So what do we do?

(I LOVE this. You couldn't find a better text for analysis of logos, ethos, pathos, audience, and all 5 claim types if you tried.)

We've spent the semester so far reading, talking, writing, watching, and observing the world around us for the causes and effects of violence, its impact on various communities, its prevention and possible cures. We've examined different types of claims and persuasive appeals, analyzed specific audiences, and shared our thoughts here on the blog.





So now what?





What do we DO with all of this information, and our growing awareness of violence as a social, family, gender, individual issue? We COULD write a traditional (e.g. boring) research paper where you dump a bunch of information onto some pages, and I mark it up and give a grade and no one outside of this class ever sees it.



Here are a few other things you could do, which might be more useful:

Students at High Tech Chula Vista are working with 2 of their teachers on a video project called Beyond the Crossfire, which explores what young people in San Diego (and everywhere else) can do to combat gun violence in their communities.

Remember our friend at Purdue University who invited us to participate in the flashmob? (We couldn't arrange it, but there will be more opportunities.) One of her professors emailed me this morning to say this:
I was talking with a Psychologist friend yesterday and she told me that after the flashmob their clinic received 5 calls from women who had been raped [in the past], and our Lafayette Crisis center was also busy with similar calls...
It's amazing what the power of art can do. By speaking out, the Purdue students let other survivors of violence know they are not alone, and help stop the cycle of silence and shame that allows violence to flourish.

Kids who live in the Back of the Yards neighborhood in Chicago (where 13 people were shot by someone with a semiautomatic rifle last year, including a 3-year-old boy) are creating art to post in public spaces that urge an end to the violence in their community. Here are some even younger Chicago kids who live with the very real fear of violence every day, and are using art to speak against it.

Public awareness campaigns like It Gets Better, the Trevor Project, and others work to stop bullying and discrimination against LGBT youth. Alyssa G.'s group works with survivors of sexual abuse, as do After Silence and many other organizations.

What do all these movements and projects need in order to get off the ground? Commitment, dedication, organization, and RESEARCH. Each of these organizations is making some persuasive claim (often of policy, though there may also be others) that targets people who need most to hear it. They're not vague or unfounded ideas or imaginings - they're real, concentrated efforts that know how to present their claims and anticipate counterarguments from opponents or simply indifferent naysayers.

(Btw, people once said that desegregation would never work, that women couldn't possibly be trusted with the right to vote, that Mothers Against Drunk Driving would never work, and that even if it did, drunk driving laws would be a threat to liberty everywhere, and they've been proven wrong.



I really do think that writing is the path to a better world. As a civic action, its power is immeasurable. As a mode of learning and of expression, it requires an active effort to organize ideas and express them precisely. It helps us define issue, take stands, and expose our ideas to critical evaluation. Most of all, it's a crucial first step towards translating ideas into action. (Thanks, Creighton University!)

I'd like you to spend spring break thinking (and hopefully even doing some internet research) about what idea(s) YOU want to think about translating into action - preferably action that prevents or counteracts violence. What do you want to convince people to do, who do you need support from, why is this a crucial issue, why should they care about it, how will they need to be persuaded to act?


Post your what-I'd-like-to-do statements below!

Diana C.'s blog post

Romeoville Shooting

If you didn’t hear; Last Thursday, February 13, a mother and daughter were shot in their car by the 15 year old girl’s ex-boyfriend.

Original Story: Mother, daughter shot in Romeoville; 4 questioned

Update here

               

The question rises now, why did he do this? What made this guy go to his ex-girlfriend’s house to shoot her and her mother? Could the girl have done anything that was bad enough to her ex-boyfriend that she deserved to die? The violent acts that we have discussed in class weren’t local to us, but this act occurred just a little over 2 miles away from our campus. Another thing we’ve discussed in class in how LU would handle a potential threat like this. Below is the email that was sent to all students and faculty in light of the incident. Do you think this was a good way to alert everyone and attempt to keep everyone safe? In my case I just happened to check my email before I left, but otherwise probably wouldn’t have seen it.

Good Morning:

The Romeoville Police Department is currently investigating a shooting in the area of 135^th Street and Hickory. Schools in the immediate area have been placed on a “soft” lock-down. Several news agencies are running stories on the incident.

