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Sabryna Aylard

Tavish's Questions on Inducements (Discussion for November 11) - 22 views

I feel inducements are beneficial when the people only participate in these behavioral changes just for the inducement. They need to have a interest or desire to want the behavioral change. For ins...

question inducements discussion November 3

started by Tavish Dunn on 10 Nov 11 7 follow-ups, last by Sabryna Aylard on 12 Nov 11
Mark Drach-Meinel

Steve Santos' questions on inducements (Nov 11th, 2:45 Class) - 32 views

On the subject of the TED video, I wasn't surprised about how intrinsic motivations beat monetary motivations. However; I was very surprised to learn how much better it is to have money as an induc...

inducements discussion

started by steve santos on 10 Nov 11 12 follow-ups, last by Mark Drach-Meinel on 13 Nov 11
Tyler Schnorf

Wired 11.09: PowerPoint Is Evil - 3 views

www.wired.com/...ppt2.html

shared by Tyler Schnorf on 22 Oct 11 - Cached
  • Visual reasoning usually works more effectively when relevant information is shown side by side.
    • nsamuelian
      nsamuelian on 22 Oct 11
       
      This made me think about the Chart Wars clip we watched. In that clip, we concluded that visuals are more effective to get your point across rather than words, but this article is saying that no matter how creative and appealing your visuals are, the audience will be bored if you haven't introduced an interesting topic for them. I think they both make sense, but personally I'm not too sure which one i agree with more.
    • Felecia Russell
      Felecia Russell on 23 Oct 11
       
      Well, yes because there is a connection. A graph with words makes more sense together than separate. Words by itself is considered boring. Picture by themselves are lacking content. So, images and words together would be better for listeners. This article does suggest that the importance of words will not be good enough without visuals, and vice versa, but I disagree. I think people gravitate more towards visuals by themselves. However, I do think that for information to make sense, visual reasoning is more effective when relevant information is presented as well.
    • Tavish Dunn
      Tavish Dunn on 24 Oct 11
       
      The Chart Wars clip does have some connection to this. Images can carry a powerful message, but without relevant words to explain the image, people can easily interpret the visual incorrectly. Words give context to an image, although the image itself is primarily what causes an emotional response. Relevant information can also give the sense that the issue expands beyond the single instance shown in one image. I think that visuals cause people to think about an issue while the relevant information gives a clearer understanding and focus.
    • Ryan Brown
      Ryan Brown on 24 Oct 11
       
      In today's society the ability to use images affects people every moment. That ad, the commerical on tv, the poster on the wall etc. How visually striking are those images for the unadopted pets with the sarah mclaughlin song or the starving children in africa. There are reasons they show you photos to things like that, to make an impact and emotional connection. Everyone has a weakness for imagery and it truly just depends on the depictions being made.
    • Valencia Hamilto
      Valencia Hamilto on 24 Oct 11
       
      I believe that powerpoint presentations are effective when visuals are present because it gives the audience a better undersanding of the information being presented.However some powerpoints can be boring like Tufte said in the article "Thus PowerPoint presentations too often resemble a school play -very loud, very slow, and very simple." For powerpoints it depends on the presenter because if the presenter is not engaging and very vague the presentationn will indeed feel like a school play and the audience wont truly benefit from it.
    • Kaitlyn Guilbeaux
      Kaitlyn Guilbeaux on 24 Oct 11
       
      I believe that PowerPoint presentations are for the most part effective and good. There are many instances when PowerPoints seem ineffective, and that is because the presenter utilizing the slideshow doesn't know how to create an effective presentation. That is why small children are being taught how to use the programs in elementary schools. If we all know how to make a good slideshow, they will always be effective learning tools. PowerPoints are beneficial, when they are done well, because many people thrive when they can look at a visual that represents what they are learning about. From this article, I have gotten a vibe that the author believes that slideshow presentations are made to stand alone. That is something I almost never see. A presenter uses a slideshow as an aid to accompany something that they are speaking about. If a presenter did not say anything and just made his/her audience look at slide after slide, of course it would be boring and ineffective! That is not how slideshows are meant to be used.
    • Matt Nolan
      Matt Nolan on 24 Oct 11
       
