I honestly get most of my news from social media. I anazlyze what I hear or read by looking
up the information or maybe even from news stations. I don’t really like to watch the news
channels anymore because everything is just so negative or stories are misconstrued. When I
do find out news in the world or what’s going on in the world it is from social media but I
look more into it to make sure it is legit or correct information. One way that is very
common to get involved in the governmental process is by voting which I have been doing
ever since I was able to do so! I apply critical thinking when being involved in that process
by just thinking my information through. An example of a fallacy that I have seen being
used for marketing purposes, commercials, or advertisement is manipulation. In that case
people are manipulated into believing something and trying to take away from the important
information. I enjoyed learning about everything in this class. All the information obtained
has been very useful even in my every day life. One of my main sources for news is,
"Drudge report." It is a website that is updated every day and links to other headlines and
articles for world news. This site does not have all of the world's articles or an archive to
review the previous day's headlines so sometimes I have to use other sources. When looking
at stories for a certain event that happened, I look at the headline articles because not all of
the other news sites are the same. Some sites will display their Ideas and belief in the
headline alone. most times I do have to read multiple articles to try and understand the full
story while trying to strain the emotion that is added by the authors. the same can be said
when looking at your involvement with the government process, it is important to analyze
parties and find out what their intentions are. so you may take part in voting for people, bills,
and other props that may affect the future of the country. Advertisements are used by many
people for products and companies. the point of it is to make a product seen more, many of
the advertisements we see today all share one thing, fallacies. One of the most common
fallacies that I have seen in ads is the Appeal to emotion fallacy. a lot of these
advertisements try to make you feel bad or sad about not purchasing a product or try to add
a story about how a product saved their life, this fallacy mostly appears in ads for medical
products, charities, and schools. while these fallacies can result in purchases it is ultimately
up to the consumer to purchase products, but there are a lot of strategies that are used to
coax a consumer into impulse purchases. I already consider myself a mindful consumer, I
usually put myself on a weekly budget and if I exceed that budget then I don't allow myself
to make any more purchases. One thing I could do is ask myself if this product has any use
to me, many of the products I do purchase are temporary self-indulgences like fast food. one
thing that confuses me, as it always has, is the whole political process, why do the people
not get a say in the people that will run for president or for a legislature. even though we are
not a direct democracy but a representative democracy, why can the people have a say in
who to elect aside from the president or the governor? When it comes to receiving news, I
normally gets most of my news from news channels, facebook, and world news apps. One
way I analyze what I hear, read, and view is by viewing different sources to see if they all
are giving the same information. I then take bits and pieces from each source that one source
might not report and put it together.
As a citizen one way to get involved in the government process is to vote. Learn what each
candidate has to offer the people and ways it can benefit us as a whole. When applying
critical thinking, you have to think about the future and what good and bad could happen
when picking the right person to vote for. Voting and picking the wrong person could cause
a lot changes that could effect a person life in a major way. one way to ensure you help the
right person to win is by getting out and campaigning and letting other know the importance
of voting.
An example of fallacy is hair companies that sale hair extensions at beauty supply stores.
Different beauty store uses different types of commercials to help with advertisements and
sales of their hair products. The advertisement of the products help people to see different
types of hair extensions that customers might want to buy. I use to think that all beauty
stores sold a nice bundles of hair until I started buying it and it wasn't actually nice hair. It
was totally a waste of money but the commercials and advertisement made me want to start
buying their items.
If someone was to ask what was my favorite activity in the class I would have to say the
arguments activities. I really enjoyed this activity because it help to understand different
types of ways to conduct an argument. And the importance of getting your point across
without defending another person. The activity I would say was the hardest would be reason,
emotions, and communication. I choose this one because I was kind of hard trying to
understand different emotions, reasons, and ways to communicate. With this activity you
have to put in a lot of time to understand what it is that the assignment is asking. It's hard to
believe that we are closing in on the last week of this course especially because I have so
much more to learn. Applying as many of the critical thinking skills as I can each day is
definitely something I am taking with me. As far as where I get the news from I like to read
the news online; whether that is from Fox News, CNN, Wall Street Journal, or other news
outlets. It's easier for me to digest and analyze what I am reading instead of watching the
news on the television as I am not really into television or even close to being a "tv junkie."
Being able to read and understand my own interpretation of the news seems to help me more.
Getting involved as a citizen is a weakness that I plan to work on moving forward in life.
Really the only way that I have been involved is by voting; which is me just doing my part
instead of really getting actively involved with other issues or policies. Going into the future
I will plan more to get involved and to help push through the things I believe in.
