An example of critique of unfounded criticism, especially biased excerpts scrutinized out of context

Dennis Prager for the National Review recently wrote an article called, “F*** You” from the Music Industry."

This article is a critique of that critique which considers Cee Lo Green's nomination for a Grammy award as a problem: "There is no better explanation for “F*** You” being nominated as Record of the Year. It has little, if any, redeeming moral, social, or artistic (to the extent that this word retains its original meaning) value. The lyrics are as vapid as they are obscene." Prager who is also a talk show host, writes on subjects as varied as Cancer to rap music, apparently.

The full article is quoted below, but first I will discuss how the criticism Prager levels against the nominees artwork is inherently flawed for two reasons. One, the work in question is reduced to a dissection of lyrics, ]and one that negates the very nature of the art form of music, that being sound and timing. Two, the work is criticized in terms of cultural instruction and ignores the context of the work, which is includes irony, showmanship, and hyperbole.

Regardless of a moralistic agenda, that being to protect which are his ideals, "that which is held sacred," Prager ignores all context of the work and the purpose of the Grammy's to hold artists to standards which do not apply.

I can most succinctly exemplify the flawed nature of the criticism with his assertion that Green's song proclaims "social norms" stifling. The song is about a break up, first of all, and the normal human emotions associated with this classic social activity: dating. It actually affirms conservative values, with its implied narrative. That point aside, the song is much more than its lyrical or narrative structure and its triumph is found in the great voice of the singer and the musical arrangement. Once again, Prager makes an ironic accusation by claiming that the song fails to "uplift" like other superior works. The intended irony of the song is quite obvious, despite a heartbreak and loss, the singer will survive and thrive. This IS uplifting!

The rest of the article harps on the use of the "N-word" while once again ignoring context. When Jay Z uses the word the context is that of a man calling his peers and friends a term of self identifying ownership, not as an insult.

If appears as though Prager would prefer artwork to contain literally positive imagery used in a traditional way. That's a preference, but its not one the Grammy Committee, the artists, or the public should take seriously.

Downloaded for archival use in education on December 9, 2010. from this url: http://www.nationalreview.com/articles/print/254633

"Dennis Prager

December 7, 2010 12:00 A.M.

“F*** You” from the Music Industry

Profanity, crudity, and ugly images are pervasive in this year’s Best Song Grammy nominees.

The nominees to receive the most prestigious awards in the music industry, the Grammy Awards, were just announced. Among the five nominees for Record of the Year is a song titled “F*** You,” with the F-word, of course, spelled out, and pronounced.

Here are the song’s opening lyrics:

I see you driving ’round town

With the girl I love and I’m like,

F*** you!

Oo, oo, ooo

I guess the change in my pocket

Wasn’t enough I’m like,

F*** you!

And f*** her too!

The next lyrics add the S-word:

I said, if I was richer, I’d still be with ya

Ha, now ain’t that some s**t? (ain’t that some s**t?)

And although there’s pain in my chest

I still wish you the best with a . . .

F*** you!

Oo, oo, ooo

And shortly thereafter, the N-word:

I picture the fool that falls in love with you

(oh s**t she’s a gold digger)

Well

(just thought you should know nigga)

Ooooooh

It is also worth noting that the video of this song includes children who appear to be under 12 years of age, and all the performers are black — a point which I will address later.

I have long believed that MTV has done more damage to America’s young people than any other single institution. I am referring to the music videos, in which most images or scenes are shown for less than two seconds and thereby numb kids’ minds, and to the sexual imagery and sex talk that permeate the music videos and much of the rest of MTV programming.

But while MTV should be singled out for the damage it has done to America, the music industry in general has been equally guilty.

How does a song replete with expletives, whose very title is “F*** You,” get nominated for a Grammy Award as Record of the Year?

The answer is that the music industry, from producers to artists, is largely populated by people who regard social and cultural norms as stifling. Their professional lives are dedicated to lowering that which is elevated, destroying that which uplifts, and profaning that which is held sacred.

