Entry #1

In high school, writing never had any spark to it. Most of the time, our writing assignments were strictly research based. Instead of exploring the inner corners of my brain with engaging writing prompts, I was stuck with writing the same old Regents based essays. The topics never changed either, my school so desperately believing that a bunch of fifteen and sixteen year olds writing about climate change and obesity could utterly change and save the world. We stuck to the same routine, with each grade being given a topic and having to write five to six pages of argumentative, research based content. I felt as though for six years straight I was stuck writing the same paper over and over; an introduction, four to five body paragraphs, and a conclusion to wrap it up with a nice little bow. Although I didn’t enjoy the writing portion, I enjoyed the investigating side of things. The research papers taught me how to look for reliable sources and to properly cite said sources. I felt as though I got to be a detective, scouring the internet and trying to crack a cold case. 

In college, I now enjoy everything about the process of writing. Writing in college is so much different because I not only get to write about what I want but put other skills to use. One skill I have learned since starting school is the use of the rhetorical situation. Understanding and applying the rhetorical situation helped me to learn what I want to get across before I do anything. It also taught me to put myself in my audience’s shoes and to think about how they would feel reading what I write. Writing in college is teaching me how to communicate my thoughts effectively.

Entry #2

As much as we all complain about social media being too bad for our mental health and well being, we are in far too deep to get rid of it for good. If you don’t believe me, I would like you to pay attention to how many people you spot walking to class with their face down looking at their phones. We as a collective society have gotten so used to keeping our rectangular little glass box in our pocket, ready to make a move as soon as a little ping or buzz hits our side. I find myself doing the same, even going as far as to aimlessly scroll on the weather app when I find myself in an awkward situation and need to look busy. 

Not only that but with the spark of the global pandemic, quarantining has become a usual part of our lives. Being trapped inside for about a year and a half before all the FDA changes only increased our need for phones. The anxiety of having to dial your older relatives and make sure they’re okay only skyrocketing the anxiety of not being able to find your phone. There is nothing realer than the pit in your stomach feeling when you go to reach for your phone in your pocket and it’s not there. Even though having a high screen time has been proven to cause anxiety, depression, eye sight changes, and even attention span issues, being addicted to your cell phone is too much of a common issue to be fixed. We have gotten way too comfortable with the ability to have contact with all your family members at the comfort of your fingertips. 

Now despite this negative outlook of how far in the deep end we are in the tech based world, that doesn’t mean we can’t take steps healthier steps to decrease our screen times. It is easier to take steps yourself.  For example, Apple has a feature where you can limit the amount of screen time and turn your phone on a “night mode” which limits your access to certain apps and even has features to limit your time on said apps. There is also a “sleep mode”, which silences your notifications fifteen minutes before your chosen bedtime. I personally like this better because it still limits social media without completely locking me out of apps.

We can’t collectively force society as a whole to just pull the plug on their phones and social media profiles. But instead we can make the decision to slowly but surely limit our screen time. 

Entry #3

The first semester of college is one of the biggest changes a young adult will ever face in their life. Just think about the whole concept of college. You are taking over seven thousand kids, ranging from 18-21, and filing them into dorms. It is here for the first time in 18 years, that they are to be the ones responsible not only for their health and safety, but for their grades and studies. Having no one to hold their hand, this is their one time to finally explore themselves and become the person they want to be. With that also comes the racing anxiety and realization that this is it, the last step before going off into the real world pursuing a career. It is easy to feel small on campus, feeling like a ball of adrenaline just waiting to pop. 

Between school work and family stress, the second month of school had me crumbling. As much as I loved being here I physically could not handle the detrimental amount of stress on my shoulders. Hesitantly, I called the mental health center we have here on campus. A soft spoken lady answered the phone, telling me that they usually would only take me in if they felt as though I was a danger to myself and others but she made an opening for me because of the weight of trauma I had been through. 

Now as much as I love the way that they are advocating and looking out for students who really need it, not everyone who is slipping is looking for a permanent exit. That day I sat in the office and just spilled everything that was on my mind. It felt good to talk to a professional and get an outsiders view of what happened to me. After I spilled every thought in my head, I expected to be told how I could take proper steps to heal. Instead was told to find someone more serious for long term help.