      I feel like a PowerPoint presentation is a thing of the past, there are so many new ways to get information across to people. When someone gives a presentation with just a bunch of info some people will understand it ,but others will not feel engaged. Instead of someone just trying to get a bunch of information across to people with 40 slides of info in a PowerPoint they are not going to feel engaged, they are not going to want to listen and they will not think any of the information is important to their lives. There are so many new ways data is presented and when people are learning they need to feel engaged to the material they are being presented.
    • John Buchanan
      John Buchanan on 26 Oct 11
       
      I feel like I should bring up an idea that I have seen used before called a Pecha Kucha. Its a twenty-slide PowerPoint presentation that is just made up of pictures, with NO text. Each slide is only allowed to be up on the screen for twenty seconds before the next one comes up. This sort of presentation is conducive to preventing "information overload" and makes it easier for the audience to follow along.
    • magen sanders
      magen sanders on 24 Oct 11
       
      especially in Dr. Marichal's class. the difference is that most poeple dont know how to use them. most people even teachers put too much infor on the powerpoint for a student to take note on or process. there is a technique to making a useful and productive powerpoint most dont know about
    • Jonathan Omokawa
      Jonathan Omokawa on 24 Oct 11
       
      I have to agree with Magen. In class we use the powerpoints but minimally. We know that taking notes on the slides presented would be less than useless. Its sad that the majority of Profs use the Powerpoint to teach everything. Every single subject that I have taken in college either at CLU, UCR or at Berkley (just the schools that I've either sat in class or taken classes) have all used Powerpoints and each one, I've fallen asleep at least once because its so boring. I think thats what Tufte is getting at. Its a boring way to teach therefore ineffective.
    • Taylor Rofinot
      Taylor Rofinot on 24 Oct 11
       
      Not sure that I can agree with this. although powerpoint doesn't help all the time it isn't a clear line of stupidity and can still help relay statistical information
    • Sarah McKee
      Sarah McKee on 24 Oct 11
       
      A table or graph can be very useful to have up as a point of reference and so people can see the data for themselves and if there are multiple tables or graphs it would be useful to use a powerpoint. I don't think powerpoint is what is stupid, it's the way people use it. Used properly it can be a useful tool.
  • ...13 more annotations...
  • At a minimum, a presentation format should do no harm. Yet the PowerPoint style routinely disrupts, dominates, and trivializes content.
    • Melissa Moreno
      Melissa Moreno on 24 Oct 11
       
      I feel as if whether we are making a power point or taking notes off one, more often than not a power point is overwhelming and chalk full of information for us to read and write down instead of listening to what is really being said. That isn't to say that I believe power points are bad and stupid, I simply mean to suggest that individuals do not use the power point in the most effective manner which I think is more accurate than just dismissing the program and its value all together.
  • Particularly disturbing is the adoption of the PowerPoint cognitive style in our schools. Rather than learning to write a report using sentences, children are being taught how to formulate client pitches and infomercials. Elementary school PowerPoint exercises (as seen in teacher guides and in student work posted on the Internet) typically consist of 10 to 20 words and a piece of clip art on each slide in a presentation of three to six slides -a total of perhaps 80 words (15 seconds of silent reading) for a week of work. Students would be better off if the schools simply closed down on those days and everyone went to the Exploratorium or wrote an illustrated essay explaining something.
    • Gaby Ramirez Castorena
      Gaby Ramirez Castorena on 24 Oct 11
       
      I agree with the last couple sentences of this paragraph in specific. I honestly think that the amount of information we retain from a powerpoint presentation is little to none. We seriously would be better off going to an educational place or such- we would be learning more in comparison.
    • Mark Drach-Meinel
      Mark Drach-Meinel on 24 Oct 11
       
      I fondly remember the days that we actually left the school building to go to places like museums to learn. What ever happened to those days? I feel that these are very important resources that a school can use but choose not to. The best we could get nowadays is to read a power-point about what we would see at the museum.
    • Mike Frieda
      Mike Frieda on 24 Oct 11
       
      I'm not fond of the author's false dichotomy that we are teaching power-point message based language in place of decent literary writing. Also, I hold the author's assertions that teaching children the boring methods of working in the business world as "pointless" as being misguided. True, school is much more than preparing children for the workplace - but it is a definitive pillar of education to prepare them for the tasks they will encounter outside of school in order to allow for a functioning society (a working polis). 
    • sahalfarah
      sahalfarah on 29 Oct 12
       
