I appreciated these on the media assignments because I was able to look at things from both sides of the spectrum and lay my own opinion on what I had observed. It was also unique to listen to the people on the podcast because they all had interesting opinions and thoughts on the issues of the week.The other bonus to these assignments is that I was able to look at patterns and how I worded and expressed my opinions.
Playboy: I definitely had my own agenda going into this post. Looking back at it I didn't spill my whole heart out and or word it the way I really wanted to. However, I came into the post with a predetermined attitude in the category of supporting covering the models up, and maybe even getting rid of it permanently. I think I went in to it in such a way because it does affect me and it hits home, because before I decided to find God I was hormonal young man who was curious, and the way that stuff messed with my mind was something vicious. So coming into it I had already had a response before typing it up.
Kim Davis: I felt a certain way going in this post and I was pretty opinionated in doing so, especially because I had been talking about the issue several days prior building up my particular outlook. I am a Christian like Kim Davis, but I tried not to let that make me biased. After evaluating the story I realized that I do support her values and her faith and opinions, but the fact that she wasn't doing her job I didn't really agree with. I don't support Homosexuals, but I don't have anything against them or hate them, but she should probably be in a different profession. Coming into the post I had already made it up in my mind what stance I was going to take even before listening to On the Media. I just knew I was going to take the side of Kim Davis, which I did, but after carefully reading it I went about it in a different way and articulated it differently.
Political Pope: This post was dealing with the Pope and his visit to America and weather he is playing a role in the political race this year, in this upcoming election. This is one post I can say for sure I was certain and unwaivering in my stance. From a spiritual stand point, and gut feeling point of view I just don't like the pope, not even a little bit. When I got to the portion that requires me to state my position and how I feel about the issue I did let my inner most feelings about him dictate how I responded and what I was going to post. I don't necessarily think that it is wrong, but I definitely felt emotional and it definitely struck me personally which led to my post.
Race Problem or Sin Problem: I remember this post like it was literally yesterday because I felt so strongly about it. I remember I got excited and also a little riled up because I have experience with the particular topic. I was almost going to respond off of pure emotion, that is until I watched that video, and in watching it I was able to get more in depth and not just look at it from my perspective but from a worldwide perspective, and that is what kind of steered me away from just stating the cliché "Black or White". I had to move away from the emotional side and the learned opinions of so many people that have influenced me, and I had to see it from myself. That is why I said it is more of sin problem than a skin problem. Attitudes like that are learned, and me with the background I have and growing up with a personal relationship with God I didn't look at from a strictly race driven issue, but I viewed it from a spiritual side and realized that the Devil has an influence on these people. That was the only way I could look at it without just posting an influenced post. The reason why these issues seem much worse than what they are is because of the way the media manipulates and distorts what the people are seeing. We truly only see what the media wants us to, or permits us to.
I chose these four posts in particular because I did notice that out of all of my posts I felt strongly about these and had predetermined opinions and outlooks on them. I appreciated this because I was able to go in and see where maybe I was biased, or unwaivering, or showed examples of attitudinal response. It might not be so for others, but I know for me personally an assignment like this kind of humbles me in a sense and makes you check yourself and ask the question, are these opinions really mine, or are they the voice and attitudes of and external influence? For the most part I felt like I posted rationally and with my own opinions, but there were definitely times where outer influences played a role in my response.
