My Thoughts on Comments

Altmann, Gerd. "Exchange of Ideas, Debate, Discussion, Entertainment." 2014 via pixabay. CCO Public Domain License. 

This is a follow up post on my previous post My Controversy, where the argument about legalizing euthanasia was briefly discussed. This post will look at four comments from the website Debate.org where the same debate over euthanasia took place. These comments are broken down by whether they are reasonable or not.

Reasonable

Beondel is expressing fear when he says that the act of using euthanasia is evil. He compares this evil act to an act murder, and that it goes against what is morally acceptable.  Beondel seems to have belief in some faith because he talks about how human life is sacred, and talks about human life in a very abstract way. 

This comment is reasonable because under his profile he has opinions on many other controversial topics, and his tone and syntax seem scholarly. 

ResponsiblyIrresponsible is portraying a wish about how he thinks people should approach the legalization of euthanasia. His word choice like, "I think" and "ought to be" are not very definitive ways of expressing opinion, which shows that his comment is what he would like to see. He values people's rights when he says that the right to death exists. 

This comment is reasonable because he addresses both sides of the argument while still making his opinion clear. Also, his profile shows he is very active in other debates on the website. 

Unreasonable

Annaliese is expressing a fantasy where the decision to use euthanasia is compared to how a similar process is used on animals. She reaches the conclusion that human euthanasia is humane because it is also considered humane on animals, but I don't think this is a valid argument. 

Annaliese is unreasonable because her writing is very informal compared to the other comments on this bog. Also, when reading her profile it says, "I'm a 14 year old with an opinion... I'm sassy and rude."

BLAHthedebator is expressing a wish that people can view euthanasia as a different form of suicide. He claims that because suicide is voluntary and there are no laws against it, then the same should apply for euthanasia. He does not seem to have any values because he talks about human life like it doesn't matter and that people are disposable. This is especially true when he says, "Some people are going to die with their illnesses anyway, and they know it." 

BLAHthedebator does not seem like a trustworthy source because his reasoning does not make sense, and like the writer above, his profile shows he is very young.  


Reflection:

I learned from reading Tom and Sam's posts that many people verbalize their fears and wishes through social media in ways that aren't affective. These people used social media comment threads as an outlet to voice opinions that have no authority or credibility, and make themselves look foolish. On the other hand, there are equally the same number of people who skillfully and eloquently express their opinions through comments that add beneficial thoughts to the debate. These people show credibility by not having biased opinion or letting their fears and wishes dictate their writing. I agreed will all of Sam's opinions on the Super Bowl issue, and while Tom didn't express his opinion of Planned Parenthood I agreed with all of his critiques of people's comments. 

My Controversy

http://euthanasia.procon.org

This article is about whether or not euthanasia/ physician assisted suicide should be legal. The website ProCon.org gives information about both sides of the argument as well as background information. 

The argument supporting Euthanasia states that terminally ill people have the right to end their lives with the euthanasia procedure if they decide that their suffering is too severe. 

Opponents of this argument say that the role of doctors is to insure that they keep their patients alive, and some say that euthanasia is considered murder on the doctor's part. Also, because of rising health care costs, people fear that euthanasia is an easier way for insurance companies because there are fewer costs. 

Pinto, Kathea. "Docotrs are Fun." October 25, 2007 via flickr.  Creative Commons Attribution License. 

This controversy personally affects me because I want to study neurodegenerative diseases. These brain diseases all have no cure and the only treatment available is therapy to help mediate symptoms. 

For example, my Grandma lives with dementia and Parkinson's and while she has survived 2 years longer than expected, she has limited abilities when it comes to speech and movement. 

Calendar Reflection

I consider my self a very organized person. I make lists, use a calendar, and schedule activities and appointments. Filling out the weekly calendar took organization to a whole new level. I have never planned a day, let alone a week, hour by hour. 

Reflecting on my schedule, I noticed that I have a lot of free time. Many blank spaces that I just didn't know what to write in. I have many opportunities throughout the day to devote my time to studying- definitely more than 6 hours! 

I will study and work on english assignments in the mornings because most days my classes don't start until 11am. I feel like I am most awake in the morning and it is a good time to get my writing done before I get too tired and lose my creative ideas.  

I don't like to tie myself down to a strict schedule, but I see the need to plan my week to insure necessary homework and tasks get done each day.

"Heart Calendar." via tOragne. Creative Commons Attributions License. 

Reflection:

Almost everything I read on Tyler's calendar reflection is exactly how I am approaching school and my studying habits. School comes first! (Something my parents have drilled into my head since high school.) I don't really like all of the online apps for planners so I stick to a basic planner. We all have our methods that work best for getting things done. As much as school is the focus, I don't want to get too consumed in it and not leave time to do fun things with friends. 

When reading Clayton's calendar reflection, I did not relate to his busy schedule because I seem to have too much free time on my hands. However, it was great to see that he has given a lot of thought to how he will manage the time that he has for studying. It did make me a little anxious seeing that he isn't giving a lot of time for each class for studying, but that depends on the person. I am going to try and not fill my plate too full with clubs and actives so that I am not too overwhelmed during my first semester of college. 

My Writing Process

I have never given any thought about my writing process. But after reading "Discovering Your Writing Process" I immediately saw that  I fit into one of the archetypes like a piece in a puzzle. 

1. I am not a confident writer, and I have never enjoyed writing for this reason. I doubt my ability to produce good work and this clouds what could be a very efficient writing process. However, by the end of my writing process, I am always satisfied with my final piece.   

2. My writing process can be categorized as a heavy planner. First, I write down all of my thoughts and ideas. I believe that the more ideas I can get down on paper from the beginning, the easier it will be to write. Also, if I don’t transfer my ideas to paper I fear I will forget them. Then, I spend a lot of time building the body of my paragraphs by piecing together all of my brainstormed ideas like a puzzle. I fill in the gaps until coherent paragraphs begin to form. My perfectionism makes it hard to finish a piece, so I’m constantly revising it.

3. I always have more ideas than I can actually use in my writing. My writing becomes unorganized and my main point is nowhere to be found. Being able to critically edit my own paper is challenging. I usually come to a dead end and have to seek outside help to get a new perspective. However, a strength of my writing process is I am very flexible to change. Peer editing is a huge aspect of writing and I am very open to people's opinions and suggestions. 

4. I am always willing to try new things and think this attitude can be applied to my writing process as well. I would like to improve on not being such a heavy reviser. I can change this by thinking about what I want to write before I actually start writing. I will  plan in my head and not just on paper. 

Altmann, Gerd. "Puzzle, Piece." 2014 via pixabay. Public Doman Dedication Licence.

Reflection: 

This might sound cheesy, but after reading Addie's post I felt relieved that I wasn't the only one whose writing process is messy and confusing. What was more funny is that we both decided that a way to improve our writing process is to become a planner. Now that I know better ways to go about my writing process, and reading other posts, I feel motivated to really think about and improve the way I write. 

I was really impressed by Breanna's blog just from initially seeing the artistic background picture. I didn't have anything in common with her writing process, but it was still interesting to hear about a different style of writing. I am going to try and improve my blog by writing with more "spunk" and incorporating a concluding sentence or two at the end. Overall, I love reading other people's blogs and seeing all of their creative ideas.