      Mike is exactly right. School is a lot more than just teaching kids reading, writing and arithmetic. They will learn the foundations of society by working hard. 
  • Audience boredom is usually a content failure, not a decoration failure.
    • Gaby Ramirez Castorena
      Gaby Ramirez Castorena on 24 Oct 11
       
      ...or lack of interest as well
    • Flavio Guzman
      Flavio Guzman on 30 Oct 12
       
      I think that no matter what the topic, if the presenter is able to present the information in a way that makes it interesting to the audience there is no problem. But the presenter must use his style of presentation to present the information instead of just relying on the powerpoint to do do the presentation for him/her.
  • The practical conclusions are clear. PowerPoint is a competent slide manager and projector. But rather than supplementing a presentation, it has become a substitute for it.
    • Nancy Camarillo
      Nancy Camarillo on 24 Oct 11
       
      More and more we see that some, if not most, classes make it a point to incorporate PowerPoint presentation into the requirements. As much as these presentations are painted in a position light (and this is not to say I am against PowerPoint) they lack the proper execution. When professors add all the information they are going to use in lecture, you see a good amount of students feel that there time is being wasted as all the information needed and being used in lecture is on this presentation, one that they can easily print. We become disengaged when all the information is given to us, yet we have to sit there and pretend we are interested. Can PowerPoints be useful, yes of course they can. But for the most part, they tend to contain too much information, and we tend to get lost in the sea of data.
    • Mike Frieda
      Mike Frieda on 24 Oct 11
       
      The author again assumes that everyone misuses power-point which is far from the case. 
  • Presentations largely stand or fall on the quality, relevance, and integrity of the content.
    • Eric Arbuckle
      Eric Arbuckle on 24 Oct 11
       
      Power points largely rely on these factors as well. To any successful presentation there is quality, relevance, and integrity; however, power point allows for creativity and a use of marketing skills to HELP capture the attention of the audience. As seen in the pictures above, Tufte shows a power point and attempts to use it as a "chaotic and incoherent" mess. I find it very interesting that Tufte actually uses a horrible power point and expects the readers of his article to believe it signifies ALL power points. I do agree with him on one issue though, power points being used for young children in grade school is a bit early because young children need to begin with the basic understanding of how to comprehend and truly absorb what they read rather than relying on pictures to create their own narrative.
    • Jacqueline Ramsay
      Jacqueline Ramsay on 24 Oct 11
       
      Power point presentations may cause a distraction from the actual content of a presentation, with all the obnoxious graphic and fonts that take over the screen. But students should be taught how to incorporate power point into their presentations because with today's technological advances, power points are very commonly required. The important thing is to continue teaching the importance of public speaking and essay writing, but also ensuring their knowledge of power point as an additional tool. Power points can also draw the audience in by using few words, making sure not to overwhelm but simply introduce the important information. Giving the audience something to look at other than the presenter also gives your eyes options, keeping you more focused. However, when teachers use power points for their class lectures and fill them with notes that we are expected to know, students spend too much time trying to copy the notes rather than focus on the actual thoughts and words of the professor. I think the more simple the better.
    • Tyler Coville
      Tyler Coville on 24 Oct 11
       
      Overall I agree that powerpoints are poorly implemented, yet I think they can be used properly to improve a presentation. I think the major problems with usage today is. -Too much content/Blocks of text -Distraction (especially in classes where everyone is so busy copying the slides down they mis important information) -Presenter relies on the information to remember what the presentation is on (basically being unprepared) -Related to last one losing track of the topic and jumping around to different slides to figure out what you wanted to talk about
  • Slideware may help speakers outline their talks, but convenience for the speaker can be punishing to both content and audience.
    • Eric Henderson
      Eric Henderson on 24 Oct 11
       
      This statement is very ture because i believe that powerpoints, while sometimes necessary, are really overused. They should be used for supplementary ideas rather than the centerpiece for the speaker's whole presentation, as that is detrimental to everyone.
    • Tyler Schnorf
      Tyler Schnorf on 31 Oct 12
       
      Powerpoints are definately too overused in todays society. They should be used as guides to help learning not to convey a specific message to an audience.
  • betraying an attitude of commercialism that turns everything into a sales pitch.
    • Mike Frieda
      Mike Frieda on 24 Oct 11
       
