Signs Abound

Thinking about evidence

As you think about evidence and the semiotic method, let's review the three major types that we have identified:

Examples:

The dominant form in the semiotic method, examples--large and small, contemporary and historical, personal and popular--provide immediate relevance, a connection to the reader's own observations, and cultural context for any semiotic analysis.

Strengths: Examples often persuade readers because they provide directly relevant support for the author's argument, include striking, memorable details, and confirm the reader's own experiences / expectations.

Weaknesses: All examples raise questions about applicability--questions we should be particularly careful to ask when an example seems to closely align with our own experiences, emotions, or values:

• Does the example apply broadly across the culture or cultural subgroup being discussed or is the example an exception or unique incident that may not have broad applicability?
• Has the author addressed all the possible interpretations of the example or might other people read this same example in an alternative way?

Statistics:

Although not as common as examples in semiotic reasoning as in other academic disciplines, statistics often still play a key role in semiotic arguments.

Strengths: Statistics provide a sense of quantitative assurance. They feel more solid to readers exactly because they appear more generally applicable than specific examples. Indeed, statistics operate primarily to put things in what we perceive as documented broader contexts. In this way they can powerfully support specific examples and/or rhetorical appeals to our values and beliefs.

Weaknesses: In general, the key questions about statistics involve reliability, relevance, and comprehensiveness.What binds all of these questions together are concerns about bias and balance. So when you evaluate a statistic, ask questions like these:

• Does the statistic come from a reliable source or one with a particular bias that should be discussed / disclosed?
• Is the statistic relevant to the argument being made? Sometimes author's will wow us with an impressive number, but when we look more closely at that number we find no essential relationship between the argument and the statistic.
• Is the statistic presented in its full context or is the number presented in isolation from numbers we would need to know in order to evaluate the significance of the cited statistic? Are there other numbers we need to know in order to put this one into context?

Expert Testimony

Fundamentally, appeals to experts are appeals to outside authorities: "if you do not believe me yet, maybe you will believe me when I tell you that this expert agrees with me!"

Strengths: Expert testimony can provide powerful validation for an argument when the expert is an expert in a field relevant to that discussion and when that expert's conclusions come from comprehensive and carefully documented study of an issue.

Weaknesses: Expert testimony does not strengthen an argument 1) when the expert's expertise is not in a relevant field or 2) when the expert has a particular bias that the writer does not share with the reader or 3) when the expert's opinion is not based on comprehensive and careful study of the issue. As you think about the merit or value of expert testimony

• Is this expert studying a field that is relevant to the topic discussed in this essay?
• Does the expert have a bias or political / theoretical alliance that I should know about?
• What kind of support does the expert have for his or her views--detailed data, long-term study, broad reading and analysis, etc.?

Evaluating Evidence:

Remember that when you evaluate a piece of evidence you should do the following:

1) Identify the type of evidence that the particular piece you are discussing is so that you have a broad framework of strengths, weaknesses, and questions to consider as you evaluate the overall impact of the piece of evidence you are discussing.

2) Carefully consider and discuss the strengths and weaknesses of a the piece of evidence you are considering. All evidence has both. Carefully work through / write about both the strengths and weaknesses before you come to an overall judgement

3) Assert your overall judgement in your topic and clincher sentences. Ultimately, you need to decide does this piece of evidence--given its strengths and weaknesses--support or weaken the writer's argument and why. In the topic sentence you assert that overall argument and in the clincher you explain the how and why behind that judgment you asserted in your topic sentence.