There is no better explanation for “F*** You” being nominated as Record of the Year. It has little, if any, redeeming moral, social, or artistic (to the extent that this word retains its original meaning) value. The lyrics are as vapid as they are obscene; the video further degrades that part of black life that is already too lacking in elevation; and there is the participation of children in a profanity-filled video. For most of American history, a child who used such words was punished by his parents, and society instinctively knew how important it was not to expose children to obscenities. Today, adults in the music industry reward children for participating in videos laced with obscenities.

Nor is the nomination of “F*** You” as Song of the Year an aberration. Two of the other four nominees are rap “songs” whose lyrics are also vile.

Here are typical lyrics from Eminem’s nominated “The Way You Lie”:

And I love it the more that I suffer

I suffocate

And right before I’m about to drown

She resuscitates me

She f***ing hates me

And I love it.

And later on:

If she ever tries to f***ing leave again

I’ma tie her to the bed

And set the house on fire.

The third nominee is an ode to New York City, “Empire State of Mind,” performed by black rapper Jay-Z and Alicia Keys, and which also contains the N-word. It is worth recalling that when white radio-show host Laura Schlesinger used this word solely in order to condemn its use in inner-city black life, society’s elite poured such wrath on her that it forced many of her sponsors to abandon her, and she decided to leave radio. But when Jay-Z uses it, he is rewarded with the nomination for the highest award in the music industry.

Two examples of the N-word use:

Say what’s up to Ty-Ty, still sippin’ mai tai’s

sittin’ courtside, Knicks & Nets give me high five

Nigga I be Spike’d out, I could trip a referee

Tell by my attitude that I’m most definitely from. . . .

You should know I bleed blue, but I ain’t a Crip though

but I got a gang of niggas walkin’ with my clique though . . .

For the record, the fourth nominee, “B.o.B — Nothin’ on You,” is another rap song with something of a melody behind it. This song has a decent message of a young black man who, though tempted by other women, only wants his woman. And the fifth nominee was a lovely song, “Need You Now,” by the country music group Lady Antebellum.

How deep is the decay in the music industry?

According to the Los Angeles Times, these Grammy nominees were “decided on by about 12,000 voting members of the Recordings Academy.”

— Dennis Prager is a nationally syndicated radio talk-show host and columnist. He may be contacted through his website, dennisprager.com.

The Scientific Method and the Cube Mental Image Mnemonic

Can a cube that does not last for any time at all, have a real existence?

- The Time Traveler, H.G. Wells

Learning requires memorization. While technology may reduce the need for the certain kinds of memorizations, problem solvers will always require a certain amount of well rehearsed information.

“Mnemonics” are devices or strategies which aid in memorization. Among the most commonly used mnemonics are acronyms, which use the first letter of each item in a list to form a key word. A common acrostic is ROY G BIV which helps students remember the colors of a rainbow.

A superior memory strategy is the imagery mnemonic. Ancient storytellers pioneered this way of recalling information by placing items within a mental snapshot of a scene. A mental image, especially one that involves a spatial relationship, is a useful map on which to draw memories. While acrostics are commonly taught in American schools, there are too few visual strategies taught.

A block is a shape synonymous with construction, from nursery room toys painted with the A-B-C’s, to bricks that are used in our buildings. These objects help build mental objects as well. This form carries many practical benefits besides its familiarity. A cube is a block composed of six planes; each plane has an “interior” side and an exterior side. By mapping a concept onto a 6 itemed list, the structure of a hollow cube can be used to create an image mnemonic.

The number six is a key characteristic of this mnemonic. The human mind can only retain 5-7 items in their short term memory. The six slots of the cube model mirror a threshold of a learner’s brain. The idea is best understood using a concrete example.

A building block of another kind is the scientific method. The scientific method is a set of principles and procedures for the systematic pursuit of knowledge. This involves recognition and formulation of a problem, the collection of data through observation and experiment, and the formulation and testing of hypotheses. Primary school teachers often simplify this definition by providing this one instead:

* Ask a Question
* Do Background Research
* Construct a Hypothesis
* Test Your Hypothesis by Doing an Experiment
* Analyze Your Data and Draw a Conclusion
* Communicate Your Results

Conveniently, this crucial concept fits neatly into the cube mnemonic. Each element of the definition can be mentally mapped onto an exterior side of the cube. This can be done in a practical way by drawing a cube pattern on a piece of paper, and writing the different items onto the sides of the cube.