      I feel that while using imagery and data might in away betray the content of the talk - I believe it is the way in which the presentation is done that truly decides this. One could use the power point simply as a reference to statements made by the speaker, or an outline as the author mentioned. I feel that saying all "slideware" somehow is a problem is kind of hyperbolic.
  • The standard PowerPoint presentation elevates format over content, betraying an attitude of commercialism that turns everything into a sales pitch.
    • Joette Carini
      Joette Carini on 27 Oct 11
       
      (I just realized that I posted this as private... but I posted it on time I swear!) I definitely agree with this point. I remember when we used to start using Powerpoints in school back in the elementary days, and it was the plain black and white, and it focused more on information than format. However, starting in high school, it started to be more about whether or not the presentation was aesthetically pleasing. I never would have connected it to commercialism, but now that Tufte has brought it up, they do have striking similarities. 
  • Everything is wrong with these smarmy, incoherent graphs: the encoded legends, the meaningless color, the logo-type branding. They are uncomparative, indifferent to content and evidence, and so data-starved as to be almost pointless.
    • jeffrey hernandez
      jeffrey hernandez on 29 Oct 12
       
      These graphs aren't coherent nor meaningless, most people are visual learners and looking at these graphs with color and labels helps it to become very clear for someone to understand and remember. 
  • Graphics Press A traditional table: rich, informative, clear. BAD Graphics Press PowerPoint chartjunk: smarmy, chaotic, incoherent. Consider an important and intriguing table of survival rates for those with cancer relative to those without cancer for the same time period. Some 196 numbers and 57 words describe surviv
  • Imagine a widely used and expensive prescription drug that promised to make us beautiful but didn't. Instead the drug had frequent, serious side effects: It induced stupidity, turned everyone into bores, wasted time, and degraded the quality and credibility of communication.
    • Luke Gheta
      Luke Gheta on 31 Oct 12
       
      Edward Tufte is crazy. Edward states " Imagine a widely used and expensive prescription drug that promised to make us beautiful but didn't. Instead the drug had frequent, serious side effects: It induced stupidity, turned everyone into bores, wasted time, and degraded the quality and credibility of communication". What! First Edward, this is the 21st century which requires humans to use magic that can connect us to the internet. It's called a computer, and by the way, I have one. Within my computer, is a Voodoo based software called PowerPoint, which has significantly degraded my English capabilities and caused the education system to plummet. I will know connect the dots and complete my response. "Crazy" is a strong work, lets say "powerful", so I can keep up with the theme of "PowerPoint". I just called Edward Turte crazy, well is he. Probably not, but I can use derogatory words in hopes of publishing an article in Wired magazine. So Edward, you should restate your phrase, "PowerPoint is Evil". First, PowerPoint and slide presentations gain student attention through means of video, graphics, music and pictures. Second, Professors can share lectures and presentations by sharing flash drive. Third, the benefit of using power-point create creativity within students and is a useful tool in the job market, because the majority of business have used PowerPoint.
  • anonymous on 23 Oct 11
     
    I think PowerPoint slides are really useful for getting some ideas in school to stick into the students' heads. If the teachers always had to draw diagrams in their explanations, that eats up some valuable class time and they might not be as clear as one which is made on a computer (and very few people have handwriting as neat as a computer's). If the presentations are actually good, they don't look like advertisements, but also have important content, whether it is explained verbally or visually.
  • ...3 more comments...
  • Lauren Frenkel on 24 Oct 11
     
    I would definitely have to say that power points are very useful, but as a second addition. Power points are a great way to guide a lecture or discussion, however not all the infomation can be provided on it. Lecture is important so that you are forced to listen and think about what is being said rather than just reading it. Power points become problematic because at times they are relied on to heavily and they can cause some one to be distracted from the main point that is trying to be made.
  • Kiera Murphy on 24 Oct 11
     
    I believe PowerPoint is a very effective tool in the classroom! As a visual learner I benefit from relating facts and information with a slide or picture. For example in Dr.Marichal's class I may remember the image of the young and old lady picture when I'm having to answer a question about perception. Also, a PowerPoint helps the professor stay on track and gives them a great tool to keep organized and prepared. Some professors do rely on PowerPoints too much, but if you use them as a source of an outline for lecture of discussion it serves as a very useful and technologically savvy resource!
  • cj_woldanski on 24 Oct 11
     
    Personally, I think power points are a great way to help get someone's point across. Some power points are boring because of the way they are formatted or simply because the person presenting is boring. When information that is relevant to the subject is put up on the big screen and it is outlined in bullet points it gets right to the point and tells you this is what you need to know. But I'll admit when someone does have a weird chart like the example that looked just like a Picasso painting it does get confusing and does not have a lot of valuable information.
  • Andrew Rothans on 24 Oct 11
     
