Is There Still Love in This World?

¨Where Is The Love¨ was a top hit song by the Black Eyed Peas released on June 16th, 2003. The song is a very inspiring song that features Justin Timberlake. There was a 2016 remix of the song that came out after the original was produced. In the lyrics the main idea of it is about we have major problems here in the United States, but we are overseas trying to help get rid of terrorists in a war that we really don´t why it is going on. In America we have the: CIA, KKK, Bloods, and Crips all described as terrorists groups and we aren´t fixing the problems here first. Children are dying and growing up without mothers and fathers, which is not good for the future of America. The most powerful line is ¨Madness is what you demonstrate and that's exactly how anger works and operates Man, you gotta have love just to set it straight, Take Control of your mind and meditate, Let your soul gravitate to the love, y´all, y´all.¨ What is inspiring about this line is that all you need in this world is love and there should be no more hate. Love your own race and don´t discriminate other races, be equal to everyone.  They are suggesting to take control of your own mind and make love and find your inner self by meditating. Another key point to this song is they say people are dying including children, so is there really love in this world?

Into War

In the song, "American Blood" by Reckless Kelly on the album Bulletproof is an anti-war song with clarity about war. Reckless Kelly is the one who first performed it in 2008, released with his album. This song is arguing that war is horrible. It is not a good thing all of this is for a silver or golden or bronze star or medal, they can keep this star. For the war or not, the main idea is that the troops of war deserve a little more respect and support for the job they are doing. This song is helping appreciating the sacrifices and work men and women in uniform did as well as their families. This song also calls out Washington getting money for the expense of 30,000+ american lives.The very first line provided a new perspective of war was when he said “Johnny can't drink 'cause Johnny ain't twenty-one.Yeah but he's eighteen and he's pretty handy with a gun. They sent him off to a foreign land”. Johnny is young, he is not even in his twenties yet but they sent him to war. It just a demonstration of crazy it is in America, you basically do not have a choice for whether you wanted to go or not back then. It is like striking you of your rights. In the third verse he says, “Well Johnny can't walk but the medic said he's okay to fly. And the newspapers tell us he's a hero and hell of a guy”
This is extremely powerful because Johnny fought in war and lost his legs and all he gets for the work he did was tell the world he is a hero. It does make you think of how the world actually treats the people who fought and lost their limbs and other parts and all we can say is wow he is so brave and all that and give them a piece of copper or something. I know we have a day to celebrate them but we can do better than that.

Marin Gaye Protest

Whats Going On?





In the early 70's we have faced a lot of adversity with different things in the world. Some examples were police brutality and being forced to be in the war. Marvin Gayes' song, Whats going on? tells a lot about police brutality and what we should protest for to make things better. 

One of the most important lyrics Marvin Gaye had in his song was, "Picket lines and picket signs, don't punish me with brutality." This is powerful because Marvin Gaye is trying to say that when us black people protest everyone needs to listen, make a stand and make it powerful to a point where the police they need to listen too. Instead of injuring and hurting someone protesting. Another important line was, "We don't need to escalate, you see, war is not the answer, for only love can conquer hate." This is very important because he is saying violence and war is not the answer. Also, he is saying there is one way to defeat hate and that's to love. If only everyone loved and had respect for each other then the world would be a way different place and more organized. And that is what he is saying. Lastly, one more last lyric he stated was, "There's far too many of you dying, you know we've got to find a way." This is powerful because Marvin Gaye realizes how many people are being punished and killed just for protesting. He is trying to send a message to everyone saying there is a way to stop this mass murder rate. We can’t just ignore this, we have to make a change fast!

A not so happy holiday

In most facets of our culture war and soldiers are often portrayed as glamorous and respected by the country and people of the United States, however on closer exception of our actual society we see the opposite happen. The song Holiday by Green Day addresses the neglect and aggression of war that in recent years has become more apparent. One of the more memorable lines "Hear the sound of the falling rain, coming down like an Armageddon flame, The shame, those who died without a name" talks about how so much life is lost in war that the people could become nameless and forgotten among the bloodshed. The song is clearly also a critique of America's love it or leave it attitude during the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan with the line "Pulverize the Eiffel tower who criticize your GOVERNMENT" since Americans for a while called the french cowards for not wanting to help us in Iraq.
    

Ignorance is bliss for the Ignorant

Donald Trump proves that ignorance is only bliss to the ignorant, to the rest of us it is insulting, harmful, and damages our society. Trump's campaign is probably the best example of this since it based entirely around Trump telling people their business in matters that he has no grasp of, or just flat out insulting people. So far this has, surprisingly, panned out for him and more surprisingly Clinton and his other opponents have only just started using this against him.

The ad uses Ethos most prominently by directly showing that Donald Trump is a man of small character. His remarks are unaltered directly chowing the kind of person he is. The attack on Trump's is driven home by the veteran who explains with his reaction the effect Trump's remarks have on people.