A user can help create their mental model by physically constructing a cube with their own hands. By manipulating their physical example they are rehearsing their model of the cube mnemonic. With practice, the user will be able to visualize both the dimensions of the cube in their mind and the concept associated with each side.

There are advantages to the cube besides the six slots for information- the inherent properties of a cube allow for multiple ways of diagramming a cube in an “exploded” format. There are three main patterns or templates for constructing a cube out of a plane (in this case a piece of paper) these includes a “T”, a “Cross”, and a “Zig Zag”.
These templates can be seen below:

These different ways of visualizing organizing the same six nodes can reinforce different connections depending upon the placement of the same information in different contexts. In complement to the way the English language is read the “T” formation places the six items in a list reading from left to right, then up and down. In this case the user diagrams the information like this:

(Ask a question) (Do Background Research) (Construct a Hypothesis)
(Test your Hypothesis)
(Analyze Your Data and Draw Your Conclusion)
(Communicate Your Results)

In this diagram, the branch of the “T” is special from the rest of the nodes; they are read first and they are read in a horizontal sequence. A student might draw these connections: the branch nodes are completed before the physical manipulation is begun, the branch nodes contain most humanistic steps, or that the remaining nodes are expected to be verifiable.

Another connection that a student might make is that node; “Analyze Your Data and Draw a Conclusion” could be written as two nodes instead just one. This is an important issue because it causes a student to reflect on the meaning of both the mnemonic and the concept. The user should realize that they are both abstract models which are not laws. Scientists and educators also list steps to a scientific method like this:

1. Define the question
2. Gather information and resources (Observe)
3. Form hypothesis
4. Perform experiment and collect data
5. Analyze data
6. Interpret data and draw conclusions that serve as a starting point for new hypothesis
7. Publish results
8. Retest (frequently done by other scientists)

This definition can be more helpful or less helpful depending upon the user’s goals, but steps seven and eight can be considered understood steps in previous six step model. Both definitions adequately describe the concept and neither the six step nor the eight step definitions are more standard.

To illustrate the flexibility of both concepts, consider the elements of scientific writing:

- Introduction: Explain why you decided to conduct your research.
- Materials: Explain what you used to perform your experiment.
- Methods: Describe the way you performed your experiment.
- Results: Present the data you collected in your experiment.
- Analysis: Interpret the meaning of the data you collected.
- Conclusion: Discuss how the questions asked in your hypothesis were answered.

Scientific writing is utilized by both published scientists who are held to a rigorous standard and individuals who use it as a guide for various practices. The scientific method is alternatively listed in such a way that defines “Materials” and “Methods” as a single item. Similarly, the “Conclusion” item is sometimes called, “Discussion.” In this alternative definition, the acronym, “I’M RAD” can be used. The acronym mnemonic and the image mnemonic are not exclusive; they are used well together:

(Introduction)
(Materials)(Results)(Methods)
(Analysis)
(Discussion)

In this orientation of the cube image mnemonic the “Materials” and “Methods” nodes flank the “Results” node. In this way, the exploded cube is read from top to bottom, while also reading from the outside inward. This reading protocol is less standardized, but it conveys a more subtle relationship. Unlike a linear flow chart, this model suggests that “Materials” and “Methods” work in concert, they are considered simultaneously.

The practical usage of the scientific method and scientific writing are almost always interconnected. The 19th Century definition of the scientific method equally encapsulates our common definition of the scientific method which is taught in primary schools and it also covers the itemized definition of scientific writing. In a sense these two lists define two sides of the same coin. In a similar manner, the interior and exterior sides of the cube mnemonic can be mapped with each opposing concept. By comparing the information mapped on each side of the diagram plane, a student might draw these connections: The “introduction” step in scientific writing equates to the parallel item of “Asking a Question.”

So far this investigation has discussed the cube mnemonic as an exploded plane which consists of a mirrored two-dimensional surface. The constructed or “finished” cube is also an important configuration of the cube image mnemonic. Once again, the mental model is established by first constructing a physical object. This practical cube is assembled out of a piece of paper. It begins with a piece of paper inscribed with one of the three cube templates and it is finished when each of the node planes are erected at a perpendicular angle to their adjacent side. This can be accomplished by having a student connect cut out the template with scissors and connect the nodes with tape.