In a perfect world, I feel as though mental health services would be encouraged like it is today, but there wouldn’t be a price tag on it. The reason why the therapist insisted I find someone more long term was because I went through detrimental loss and each student here is only allowed to have eight visits per semester. Now, I would’ve been fine with using all eight visits, but I felt hesitant to go back because I felt as though my time was limited. Another issue I have with the counseling center on campus is that it is only open Monday through Friday from 8AM- 4PM, making it closed on weekends. Mental health services should be open on campus for longer hours, seven days a week. As someone who struggles with mental health issues it is very difficult to put a panic attack on hold because I can’t access the proper services. Not only that, but I feel as though campus should have a 24 hour hotline for those who just need someone to talk to who aren’t in danger to themselves. You can be struggling with something while also planning to keep going.  Like physical health, mental health is important too. I feel as thought this school is walking in the proper direction when it comes to mental advocacy, but that there could be some adjustments to make sure that the students that go here are their best selves physically and mentally. 

Entry #4

With the spark of social media, the whole concept of art has completely changed and has also made it more easily accessible for us to see. Art is everywhere, and easy to find if you know where to look for it.
Art has always been apart of who we are as human beings. It is a creative outlook and opportunity to express whatever we have going on in our brains. Whether it is through painting, poems, drawing, or even photography, the list of artistic expression is endless. Not only that, but with the spark of social media apps such as Instagram, Tiktok and Pinterest, people can share their artwork and ideas in seconds. With that being said, art can also be used as a coping mechanism in times of crisis.
With that being said, there is also a multitude of ways in which society can utilze art in order to better ourselves. A mere thought can turn into so much more, shedding light on the innermost struggles.
Art can be orchestrated in different ways. It can be a painting representing how someone feels isolated in the heat of quarantining during the pandemic, or an instagram thread bringing awareness to the situation taking place in the Ukraine. We as a society create and share our own ideas with the thought that someone out there must feel the same way. In the heat of a dark cruel world, the way we share and bring awareness to traumatic, devisatating events taking place all over the world sheds light and shows that there is some hope left for humanity.

Entry #5

With the rise of social media networks such and Instagram and TikTok, there seems to be no need for street preachers to stand on a street corner, shouting at nearby bystanders that they are next in line to go to hell. Instead, these platforms have now given them the power to post said messages from the comfort of their own homes. In my opinion, I honestly enjoy that most of them have taken their views to online because instead of re-routing my whole walk to make sure I don’t make eye contact with them in public, I can merely scroll past them.

Growing up in a generation that is not afraid to speak their mind and speak out for change, it is obvious that society is evolving.

 As someone who openly practices their faith, I don’t follow the “harsh creators” who cry and beg people to convert. Social media was created in order to create community, and in posting faith based content it helps me not feel alone in the midst of religious struggles. With the rise of not only the global pandemic but also the war with Ukraine, people aren’t as accepting as to believing that there is a higher power. There is a popular belief system of “if God is so loving, how can he allow such cruel things to happen in this world and allow so many people to die?”. But on the other side of that, is a community of people who need a little bit of hope.  Religion goes both ways, but most of the time people focus on the negatives of it. It is hard to even bring up practicing religion without the debates of homophobia and abortion turning the whole interaction uncomfortable. Religion has also evolved from just “going to church on Sundays”. Social media has also opened a gateway for those who weren’t practicing in the first place and are longing for a sense of belonging. I feel as though religious creators are allowed to express their beliefs online because there’s someone out there who really needs to hear what they preach. 

Entry #6

I understand where they are coming from when it comes to approaching climate change with more of a positive outlook, but it feels as though they are just putting a piece of duct tape over a leak in a dam. Positive reinforcement has been proven to teach people to change their bad ways yes, but this is a far more detrimental serious issue that isn’t just going to be changed by turning a light switch off when you leave a room. Their whole idea of approaching it with a calm, positive mindset is all because panicking about it isn’t going to make it any better. However, we cannot use a good attitude to disregard the seriousness of climate change.

Growing up, I constantly heard of climate change but never really dove into the “tree hugger” lifestyle. However, growing up I had weird anxiety surrounding the weather. I not only feared your regular thunderstorms, but also tornadoes, earthquakes, tsunamis, and even went as far as fearing a glacier was going to mow my house down (Insane I know, but that insanely creative imagination of mine got me places). I knew that the ozone layer was being depleted and the climate was warming up. Schools would try their hardest to make us interested in saving the world, using scare tactics to remind us we gotta take care of the earth because “they’re not going to be there to save it but we will”. 

One thing I would encourage those in charge to do is to continue to advocate the way they have been. Instead of deciding to sugarcoat and coverup the truth with the toxic mindset of “everything will be okay if we do …”, we must tell the truth. Tell the people where we are at, the statistics of chances of things getting better, and all the ways we can help change the problem. WIth that being said, we must also lead it up to the people to decide whether or not they want change. We can pass as many climate change laws and bills we want, but the real change is going to happen when people wake up and shake up. 