This incident poses no apparent threat to Lewis University community. Drivers are encouraged to avoid the area until the incident is resolved.

We will keep you updated with any new information.

Sincerely, 

                                     

Deputy Chief of Police

Lewis University            

One University Parkway                              

Romeoville, IL 60446

815-836-5021

www.lewisu.edu/police

facebook.com/LewisUniversityPolice

 

Question 1: What’s the most shocking part of this incident? And why do you think the girl’s ex-boyfriend committed this act of violence.

Question 2: Had the incident become a threat to LU, did the LUPD do enough? If not, what more should they have done?

Victoria R.'s post

Attachments:

For this post, I wanted to continue the discussion on the topic of the film “A Clockwork Orange” and the idea of “moral choice” by tying it into a somewhat personal situation.   My parents are divorced and my dad has been dating this woman for the past few months and don’t get me wrong, she’s sweet and she has three kids. My brother and I have only met one though-her daughter. We have asked where her other two kids were and the oldest is busy with his own family and her other son- who is only 15 was in a juvenile detention center at the time. WHAT THE HECK?! What is a sophomore in high school doing in jail? Turns out he’s in a gang and has committed several crimes. This kid has even had a gun in his possession-as far as I know, he had never used it against anyone- but still! He had to serve, I want to say, close to a year in juvie and he just got out this January. My dad says he’s a changed person now, he’s going to school, getting good grades and he doesn’t associate with his friends in the gang anymore. I thought about this during our class discussion on Alex and “moral choice”. Is this kid really different? Has he actually changed his ways or is it all just for show because he’s on probation?  Alex’s character kind of reminded me of this teenage boy and I was never fully convinced that he could have changed while in jail but after watching this movie I’m definitely not convinced. Maybe I’m just being paranoid but if I'm completely honest, i don't even feel bad about it.

"It's like, against society!"

This will be a long post - please bear with me.

First: I've finally finished uploading the responses to your drafts of Part I of the Rhetorical Analysis. This means that, if we were to keep the deadline of the 21st, you would have less than a week to process my feedback for your revisions. Instead, let's have the final version of the complete Rhetorical Analysis due by the 28th - we won't meet that week, but you can upload them to Blackboard and I'll look at them over spring break.

Second: Now that we've finished watching A Clockwork Orange, you can choose to write Part II of your Rhetorical Analysis about it if you want. OR you can choose to write about another persuasive text of your choice - an article, a video, a film, a song, a visual advertisement or meme - anything that has to do with the area(s) of violence that you are particularly interested in addressing. Be sure to choose a text that has a persuasive thesis and makes a specific claim - follow the instructions on your assignment sheet to write Part II of your analysis.

Next: Today would have been Jordan Davis's 19th birthday.

Unfortunately, Davis was murdered at a gas station on Nov. 23, 2012, by a guy who felt threatened by the loud music Davis and his friends were playing in their car. (I know his name; I'm not going to write it here.) The verdict came in yesterday that the killer was convicted on 4 of the 5 counts against him, which involved 2nd degree attempted murder....but was NOT convicted of actually killing Davis. The jury was unable to reach a verdict on that count, and so the judge declared a mistrial.

There are several different ways to look at this case, and I'm going to do so by comparing it to A Clockwork Orange:

1) Alex is solely responsible for his own actions; he behaves violently because of his own sadistic delight in hurting people.

AND

1) The man who fired 10 shots at Davis and his friends in the car did so because of his own violent tendencies (both of his ex-wives have accused him of domestic abuse in the past). His actions are the isolated act of a disturbed individual.

Another interpretation:

2) Alex cannot help but be violent; the society he lives in is vicious, brutal, and corrupt. The police and government do nothing to protect the people - in fact they actively prey on and exploit them. Alex is simply the end product of a society that has actively worked to maintain violence for its own purposes.

AND

2) The man who fired 10 shots at Davis and his friends in the car is the end product of 50 years of lobbying and legislation by gun manufacturers and the NRA, who wrote the Stand Your Ground laws that allow people to shoot first whenever they feel their lives might be threatened.

OR

3) There is no valid comparison between this science-fiction/dystopia story and the actions of a man who claims he was defending himself against a legitimate threat.