    I feel visual reasoning really is more effective because I can see what I am being told. The information means alot more wen it is presented to me visually. I enjoy classes where the teachers use powerpoints because I can actually take notes and process what I am being told. In my opinion powerpoints really help present information in a different way and make information more interesting.
  • Mitchell Burris on 24 Oct 11
     
    I do think that the author makes a good point. I find that most often when I am confronted with a power point presentation that I am in for a boring presentation. It is hard to say definitively if this is because of the presenter and it would have been a boring presentation anyway or if it is the way it was presented through power point. My first impulse is to surmise that the real problem is with the people giving presentation and not power point itself because I can think of a number of classes specifically *cough*Dr Marichell*cough* that I find engaging, helpful, and entertaining. Maybe this is related to what the author is getting at. Perhaps power point is becoming a crutch and helping people learn a short cut method to an "assignment completing" presentation. Over all I think that if the speaker is engaging and simply uses the power point to add to their presentation and does not simply read the slides to the listener that it can be a valuable tool.
Kim H

Jay-Z vs the Game: Lessons for the American Primacy Debate | Marc Lynch - 3 views

lynch.foreignpolicy.com/...or_the_american_primacy_debate

shared by Kim H on 10 Nov 11 - No Cached
  • When he learnt this lesson might also offer insights into how great powers in IR learn.  He changed his style after his most famous beef, and the only one which he lost:  his battle with the Queensbridge legend Nas
    • Felecia Russell
      Felecia Russell on 10 Nov 11
       
      Never! Jay won this battle :) Supa Ugly!!
  • Jay-Z is a bit different, given his hegemonic status and the absence of a prior relationship. The Game has always had a particularly odd, passive-aggressive relationship with Jay-Z.
    • Felecia Russell
      Felecia Russell on 11 Nov 11
       
      Game wants to be Jay z. Simply, the game has not been the same since he left GUNIT. If he attacks rap hero, its nothing because the hero wont even respond. Jay z started a new trend by not responding to rappers or by subliminally mentioning them. With his age, i think maturity is also apart of his resistance not to respond to the game, but rap is a young man's sport. Jay z is getting old in their eyes!
    • Justina Cooney
      Justina Cooney on 16 Nov 12
       
      I also think that the west coast v east coast battle (that has been going on since biggie and 2pac) may have something to do with this.
    • chelseaedgerley
      chelseaedgerley on 16 Nov 12
       
      its all about whos on top, competitive game to rule the rap world.
    • Meghann Ellis
      Meghann Ellis on 16 Nov 12
       
      Agreeing with Justina about the west coast vs. east may have something to do with it. Many rappers today are either from one side or the other and are gang affiliated. This posses rivalrys between many of the famous rappers in which there lyrics talk badly about one another. But it seems like the little tiff with Jay Z and the game can stem from west vs. east but is so minor that Jay Z could careless. I feel like the game is insecure and is somewhat jealous of Jay Z's fame and status in the rap game.
    • Kim H
      Kim H on 30 Nov 12
       
      The east coast vs the west coast, as well as rival gang affiliations on either side of the country definitely  play a role in how rappers respond to one another. someone else mentioned that ignoring someone is the best dis, and often times, i think that's true. a lot of people just want attention and so they try to start fights where there doesn't need to be any. 
    • Nancy Camarillo
      Nancy Camarillo on 11 Nov 11
       
      It goes back to the idea that giving importance to those who have less power than you do whether it is politically based or a music rivalry will only increase the power social power of the lesser party. Yet if you use your power to completely oppress the party with the less power, then you are seen as abusing importance of your power in society. So then what is one to do? How d
    • Gaby Ramirez Castorena
      Gaby Ramirez Castorena on 11 Nov 11
       
      I think Jay-Z is just best leaving things as is and not interfering. Similar to the world of politics and society in general, retalliation even when provoked does not shed the person in a good light...thats because society sees it as "whoever walks away without causing more harm or offending somebody, even when you were offended, is the bigger person". As a result, if they dont "walk away", it ends up being detrimental to a persons career
    • Justina Cooney
      Justina Cooney on 16 Nov 12
       
