Some Summarizing Stuff: All [Internet] In Moderation.

Trigger Warning Label that may be seen on some sites.

Trigger Warning Label that may be seen on some sites.

In the article Better Online Living Through Content Moderation by Melissa King, King argues that modes of controlling the ability for online content to reach certain individuals or an audience that could be potentially harmed by anxiety triggering digital content is extremely helpful and necessary for stopping the effects of abuse: “Content control is helpful in limiting the worst of these [cyber] attacks, which themselves can cause PTSD if severe or long-term enough. While using content control features is not guaranteed to stop the effects of abuse, they do help and their use should not be disparaged and discouraged” (King). King goes on to articulate and provides rebuttals to some of the arguments formed against her point of view on the matter, focusing three counter arguments: the Exposure Theory counter that some triggering web content seen by those with PTSD has the same effect as a psychological treatment process of showing triggering images or sounds to a patient with PTSD in a controlled environment to help the anxiety ridden patient rid of their anxiety: “Exposure Therapy is not about having random internet strangers hurl insults and threats at someone with the hope they somehow come out more mentally durable. Without controlled exposure, someone suffering from PTSD is likely to have their trauma magnified rather than reduced when faced with triggering content” (King). The second argument articulated by King is one where those blocked by massblocklists claim “defamation for statements and opinions that they did not make” (King). King replies that these claims cannot possibly hold up when blocklists make its filtration of content methodology clear and those blocked have been blocked because the flirtation system picked up triggering web content from their modem. Thirdly, King rebukes the argument that online bullying or triggering content are simply words on the screen without any real tangible effect or any valid legal ramifications because cyber attacks or exposure to triggering content (especially when over a prolonged period of time)  have been proven to have lasting negative effects, and threatening, stalking, and other forms of cyber attacks are in fact illegal in most states.

A cartoon depiction of cyber-attacking and its effects.

A cartoon depiction of cyber-attacking and its  effects.

King explains the discouragement of forms of online protection is a show of inadequate human empathy and the proven lasting effects online triggers is why there remains a necessity for content control. Admitting that a generalized approach to the problem (large-scale censorship of certain online triggers) wouldn’t work, King still calls for solution in the stead of complacency for violence online:”On a personal level, nobody has a responsibility to weather outright harassment, and should be allowed and encouraged to mitigate what they can not handle. Telling people otherwise is complicity in a system of violence against marginalized people: anti-content control rhetoric supplants widely-available psychological and sociological facts for misinformed opinions that are not only insufficient for helping others manage their own mental state, but offer wholly inadequate solutions for increasingly pervasive and harmful patterns of online abuse” (King).

 

 

 

Some Summarizing Stuff: Can You Paint With All The Colors of the Wind?

In article Color Walking by Phia Bennin and Brendan McMullan the two carry out an experiment attributed to William Burroughs called color walking. The duo describe it as a pretty simplistic idea to call attention to the beautiful color within the normalcy we experience day to day: “Just walk out your door, pick a color that catches your eye, and watch your surroundings pop as you follow the color from object to object. While you walk, you’ll be struck by the red of a bicyclist’s shorts, the sunburn on a woman’s shoulders, the pealing paint on the fire hydrant” (Bennin, McMullan). The two authors used a method of color walking that allowed them to change which colors directed them where and embarked on their journey. Posting a digital map allowing the reader to interact with their color catalyzed journey, the audience can see what colors pulled them where. Lastly, we’re provided with several tips to help those who chose to embark on their own color journey: “Give yourself an hour of uninterrupted time, no commutes, no errands, just eye time. Pick a color, or let a color pick you–follow the one that makes your heart go thump-thump. If you get lost, pick another color. If you get really lost, you’re on the right track” (Bennin, McMullan). This listing of directions on how to color walk further acts as a mode of interaction with digital space for the audience in addition with the virtual mapping of the authors’ color walk. This multimodal aspect of the digital sphere is what connects the audience to the article and enables that learned from this article to be enacted outside the digital sphere and in reality.

Actually An Annotation: Goat Farm Pamphlet

Brownfields2013, comp. Goat Farm Handouts. Brownsfield2013. Print.
The compiler of this pamphlet Brownsfield: Sustainable Communities Start Here is a Conference and Environmental Initiative. In this pamphlet called Goat Farm Handouts Brownsfield inform the audience on Goat Farm Art Center, its environmental initiative, and the service that Goat Farm provides: “The Goat Farm hosts classical and contemporary music concerts, traditional and experimental theatrical performances, film screenings, contemporary dance performances, and art exhibitions. The Center’s vision is “to push culture forward through comprehensive support of the arts”(Goat Farm Handout). The purpose of this pamphlet is to provide information in regards to Goat Farm’s history, provided services, and environmental soundness.This pamphlet is intended to be read by members of the Brownfield Conference who afford awards and funding to companies who take on a positive environmental initiative. This is useful to provide researchers with information on the Goat Farm.