Entry #7

I feel as though even though a world without death and war is ideal, it is not realistic to preach ideas of abolishing armed forces. Whether we like it or not, a country not having an armed force to defend itself is the same as going to bed at night with your windows and doors all open and unlocked. Even if you are confident you live in the safest neighborhood in the world, the locks serve as protection from the “what ifs” out there. People are always going to have something to disagree on, and it is basic human nature to have the fire in you to fight. With that being said even though armed forces have become power hungry in the last couple centuries, it is still better to have something compared to nothing. 

According to the article, Hill states “There’s a common belief that soldiers are needed to defend a country, in case of invasion. Yet many of the world’s most militarily active countries prepare their forces for fighting abroad — not at home. Equipment belonging to British armed forces, for example, is often designed for fighting in desert conditions”. Although i see the confusion as to why forces prepare for fighting abroad, I feel like it is done that way in order to prepare them for a climate that is much different then what they are used to. Almost in a “preparing for the worst” type of way before going into battle. 

One point I agree with from the article is when Hill says “A country choosing to abolish its armed forces could transfer personnel to new or enlarged civilian services able to offer disaster relief”. It doesn’t make sense to send armed forces to countries who are struggling. It makes more sense to transfer some of the funds for war to other branches that will aid those in need. 

We cannot abolish armed forces completely because whether we like it or not, mankind is violent. However if we begin to transfer funds to those in need we will see a lot more peace in the world. 

Entry #8

College is one of the biggest culture shocks a young adult must face before they are thrown into the real world. When you go to college, you go from living at home with your parents to calling a dorm your home as you complete eight months of school. The main goal of college isn’t only earning your degree, but also fitting in and trying to thrive while you are surrounded by new people. Slowly but surely as you maneuver around campus and get into a routine, you begin to become comfortable and familiar with your surroundings. With this whole common idea surrounding college and it becoming “home” in a sense in mind, you would think that campuses would put in the work in order to make it accessible and comfortable for everyone. You’re wrong. 

Although I understand that every college campus has it’s flaws and no school can be perfect, one of my main concerns I noticed about New Paltz alone is the accessibility in the dining hall. When you first enter Perrigrene’s, you enter the lobby before you are greeted with a flight of stairs. Now next to the stairs is an “elevator” for those who are in a wheelchair and need it. However, when you walk into the the main entrance to get up to the caferteria, you are greeted with not one but two flights of stairs. As a broke college student, I spend alot of my time walking to the dining hall because meal swipes are cheaper then other restaurants on campus. The walk from the dining hall and back is already such a hike to make three times a day, so I can only imagine how it is for someone who either uses a crutch or even a wheelchair to makes trips like that on the daily. Although the campus can’t make the buildings closer to everything else, I feel as though they should have atleast an elevator in said building just for those who need it. Doing so would allow those who are disabled to have the ablity to spend less money on food and have access like the rest of us. 

Entry #9

With the way that science has evolved in the last century, it’s no surprise that people are beginning to get technology installed inside of them. For example, the instalation of birth control allows for women to not have to worry about taking the pill at the correct time while also preventing unwanted pregnancies. Thanks to technology, people also have the ability to live long healthy lives with serious health conditions. Tecnology has also evolved the social aspect of our lives, turning us into attnetion craving socialites on apps such as Instagram and TikTok.  However with the creation of technological worlds such as the meta-verse, life seems to be evolving into a black mirror episode. The deeper we fall down the rabbit hole of broadcoasting every second of our lives and interacting with eachother online, the more difficult it becomes to draw the line between which reality is reality.
The whole idea of the metaverse was introduced as a way to shape the way we interact eachother, giving us the oppurtunity to see whoever we want and be wherever we want to be in the comfort of our own homes. However, talking with someone online from the comfort of your own home behind the screen takes away the real aspects of social interaction. Sure you are talking to these people vocally, but being able to read body language and eye contact are two very important aspects of any social interaction. Being able to change the way you look in said MetaVerse also takes the idea of catfishing to a whole new level. This is because it allows people to completely change themselves, making it hard hard to verify if the person you are interacting with is who they say they are.
Those of us who don’t particpate in the metaverse are no better than those who do. We have evolved to have such a reliance on cell phones and social media that our brain literally becomes addicted to the dopamine rush we recieve everytime we receive a text or scoll. In the same way, I feel as though we as a society have become too reliant on our cell phones and that we are in too deep to stop.