The ad also clearly uses Pathos with the veteran's reaction. The former POW is shown tearing up when remembering his horrible experience in World War II. This has been made more horrible to him when he realizes a man who has no respect or understanding of his sacrifice has become one of the top presidential candidates but also has gotten there through his disrespectful attitude.

The ad uses logos as well however it is slightly more subtle. Trump's disrespect and carelessness towards veterans also shows that he shouldn't be in any form of power that would give him direct control over an army. He clearly wouldn't think of the personal struggles of the soldiers and his attitude that captured soldiers are worthless would mean that he would have no interest in helping them during or after the war.

This ad is a well executed attack on Trump on every front, taking advantage of his controversial statements in an unexpected way that works on all three Rhetorical appeals.                  

Good Morning Vietnam, Is It True?

Good Morning Vietnam is a popular Vietnam War era movie, about a radio host named Cronauer is brought in to Vietnam and entertains soldiers with his controversial sense of humor, when he makes friends there, he finds his closest one is a terrorist and a spy for the Viet Cong (terrorist group). This particular piece of American culture is relevant to what we’re talking about because it tells a war story. Although this wasn’t controversial, I think it’s relevant to how society views war today. I think this because at the end of the movie, Tuan explains how the war tore apart his city, family, and life. I believe that when we view war, we see the numbers, who died, did we win, etc. We really don’t look at what it does to people on both sides.

I think that this movie, despite being released in 1987, still holds weight today and helps shape the ideology that when looking at war, we should look more towards the people and not just at the numbers. For the sake of this argument, let’s take a look at the character Tuan. The Vietnam war has broken the city he lives in, many members of his family have been killed because of it, and his life has been consumed by it. Tuan tries to explain this to Cronauer, before taking off. I think that this opened some eyes of the viewers. People don’t really see that both sides get hurt. This is the ideology that I think this movie reinforces even today.

American Sniper; A True War Story?

War stories are some of the most common kinds of story in American pop culture. They are everywhere and we hear about them all the time whether it be on the news, in a book or on T.V. In his book The Things They Carried, Tim O’Brien talks about telling a war story and how to tell if a war story is true or not. From what O’Brien says when telling how to decide if a war story is true or not, it seems that most war stories we read or see are in fact false. Even the true ones can be false in a sense that is hard to describe. The 2014 Clint Eastwood movie American Sniper tells a war story based off of a real war story. Most pieces of American pop culture contain some dominant ideologies or stereotypes that we often don’t notice. This specific piece of American pop culture does contain some dominant ideologies and stereotypes despite it being based off of a true story. Many dominant ideologies don’t only exist in pop culture. Many of them are alive and well in American culture itself. In American Sniper the movie focuses a lot on the roles of men and women. The movie portrays the man as the protector of the woman and the dominant figure in a relationship/family. This is a very common ideology in American Culture and has been in recent years a topic of debate. In recent years there have been more and more pieces of pop culture trying to defy this ideology of women being dependent on men. American Sniper doesn’t try to defy this ideology, however it does defy the common ideology that all war stories have a happy ending. Usually when we see a war story in a movie or on a T.V. show, there is a happy ending whether it be an act of heroism, or a battle won for the good guys. However American Sniper is based off of a true war story that did not have a very happy ending. In a way that is defying the common ideology that all war stories have happy endings and tells viewers what real life is like. Real life isn’t always happy like the movies.

Syrian Refugees: Second Holocaust?

I think the US needs to immediately address the problem in Syria because, hundreds are dying and the world doesn't need another holocaust. Make more jobs for the american population then give the Syrian refugees visas/green cards so they can escape the conflict. Elizabeth MacBride an author for CBNC and Janell Ross a Reporter for The Washington post argue for letting the Syrian refugees into the US. With Ross making points that contradicts trump’s opposition. And MacBride appealing to the ideal of humanitarian refugees the argument stands for letting the refugees into the US.







The Washinton Post





&





CBNC

The Problem With "Syrian Refugees"

The war refugees from Syria, while they do need help, are creating problems all over Europe. The US needs to address this issue because soon it will not be just Europe’s problem. It is a global epidemic, and a crisis that too many countries are ignoring or not treating like a problem. America needs to take the first step and recognize it as a problem, and then work together with the UN and Syria to figure out a peaceful solution.

Ingrid Carlqvist, a distinguished author and journalist for Gatestone Institute said that the Syrian immigrants create enormous problems for the countries they flee to, and the governments do not even recognize the problems.

Souad Mekhennet, correspondent for the Washington Post said that many of the immigrants seeking asylum in Europe are not from Syria as they say at all, but actually from all over North Africa and just seeking opportunity and free living in Europe. Some are even horrible criminals, who are welcomed like all the others at the borders.

The refugees entering Europe are not only causing incredible problems for the countries, but far too frequently are not even refugees, and could even easily be members of ISIS.

