Democracy

I don't enjoy politics.  I actually get very bored when people talk about them.  This time I have been a little bit more involved with the politics because I am so concerned of what America is getting themselves into.  I just can't see that either of the candidates are going to be good for our country.  Because of this, I have been paying attention to what's going on.

In this article, Hilary accomplished exactly what she was setting out to do.  She wanted to catch attention.  She wanted to get the attention of the people who weren't supporting her.  She wanted to be heard.  She wanted to make some noise. She also painted Trump to be "the bad guy" according to the article.

After reading this article, I researched a little bit more on each candidate.  This is going to be such a hard election for me. I am usually so clear on who I want to vote for.  However,  I haven't seen anything from either of the candidates that makes me like them more than the other.

According to the article, Hilary's speech was beneficial in regards to the democrats, "At the end of the day, Clinton's speech calmed Democrats and gave an invitation for Republicans worried about Trump." I am worried about Trump also, but I am worried about Hilary.  This next four years is going to be a LONG FOUR YEARS!!

Civil Rights ~transgender's bathroom

It is funny to me that this is the topic of our discussion for this week.  I was at my in-laws house for several hours today and we started debating about this exact same topic.  At first, I was so against having members of the opposite sex being allowed to enter the bathroom that doesn't correspond with the gender they were born with.  Not because I have anything against transgenders, but because I worry about creeps coming into the bathrooms to molest children.

My husband doesn't see any problems at all.  He thinks that if a child is going to be molested, he/she will no matter what bathrooms people are allowed to enter in. He thinks that if a parent is worried about something happening to their child, they should go with their child to the bathroom.

After debating back and forth, we all decided that having one bathroom for everyone would be the best option.  Now hear me out before you get bent out of shape.  If you have one bathroom, then parents can always go to the restroom with their child no matter what gender they are.  However, I believe that if changing clothing needs to take place, like at the swimming pool or gym, there should be lockers that close and lock.  This would solve so many problems.

Another option would be to have a family bathroom so if someone wants to have more privacy they can go into that restroom and close and lock that door.

I don't like what our world is becoming so crazy. However, whether I like it or not, changes are happening and we have to learn how to adapt to it.

My Assumptions

From a very young age, I was taught that drugs are bad.  I was warned that they are addictive and very harmful for your body.  As I grew older, I learned names of some of the drugs.  One of them, marijuana, was very bad and becoming easier and easier to obtain.  I knew, and still to this day, know that marijuana is very bad and harmful.  Recently marijuana has been legalized in several states.  I know that medical marijuana can help people and is probably less harmful than some of the medication they have previously taken for health problems, but I still feel that marijuana is bad even if it can help people. It is very addictive and I just don't see how it could be worth it if it is so bad for the body.

How My Critical Questions are Formed

My critical questions are formed when I give it a lot of  thought. I would think about my thought process. I would consider things like what's going on, why I have the question to begin with and I would make sure I am open minded to explore situations.  Critical questions are formed when you ask open ended questions instead of closed ended.

Also, as was mentioned in the video, the time of day can have a lot to do on whether critical questions are formed or not.  If you are tired or not in a good frame of mind, you won't be able to think well and form critical questions.  It makes a huge difference if your mind is clear and able to think critically.

Why People Resist Persusion

I found this video very interesting. I liked the examples given in the video of the cigarettes and not wearing seatbelt so I will focus on them mostly. People have known for years and years that smoking is extremely unhealthy and bad for your body. However, millions of people smoke, knowing that it is going to harm them in the future. Why do they do this? There could be many reasons for this.  There is always peer pressure.  This is why many children and teenagers start smoking.  It is hard to turn down a cigarette if you are the only one in your group of friends that is not smoking. Once a person starts smoking, it is extremely hard to quit. This is one reason why people smoke even though they know it is very dangerous.

Another example in the video of things people are persuaded to do even though they know it isn't in their best interest is the seatbelt example.  People know that wearing seat belt saves lives.  They have heard many stories, but for some reason, they don't follow through when it comes to them wearing a seat belt.  I have heard people say that they have heard of a time that a person died because they were wearing a seatbelt and they were stuck in a car and couldn't get out after a wreck and it caused their death.  While this might be true, people need to realize that this particular thing won't happen nearly as often as a death because a person wasn't wearing a seat belt.  It is sad to think that people like the 18 year old Dixie High School student, Drex Taylor isn't still alive because he wasn't wearing a seatbelt.  The article said that Taylor Carlton always wore a seat belt, but wasn't wearing one the night of that accident.  Was it because she was tired and forgot to put it on? Was it because she was with someone who didn't wear a seat belt either?  No one knows, but one thing is certain, that accident could have had different results if they would have been wearing their seat belts. 

In the video, Professor Young talks about the emotional appeal, but what about the counter emotional appeal? The emotional desire to fit in or to be liked by your peers sometimes seems more important than doing what you know is the right thing. 

Introduction Video

https://youtu.be/XeJhCSHxMO0