Entry #10

Throughout my whole life, I have heard, read and seen the differences between class systems. Growing up lower middle class, my family had enough to live comfortably, but we didnt have the oppurtunity to travel or take family vacations often becausde my dad wasn’t provided with paid vacation days. Whether it is passing by homeless people on the streets of NYC or following socialites on social media, there is a very prominent difference between those in the working class and those who have the working class work for them. Our society has been broken up into three different social classes, upper middle and lower; all stratified based on wealth, occupation, and education. In today’s day in age unless youre one of the lucky ones, the only possible way you can make it into the richest of the rich is to be born into a rich bloodline.
The modern labor moment takes note of this very obvious difference between class systems, how in order to become upper class you need to be able to afford the education to get those six figure jobs. As the economy grows and changes, so does the labor movement. The movement stands for high wage jobs that provide a pay that is enough to support a family. By making changes such as increasing minimum wage and stablizing unsafe work environments, It looks to help those in the working class living paycheck to paycheck not have work multiple jobs to make ends meet.
The global pandemic shaped the way we view jobs, poverty, and the economy as a whole. WIth the shutting down of jobs due to quarantine, many people were left jobless for months on end. Job sites closing down and hectic panic from the faluse information being spread worldwide online also led to an increase of people mass purchasing and hogging essenital groceries such as toliet paper. The global pandemic completely flipped the world on it’s head, leading us to view job oppurtunities and basic grocery items as a luxury. The modern labor movement is exactly what our country needs after facing the major economic hit the pandemic took on our society.

Entry #11

At first glance when you take a look at the site, it is obvious that it is a health advice website. The headline for the site is “Mercola: Take Control of your Health”. As you continue to scroll down however, you’ll see it’s full of eyecatching headlines. Taking a look at the top two trending articles “From Healthy to Disabled, All Because of the COVID Jab”, “13-Year-Old Dies From Cardiac Arrect Days After Pfizer Shot”, it is clear that these article titles were specifically made to spark fear and anxiety in their readers. Taking a look at the “13-Year-Old Dies From Cardiac Arrest Days After Pfizer Shot” article, you see that the author not only covers the gut wrenching story, but includes a video of paramedics trying to resuscitate the victim. The article is full of pathos, because the attached video is included to not only push their favor of the vbaccine being deadly even further, but to envoke fear and anxiety in those who are vaccinated.

When you scroll all the way down, you are greeted with a disclaimer from the author of the site themsevles. The disclaimer goes into detail on how the contents of the website are all opinion based and the information shouldn’t replace the visit of a qualified health care professional. It is obvious that this website was created to tailor to those who are fully against the vaccine so they can show their own form of proof that their arguement is the right answer.

Whether this wesbite is a joke or not, I feel like it is dangerous to have this kind of fake news be spread throughout the news because all it does is raise hellfire. With the spark of the pandemic, everyone and their mother is discussing the virus, the vaccine, and the effects of what this virus and vaccine will do to their body. Everyone has their own opinion and every second some new update on how many people have passed away from the virus is posted somewhere online. It has been the talk and the central of every media channel for two years now. Uploading click-bait titles regaurding people dying and being left disabled from getting the vaccine only encourages people to refuse and fear the shot.  I feel as though websites like these make it harder for scientists to get the real information aross because these are the headlines people look for. Sadly, people would rather hear how many people were killed from said vaccine instead of how many were saved from it. 

Entry #12

On the afternoon of January 6th, a hasty generalization declared by the nation’s former president led to a riot killing 1 and injuring over 100 law enforcement officers. With little evidence to back up his statement, he came to the conclusion the 2020 election was stolen from him because he actually won by a landslide and that it wasn’t a close election. Since he had already been in the news and meida for his controversial actions during his presidency, he assumed he was the victim of cancel culture. WIth no evidence to back up his claim, he also made it seem as though him and his followers were victims in this situation, rallying up their emotions even more. The storming of the Capitol building was one of the most shocking and unexpected tragic events I have ever heard about. On the morning of the 6th, President Trump stated in his speech claiming that the 2020 election was “stolen by emboldened radical-left Democrats” and “demanded that Vice President Mike Pence and Congress reject Biden’s victory”(Wikipedia). Trump called all of his followers to take it straight up with the Capitol and to not back down without a fight.
Trump also utilized the rhetorical strategy of kairos to rial up his followers and get them angry enough to start a riot. When taking his opinions to Twitter, he was claiming that Biden rigged the clearly fair poll for the 2020 election and that this was the beginning of the downfall of the nation. He ended his speech with a call to action, saying it would be right to take this up and fight for what they want. When it comes to republicans and liberals, the two sides and beliefs of both sides are polar opposites. When looking at articles in support of this riot, you will see that republicians invovled in starting this riot believed they were doing God’s work and that they were going to save the country. When you take a look at more left-wings news sites covering this however, you get the real story of the brutality and violence this riot became.
When it comes down to politics, rhetorical appeal is constantly in use. Each and every political figure who gives a speech has an agenda to either cater to or rile up the fellings of their eager listeners. It is all a matter of stating why your beliefs are gospel truth.