supreme Court was born, and it reigns as the highest court in the United States. Originally only six justices were serving at a time, after 1869 the number was set to 9 where it now remains. Justices are appointed by the President and approved by the Senate to then serve for life. On average, the justices serve about 16 years. 

I learned that the Constitution does not state that they are appointed for life, but only "during good behavior," allowing them to only be taken off by impeachment. In history, this has only happened once and that was to Samuel Chase. 

I had always been taught in school about cases such as Brown v. Board of Education, Miranda v. Arizona, and Loving v. Virginia, however, I had no idea it was all under one Chief Justice Earl Warren who put those profound decisions in place. His time served was monumental in the progression of history. 

Most importantly, it is a considerable power the Supreme Court holds. These justices go through an extensive hearing and appointment process, to make sure the responsibility continues into the proper hands. Hearing one of the justices in the video share how that power is no longer in the hands of the direct public through a ballot box, emphasizes the influence the justices have, and the importance of their roles. Through a long history, this institution continues to learn and grow from history, while still upholding the over 200-year-old Constitution. 

Blog Post #3 (8 Theories of Free Expression)

This country was made out of all the struggles and quarrels the people experienced with the English Monarchy. They wanted the freedom to express themselves and be heard! The Bill of Rights gave them this power with the First Amendment. It being the first is so important to highlight the value that it gave, for freedom of speech, of and from religion, press, petition, and assembly. Growing up, speaking my mind was something that came naturally, however, it took some time to realize this was a right. 

The eight theories of free expression all serve a prominent purpose, however, out of the eight theories, the one that stands out to be the most relevant to me has to be number four, the Individual Self-Fulfillment. Without the idea of Individual self-fulfillment, we couldn't back the other seven principles. Individual Self-Fulfillment is defined as "Free speech that enables individuals to express themselves and thereby create their own identity" or more simply self-actualization. If we weren't able to discover and build our thoughts and beliefs, we wouldn't be able to participate in self-government, promote innovation, or have a marketplace of ideas. We would just be going along with what we're told to, and what's the point of democracy without individual thought? I grew up in a generation raised on social media, sharing our every thought and every move, and with that, we learned the value of expression. It is often encouraged to be yourself and have a sense of uniqueness on the internet that makes you different from others. Individuals have to participate in conversations and experiences to learn about their own opinions and beliefs and experience self-actualization. 

Society as a whole, is experiencing self-actualization in itself, with each generation as our forms of communication expand. You can see it changing views on, women's roles in society to the changes in acceptance of same-sex relationships, the ideas on immigration, and those of different backgrounds. As we progress as a society and have more extensive ways of communicating with each other, we surpass just self-actualization and self-fulfillment and grow as a society. 

With all this growth, we are also promoting innovation, creating a more accepting society, which has given people the confidence and the means to be more creative. My generation and the ones following have changed the ways ideas are spread with social media but also put a heavier emphasis on being creative. In class, we defined Promoting Innovation as " 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." We are building a more creative and interesting society because our society demands it to keep up. We have created an entirely new field of "Content Creators" on social media, that's sole purpose is to creatively interact with the masses, whether it's entertaining, marketing, or influencing the public, which is now affecting how the business world is conducted. 

Recently in the news, there has been a debate about whether AI has taken that creative liberty and rights away from actors and writers in the pop culture field, threatening their jobs. While we are promoting innovation with this new technology, are we harming the creative aspects of our society? That is a question for our society's individuals. I think there is a way for both to coexist with proper regulations protecting the individual. The ways our society has changed and progressed are continuous but that has to be rooted in the freedom of expression that allows for self-fulfillment and innovation.