Personal Blogging

Personal blogging in a world of mass media has created news outlets that are typically less accurate and easier to digest. Bloggers of the world help people with issues ranging from holiday dessert making to deciding who to vote for in the next election, so why are they important?

With the first amendment, people are allowed to say and protest as they please but when it comes to those private thoughts being shared in a public arena that those words protected by freedom of speech can still get you fired from your job. When it comes to blogging, people can anonymously say whatever they would like with no repercussions and find communities that think in a similar way. These online communities can be beneficial in the globalization of issues that can be addressed by millions of people thousands of miles away, but can also help foster communities that will only hurt societies. Online blogging is the most unregulated way for an individual to get their opinion across in such a way that is taken more seriously than a Facebook post, but not as serious as a published news article. Globally, personal blogging can show a multitude of different perspectives on life in other countries that may be perceived as something wildly different than what the mainstream media wants you to think (imagine if people in Wakanda posted blogs about Vibranium before telling the world who they really were.)

In similar ways to mainstream media, bloggers can have biases that come out in their blog posts and should be noted before continuing to take their word as fact. A blog post speaking on issues that have credible news sources cited in their posts are more trustworthy but it is rare that someone reading a blog post is looking for facts, and is more looking to be entertained.

All in all online blogging can be a powerful tool in securing ones freedom of speech and assuring one's voice is heard, but can also be a tool to promote fake news and propaganda.  If you are going to choose reading blog posts as a form of news intake it is crucial as a reader to consider the sources, biases, and overall credibility of the blogs you are reading and taking as fact.

~mAiNsTrEaM mEdiA~

Mainstream media is considered the media that comes from traditional or established broadcasting outlets like NBC, FOX, CBS and dozens more, so why do they all sound so similar if they're coming from different places? Funny you should ask my friend. It is because over 90% of mainstream media is controlled by just five companies! The corporations that own most of the media are General Electric, News-Corp, Disney, National Amusements and Time Warner who each own different variations of mainstream media in the forms of television, film, internet, print, music, and even video games. This may not seem like anything of importance but frankly, it should.

With hundreds of ways to digest media being controlled by five companies owned by billionaires seeking to make profits through views more than accurately report the news, it is hard to decipher what news is accurate versus what is being put out to accumulate more views. This isn't to mean that the information coming from these news sources is not credible, rather it is meant to shed light on the importance of understanding that mainstream media outlets were made to make money first, deliver news second. The mainstream news on politics comes from the white house which has 49 seats in the briefing room allowing for 49 people to deliver this news how they see fit, embellishing and removing details that allow them to make the most money by making the news story more interesting than the 48 other media representatives. Of those representatives, there are multiple coming from the same media powerhouses that own all of the big-name media companies, meaning that bias towards conservative news and bias towards progressive news could hypothetically be making one person double the money.

Mainstream media, like all other forms of media, is made to make people money. If you are going to digest this media it is important to acknowledge this before believing everything from every media outlet as fact.

Five Eyes Burgers and Fries

     As American citizens, most people have heard of the National Security Agency (NSA), Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), and other fancy government acronyms. My question here is what do we actually know about these agencies outside of how your favorite true crime show depicts them?
One of the most famous cases regarding the NSA happened only in 6 years ago in 2013 when Edward Snowden, a CIA contractor leaked a multitude of highly classified documents the NSA had on American citizens that he found disturbing. Without this leak, the average American would not know that the government collected certain pieces of information about them at all, let alone that that information could legally be shared with other countries.

     How is this private information shared legally you ask? Great question!! It is through an intelligence alliance called Five Eyes, mainly between five countries- Australia, Britain, Canada, New Zealand, and of course the United States. This intelligence sharing began with the UKUSA agreement that was signed in 1946 and was later extended to include Canada, Australia, and New Zealand. These nations collect data through global communication monitoring and signal intelligence (i.e., electronic intelligence and foreign instrumentation signals). In regular English, this means the government can monitor emails, fax, telephone, and internet communications of their citizens AND its all legal AND can be shared with other nations too.

     This intelligence sharing can be beneficial insomuch that there is a common understanding that one government will not target another's, citizens or persons. It has also created a uniquely open and close relationship between these countries where they can lean on each other or ask for advice when needed. These pros may be beneficial in some ways, but countries in the past did not property minimize identity information before sharing it with other countries, giving them full access to our private information that we may not even want our own government to have. Not only is private information shared among Five Eyes, but there are also 9 Eyes, 14 Eyes and 41 Eyes involving other countries in intelligence sharing.

Let's Talk about Sex (Education)

Should the first amendment also allow people not to receive basic sex education?

 Education is the root of gender inequality and if we continue to treat girls like they are lesser in the education system how can they learn to be any different in their own, and men's eyes. When we do talk about things related to sex, people always get uncomfortable and are meek to share their opinions or ask a question they may have because we live in a society where the idea of sex is everywhere but the conversation about sex is nowhere.  I came to realize that gender is a huge factor in politics but not in the way people think, it doesn’t change whether you voted trump or Hilary but instead if you have a focus on how your personal life is affected by your political life or are just thinking about your political life outside your home. If a piece of legislation were passed to instill a comprehensive sex education, it wouldn't be the same as a travel ban in the sense that it would affect a bunch of people all at once. Instead, it would slowly and steadily hinder the progression of harmful gender norms, STD and HIV rates, teenage pregnancy and sexual assault. The personal life is connected so deeply to gender, public policy and politics that if you look to the root many of the issues spoken about right now like gun rights, freedom of speech and separation between church and state you can see that these are all first brought up out of personal preservation and wants.

Everyone has sex, everyone is susceptible to getting an STD and it is up to our lawmakers and educators to decide that the overall well being and safety of humanity is paramount to preaching chastity.

You agreed to what now??