Remember Emily's blog post about the man who was convicted of sexually abusing girls. Remember Brett's blog post about terrorism. We could choose to look at these things as simply the actions of individuals, or as the inevitable outcome of a society that does not care about preventing such forms of violence before they occur, or working to change  the circumstances that lead to such extreme behavior, Instead the focus is simply on punishment. (Or worse - simply shrugging your shoulder and saying "Oh well, what can you do?" Or the classic line, "Boys will be boys.")

Can criminal acts like those committed by Alex - or by sexual abusers, or by terrorists, or like Jordan Davis's killer, or anyone else you can think of - ever be prevented? Can any of these people be rehabilitated? Do they deserve our sympathy, our help, our contempt and punishment? 

There are no easy answers.

This week I'd really rather focus on what we CAN do, through writing and lobbying and legislation and film and literature and art and music and dance, to make our society less violent. But first I need to go bang my head against a wall, because it's been a hell of a week for violent news.

Ultraviolence? Real horrorshow.

Class reactions to the first 35 minutes of watching A Clockwork Orange (and what a 35 minutes it is):




This movie is weird. It makes all of these horrible things seem as easy as walking a dog. I'm curious to see if the movie turns more serious.


Why is this film so perverted?


The movie has been very odd from the start. It is rather difficult to follow, between what seems like random scenes, and their accents.


Ok, so #1 this movie is frickin WEIRD! And #2, did they really think there was gonan be this much violence in the future? Some of the things they do would not be acceptable in any day and age. Some things just should always be illegal. And why did they stop Billy from raping that girl, but break into a house and rape someone themselves?


Were the army-camo-dressed guys a rival gang? Because if not, it seemed the milk gang was doing a good thing?


Why is he obsessed with Beethoven?


It shocks me how Alex and his friends manage to get away with all the things they do. It's crazy to think that these boys are still young and in school. They way they handle violence also freaks me out because they are always happy. None of the boys are displeased with what they have done.


I thought it was weird, especially the violence going hand-in-hand with a light-hearted mood.


At the beginning I was a bit confused about the whole story, although when I found out Alex was 15 years old and living with his parents, I was in complete shock and disgust. I am confused about the time this is taking place in - the future? Also, when was this movie filmed, because if this is the depiction of the future, I'm in awe.


Overall, I jut think the movie was strange. I really have not seen anything like it. The way the violence is presented is just different from what I am accustomed to.


I'm really confused about what is going on. I don't get what the point of the movie is. It's really weird, but it's keeping my attention. I just wish I knew what the plot of the movie was.


The violence depicted is very shocking and what surprised me most was his age. When the mom said he had to go to school and you clarified that he was only 15, I couldn't believe the things he was doing. Rape, robbery, assault, all while he is still in high school.


What the heck?! This movie is unlike any movie I've ever seen before, to say the least. When I discovered these boys are only 15 years old, I was flabbergasted. What makes anyone, let alone a 15-year-old, behave like this? Why is torturing people an art for them? Why do they feel no remorse for the victims?


The classical music during the violent scenes takes away from the negative view of it and almost makes it seem like a joke.


So far this movie seems very odd. The violence doesn't really seem to faze anyone; it just seem to be a part of their everyday life. This movie also includes many different types of violence, which was a bit shocking to me.


My initial reaction to the movie is that it is very strange, and unlike any other film I've seen. There are clearly a lot of serious parts in the film, but I don't think they are presented in the most serious ways.


I do not understand the logic behind this movie. Why was it made and who created it? Whose idea was it? You were right that it is graphic. Why is it shedding light on the things we don't want to happen or don't want to talk about? I just don't get it.


This movie is easily the strangest one I've ever seen. I also can't believe how provocative this is for an older movie. I wish it would stop being so weird just long enough so I could actually understand what's happened so far and discover a possible storyline or purpose.


A Clockwork Orange is a rather disturbing film, and sometimes difficult to watch.


I'm not even sure what to say about this movie. I was disturbed in many ways and can't figure out why Alex is doing the things he's doing. The entire movie is so out there in terms of what's happening that you don't focus on the violence anymore. Why is nudity such a big thing in this movie? Women are buck naked but the men are allowed to be covered? Are women being exploited because they are the ones being punished? Why are all of the colors so out there and in everything except the human body?


And now, I attempt to answer!


