counterargument

My topic is animal cruelty and how it can lead to spousal or child abuse. I also am arguing for more aid and funding to fight the war on animal cruelty. A counterargument could be that these are two completely unrelated things and we are just trying to draw a parallel that isn’t there. Someone could say that just because you abuse and animal does not mean you would ever harm another person. People could also say that animal cruelty is not that big of an issue. They could say our efforts could be better used in fighting the war on hunger or poverty. If someone is not an animal lover they could say that there isn’t an issue with animal abuse because they don’t have rights and a lot of animals that are abused are in large commercial factories where they are going to be killed an eaten anyways. They could say that if they are going to die for us to eat them there is no reason they should be taken care of. Someone could say that organizations such as the ASPCA just want money to spend on things that don’t affect us. They could also say that the ASPCA and other organizations like them do not really make any impact at all in the large scheme of things and we are just wasting time and money against a war we will never win. People could say that if a person owns an animal it is there right to be able to treat however they want to and we can’t interfere. All of these claims seem harsh but there are certainly individuals who believe them. Where there is one opinion there will always be another and just because I believe animal abuse is wrong and can lead to other abuse doesn’t mean someone else can’t think the complete opposite.

Space Jam

What will be my “Space Jam”?  I’ll have to admit, it’s a difficult question.  I don’t want to make movies.  What I do have a passion for, however, is changing lives.  Correction—I have a passion for seeing lives changed.  That’s not it… Hold on… I have a passion… to see… hearts changed.  I have a passion to see hearts change.  But not just hearts, hearts and lives.  Because, as we all know, a change in heart, soul, the core of a person changes everything.  It tends to be something like a nuclear chain reaction.  What I’m trying to say is… lives blow up.  Blow up in a good way, of course.  Not only are the lives of those whose hearts are changed but in the lives of all of those who are in contact with those whose hearts are changed.  I’d like to go a step further.  I have a passion to see hearts and lives change other hearts and lives.  For the better, of course.  Back to Space Jam… So, I suppose, in a perfect world, my “Space Jam”, my contribution to the world to make it “more awesome”, would be my influence on the lives of all of those surrounding me that would change hearts and lives.  I suppose at this point in the blog post everyone is wondering what exactly is going to change and how it’s going to be changed.  That’s an awfully fair question.  The answer is simple, what’s going to change are people’s relationship with God, and they’re going to change through the proclamation of the gospel of Jesus Christ.  That’s the only way anyone has ever been reconciled with God, and it’s the only way anyone will ever be reconciled to Him moving forward to eternity.  I would challenge all those who are skeptical of such reconciliation to investigate the matter themselves.  The Truth will set you free. 

Space Jam- Reena

First, I want to start off by saying that this was one of the most adorable videos I have ever seen. It was very touching and heart warming. Now, what would be my Space Jam? Obviously, something awesome! I aspire to become a veterinarian one day. I believe this a very important occupation to pursue. I have a quote: “The best doctor in the world is a veterinarian. He can’t ask his patients what’s the matter- he’s got to just know.” –Will Rogers. It’s true! If we could verbally communicate with our patients, that would be awesome! But I also feel that it would not be as fun, mysterious, or challenging. So to be a vet is to be a professional problem solver. As far as pets go, most of them are looked upon as family. I know my dogs are family for sure. And even though he is gone, my guinea pig was, and still is, considered family. Hopefully, just like one would want the best for their human family, one would also want the best for their furry (or furless in some cases) family. That’s where the vets step in. Although there are good vets and not-so-good vets, for the most part, we are pretty darn awesome. I’m not sure what my emphasis will be, but I know whatever I decide, it will be worth it, and I can still make a difference. If my emphasis is in an area that that really needs vets, such as the food science area, then it would be even better. Everybody tends to lean towards small animal, large animal, exotics, etc., but forget all about the other areas that are just as important. Then again, that area would still have to be up to that individual’s interest. Besides, Space Jam is a movie with human-animal interaction. Coincidence?