      I wonder what would have happened if we had used this way of thinking after 9/11 attacks...
    • Tori Mayeda
      Tori Mayeda on 16 Nov 12
       
      I agree that it is probably best for Jay-z to walk away and be the "bigger person" even if it means letting the Game win.  It's interesting to apply this to 9/11. It would have saved alot more lives. But i think that with so many lives that were lost in 9/11, if nothing happened then the public would be dissatisfied. The ones who lost people would feel like no one cared. 
    • mgarciag
      mgarciag on 16 Nov 12
       
      i also agree that Jay-Z is being the bigger person by not responding to the Game's offensive comments.Being the better person, I think, only applies when people are not being hurt or killed. In the  case of the 9/11 attacks however, it is the government's duty to protect its citizens.  They needed to respond with force because if we did not, then other countries might get the idea that we are passive and non-confrontational.   This may open up the doors for more attacks on the U.S. resulting in the loss of more lives.
  • ...10 more annotations...
    • Gaby Ramirez Castorena
      Gaby Ramirez Castorena on 11 Nov 11
       
      I think the author's friends reaction is what most people also think. But why should another rappers beliefs affect his career negatively? There is the question of whether or not he has the right to express his beliefs in that manner, but then do WE have the right to judge him because of his beliefs and then affect his career in singing?
  • His best hope is probably to sit back and let the Game self-destruct, something of which he's quite capable  (he's already backing away from the hit on Beyonce) -- while working behind the scenes to maintain his own alliance structure and to prevent any defections over to the Game's camp.
    • Melissa Moreno
      Melissa Moreno on 11 Nov 11
       
      Jay-Z does benefit the most by letting the Game make a fool of himself in the public's eye. He has the most to lose. He's a smart man and much like politics he knows when he needs to step up and defend himself and when he needs to let a punk kid run his mouth and ruin their own career. 
    • Caitlin Fransen
      Caitlin Fransen on 16 Nov 12
       
      I agree with this statement, it is a very smart idea for Jay-Z to just sit back and not fight back... Game will self-destruct himself. He will make a fool of himself by proceeding to go after Jay-Z and having Jay-Z ignore him. Jay-Z will be looked at as the better person.
    • Hayley Jensen
      Hayley Jensen on 16 Nov 12
       
      This seems an awful lot like the game of politics. Rappers or politicians, it's fiercely competitive and people will rise and fall on their own accord. 
    • Courtney Sabile
      Courtney Sabile on 16 Nov 12
       
      Jay-Z is handling the situation right. If someone is trying to push your buttons for no valid reason and is not cooperating, then the best thing to do is wait for the opposing side's self destruction. I agree with Caitlin, Jay-Z looks better compared to the Game , making him more mature.
    • madison taylor
      madison taylor on 16 Nov 12
       
      Jay-z definitely is being smart about how he reacts. Just like in politics, if someone attacks you or says something bad about you, you would just look as stupid and rude as they did when they tried to attack you. You always look better if you handle it maturely.
  • Should he use this power to its fullest extent, as neo-conservatives would advise, imposing his will to reshape the world, forcing others to adapt to his values and leadership?
    • Joette Carini
      Joette Carini on 11 Nov 11
       
      I definitely do agree with Jay-Z having A LOT of power. I really do believe that he could do whatever he wanted and it would be accepted by most people, regardless of what it was. Of course, not everyone is always happy, but he can surely appease plenty of people.
    • Shannon Wirawan
      Shannon Wirawan on 16 Nov 12
       
      I agree, plus he's a pretty respectable guy. But even if he has a lot of power to do what he wants, either make a change or not, it's his choice to make that decision. I'm not really sure if I like how they stated this question though, "forcing others to adapt to his values and leadership." Yeah, he has a lot of power, but it feels like the author is making him seem more powerful than he really is.
    • haakonasker
      haakonasker on 16 Nov 12
       
      I agree. He is a very respectible guy. He does have a lot of power, and beeing with Beyonce make them a incredible powerful couple in the music industry. The have already supported president Obama and gay marriage. This will influence a lot of people.
    • Edmund Garrett
      Edmund Garrett on 16 Nov 12
       
      I never really thought much about cultural hegemony. Many rap artists such as jay z (and especially jay z). Through his songs and their lyrics he can manipulate culture and interests if he truly is that influential (I personally never thought twice about the guys). But he should use that power to the utmost extent if his message was good by our societal values. But it would be very dangerous if they weren't.
    • Finn Sukkestad
      Finn Sukkestad on 14 Nov 12
       