The novel A Clockwork Orange was written by English author Anthony Burgess in 1962. (The title refers to something that looks natural, but inside is mechanical. In the book, the writer whose wife is raped is working on a book called "A Clockwork Orange" at the moment Alex and his droogs break in.) It was adapted into a film by legendary director Stanley Kubrick in 1971. The film was banned in Britain from 1972 to 1999 (the film was even thought to have caused some teenage boys to actually commit murders), and the book was removed from several U.S. high schools - one bookseller was even arrested for selling copies of the book in 1973.


The story is set in an unnamed time in the future, when presumably Britain has been conquered by Soviet Russia - look at how grey and industrial everything looks outside, and contrast that with the shockingly bright interior colors. Alex and his droogs use many Russian/English slang terms that make up their own language. They spend their time skipping school (although Alex is their leader, he is the youngest, only 15) and committing horrific acts of violence, simply because they enjoy it and think it's fun. Notice how Alex has lots of watches, jewelry, cash, etc. in his bedroom drawer - he's not doing it for profit, but for pleasure. By the standards of this culture. Alex doesn't have a bad life - he has a home, 2 parents who love him (but who seem afraid of him), and the opportunity for education. Early on, Alex and his gang stop a rival gang from raping a young woman, which might lead us to think Alex isn't really so bad.......but then Kubrick shows us just how wrong we are. Each scene is more shocking than that next, and we see this violence through Alex's eyes - it looks and sounds lighthearted, because that's how HE sees it. We know Alex has gotten into trouble with the law before, because his probation officer visits his home the night after the fight with Billy Boy's gang the attack on the writer and his wife. But he's also very intelligent - in addition to being clever enough to lead the gang and avoid arrest, he enjoys classical music. So there IS a little but of humanity in him, somewhere deep down, because he recognizes the beauty and importance of music, especially Beethoven's Ode to Joy. He associates music with pleasure, and pleasure with violence; on Wednesday, watch how hearing music actually causes Alex to act violently.


That's all I'm going to tell you for now (if you REALLY want spoilers, Google them). Here are some questions to consider for tomorrow:


1) If Alex's upbringing is not what makes him violent, the only other explanation is either that he is innately evil, or that this dystopic society has made him that way. (Look, for instance, at the way this culture treats women's bodies literally as objects.) Which do you think it is?


2) Do you think anything could ever make you feel any sympathy for Alex?

Brett E.'s post

I have decided to take a little different route as far as the type of violence we have talked about in class. We have heard a lot about gun violence, sexual assault, and domestic violence but I wanted to cover another very prevalent form of violence in our world. That is terrorism.

 

When the 2014 Olympic games at Sochi, Russia roll around, the whole world will be waiting and watching to see what happens. Sure most people will watch simply for the sporting entertainment that the Olympic games can offer but there is also an important sub-plot that will be present at this year’s Olympics. Violence of all kinds will be under the microscope as athletes and fans from various parts of the world travel to Sochi for an incredible event. However, masked by all of the good that the Olympics bring out between nations, violence could be very prevalent if not monitored. With threats of terrorism in the form of “black widow” suicide bombers, many athletes have become so concerned that they have forced the rest of their family to stay back in protection of their safety. For example, hockey player Zach Parise, of the NHL’s Minnesota Wild has told his family to remain home while he is away in Sochi, Russia from February 7-23. In an email Parise wrote to the Star Tribune regarding the safety risks at the Olympics he said, “I’m actually really concerned about it. I know they say they have evacuation stuff for us and all, but you just never know. I guess you have to wonder at what point does someone say it isn’t a good idea for us to go.” The threat in Sochi, Russia is very real. As recently as December, suicide bombers killed 34 people in Volgograd, Russia. It is incredibly sad and disappointing that the threat of some people inflicting life-threating violence has to ruin once in a lifetime events such as the Olympics. The Olympics is meant to bring nations together based on the common bond of sports and athletics. However, this worldwide event is gaining headlines for all of the wrong reasons and that is just what these people who cause this havoc feed off. Russian President Vladimir Putin has set up immense security measures to ensure that the sports stay the main story of this spectacular event. It is sad that people cannot put aside their differences to just simply enjoy what an incredible event that the Olympics are. The threat of violence in Sochi is very real but hopefully the actual sporting events stay as the main headline of a wonderful 2014 Winter Olympics.

