The first thing people do when there’s a problem is blame others. They don’t try to fix it; they just focus on what others are doing wrong. We need to stop “hatin” on others and try to save the world.
Global warming is happening now, and scary effects have already started. What the world needs for this growing problem is viable solutions, and we need them now. What we DON'T need is people evaluating what others aren’t doing. Stop wasting your time on other people, and do something yourself!!
It seems like the most evaluated conservationist today is Bill McKibben, author and environmentalist. Bill McKibben has written best-selling books on global warming, and has given the world many viable solutions to this crazy problem. So why are we harshly evaluating him when he is giving us solutions?! Conservationists like John Horgan and Matthew Nisbet think they’re doing the right thing by attacking McKibben, but they’re attacking one of the few conservationists doing the right thing!!
Picture courtesy of Twisted Sifter
A couple of examples of environmentalists not doing the right thing are John Horgan and Matthew Nisbet. John Horgan is an American science journalist who wrote an article about Bill McKibben's "alarming techniques". Horgan states, "But McKibben"s alarming predictions may exacerbate instead of ameliorating our problems" (par.1). Horgan has an issue with the way McKibben is telling people about global warming, but at least McKibben is alerting people at all! A lot of people aren't even trying to raise concern. Horgan is wasting time with this statement because McKibben is in fact trying to ameliorate our problems by giving the world viable solutions, unlike Horgan.
Matthew Nisbet is an Associate Professor of Communication and Associate Professor of Global Environmental Politics and Environmental Science. Like Horgan, he wrote an article evaluating McKibben. Nisbet states, "[McKibben] can be faulted for offering arguments for action on climate change that evoke a vision of the future that reflects his own values and priorities, rather than a broad, pragmatic set of choices..." (par. 9). Nisbet has a problem with McKibben's solutions to climate change, but is he offering any? The answer is no.
Picture courtesy of Twisted Sifter
So we know now that the wrong thing to do is waste your time evaluating other people, especially people who are trying to help. Instead, we should focus on the viable solutions people are giving us, and find more solutions. Bill McKibben has given us many helpful solutions.
1. Conserve energy. This is an easy solution that every one can help with. One of the biggest things people can do is to turn off the lights when they are not being used. We waste so much energy by leaving lights when we don't need them. It also saves money!
2. Change our habits. The world needs to start living differently. Everyone can't have huge homes and fancy cars and expect to solve global warming. More people need to take the bus or a bike once in awhile.
3. Build a movement. We need a lot of people to get together and be committed to spreading the word about global warming and finding solutions to save our world.
(McKibben, par. 3)
Save the world. Stop hatin', start helping.
Works Cited
"The Consequences of Global Warming." NRDC.org. NRDC, 10 Dec 2008. Web. 1 Dec 2013. <http://www.nrdc.org/globalwarming/fcons.asp>.
Horgan, John. “Overheated Rhetoric: Why Bill McKibben’s Global-warming Fear-
Mongering Isn’t Helpful.” Scientific American.com. 4 April 2011. Web. 30 Sept. 2013.
McKibben, Bill. "First, Step Up." Yes Magazine . 29 Jan. 2008: n. page. Web. 1 Dec. 2013. <http://www.yesmagazine.org/issues/climate-solutions/first-step-up>.
Nisbet, Matthew. "Harvard Paper Examines Bill McKibben as Journalist, Public Intellectual and Activist." CMSI. 18 03 2013: n. page. Web. 14 Nov. 2013. <http://www.cmsimpact.org/blog/Making-your-media-matter/harvard-paper-examines-bill-mckibben-journalist-public-intellectual-an>.
I think you make a lot of great points! Yes, a lot of what we have read in class is mostly evaluation, and I absolutely agree that to be able to do something about the situation you have to take action instead of just evaluating what other people are doing about it.
ReplyDeleteOne of the most persuasive techniques you use is logos. You work really well to use this by bringing in many quotations. You do not only do this, but you also explain the significance of the quotation. You also do not just do this for logos, but when you evaluate Bill McKibben, you explain why and how his policies work effectively.
You also use ethos very well in your blog post. I can tell how credible you are, also by your use of quotations. You choose quote people who do not support Bill McKibben, but rather who debunk his theories. By having other author's sides and then showing exactly why you oppose it, you show credibility.
The post is very good and effective. You accomplish your purpose. I really think the GIF's are well placed and served the blog accordingly. Also, your end sentence is swift and accurately sums up your entire blog. If I had to change one thing about your post, I would try to shorten some of your quotations to have more room to write, as in the fifth paragraph.
This is a post that definitely got the message across. It is obvious that you intended to try to explain to people that the solution for climate change is not to criticize other people, but to actually try to come up with viable solutions for this pandemic. You do a great job incorporating pathos into your post when you state, “Global warming is happening now, and scary effect have already started” (2). This definitely makes me feel a sense of urgency, because I immediately think of all the ways that global warming is affecting the environment around us. Another thing that was done very well is the use of logos where you discuss the other authors criticizing McKibben. “So why are we harshly evaluating him when he is giving us solutions?!” (3).
ReplyDeleteI would say that you have definitely accomplished your goal of making people realize that criticizing people who are creating solutions is not the way to go. The only thing I can think of that would make this more persuasive is if you included a personal story to relate to the readers. Regardless, this was a very insightful post!
I was lured into your post by the title! It perfectly described your persuasive purpose which is to take action against global warming instead of finding problems with the solutions other people are offering. I think the main rhetorical strategy used in this post was logos, because what your post is trying to get at appeals highly to what is logical. You wrote lines like, "Stop wasting time on other people, and do something yoirself!!" which appeal to the logical idea that if you want something done you should take action yourself. There is also quite a bit of pathos being used in your post.With word choice like harshly, scary, and crazy you are trying to stir up some bit of emotion in your audience. I thought your post definitely came across and successfully accomplished your persuasive purpose! The only thing i would of done is connect with the audience on a more personal level, and maybe show people other than just McKibben who are doing the right thing when it comes to global warming.
ReplyDelete