Sample Paragraph for Premise Evaluation (Logic Section Pargraphs B1 and B2)

Here is the sample paragraph for the next section of the paper. Your mission is to draft two paragraphs--each one analyzing and evaluating a different premise. Use your rubric and this sample paragraph as a guide:

•••••••••

Nelson’s second premise—that femininity is unhealthy—puts her at odds with a potentially large group of readers and would benefit from more careful qualification. As Nelson defines it, femininity requires women to act “passive, dainty, obsessed with their physical appearance, and dedicated bolstering the sense of superiority of men” (441). For Nelson, this traditional femininity is “obviously” unhealthy, but postfeminist critics might argue that women who can successfully manipulate men through their femininity actually enhance their personal and social power. According to this view, Madonna panders to male sexual desire by objectifying herself but Madonna’s self-objectification makes her wealthy, powerful, and liberated. Postfeminists could make a similar argument about one of Nelson’s own examples, Serena Williams. From this perpsective, Serena’s sexy outfits do not demean her and subordinate her to men; instead, they attract a male audience to women’s tennis that raises the status of women in general and Serena in particular. To avoid this critique of her reasoning, Nelson might qualify her argument by recognizing these prominent examples but framing them as exceptions rather than rules. In other words, Madonna and Serena might find power in the femininity game, but the typical working woman often finds that appealing to these tradtional roles limits her more than liberates her. At a minimum, Nelson needs to at least recognize this counter-argument and respond to how it might complicate  her own reading of the gender games and roles women must play.

OUTlet

Many of us have been to the Carlsbad Premium Outlet, a place where elitism and communal egalitarianism blend well together. Though, in our readings, by Jack Solomon, he suggests that America is contradictory; both being "communally egalitarian" and "competitive elitist". (525) I feel that the outlet allows both elitism and communal egalitarianism to flow well with one another. The outlet features brand name stores such as: Banana Republic, Barneys New York, Juicy Couture, and Polo Ralph Lauren, just to list a few. These brand names stores suggest that the outlet caters to elitists, but taking a closer look at random vehicles in the parking lot suggest otherwise. Comparing vehicles that were $30,000 or less with vehicles that were $30,001or more we see a pattern that suggest that shoppers at the outlet may not be as elite as these brand name stores would suggest. As we can see, a place such as the outlet, presents us with the thought that elitism and communal egalitarianism may be a great match!

Sources:
Jack Solomon. "Masters of Desire: The Culture of American Advertising." Signs of Life in the USA. 6th ed. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin's, 2009. 525-525. Print

The Yellow Deli

   

    I visited the Yellow Deli in downtown Vista for my first blog entry. I stayed for an hour and a half on a tuesday night and observed my surroundings. My first impression was disbelief at how well everything was hand crafted, but my attention quickly went to how cheerfully i was greeted and shown a table The people that worked there were dressed in simple clothing much like you would expect to find an artist or early carpenter to wear. As I walked upstairs I noticed all sorts of people sitting and eating; some were middle aged couples and others were kids my age who looked like they hadn’t showered in about a week. No matter the differences everyone was shown the same hospitality that you might expect on a sunday morning at church. Everything about the deli screams hippy but the members working there are happy to sit and chat about their background as a commune based off of Christian ideals. The most prominent idea I saw was the idea of communal egalitarianism conflicting with the typical elitist treatment of customers at restaurants. While customers were being served the waiter treated everyone as socially elite catering to orders and questions. However, what threw me off was that if a conversation really began taking flight employees would not hesitate to sit in the same booth and chat for a few minutes. I saw this happen with an older couple who looked upper middle class and with two long haired teenagers that had just stopped in to check the place out. What I noticed is that the employees did not treat anyone differently, and at the proper time they fluidly shifted from showing social dominance as a server and communal egalitarian as someone to talk to over a meal.

A taste of BJ's

While I was thinking about on what to write for my first blog, my family and I went to BJ’s restaurant in Carlsbad. The first thing I noticed at the restaurant was their unique spinning door. It was very authentic and also the ambience inside was classy and relaxing. We were party of seven so it took more than the time we expected for us to be seated. While we were waiting, I noticed many diners of the restaurant consisted of a socially diverse group of people. There were young, old, men and women, students, professionals (based on their tailor-made suits), party goers, and I think people who just want to explore the restaurant like us. The menu contained a variety of food choices with price that were reasonable and affordable. These signs reflected on our American value of populism or social equality. BJ’s restaurant obviously did not set up any high standards to their customers. Everyone was treated equally and cautiously without regarding their ethnicity, gender, age and social status. The restaurant proves that everyone may be socially different but when it comes to enjoying and consuming of food, everyone shared the same equal service and satisfaction.

