My Thoughts on Comments

In my last post, I discussed political controversy. I failed to mention possibly the most controversial method of spreading political information: the comments section of media, either social or otherwise. I took the time to find an article, "Smoking Gun in Hillary Clinton Benghazi Email," and sift through the comments. The highlights (and lowlights) are featured below.

This comment is expressing anxiety that if reelected, Hillary Clinton will proceed to allow people to die under her presidency. It also expresses that the author hopes that Hillary Clinton will not be reelected. I'd argue that the commenter believes in rightist political ideology and that Hillary Clinton should not be elected. I'm basing this thought on the author's name calling, as well as the author's desire to see an election without Clinton's name on the ballot. In addition, the author lacks credibility because he hides his name from the public, which indicates that he refuses to link his opinion with his public or professional reputation.

Similar to the first comment, this comment expresses the fear that the Clintons will allow people to die or will even kill people for selfish reasons. It would be fair to make the assumption that the author does not want Clinton in the White House. This comment clearly expresses a dislike for the Clintons in general, which could be broadened to all of political leftism in the United States. Also like the previous commenter, this author refuses to link his true name with his online footprint, which makes him less trustworthy.

This comment does not have an apparent political bias. It would appear that the author wants to share information about the lawmaking process, although this is accomplished with a fair measure of attitude. Due to the balanced nature of this comment, it is difficult to tell what the author really values. However, I think it likely that the commenter places value on education and law. The commenter came across as reasonable mostly because he seems to have researched the topic and presents his thoughts clearly, briefly, and logically.

This commenter appears to want to enlighten the public about the entire situation, and attempts to fill in the cracks of the article. For this reason, the author might be anxious that the entire truth is not being reported, and feels obligated to add an opinion. The author may value transparency within the media and the government. What strikes me as most reasonable about this comment is that the author addresses the "bureaucratic mumbo-jumbo" and creates meaning from it.

Reflection:

I learned a lot from Tom's blog post about Planned Parenthood. His commentary about how grammar and syntax impact the perception that readers have on comments was very valuable. In addition, I agreed with him in that commenters who choose to hide their names from the public are less credible than those who display their identities. As for Lauren's blog, I was mostly interested due to the topic. I don't know that much about medical marijuana or it's application to pharmaceutical research. For this reason, the comments were very interesting.

My Controversy

In the article, "How Serious is the Clinton Email Controversy?" Hillary Rodham Clinton is both praised and criticized. In fact, the source makes a point of declaring to the reader that the article is an opinion piece and that the paper is only affiliated with the author, not the opinion itself. Something about this perspective fascinated me, in addition to the political interest I take in the subject. Of course, I'm likely to read anything about Hillary Clinton, because I find her to be a strong leader and an admirable person.

http://www.cnn.com/2015/07/27/opinions/cox-clinton-email-controversy/

Calendar Reflection

Bottai, Sean. "Weekly Calendar for Fall 2015."

A Brief List and Explanation of My Thoughts:

1. "Hey wait, I do this!" No really, I actually do this. I use my planner religiously. I also use my wall calendar and my phone calendar. 
2. "I don't always stick to the plan when I do this..." Yes, I use my planner. Yes, I stick to it most of the time. Yes, life happens and sometimes I just can't do everything I said I would do when I said I would do it. You can't always plan for the future, and that's okay. Seeing the calendar in a form where hours are sectioned off has actually inspired me to start blocking in time for the unexpected. 
3. "I wonder what could happen if I stuck to the plan..." Maybe all of the sudden I would have these large amounts of time when I could sleep.

No Author, "Sleeping While Studying." Public Domain.

Six hours of homework is not unreasonable. I can successfully integrate coursework into my schedule, especially if I effectively use the tools that I have been given. 

Reflection:

It's really nice to know that I'm not alone in stressing out over scheduling and homework. I also felt good knowing that I'm somewhat organized in my use of a daily planner, as Cynthia mentioned. Reading other people's posts made me understand that there are people on all ends of the spectrum of organization. For example, Scott's laid-back approach to homework has inspired me to split my workload instead of attempting to finish it all at once. Lauren's idea of creating a quiet work zone encouraged me to continue allowing myself the time and space to really focus.

My Writing Process

My writing process always begins the same way: with a crippling case of writers' block. It almost always takes a good ten minutes for my stream of consciousness to start to flow. The perpetual case of writers' block always strikes me as funny, and just a little bit ironic: I have a lot of trouble expressing myself orally, so I naturally tend to write when I feel the need to share. Which is why I find humor in the fact that it takes so much to allow myself to feel comfortable writing.

Litterio, Antonio. "Power of Words."

When I finally get into the swing of things, I tend to employ a method where I simply write down my thoughts as they pop into my head. After creating a mess of words and ideas, I  restructure the piece entirely and then revise thoroughly. Apparently, this makes me a "Heavy Reviser."

Although I seem to be primarily a "Heavy Reviser," I'd argue that I have a lot of the tendencies that define "Procrastinators" as well. I work well under pressure, and I frequently run out of time to write until close to the last minute. I've never been called a "Heavy Planner," regardless of the activity. Depending on what I'm writing or doing, I plan effectively and efficiently, although not at length.

Even though my writing process seems chaotic and perhaps a bit untraditional, it works well for me. I feel more satisfied after expressing myself through my own ritual; guided planning worksheets never allowed for the independence and freedom that I seek while writing. Although this process makes my writing stronger, it is also much more time consuming than other approaches can be, because I often need to take a break from working and return to my writing with a fresh perspective.

Ultimately, I know what works best for my writing and my ideas. I think it might be smart of me to refrain from procrastinating as much as I do. Otherwise, my procedure allows for liberation from a lot of conventions that have never impacted my writing in a positive way.



Reflection:
After reading Katherine and Rose's thoughts on the writing process, I realized that the "heavy reviser" type of writer is pretty common, especially among college freshmen. The other posts made me feel like I wasn't alone in my procrastinating ways, and that sometimes tackling a piece head-on without a fully developed plan isn't always a nightmare. However, I also realized that I do have some of the "planner" tendencies in me, because I always create a loose outline before approaching a piece.