When it comes to fallacies and advertisements, I remember when I used to believe that
almost every cosmetic products were going to make me look like the actress on the
commercial. That all the shampoo and hair products would make my hair amazing and that
moisturizes would make my skin flawless and I was naive enough to believe the more
expenses they were the more it meant they would work. Ha! Silly goose! Definitely finding
clarity, understanding fallacies, and doing research helped me get out of this mindset.
My favorite activity from this class so far has been the discussions around the lessons we are
all working on. There isn't much better learning about being a critical thinker than getting to
read and hear others perspectives. Being able to take what others say or how they view
things, really engaging and communicating can help all of be better critical thinkers.
There aren a couple of areas that I need to work on going forward and that is the clarity and
not just assuming I know what the other person is asking but to really dig deep, ask the right
questions and then make sound decisions. The other piece to that for me is to take my time
and really analyze what is being discussed, breaking the conversation down and using
reasoning! That is definitely something I need to practice daily so that I can be a better
critical thinker; otherwise I just end up in an argument and emotional. In this day in age I get
a lot of my new from social media. I used to watch a lot of news but with everything going
on this year it was a bit depressing, so I stepped away from the tv. None the less, social
media may not be the best alternative. Twitter is a big news outlet and whether or not the
information is correct, a lot of government officials use this platform to reach their audience.
When I see and hear certain things I take them with a grain of salt at first, considering where
I got the news from. Most of the time I do further research but there has definitely been
information that was misunderstood or incorrect.
The election of 2020 is probably the first way I have been involved in the governmental
process. With it being one of the most popular elections in history I wanted to make sure I
was confident with my vote. I applied a lot of critical thinking during the whole process.
After evaluating my morals, personal financial situation and possible outcomes for my future
I was able to make a decision.An example of a fallacy I've seen used in a commercial
advertisement is fallacy of accent. In the Snickers commercials the famous saying is "You're
not you when you're hungry, eat a snickers" For some, being hungry puts you in a bad mood,
this brand claims that if you're "hangry" a snickers will get you back to normal. One thing I
will do to become a more mindful consumer is research. Before purchasing from a new
brand, I want to know where the products are made, the brands morals and the research that
they have done.My favorite thing from this course was week 2 which was also the most
difficult part of this course. The reason for this is because I'm so glad this course taught me
how to use reason and emotion when it comes to critical thinking. The hard part about this is
implementing it into my everyday life. From not conforming to what everyone else does to
controlling my anger and blame when I become stressed. Unfortunately I get my news like
most people by getting alerts on my phone. This is very convenient but also not always
seeing the right story. I will get either CNN, USAtoday, or TIME. These are all quality
sources but also will have there own spin on the stories, so it is tough to believe which is the
"right" news.Getting involved in government for the average person isn't the easiest thing to
do. I would recommend starting with your local government, this will give you a better idea
of how the "average" citizen can start to make a difference. This way will help you start to
see the process of local government and can see the process on a smaller scale. As for trying
to be a part of "big" government isn't as easy. This would take some time to get into and
leave your make. I am not saying it can't be done, but rather that it just takes time.
My favorite activity in these last five weeks has been doing this weekly discussion. It is nice
to see what others opinions are on the same topics we all are writing about. If I am being
honest I still get most of my information from CNN and newspaper articles, I also check
links that people share on Facebook from major news outlets around the world, Which is
pretty cool. I do think with information being so easily accessible we take it for granted at
times and over look checking for validity. Before this class I was always curious but
skeptical about the information I saw. After a few weeks of this class I started becoming
more of a fact checker, I look at multiple sources to confirm validity of information I see. I
make sure to check more credible domains such as .edu and .gov. As a citizen I tend to look
at my state representatives, mayors and public officials and research their policies, ideas and
character. I have never been one to vote for someone simply based on the the tribal system
of republican or democrat. I like to know the individual and how they can help the majority
over the minority. I take a very logical approach to this aspect of my life and tend to block
out the noise of the media who favors one or the other.Beats Headphones tend to use a false
authority fallacy when advertising their products. They pay famous musicians and athletes
millions of dollars to endorse their product. In my opinion their are dozens of far superior
headphones on the market that are less expensive. Beats are still thriving though because of
the success of the fallacy they are using through marketing techniques.Chapter 10 was very
helpful in not being so impulsive as a consumer. I will be more mindful of marketing
strategies and pick up prescriptions at the drive-thru window as well as avoid feeling any
irrational guilt. Making lists when shopping also helps me stay focused. I honestly think just
being educated as to what certain retailers intentions are is half the battle.My favorite
concept was also the most in depth or challenging on for me. It was exploring how to
identify and make a valid and sound argument. There were so many different working parts