For Tuesday, March 9

Antibiotics are kicking in, so I look good to go for the week. Your many interesting blog posts have been among the joys that have kept me smiling even when I felt pretty miserable!

So here is the game plan for Tuesday...

Writing: I am not assigning any new writing for Tuesday, so please make sure that you have a very good draft of the paragraph the informal syllogism analysis for the piece you have chosen (that is what was already due for last Thursday). Here is the sample that I shared in class:

             While many people might reject some of Burton’s claims, the fundamental logic of her argument works. Burton begins her argument with the premise that femininity is about “winning male approval” by “appearing beautiful, vulnerable, and small” (440). Her second premise asserts that this ideal of femininity is “unhealthy” for women because it encourages them to obsess over their bodies and pander to male desire (440). Burton then argues that most women who want to win in our culture—in sports, politics, business, etc.—play a femininity game in order not to appear threatening to men and subjecting themselves to labels such as “bitch, manhater, lesbian” (440). Finally, she concludes that when women play this femininity game, they “collude” with or reinforce “myths of male superiority” (440). If we accept Burton’s definition of femininity as being about “winning male approval” then her argument that this behavior subordinates women makes sense. And if women who win in our culture do in fact play femininity games, then Burton’s conclusion that these games perpetuate male power
seems likely and reasonable.

Reading, however, is another story. You need to keep up with the reading on the course calendar. That means the two articles on homosexuality that you should have read for last Thursday, plus the two articles on race that show up on this week's calendar ("Constructing Race" and "In Living Color"). Remember, too, that we have our multiple choice gender quiz to do still--we were going to do that last Thursday--we will now do it on this coming Tuesday.

If you have questions, do not hesitate to contact me.

Conferences Note: For those of you who had conferences scheduled with me for last Thursday or Friday when I was sick (Josue, Ethan, Dominique, Katie, Bryon, Lindsey, Jessica, Taylor, Emily, Connor, Kim, Stacy, Shayla, and Liya), please send me electronic copies of your final papers to grade. Because I do not see time in the near future to reschedule these grading conferences I will instead do my best to grade your papers electronically by the end of the week.

Drinking Driving Crashing NASCAR

Ethan johnson-moore

This weekend I went with my dad to my first NASCAR race.  The NASCAR races reflect a nation that is driven to consume, and to be entertained no matter the cost. It would appear that it involves drinking heavily, while watching cars drive round a big circle over and over again hoping that one lap will end in a fiery crash. Although this seems like a huge over exaggeration, the new direction that NASCAR has taken, which promotes aggressive driving and higher speeds, results in a more sensationalized car race.   The only affect this could have on the sport would be that there would be more crashes. Putting the driver’s life at risk, a modern day gladiator battle, all in the name of more money for the sponsor’s, speaks to the idea that people who watch the races want to see crashes. They also have started to encourage drivers to resolve their own conflicts, which could lead to physical confrontations. It is hard to dumb down a sport that involves the fans drinking as much as I saw at the races, however when you try to get drivers to get in to more fights, that is exactly what your doing. These policies reflect an audience who values entertainment, while de-valuing the lives of the drivers. The reality that car racing fans want to be “entertained” at the expense of the car drivers.

Amusing bikers

American’s value of life, being philanthropic and altruistic, surprised me and left in my memory and in my heart eternal appreciation because of all of the events which happened to my son and me during his treatment at the Shriners Hospital. One morning in December 2000, before Christmas, was particularly special for us.

