A brand new perspective... not really

Looking back on my first blog, I actually wouldn’t really change much on my definition of a protest. Not saying I thought my original answer was entirely right, but it is more along the lines that I left it pretty ambiguous to include just about anything. My main definition of a protest was that it went against some sort of establishment ( a belief, law or whatever) that they disagree with. This definitely still holds true but on a much larger scale than I originally thought. Furthermore, I still believe protests can range from an enormous one, like critical mass, to even just one person, such as malachi ritscher. I also still agree that the size of the protest makes a difference. The larger the protest the greater and impact you can have. In the case of Ritscher, him on his own couldn’t really do much.

However, what I didn’t realize was that the variety of protest methods was enormous and that protests exist everywhere. Throughout the year we saw everything from people dressing up in gorilla suits to starving a dog and impregnating themselves and performing a homemade abortion. Also, some other things I never really thought about in regards to protest is how careful you have to be when making your protest. There are so many things to consider regarding how a protest will be run, and how effective it will be. It is surprising how much a protest’s impact can be swayed in numerous directions, based on what you’re wearing, how you say things, or what you are doing. For example, Ann Coulter may have some legitimate arguments, but acting like a bitch to people countering your argument doesn’t quite help.

Overall, again I’d say I still stick with my original assessment. But I do have more respect for people who come up with wacky ideas that make some protests really interesting. If you’re one of those creative types, kudos.

Protest Song

For my protest song I chose WAR by Edwin Starr. In the song he protests War, specifically the Vietnam War, and says how it is good for absolutely nothing. The first thing that comes to mind when I hear this song is either Rush Hour or Boy Meets World. Despite the fact that I didn’t know it was related to the Vietnam War. I think it’s a good protest song because it has lasted all these years and has even been sung by other people, like Bruce Springsteen. It is a very catchy song and makes powerful statements in the lyrics. Also, since it doesn’t specifically reference the Vietnam War it can be used for numerous different protests against war.

I think protest songs can be effective, but it all depends on the cause and the song. I feel that it needs to be catchy so that people will remember it easily. I also think that the song needs to be relatively simple as well. If the lyrics get too complex I feel like the message might get lost in the noise. I know certain pop songs that sound really upbeat actually have some pretty dark lyrics, third eye blind’s semi-charmed life for example. Overall, I think protests are effective in rallying people together around the cause. It is also great for spreading the protest message on a large scale because people all around the world can have access to it.

Coulter and Moore

I would have to say that both Coulter and Moore are protestors. Coulter is a protestor because she argues against liberalism through her books and public appearances. Since I haven’t read any of her books I can’t really speak to how effective she is, but based on her interviews, she doesn’t seem like she can defend her arguments very well and is a pretty crappy protestor. In my opinion, her rhetoric is the kind where she beats you over the head with her ideas and if that doesn’t work she’ll call you stupid. What makes her attractive to audiences is that she is very entertaining. She is very outspoken about her beliefs, some of which can be outrageous. Because of this, even people that don’t agree with her would be willing to buy her books to see what crazy thing she’ll come up with.

Moore is also a protestor. He argues against numerous different topics and has a liberal agenda. His protests occur through his documentaries(movies). What makes him a decent protestor is that his movies are easily accessible. Instead of reading a book all you do have to watch. The American public can easily support him because he puts his arguments in a form of media that can reach many people. This is often extremely effective because people who aren’t very well informed will believe everything in his movies, because his arguments, with the use of music and pictures, can be very persuasive to the untrained eye/ear.

Overall, both and Coulter and Moore are probably a lot more popular than they should be because their rhetoric techniques aren’t very solid. They’ve managed to capture people willing to jump onto any bandwagon that catches their attention.

Ann Coulter...Seriously?

So i had no idea who Ann Coulter was before having to watch these videos. But Wow, watching those video clips was an ordeal. It wasn't so much that I was bothered by her actual arguments, but rather the way she defended them, or rather the way she didn't defend them. Her responses were in an aggressive tone and it reminded me a lot like the guy in middle school who was too slow to come up with a good comeback that they just ended up repeating something, or arguing with a little kid. Some things i noticed was her use of the straw man and personal attack in her hardball interview. EE was calling her out for making personal attacks instead of actually talking about politics. Coulter's response then distorted EE's request to keep it clean and twisted it around to make it sound like EE was trying to get Coulter to stop writing completely. Also in the clip Ann Coulter is losing it, she wouldn't let the guy get a word in edge wise. I guess people can see her as persuasive if they had the same beliefs as her or if they easily believe arguments with little or no evidence. She relies too much on personal attacks to make her points and when defending herself she often begs the question and ends up going in a circle. I don't even recall her answering half the questions she was asked in any of the clips. For someone who is apparently a big whig with a bunch of best sellers, i would have thought she would be able to defend her arguments a little better. Again, i'm not bashing conservative beliefs, im just bashing Ann Coulter for doing an awful job of arguing her points. Just a side note, In a different Youtube clip i saw on the side, Adam Corrola hangs up on Ann Coulter which i thought was hilarious.