Space Jam - John Perrow

Before I began to write this blog post, I watched this video by SoulPancake that I had heard about before but had never taken the time to watch it. After watching it three times, I began to think about what exactly was the message that the little boy was trying to relay to the audience listening and watching this video. “Kid President” states in the beginning that being boring is easy, and that anyone can be boring without little or no effort. He talks about how life isn’t a game, but it is real because you’ve got air coming out of your nose and your heart is beating. Because you are alive, you need to do something with your life and not just sit around doing nothing. “Kid President” talks about how you should choose the road less traveled, even if it is more difficult to overcome. He talks about what will be your space jam, and quite frankly that is one of the hardest questions to answer. Your space jam will determine the way you live your life by the decisions you make. You should not sit around and have a boring life; everyone needs to do something with his or her life and be successful. Everyone should strive to achieve goals. He states that everyone is made to be awesome, so why wait? What will be your space jam? Honestly, I do not know what my space jam is going to be, but I strive each to day to be successful. You may not know what your space jam is right now, but your future holds to key to discovering it if you haven’t already found it. Your time is now to strive to find your space jam. Go create something that will make the world an awesome place.

Bradley's "Space Jam"

I had heard about this video but I never got around to watching it before this assignment. I thought the delivery of the message made by SoulPancake was very effective and it kept the audience entertained through out the video. The video would not have been nearly as effective if you had a grown up person telling you to never quit and to find your “space jam”. The use of the cute little boy giving grown up advise made the video much more convincing.  For me it’s hard to say what my “space jam” is going to be. I am going to be an elementary education so I hope to inspire children to never give up on their dreams no matter how extreme they seem or who tells them that they can’t accomplish it. After seeing this video I hope to be able to give that type of encouragement to my classroom one day. I think that all of these videos are great and I plan on showing my students and letting them know that no matter how hard life gets that they can’t give up and that if they keep going it will truly benefit them in the long run. I also think this video would be great to show in the classroom because no matter how many times they here this message from a teacher or a parent, hearing it from someone who is more their age will have a greater impact on the child.  I hope to apply this also to my life, that no matter how hard something seems I know that it will be worth it in the end and that I can’t quit because you never know what you could be missing out on. I hope that this translate into my teaching and I hope that I can be someone who constantly is encouraging my students to find their “space jam”.

Ellie's Space Jam

First off, what’s better than a kid telling you to get a new dream if yours is stupid? The answer is absolutely nothing. My sorority president emailed all of us this video a few weeks ago and it completely made my day. I think it’s so great that this company has not only gotten a funny kid to do videos but that they are sending out an inspirational message. I know for me this video helped me relieve some stress from the week and laugh even if just for a few minutes. As far as what I want my space jam to be, I have no idea yet. I am currently undecided on what my career path will be and where life may take me. However, I know that the smallest things can turn someone’s day around. I know that a simple hello or smile to a stranger can make their day. I have always lived in the shadow of my family’s “space jam” seeing as how they are all talented and making a difference in some way. I hope to find my own space jam one day and make a difference in the lives of others. I hope to be thought of as the girl who always said hello or made someone laugh. I think that it doesn’t necessarily matter what your legacy as long as it impacted someone somehow in a positive way. We aren’t all cut out to change the world and if we were I can imagine the world would be a pretty conflicted place. I think the significance of being nice and positive is overlooked and taken for granted most of the time in the bustle of life. Kid president just wants everyone to be happy and encouraging. This may be one of the most important messages I’ll hear all week and it didn’t come from a professor or expert. So no, I have no idea what my space jam will be but I know I’ll strive to make it worthwhile and memorable. 

Alexis Brierley Space Jam

After watching the video of the kid president, it is easy to see why it because viral so quickly. His motivational message definitely gets you thinking about how you live your life, how you interacted with people that day, and what you can do better to follow his message. He was clearly effective in his argument and I think it resonates among people because even this small kid dressed in a suit gets how to make the world a better place, and yet that still remains a mystery to people even four or five times his age. Additionally, I think it is important that this message comes from such a small kid because he is not yet influenced, we assume, by how hard the world can really be. Ever since I was little, I knew I wanted to join the Peace Corps. I guess this is something that I always knew would be my space jam. It was always attractive to me that I can help other people that are often left unspoken for. Lately, though, the peace corps has become more of an opportunity to travel to places that I never would have before, something that I also am very interested in. This video reminded me of why I really wanted to do this in the first place and that it really does help make the world a better place. Additionally, I have recently decided that I wanted to go to law school to become an International Human Rights lawyer. Although this video is extremely simplistic and focused more on your attitude towards life and how it affects other people, it definitely cemented that, although my career goals are lofty and may be hard to achieve, that helping people is something I really am interested in doing for the rest of my life.