Built Environment Description: Goat Farm

Its 4:30 when I walk onto Goat Farms grounds, the sun is beginning to set in the sky creating an dusky lighting over the art center. Buildings are dilapidated, shattered windows catch my immediate attention. Made of redbrick, clearly an old converted warehouse. A small farm is located in the front of the establishment right before the building. Goats graze in a containment in a building that is reminiscent of a traditional barn. Sparse patches of grass dotting the grounds as I continue to wander I run into more redbrick walls this time decorated with a mural of a cows skeleton. As I continue on I run into industrial lofts that house the resident artists apart of the art residency program there. I exit the building on my way to go back home, the grounds occupied by Goat Farm are very large and as it got dark it became apparent more daylight hours were needed to experience the whole of the art center. The last thing I notice on my way out is a raised platform- or gazebo of sorts that doubles as a stage on which concerts are preformed at the “Farm” in addition to the visual art pieces.Dilapidated Warehouse- Goat Farm

Actually An Annotation: Segregation via Contemporary Architecture

Caldeira, T. P. R. “Fortcified Enclaves: The New Urban Segregation.” Public Culture 8.2 (1996): 303-28. Web.
Teresa Caldeira, anthropologist and Professor of City and Regional Planning at University of California, Berkeley writes in her article Fortified Enclaves: The New Urban Segregation on how cities with the fortified enclave of urban contemporary architecture promote inequality and segregation: “Among the conditions necessary for democracy is that people acknowledge those from different social groups as cocitizens, i.e., as people having similar rights. If this is true, it is clear that contemporary cities which are segregated by fortified enclaves are not environments which generate conditions conducive to democracy” (Cladeira). Cladeira relied on the primary resources of her own personal research and analysis of her research. The authors purpose in writing this book is to provide a look into how architectural exclusion (specifically with urban contemporary architecture) can act as a mode of segregation. Her intended audience are researchers looking to understand the implications of the built environment and how it can be manufactured to promote inequities.This is useful because it brings to attention the insidious effect architecture has on  those living in the inner city.

Passage Responses: Schindler’s “Architectural Exclusion”

1. Urban Design is exactly what it sounds like: the layout and architectural from the lines on the street to the top of the skyscrapers in an Urban, city-like location. Visually, Urban Design can look like what a Georgia State student sees when they walk to and fro from the numerous and fluctuating in architectural stylistics buildings that Georgia State owns. We at GSU are surrounded and immersed in Urban Design.

4. A lot of times people barely recognize the implications behind architecture or urban design, much less are cognizant of the exclusionary nature behind it. Something as simple as a park bench with bars separating 3 seats could be viewed as such (more than likely by people who live in the community or are privileged). However, for a homeless person, those bars, bar them from being able to sleep on the benches.

7. Architecture designs are all created with purpose. The phrase “there are no neutral designs” is in concurrence with that. All architecture has rhetoric, it simply communicates to different people different things- especially within different socioeconomic statuses.

14. It is very common to see African Americans (or POC in general)  living in urban or metropolitan communities and Caucasians residing in suburban areas because of the stratification in cost of living. This fact, and the fact that many minorities living in the inner city either cannot afford or have no need to possess private transit such as a car. Therefore public transit is very common and heavily used. Although minorities have access to transit suburban towns have blocked this transit from reaching their towns- keeping minorities and their ability to get jobs in the inner city.

Actually An Annotation: Implications of Life in an Urban Setting.

Katz, Peter, Vincent Joseph Scully, and Todd W. Bressi. The new urbanism: Toward an architecture of community. Vol. 10. New York: McGraw-Hill, 1994.

 

Peter Katz works as a design and marketing consultant in California, San Francisco and Seattle, Washington. Katz studied architecture and graphic design at The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art in New York, Vincent Joesph Scully is Sterling Professor Emeritus of the History of Art in Architecture at Yale University and Todd W. Bressi is the leader of deisgn journal places and teaches Art in Architecture at the Penn and Pratt Institute. In their book The New Urbanism: Toward An Architecture of Community the esteemed authors write on the topic of New Urbanism: “A movement that seeks to put the basic amenities for communal living back into urban settings that otherwise lack said amenities like adequate transit, parks and recreational program, and others to allow for a comfortable home life in or on the outskirts of a major city” (Bressi, Katz, Scully). In this book the authors relied mostly on primary research such as collected statistical information, and data on the quality of life in inner cities developed by the three authors in their respective fields. The purpose of this book is to highlight the implications of having living communities within or just outside of a city and what that means for inhabitants in regards to having the amenities needed for living comfortably and to reveal the architectural solutions to this lack of amenities for urban living communities. The intended audience for this book are students and researchers looking to understand how architecture and other amenities effect quality of life within urban settings. This book is useful because it lays out a prospective plan to make living more comfortable for those within or on the outskirts of an urban setting.

