Journal #4

Alissa's Presentation - Leggings as Pants?
I enjoy how Alissa always manages to bring humor into the discussion. I really enjoyed the way she ran it - as a meeting and not simply a presentation.
In her argument, she utilized a great fashion article from The Wall Street Journal (not that IT was great, just the way she used it). She used it to frame her argument and to bring relevance to her argument - that leggings are considered a "hot trend" in modern fashion. A majority of the agents she brought up are those who are positively affected by the use of leggings as pants (i.e. retailer, designer, model, and manufacturer). I also think that looking at the argument from a feminist perspective is important, because women can either see it as degrading or empowering - there is no "one way" of thinking and no clear wrong/right answer. I think it all comes down to why women wear leggings as pants - do they do it to feel beautiful? To get noticed by men? To be the center of attention? Or, do they do it because it's comfortable? Because they feel empowered? To me, that is vitally important.

Mark's Presentation - Should College Athletes Get Paid?
Mark's argument is one that I had honestly never considered before. I have heard people complain about the scholarships and favoritism that some athletes receive - I had no idea that there was an argument for the opposite extreme: to pay athletes. To me, the most the important part of Mark's presentation was when he mentioned that many athletes do not graduate from college and that many have switched their majors because their class schedules interfere with their practices. Is the point of a university to encourage athletics and to "create" big name athletes, or to educate people? Doesn't it seem counterproductive to attend school to receive an education and have to work that around a sport?

Loren's Presentation – Environmental Crisis
I really enjoyed when Loren talked about striking a balance between the human race and nature. Often, when I hear complaints about environmentalists it is about the radical environmentalists who are against a certain kind of progress or reproduction. I think that this balance that he mentioned is key to raising awareness of the environmental crisis. Also, while I think it is crucial to instill in people the seriousness of the topic, I also believe that it should presented in a semi-optimistic way, because if it is presented with the attitude of, “we’re screwed,” it will discourage people from participating in raising awareness, as they may not see a reason to.

Eddie's Presentation – Senior Citizens Driving
I thought that Eddie’s counter argument of ageism is very important in his presentation. This topic is one that could be very sensitive for elderly people and could bring potential problems within families. I thought it was great that he included the idea that by taking away this independence of senior citizens, there can be a tremendous amount of pressure and responsibility placed on the individual’s family. I think that this issue is one that everyone can relate to – everyone has his or her own stories about their own experiences with elderly drivers!