Thank you, 

Brett Ernst 

Julio L.'s post

Julio Lara

Young boy turned much older by the age of ten to the realities of life and scenes of torment

A father turned bad at the end of a bottle

A situation sprinting moving full throttle

 The sound of a body dragged

The sight of the same body tagged

Watching his father

Hurting his mother

His sister watches

The mother had reached for the phone calling for rescue to come to her home

The boy confused to why the father would turn to abuse

Both of liquor and of fists, in a culture where these both are found to bring amuse

A man’s soul poisoned made evident by the locked grip around her neck

Black suits, gold accents. Two men hem the father and bring him away farther.

He is dragged, as his wife had, through the door

Yelling “you did this to me!” as he is brought through and placed on the floor.

Linked cuffs over cuff links placed

A young boy’s heart and mind both raced

 The sight of a cowering sibling and a beaten body

Who should he help if he could even help anybody

The sound of a squad car’s door closed

Black suit comes in with a prose

“Everything will be fine your mother will be safe.” Must not have noticed what just arose

The rest to the boy was all a blur

Though the memory still stirs as the old memory of his father burns

He knows that things can never be the same

The shame of carrying his father’s name

Emily B.'s post

For my blog post, I want to sort of continue on with the sexual assault topic that Alyssa had written about in her post. Mine pertains to child sexual assault, but mostly I'm talking about it because in this case, I know the man that assaulted these girls.

 

As many of you have found out, I have been in martial arts from the age of four. I take classes and teach at the National Karate Schools at a few of our locations here in Illinois. About three years ago now, one of our instructors, Dean Fuerstenberg, was arrested. He "was charged with four counts of aggravated criminal sexual abuse and six counts of criminal sexual assault for allegedly engaging in sexual acts with minors at the South Elgin karate studio where he was an instructor". The abuse was said to have happened between 2003 and 2005. The girls were between the ages of 9 and 15.

 

The most shocking part of all, at least to me, is that I knew him. He was someone I trusted, someone my parents trusted. He was a world class fighter and coached the NK team that he established within the schools. In 2003, I would have been about 8 years old. He tested for his fifth degree black belt a year later at the same time that I tested for my first degree with my dad.

 

I know that the girls that he did things to are victims in all of this, but at the same time, I feel sorry for him. He was charged on Tuesday, after spending three years in jail, "he admitted guilt to three counts of aggravated criminal sexual assault – two in Kane County and one in DuPage County. He was sentenced to 15 years on the Kane charges and then, minutes later, to a concurrent 10-year term in DuPage". He has to serve 85% of his sentencing, with the three years he has already served going towards it.

 

He is also now paralyzed from the waist down. A world class fighter is now paralyzed. To me it’s unfathomable. Here is a guy that made a name for himself and for the National Karate Organization, and he now spends his life in a jail cell and is paralyzed.

 

I know I should talk more about the girls involved in this case and how violence is affecting their lives, but I feel like we should try to understand why a person commits the acts that he does. I know that I probably don't want to know the answers, but I need answers, especially for this. He was someone I trusted and that believed in my abilities, but it was all a lie. What causes a person to commit the acts that he does when he has a wife and four children at home? To me, it just doesn't make any sense.

 

I leave you with these questions in mind? Do sex offenders deserve to feel our compassion? Do we have a right to feel sorry for them? Sex offenders and their families suffer the consequences of their actions. Their families are looked at differently and are treated differently. Sex offenders themselves have to register as a sex offender and are not a loud to live in certain places or neighborhoods. Everyone’s lives change after they commit their crime, but does that give us the right to feel sorry for them or feel compassion because they are sick?

As a 19 year old starting college, I really am starting to see the world in a different light than I once did. As a child, as cliché as it sounds, I thought that the world was peaceful, happy and safe. Unfortunately now, I cannot say that, because in reality we are facing dangers every time we leave our house without the fear of gun shed or being taken by someone and violated. Even though these dangers are everywhere, I still try to live my life to the fullest, but as a young adult now really entering the ‘real world,’ I feel I can now really form my opinions and feelings on the issues in the world today. The following issue is something that really hits home for me.