Actually An Annotation: Transforming Contemporary Art in Urban Setting

Mikaili Armstrong

English 1102

Arrington

23 February 2016

 

 

Guey, Lynne. “A 12-Acre ‘Goat Farm’ Is Transforming The Arts Scene In Atlanta.” Business Insider. Business Insider, Inc., 2013. Web. 24 Feb. 2016.

 

Lynne Guey, Careers and War Room writer for the Business Insider’s website “BusinessInsider.com” focuses on the industrial contemporary art space located in Atlanta called Goat Farm in her article: A 12-acre “Goat Farm” Is Transforming The Arts Scene In Atlanta:  “Since its inception in 2008, The Goat Farm Arts Center, a for-profit arts incubator located in West Midtown Atlanta, has become one of the most densely packed group of artists in the nation, with more than 450 artists and and more than 100 programs held annually(Guey).”For her article, Lynne relies heavily on primary sources, such as exploring Cabbagetown and writing first hand accounts of her surrounding area in which she lives.  Her purpose in writing this article is to create an informative piece on Goat Farm Contemporary Art Center and highlight the achievements made by the center within the Atlanta art scene. The intended audience for this informative piece is members of the Atlanta art scene and visitors or inhabitants of Atlanta looking to experience some of the Atlanta Art scene. This article is useful in providing general information on the origin of Goat Farm Contemporary Art Center and further information on what services they provide to the Atlanta art scene.

Rhetorically Right Reflection

All throughout my education writing and English have been my strong suits. The switch from creative into academic writing styles as I progressed in my education is a change that I’ve had to grow accustomed to and alter my writing style in some ways in order to progress as a writer in general. This specific class is furthering my writing abilities in that not only does it teach a research based style of academic writing, but also focuses on the importance of digital literacy and how to properly construct a website and how to write in digital spaces. This new emphasis on digital literacy is very new to me and thusly requires of me to get out of the comfort zone of traditional academic writing- trading in MLA formatted essays for blog posts. This class has already taught me a lot about research writing and about the actual research that goes into it. Having assignments like annotated bibliographies have done a lot to not only teach me the process of acquiring good scholarly information such as secondary or primary research from a scholarly source, but also has resulted in me- and my peers- being able to use one another’s personal research for our own research projects, but also learn from one another’s mistakes. Due to the experimental nature of this class, the whole thing for me so far has been a learning process and has revealed to me some discrepancies about my writing such as my lack of brevity when needed and my need to make my thesis and writing overall more clear. Although there have been times in this class alone where my writing has not met up to my best standards I have utilized some of the extra credit opportunities such as edits to my blog to make it more navigable and appealing to a browser. I’ve put a lot of effort into getting out of my comfort zone in this class by learning a new style of writing and changing my mode of publication of this writing. However, because of my adversity to this change in the beginning of the class some of my earlier works could use some of the revisions that were suggested on my Google Document.

Although not even halfway through this class has taught me a lot not only in an academic sense on how to construct an efficient scholarly website, and how to do good research, but how to objectively and constantly analyze the world around you, how everything has rhetoric and communicates something, and how something as simple as the architectural structure of a building, city, or even website can have significant meaning.

Some Summarizing Stuff: Making Bathrooms More Accommodating: Implications of a Worldwide Gender Neutrality Movement

In the article Making Bathrooms More Accommodating by Emily Bazelon, the author focuses on how with the emergence of more political correctness and acceptance of the LGBTQ (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Questioning) community, the emergence of problems with integrating and making accommodations for them (more specifically transgendered) to live their life as easily as possible in a society where what they identify as is a huge minority. The integration of public restrooms to accommodate the transgendered has caused huge controversy in the past years somewhat reminiscent of the integration of public facilities after the Civil Rights Act was signed into law. Many of the opposing arguments to the gender neutralization of restrooms or other public facilities such as locker rooms where people feel vulnerable or privacy is a value (like locker rooms) utilize fear tactics like the images of men assaulting women. This acts to further marginalize these people who’s identities aren’t widely accepted in the first place. Another stigma that comes with the acceptance of transgendered people is the word ‘accommodating’ in itself. The word accommodation is to make room for and that in itself suggests that being transgender is outside of the norm and irregularities in the majorities everyday lives have to be placed for transgendered people to acquire some sort of right. Allowing something as individualistic, private and necessary as using the restroom be dictated by the masses.

In my opinion the gender neutralization of bathrooms is something that should be done in order to make those who do not fit within the confines of “woman” or “man” (as we understand in our society) comfortable. It should be an inherent right to go and use the restroom (and act that involves no other party but oneself ) in whichever bathroom you would like whether that be unisex, woman, or man. However there are people who could potentially utilize the gender neutralization as means of sexual assault or a breach in privacy.