Save Money, Live Better

The US needs to immediately address the issue of ISIS. Although there are many ways to go about it, the best way possible to is to cut off all supplies going towards the group. The first supply to cut off is the money. Obama, on CNN, stated “Implementing sanctions and freezing bank accounts are often the first, least controversial steps to go after a terrorist group.”(“What Can”). This shows cutting off the supply of money is the best way to go. Other options include violence like sending troops and risking lives or air strikes so the best way to go about it in a peaceful manner is to cut off the supply of money towards their group. David Swanson, writer from World Beyond War, said “the first thing to do differently going forward: stop bombing nations into ruins, and stop shipping weapons into the area you’ve left in chaos.”(Swanson). This idea is saying that When the US gives weapons to other countries we left in ruins, it motivates them towards being violent. Along with cutting off money towards ISIS, we can also cut off weapon supply to those who will use it in the wrong ways. In conclusion, the best possible way to address the issue of ISIS is to cut off all supplies towards the group.

What I would do

If my number was pulled for the draft I would go and fight the war because I believe it is one of my duties to defend my country and people who live in the United states.

Is Three Kings a true war story?

The movie Three Kings, its uncertain whether it is a true war story or not. It is torn between the two. It is a true war story because it is very obscene. They curse, they drink, they shoot people, there's blood, there's evil, etc. For example in the beginning when they first make a plan to get the gold, they plan to just use the rebels and get the gold. They don't want to have anything to do with the rebels, they just want to get in, get the gold then get out. That's very obscene and cold since the people are suffering and dying. And they don't want to help them what so ever. Another reason its a true war story is that its not realistic. It doesn't seem possible that it would be that easy to get 23 million dollars worth of gold. They just walked in and found it almost right away. Also the fact that the rebels have all those expensive cars in the middle of nowhere. That's not realistic. Another reason its a true war story is because it makes you feel uncomfortable. Like when the lady got shot and you saw all the blood. Or when you saw the inside of Troy. My last reason its true, is that it captures paradoxes of war. For example, war is fun, war is horrible. In the beginning they party and have fun. But by the end they are suffering. At the same time this story seems like a true one there are some reasons its false. For example the movie has a nice ending. But according to O'Brien a true war story never ends. In conclusion the movie Three Kings is torn in-between a true and false war story.

Is Three Kings a true war story?

In the movie, Three Kings, elements of a true war story are present throughout the entire movie. Many of the elements that O'Brien state are in the movie. For example, paradox's are present throughout the entire movie. Many of the soldiers in the Iraqi War had never seen combat, so that part of the war was very boring, but when these soldiers did see combat, it was intense, thrilling, exciting, ext. O'Brien states that a true war story makes your stomach believe, and Three Kings makes your stomach believe. The way the movie was directed shows not only the effects of being shot, but also the aftermath it can have on you. Overall, Three Kings is a true war story, and fits Tim O' Brien's description of a true war story.

#Basedonatruestory

Three Kings is in fact a true war story for many reasons. The movie is unbelievable which is one of the characteristics of a true war story. The story started off with a party and the soldiers having fun celebrating a victory. When you usually think of war you don't see parties. Also, there was so much gold just lying around in the country. There wouldn't just be gold lying around because if there was there would be more people going after it. Another characteristic of a true war story is that it makes you uncomfortable. Many parts in the move mad me uncomfortable, there was the killing of the man's wife, and Troy being tortured and forced to drink oil. These scenes in the movie showed how things went down in that country. The story also was very obscene and evil. They used so much foul language, and had sex with women during the movie. It gave realistic details and scenes and showed many examples of Tim O'Brein characteristics of a true war story, that's why its an true war story.

Is Three Kings a True War Story or not?

Three Kings is a true war story and it is not a true war story. It is a true war story because it is unsettling and unbelievable at some points. For example, when Troy Barlow gets shot in the chest and the movie shows you where the bullet went and the other soldiers saving him. It also makes you feel uncomfortable because there are parts when innocent people get tortured and killed. There is a point where Troy gets taken prisoner and is forced to drink oil. However, it isn’t a true war story because it has a happy ending with a lot of people getting to live a happy life. Also in the beginning, the soldiers seemed to not know what to do. Then a little later on, the American soldiers went to the rebels camp and there was music playing and the rebels were having a good time.

Based On A False Story

Three Kings is not a true war story. According to Tim O’Brien a true war story has no morals, this movie shows how the moral of this story was money is less important than people’s lives. The American soldiers gave up their gold for the refugees to cross the border. A true war story doesn't have morals. Also, Tim O’Brien says a true war story isn't uplifting or has a happy ending. The end of this movie showed the soldiers living normal happy lives after they were let go. In a true war story a soldier would be traumatized from the all the death they experienced. The soldiers at the end looked like the war didn't affect them at all, the stories didn't stick with them.