      A part of me hopes that people do not take everything Jay-Z sings about as part of their own ideologies.  He is number one on the Forbes list as an entertainer and I think people forget that, there is a certain amount of meaning to his rap but he is also making music that he hopes will sell and make him a lot of money and not always trying to send the most morally correct message to listeners.
    • Caitlin Scott
      Caitlin Scott on 16 Nov 12
       
      I totally agree with you, as smart as Jay-z may be about how to sell records and build a reputation and business in the music industry does not mean that his opinions or music have any kind of substance.
  • the countdown to the end of the Game's career starts today.
    • khampton44
      khampton44 on 15 Nov 12
       
      I think since this paper was written in 2009 is really shows the power that people have over others. This line shows it perfectly because I have heard Jay-Z for the last couple of years on the radio and in the media but i hear none of The Game, I don not even know who he is (this could be due to the fact that I listen to country) But this still shows that if you criticize  someone in power the back lash could take you down and make them even more popular because people will want to defend and help someone who has not said some thing back, for example Taylor swift and Kanye we all know what I mean just by me saying their names together and that did help her career because it put her in the news much more then if she would have just won and got her award.
  • So what does Jay-Z do?  If he hits back hard in public, the Game will gain in publicity even if he loses... the classic problem of a great power confronted by a smaller annoying challenger
    • Lauren Dudley
      Lauren Dudley on 15 Nov 12
       
      I believe that it is best to do what is mentioned below... to let the Game continue on his way and the public will probably see it as a reach for power or publicity and Jay-Z will look like the good guy with not confronting the Game and causing a huge scene. The politics can relate to this as people do not want to see ugly confrontations, we want to see maturity to handle our society and make progress for a better society.
    • Sean McCarthy
      Sean McCarthy on 16 Nov 12
       
      This 'matchup' is very similar to political figures, as well as between countries. If we were watching a presidential debate and saw one politician pining at the other and mocking them (or negative ads, generally. but not always), we would instantly be turned away as long as the receiver of the disses stayed above it all
    • Kevin Olive
      Kevin Olive on 16 Nov 12
       
      A well established power does not need to address all the up and coming challengers that my come his/her way. Publicly confronting a smaller force may give it more power or momentum by giving the smaller force. Bringing the well established power down a few levels so the well established power must do one of two things. Assume it is just a phase that will quickly die down or cut off all sources of power that may help the up and coming power.
    • Erick Sandoval
      Erick Sandoval on 15 Nov 12
       
      If Jay-Z ignores the game, he will look like the bigger person. When the game led crowds in cheers of "F*** Jay-Z" and "Old Ass N*****" at some of his shows, it seemed like he was trying to get attention as well as gain supporters while they were fully into his music. 
  • As Jay-Z got older and more powerful, the marginal benefits of such battles declined and the costs increased even as the number of would-be rivals escalated
    • Tatiana McCuaig
      Tatiana McCuaig on 16 Nov 12
       
      This methodology obviously worked for him, now owning part of the Brooklyn Nets, albiet a small part, producing an incredibly successful album with Kanye West, being featured on multiple tracks with the G.O.O.D Music group, and marrying Beyonce. He didn't try and follow his predecessors, and did not let others like The Game sway his postions. His tenacity led him to the top, and he and his wife are one of the richest and most successful couples in Hollywood. 
  • He's generally avoided getting embroiled in beefs since reaching the top, only occasionally and briefly hitting back at provocations from rising contenders like 50 Cent, Lil Wayne, and others.
    • Brandon White
      Brandon White on 16 Nov 12
       
      I feel being an adult and not responding to these things speaks more than any attempt Jay-Z might have to defend himself. Instead of stooping to their level, he simply has to show that he is too mature for their childish antics and that he has no interest in responding to them. I guess you could say that Jay-Z is avoiding the inducements that the other rappers are trying to get him to fall for. 
    • chelseaedgerley
      chelseaedgerley on 16 Nov 12
       
      its good, rappers these days are degrading and its all about the game and whos on top. He is a good example of working hard and making good choices that has led him to be successful.
    • Karina DaSilva
      Karina DaSilva on 16 Nov 12
       
      This is really interesting. I never knew that rap was the equivalent to a competition, to a lot of people. Very passive-aggressive
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