and ways to get to a valid argument and so many things to look out for when identifying a
faulty one. I get most of my news off social media, I mean they do know before the real
news reporters know anything, I analyze in my point of view of the situations. I don't put my
inputs in because it don't be my business to say what I feel or think. The way I get involve
in governmental process is by voting or being on welfare, getting assistance with m kids. I
think about my situation and the next person so I don't act before I think, I think way before
I act on any situation, that's why it will be so hard for me to respond or engage in a
conversation on pettiness or ignit things. , I learned about are Naturalistic fallacy, Inductive
argument, Prescriptive premises, Empirical facts, Analogical premises, Definitional premise,
Explanation, Conditional statement, Independent premises.If someone ask me my favorite
activity or concepts about this class, I would say as of right now I don't even remember too
much about nothing right now, my christmas break been the worst ever, starting with the
passing of my moms, then not being able to get my kids anything, oh lost my job first but,
don't mind me, I'm here and bless and yea I really learned alot of this class, starting from
fallacies, premises, the different types of reasons for the arguments, the purpose of things. I
volunteer at the food pantry in my local community. I analyze the number of families that
will receive donations that day. I then estimate the amount of people it will take to shop all
the categories and bag items to prepare for each family.I am fascinated by Ad Hominem
Fallacy, It is identified in many of the presidential advertisements. I find it the easiest to
identify. Fallacies have made me aware of the marketing schemes that consumers need to be
more aware of.I enjoyed reading about all the fallacies and how they connect to different
situations.The most challenging part of this class was to ensure that when you are writing
that you site anything that you reference. I have to work on that. Most of my news comes
from the internet and television. Sometimes i will catch the 5o clock news or skim through
google on daily topics. I do not really believe most of what I hear because I know that biases
are being used and also fallacies. I know that some of the information is credible while most
of it is based on opinions. The best ways to get involved into the governmental process is to
vote. Voting is a powerful way to express your views but even that I am skeptical of because
I do not believe anything to be totally up to the decision of common citizens. I personally
believe that a small group of very powerful people control everything in the world, except
our own free will that is. I guess I am a conspiracy theorist? The most common fallacy that i
notice basically everyday is the fallacy of questionable cause, especially in the beauty
industry. Commercials for make up will involve actresses who appear less attractive without
the product and more attractive with it. When in fact make up only irritates the skin and
causes blemishes that make the skin rely heavily on the everyday use of it. I do not use make
up heavily but to avoid being drawn to it I just focus on self love and care. Dating men who
can appreciate the natural beauties that I possess. To wrap up my response I have no favorite
thing about this weeks activities. They are all equally beneficial to my intellectual and
psychological growth. I get most of my news from the media websites themselves. I don't
watch the news on television and I don't get a newspaper, instead I either go to websites
such as abc57.com or the local newspaper's website. If I come across a story that seems
incredible or that I feel I need to look into a bit more, then I usually go to another website
for another local media source and see what they are saying about that topic.As a citizen, I
do not get involved in the government process, nor do I have any desire to get involved in
any of that. Long ago, I came to the conclusion that no matter who is in charge politically,
no matter what platform they are running on, they don't care about us either way. They only
care about making their bank accounts larger, so I avoid that all together. Fallacy or rhetoric
is common in advertising, for instance save 15 percent in 15 minutes. It's a great and
effective marketing tool, but can they honestly say that everyone saves 15 percent? I believe
that's the part that makes this statement a fallacy. Maybe I'm a born skeptic, but I feel that's
useful when it comes to critical thinking because it kind of forces you to research and look
for more information.My favorite concept from this class was all the barriers that exist in
people's minds that you have to be able to get past and be aware of when presenting
arguments. Social media platforms like instagram and twitter are the primary source for
where I receive information about the news/current events. It is the easiest way for me to
access it, however this can sometimes cloud my judgement about the topics being discussed.
A lot of bias is presented on social media. Because of the bias, I have to apply my critical
thinking skills to see if the source is credible and providing a valid argument. I am not as
involved in government processes as I should be. I think that the best way to get involved is
to stay informed. Keeping up with the news and current events is a great way to stay active
and engaged with what is going on within the government. Critical thinking is also very
important in this process. Understanding what is credible and what is not plays an essential
part as a citizen.Relative to politics, I have seen a fair amount of hasty generalization
advertisements and comments from our president, Donald Trump. One instance specifically
is how he casts all immigrants as criminals. This cannot be said about all immigrants.
Critical thinking is extremely important, and it is easy for people to believe this because of
Donald Trump's power he holds. My favorite thing that I have learned from this class would
have to be the fallacies. I think that identifying fallacies and being able to determine the
credibility of a source is extremely important in critical thinking and everyday life.