Something that really does affect me is sexual abuse, I think it is one of the most prevalent and life altering violence there is. It is demeaning, and the victim is never the same anymore. I would like to say that it’s not very common, but unfortunately that’s not true. I finally realized all of harm that was actually going on in the world in 2009, when a friend of mine took me to a youth group that she and a number of my friends went to every other Saturday night. I was hesitant in going, as I was a very shy 15 year old girl, but I was finally convinced, and it changed my life forever.

The group was called Y.A.S.O., which stood for Young Adults Speak Out (http://yasolockport.tripod.com). Everyone that attended sat in a giant circle and talked about the issues in the world, in schools, and effecting the youth today. As I looked around the room, I thought to myself, these are very different people. People I have never seen before, weird people, but you could visibly see the friendships that were formed, as people gathered before the meeting, everyone greeting and hugging one another, no matter how different they all were, their ties were unbreakable.

When the meeting started, the hearts poured out. If I recall, our topic was domestic violence, and as we bounced from person to person, waiting for their opportunity to speak, I was in tears, and so were those telling their stories. They talked about abuse at home, of anger, of factors that affected them at home. I couldn’t believe what was going on. In a group of 40 or so young adults, over half had been victims, from abusive parents, friends, and even significant others. I couldn’t believe it. From that moment on my life changed.

Our topics have varied from bullying in school, abuse, suicide, and other forms of violence. We have done a lot to help those in our group from counseling to even help getting them out of harmful situations. We have partnered with Guardian Angel Home, and have had Emily McCasey visit, which as a result of her visit with Y.A.S.O., helped get laws dealing with abuse passed in Illinois. We also recently have had C. Desir visit us, the writer of the book Fault Line, a book dealing with the story of a rape victim. She told us her story of her past as well as what she does with rape survivors and her reason for writing her book. I have poured my heart and soul into this group, and as our 5 year anniversary approaches, I look back at all we have done and continue to do, the lives we have touched, and the unbreakable friendships I have mad. I am now a co-leader of the group and I get to choose topics to talk to our group about. We are real, and we address the issues that are hard to talk about and we make progress. We are not a large non for profit group, or well known, but we are making a difference, and are always welcoming new people to join and talk about the issues of today.

Life is not rainbows and sunshine, but with the help of those willing to make a difference, we can start the steps to get back to the peace we really need. We can get there. The abuse and violence needs to stop, and now the question is, how do we do it? Is any step to small or can any small contribution make a difference? What are you doing to advocate against violence?

Alyssa Geibel 

Correction!

The wording of the quote we discussed in class today IS "Do I feel lucky?"

Evidence: Dr. Rendel misquoted Dirty Harry.
Warrant: Dirty Harry is an American icon, and all good Americans should all be familiar with this famous line.
Claim: Dr. Rendel is a bad American.

Working for change

I took time out of my busy schedule of abusing people this weekend to have this nice exchange with a student of my colleague at Purdue University. This might be a good opportunity for us to do some collective service, or at least exchange ideas for future collaboration. I'd like to hear your thoughts about this tomorrow or Wednesday.


Hi Val,

My name is Amberly Simpson and I am a student at Purdue.  I got your email and blog from one of the professors here, Julia Chester as we had met to discuss the situation that had happened last week with the shooting.  Julia and I got connected after I organized a flash mob last year at Purdue for an organization called One Billion Rising which raises awareness and empowers women against violence across the globe.  They have an annual event that people organize individual flash mobs and other such events for every year on Valentines Day, which is coming up soon and we will be doing again.  Anyways, this year, in light of the recent events at Purdue, we are making gun violence the specific theme of this year's OBR event and we are dedicating the event to the life of the student who was killed last week, as well as all others who are unable to rise with us as a result of violence.  I'm not sure if you'd be able to help in any way, but I have been looking for information on gun violence to try and compile some information to distribute that would be relevant to the event and I didn't know if you might happen to have or know information that would be useful.  If you do, it would be fantastic if you could pass some of it on to me so that we can try and make this event as big of a success as we possibly can.

Other than that, I have been interested in trying to organize something of this sort, whilst also collaborating with people like you and Julia at other universities to see if we could get some kind of network going and expand outside of the walls of Purdue University.  I know gun violence is a hot topic for both you and Julia, and while women's rights and empowerment is more of mine, gun violence is showing a strong correlation.  I'm not sure what exactly we could do, or what exactly I'm suggesting, but if collaborating in some way so that we can raise awareness and perhaps organize some sort of rally is something you're interested in, please let me know and I would love to start a discussion on what it is that we could do.