We were living at the Ronald McDonald House with the other families and their anguish sick kids. This morning was usual as many others, but noise from the outside made us curious. After fifteen minutes of nonstop noise, we went to find what is going on. A thousand bikers were riding in the Hospital district; they looked exotic on their fancy bikes and leather outfits; they sent us friendly smiles. One of the bikers earned our attention more than the others. He wore a beetle helmet with funny big red horns. In one moment he raised his hand up and sent to us one million smiles with a loud hurrah. This show of support and caring lifted our spirits and made our home in Russia seem not as distant. We did not speak English at that time and felt isolated from everyone because of this; but he spoke to us with a gesture, in the universal language of caring. Before this, the only thing we knew about bikers was that they were rowdy, beer guzzling convicts.  But that day the bikers were escorting a huge bus of Christmas gifts for children in Shriners’ Hospital. This action of American bikers bringing the gifts to ill children was a symbol of true humanism and love. This American tradition of sharing and giving is the most beautiful and valuable part of their culture. I have never seen anything in such a grandiose dimension before.

Fry's Electronics

  

Our culture has bated the masses to become fixated on “a never-ending self-fulfillment” journey known as consumerism. (Frank 165) The electronics mecca of North County, commonly known as Fry’s, embodies our “desire for more”, “obsession with technology”, and frivolous, impulsive spending at it’s finest. To complement its massive size, the store features an ‘Atlantis’ theme that includes two 30-foot lightening pillars out front, two full fish tanks in the ‘commons’ and two eel tanks in the HDTV section. Not to mention the ocean-based painted walls and blue flooring. Fry’s desires that you feel ‘out of this world’ when you enter one of their electronics shrines, and the devoted following never cease to pay their tithes. They are entertained by the vast amount of choices to fulfill any want or impulse they have ever felt. The selection spans all electronics and entertainment departments, including: hundreds of thousands dvd’s, bluerays, and cd’s; hundreds of computers, laptops, and HDTVs; millions of computer gizmos and add-ons; or video games spanning all major platforms, including Xbox, Sony, Nintendo, PC and even Mac; almost giving the store the ability to say “if it’s not here, it doesn’t (or shouldn’t) exist.” The people shopping should not be criticized or feel bad for their purchases; they are the glue that keeps our debt-ridden economy churning. When looking around the store, you rarely see Thomas Frank’s atypical consumer, who “envision themselves as part of the great avant-garde tradition of edge-livers, risk-takers, and ass-kickers” (166). Instead you see a mom shopping for her son, some teens looking for that new DVD, and legions of inept people looking for their electronics ‘fix’. Upon leaving, I paid my dues for the newly purchased Apple headphones and felt invigorated, only spending $20 plus tax rather than the MSRP of $29.95.

     
 

Breaking News: No Class Tomorrow, March 4

Scholars:

I was diagnosed with bronchial pneumonia tonight about an hour ago, so I will not be coming to school tomorrow. This means that class is canceled for Tomorrow, Thursday March 4.

Please check back at the blog on Friday to find the assignment for the weekend.

Thanks,

Jim

State Beach Semiotics

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<P style="MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0in"><font size=2>For my Signsabound Blog, I decided to take a quick trip down to State Beach in Carlsbad to people-watch. I knew that State Beach is a common gathering place for people and I figured there would be an abundance of human diversity. During my 2 to 3 hour tenure, I observed the a small percentage of the melting pot that is San Diego. In this small grassy park I sat and watched a young man who was decked out in full counter-culture garb, play the guitar with a large parrot on his shoulder, while next to him sat an elderly man listening to jazz on his radio. This place somehow brought together two people from completely different generations and upbringings, with completely different views on life. While they both enjoy different genres of music, their purpose for being there was the same: to enjoy their freedom by soaking in the peacefulness and carefree environment of the beach. I also took note of the different forms of exercise being done and what it said about American values. There were people stretching and doing push ups, others running, and some riding bicycles. I interpreted this as being a result of the beauty myth. While some were no doubt exercising because they enjoy it, there were also others who out there so they could slim their figure or appear more socially acceptable. There was also a small group of teenagers skating in the parking lot, while groups of surfers congregated in their respective lineups in the surf. These represent the people who use their freedom to pursue more individual forms of exercises, and taking to the frontier. As I watched the cars drive by on Carlsbad Boulevard, I realized Carlsbad is a city built upon competitive elitism. I saw way too many brand new Mercedes' and BMW's to count, and I even saw one Lamborghini racing past the 30mph speed limit sign. </font></P>
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