The goal of fabricating a physical example is to pair a spatial relationship to the individual nodes on the cube diagram. Once constructed, the object should be rotated in the user’s hands so that a single side of the cube is facing the eyes of the user at a perpendicular angle. Using the example diagram below, the node corresponding to the cube side, “Ask a Question” should be made visible to the user.

(Ask a question)
(Analyze and Draw Your Conclusion) (Do Background Research) (Communicate Results)
(Construct a hypothesis)
(Test your Hypothesis)

Next, the user should rotate the entire cube, one node away from their line of sight so that the node, “Do Background Research” is visible. With this same strategy, the user turns the cube away from their eyesight until they see, “Construct a Hypothesis,” then “Test Your Hypothesis by Doing an Experiment.” In the penultimate step, the user rotates the cube away from their eye line to their right; they will see, “Analyze Your Data and Draw a Conclusion.” Finally, the user must rotate their cube in either the right or left direction two nodes toward, “Communicate Your Results.”

This physical procedure demonstrates a spatial relationship which can be described this way in numerical order:

While using the cube mnemonic in its closed form, a student might make these connections: The final two steps in the scientific method have a special relationship to the rest of the nodes; they require that the experimenter make useful sense out of the previous work they have done in a way that others can interpret.

As mentioned above, the cube mnemonic is not restricted to diagramming the scientific method, and the scientific method is a complex concept open to many definitions. However, the above examples can be put to good use. The scientific method is an archetypal map for the cube mnemonic because it is a procedure which tells a comprehensive story. It also contains a means of connecting to other stories. The “understood” components of the scientific method, “Publish Results,” and “Retest,” allude to a self-renewing process. Whether an experimenter clarifies their findings or another experimenter verifies those findings the scientific method is a system designed to be reproduced. By remembering this symbolic example, the scientific method as a cube; the cube mnemonic can be applied to the memorization of other concepts.

Below is a demonstration of the a physical cube's manipulation:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7f_SjmYrzuQ

Elocution Pretest

washington: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7sa71wpIiqw
lotos-eaters: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ysxqv2C600U
st.patricks: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5fnApbWtQ5Y
picture: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1lZYKJUrDqE

The ultimate meaning of Tooled Education is to continue the method of modern teaching prototyped by the Art X demonstration in Athens, Georgia in 1952.

The most succinct definition of purpose is the idealized automation of lessons of education. No element of education is so heavily depended upon as the lecture. Lectures vary in their length, style, and intent, but they remain the most basic form of communication: oral explanation of a chosen subject.

Ultimately, it will be imagery that will become the hallmark of Tooled Education, but almost all lessons begin and end with an instructors voice. With this constraint in mind, the study of elocution is a vital building block of the Tooled Education instructor. This will prove important to both the live instruction aspect of a curriulcum as well as the recorded elements of method.
The above hyperlinks demonstrate a pre-test of the writer's current ability to lecture.

Method:
The subject read 4 passages from the text book:
CHOICE READING FOR PUBLIC AND PRIVATE ENTERTAINMENTS AND FOR THE USE OF SCHOOLS COLLEGES AND PUBLIC READERS WITH ELOCUTIONARY ADVICE,

edited by: Robert McLean Cumnock, L.H.D. Original Copyright 1878

Recorded oral rehearsal of elocution exercises and subsequent self evaluation of recordings the participant will improve diction and improve his ability to communicate.

Observations concerning methodology:
The video quality is poor, for the sake of speed, but in future uploads I will try to improve the method of compression for a better image. The posture and mouth shapes are still acceptably legible on the pretest videos.

Observations concerning elocutionary performance:
The subject should first attempt to digest the piece before performance to anticipate appropriate pauses and to add emphasis. The subject needs to consider memorizing the material and addressing the audience with eye contact. Overall, the subject needs to adjust the effort of clear articulation to a more natural quality of speech.

Interpretation:
Certain elements of this pretest are more important than others, after a completion of the exercises and advice of the textbook, the subject should read the same passages for comparison.