Thank you so much for your time and I apologize for the long email.  I hope to hear from you soon.

Thanks,

Amberly Simpsonsimpsona@purdue.edu

*****

Hi Amberly (please call me Val),

Thanks so much for writing! I'm glad to hear at Purdue students are so engaged in working to reduce violence in our communities - art and dance are vitally important media to spread that message. And you're right that different forms of violence (such as domestic abuse and gun violence) overlap and all too often feed into one another. Just recently, for example, the NRA and other gun-rights activist groups argued before the Supreme Court that people with past convictions for domestic abuse should be legally allowed to purchase firearms. Think of how George Zimmerman's history of violence against women was not admitted into the Trayvon Martin trial, because it was deemed irrelevant - actually, violent offenders often use women and children as the "testing grounds" for later, even more extreme forms of violence - I have some links to research about that which I can dig up if you're interested, and I'm sure Julia knows more about it than I do.

Anyway, I know how you feel with regard to wanting to do some kind of project, but not being quite sure what. With your permission, I'd like to share your email with my class at Lewis, as well as with my local chapter of Moms Demand Action and the Illinois Council Against Hangdun Violence. If we all put our heads together, we're much more likely to think of positive action we can take. I also think my class would be much more interested if they were somehow involved with the planning-and-ideas process, rather than me just telling them what we're going to do. What do you think?

I hope we can get some ideas together in time for the 14th! Maybe my class can come to Purdue that day....what time will the flashmob be? Feel free to call me at 773-633-4683 if you want to talk instead of write.

Val

*****

Hi Val,

Yes, you may absolutely share my information with whomever you feel might be interested in helping or starting something.  And it would be great if you guys could make it down here for the flash mob as well.  I will have a video posted soon (it won't be hard to learn), but if there's anything else I can do for you guys, just say the word and I'll do what I can. 

I completely agree that the information omitted in the Zimmerman trial was definitely relevant, even if not to that specific case, for exactly the reasons you listed.  I think that they should have allowed it to be presented in that way as well, but I can also see why they wouldn't have allowed that, as well as the information about Trayvon's past drug use.  However, Zimmerman's history of violence is severely more relevant, in my opinion, than whether or not someone has ever experimented with a drug.  The implications don't add up in the same way, and it's strange that violence can somehow be seen as more acceptable, especially when it's enacted against women, than a young kid who tries a drug.  The image you attached relates to that in a lot of ways.  I don't understand how anyone can think that is an appropriate thing to say or do; it's absolutely appalling in my opinion.  It's when I see things like that that I feel motivated to keep fighting for change because it's absurd that with how far we have come over the past century that we still have people living under such prehistoric value systems that they can consider that okay, justified, or appropriate on any level.  To me, the logic just doesn't add up.

Going back to the topic of One Billion Rising, if there is any information or statistics that you can share with me so that I can compile it together, that would be fantastic.  The more I know, the better an argument I can present.  It's been surprising to me, with how prevalent gun-related issues are, how hard it has been to find solid figures that reflect just how important an issue this is.  So please feel free to send anything you have or know my way when you find the time. Other than that, there are six different times for the flash mob throughout the day and they occur all over Purdue's campus.  Each mob happens during our class passing period (which always happens between the twenty and thirty minute marks of the hour (e.g., 9:20-9:30am, 10:20-10:30am, 11:20-11:30am, 12:20-12:30pm, 1:20-1:30pm, 2:20-2:30pm).  The mob is about five and a half minutes long, though most of it is stillness.  We were working off the inspiration this year from a video called the Frozen Grand Central where a couple hundred people infiltrated the busy train station with synchronized watches, froze for five minutes, and then continued as if nothing had happened (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jwMj3PJDxuo).  However, instead of going on as if nothing happened, we will all start dancing a flashmob together (there will be a musical cue for this) that uplifts and empowers.  So it should be both fun to do and interesting to watch.

Let me know if there is any more information that I can provide you with and if you come up with any ideas.  I definitely look forward to what you and the others whom you forward my information to can come up with in the way of some sort of collaboration.  There is so much potential to really do something here!  I can't wait to see what actually becomes of it.

Thanks,

Amberly