     Social Media. Everyone is on it, everyone cares about it, but how much good is it really doing for us as a global society? I would argue that social media makes lonely people feel sociable while making sociable people feel lonely. More than just the emotional connection we feel to social media weather is makes us happy or sad is the idea of social media making us safe or not. In a recent Pew Research Center study on Facebook and Americans, it was revealed that 74% of Americans do not understand how Facebook collects their personal interests and traits or how they use them- so let me explain.

     Do you remember that thing you just liked on facebook? The thing about the thing that you wanted to buy two weeks ago in Walmart that you forgot about until a Facebook ad so kindly reminded you? It may seem like a wild coincidence, but there are layers of things happening behind your screen that made that particular advertisement appear to you. Facebook is allowed to remember every page, picture, or video you have ever liked (other advertisements included) and uses this information to target people with ads they think they would want, or rather that they can make more money from. More than this they can also look at your location and demographics to give you advertisements for things close to you like a fun, creepy stalker ex-boyfriend that follows you around based on your snapchat location. No one wants this boyfriend right? So then why does he keep showing up everywhere you look?

     With 51% of American Facebook users saying they are uncomfortable with this compiling of information, Facebook could lose a lot of revenue if people decide to take action against allowing their personal information to be sold. The information is sold solely for the benefit of corporations trying to make more money off of the average American who does not have time to research the harms of personal data collection in the name of better advertisements. Creating a Facebook account is often done by children as young as 13, which means from the age of 13 through the rest of their lives Facebook and other social media can make money off of people without their knowledge.

     This is not to discount the benefits of social media or to encourage people to deactivate their accounts, but rather to assure that people have a full understanding of what they are signing up for with every new profile they create. There is only one you in real life, but hundreds of you are living online through every profile you create. Assuring those profiles accurately describe you, while not revealing too much personal information is a hard line to tow, but not an impossible one.

Marketplace of Ideas

     After thoroughly discussing the eight values of free expression with Lyndsey we have come to the conclusion that the marketplace of ideas is one of the most important values due to its reach into multiple different theories, and hot topics in politics today. When John Milton first coined the term "marketplace of ideas" the notion of it being used in accordance with determining the constitutionality of cases regarding the first amendment for years to come was unlikely- that being said it has become one of the most essential phrases thrown around during first amendment debates.


     The marketplace of ideas allows the free flow of opinions, ideas, and speech expression to create a more innovative and collaborative society that can work towards political and economic change for the betterment of all individuals in the nation. With this marketplace of ideas, the theory of promoting tolerance is also amplified because without this platform to freely share what you are thinking citizens feel they are not being heard and positive change isn't happening. Opening up a line of conversation between constituents, their peers, and their elected government representatives allow for a more collaborative creative process regarding laws and help deter an uprising or potential overthrow of the government.

     The marketplace of ideas also goes hand in hand with protecting dissent. As we spoke about in class the United States is not a democracy, but rather a representative republic and the marketplace of ideas also makes room to hear the views of all those who could vote. This includes minority groups that are often cast to the margins of society in other nations, and often still our own. Although significant change cannot always come just from these minority groups, allowing their ideas to be freely broadcasted gives them an opportunity to partner with those with more political clout than them to push change forward.

     As the intersectional identities of Americas are starting to be embraced rather than criticized, the marketplace of ideas is becoming more and more critical. With the internet taking over our everyday lives it is easy for people to find stories to go against opinions they used to take as fact, and potentially open them up to become more accepting of other groups of society. Stories of people like Frederick Douglas, Katherine Switzer, or Maya Angelou would be forgotten over history if they weren't able to share them with the world- and subsequently change the world around them forever.

Supreme

     The supreme court is the most powerful court our nation has, and the most powerful court in the world given it is held with the responsibility of interpreting and ruling on the entire constitution of the United States. Receiving more than 7000 cases yearly it is clear that the supreme court is always busy sifting through various potential groundbreaking cases like Roe vs. Wade or Marbury vs. Madison. Although some of these cases become more famous than others in an American historical context, all of them are important in creating a nation that is representative of the people and their values. The founding fathers created the supreme court to assure that our principal document could be altered to fit the zeitgeist of the time but I doubt they anticipated it would ever work so far as to give women individual political identities or legalize same-sex marriage.

     The power of the supreme court can also be seen in its ability to annul a law Congress passes if they deem it unconstitutional or any law made by a state government. Not only do they regulate state and national government, but they also regulate the powers of the president and can deem that the president's acts do not follow the law of the constitution.  Having power over virtually all areas of government gives the supreme court the most power in the nation. When an opening on the supreme court is made available the president nominates a candidate that must then be confirmed by the Senate.

     In the 230 years the Supreme Court has been around, and 114 total justices that have served on the court, only four justices have been women. Starting with the amazing Sandra Day O'Connor, the first ever female justice who was only appointed in 1981! Justice O'Connor ruled on a multitude of important cases including Planned Parenthood v. Casey that ultimately upheld  Roe v. Wade a landmark case that allowed women legal abortions. She also worked towards equality between men and women specifically in her work to allow men into a women's only nursing school. Early in her career in 1988, she was already receiving treatment for breast cancer. After beating breast cancer and retiring in 2006 O'Connor moved to Arizona where she still lives today.

     The second female supreme court justice to ever be selected is Ruth Bader Ginsberg who still serves on the court today. Appointed in 1993 specifically for her role as a social activist and political skills to deal with more conservative members of the court, Ginsberg argued six landmark cases on gender equality before the U.S. Supreme Court among other historic rulings. She advocated for the legality of same-sex marriage in all 50 states, eventually passing a national law to legalize same-sex marriage in all 50 states.

     Looking into the women of the supreme court is essential to understanding how our government has changed and will continue to change in the future.