blink by Malcolm Gladwell

 

Malcolm Gladwell attempts to answer the unanswered in his book blink. It is a common belief that it is better to think before you act; but is that true? With a myriad of evidence, Gladwell answers this question.

To answer his daunting question, Gladwell presents the reader with a slew of evidence that leads him to a conclusion. As a hook he provided the reader with a story of how experts on statues were able to know that his sculpture was a fake when months of investigation by trained professionals said otherwise. First, this gets the audience interested and introduces the theme of the book. Also, it begins to to convey the message that experts have the ability to make mostly accurate judgements. Their expertise removes them from bias and judgement that the common person’s perception would be clouded by.

Gladwell then introduces the idea of thin-slicing with a story about a couple whose relationship future was determined within observing 15 minutes of interaction between them. A scientist was able to breakdown and categorize each second of interaction between the couple. Once the analysis was completed, the results showed the interaction was mostly negative even though it hadn’t seemed that way initially. Essentially this is what experts are able to do subconsciously. They can provide mostly accurate results.

Towards the end Gladwell tells the story of Amadou Diallo, a black man who was wrongfully shot in New York City. The policeman made a snap decision that Diallo was dangerous, which turned out to be inaccurate. By ending with this, Gladwell makes clear of the fact that quick decisions can be good or bad. They can be just as good as or even better than long drawn out ones. Unfortunately however, they can also lead to the wrong decision being made. So sometimes maybe the first choice is always the best choice.

Lights out for the X Chromosome

X Chromosome: X Inactivation by Janice Y. Ahn and J. T. Lee, Ph.D.

The biological processes of our bodies are intricate, thought-provoking, and downright interesting. Millions of involuntary mechanisms work within our bodies to make sure that we function properly.

Specifically, female mammals, including humans, inherit two X chromosomes, which determine their sex. However, complications can arise within a cell if two X chromosomes are both being actively transcribed. Transcription from both chromosomes can result in excess amounts of proteins that are coded for on X chromosomes. To prevent this excess from happening, one of the X chromosomes is deactivated. In their article “X Chromosome: X Inactivation”, Janice Y. Ahn and J. T. Lee explain how X chromosome inactivation occurs through the organization of the article and the facts they present.

The organization of the article allows for the audience to understand the information clearly. The authors cleverly organized the article in a way that made sense. They used different subtitles to provide insight as to what the focus of the next paragraph is. Each paragraph then builds upon each other. The order of the paragraphs matter. The reader cannot understand that a TSIX as the “antisense” of XIST unless he first understands that a XIST is the first factor in the deactivation of an X chromosome. Also, the inclusion of the subtitles “Imprinted X Inactivation” and “Random X Inactivation” give the reader a clear understanding that there are two different types of X chromosome inactivation.

The facts presented in the article give the reader necessary information for comprehension and help to establish the authors’ ethos. Cold, hard facts are often times the best way to explain a complicated process. The facts given in this article such as “XIST RNA is both necessary and sufficient for inactivation” give the reader the players in the deactivation. The accurate explanations allow the reader to picture what happens in the cell in order to deactivate an X chromosome. Also, especially when reading scientific articles, it reassures to the audience to know that thorough study and research has happened to confirm that the information being shared is true. The authors included citations to reinforce validity of the facts and to supplement that automatic ethos they already have, both of them working at Harvard Medical School.

Organization and facts let this essay clearly explain how X chromosome inactivation occurs. So much as been discovered about the processes that take place in our bodies, yet there is still so much to learn. With articles that explain processes that we already know, we can continue to question, discover, and explore more.

TOW 14 - Bullying PSA

According to stopbullyingnow.com’s public service announcement “19,000 bullied students attempt to commit suicide each year.” Bullying comes in many shapes and forms and inflicts an even larger variety of victims. Especially in high school, it may be hard for students to realize that their words matter; they can hurt or help depending how they are used. To try and enlighten those students of the power of words, stopbullying.com shares a scenario in a public service announcement with exaggerated and relatable elements.

The 47 second video opens with the familiar scene of a girl checking her face in the mirror inside of her locker. Her facial expression suddenly changes to a panicked look when she sees two girls walking up behind her. She then looks back to herself and seems to shake off the anxiety that arose from seeing the girls. The girl’s facial expressions show her thoughts and how merely the sight of the two girls can cause fear. Most people can relate to feelings arising as soon a certain person or group of people comes into their sight. This ability to relate allows the audience to immediately understand that the girl, who has probably been bullied before, is the protagonist while the other two girls are the antagonists, the bullies. Also, the attempt to shake off the negative thoughts in her head, shows the mental struggle that a victim of bullying goes through. While there is external influence, much of the battle is within as well.

As soon as the girl attempts to move on about her day, the two girls compliment her, “Nice shirt.” The girl smiles, naturally, but then she receives a text message that harshly takes back the compliment and replaces it with an insult. The girl then holds a pained facial expression as a blood stain grows on her sleeve near her wrist. She then collapses and bleeds out on the floor. Everyone in the hallway is shocked, including the two bullies. Building the girl up to immediately put her down evokes strong empathy for the protagonist. Even though blood stains would not immediately appear in the hallway, the audience can imply that the girl harmed herself as a result of the bullying. The contrast between the seemingly futile comments from the girl and the devastating result leaves the audience heartbroken. The combination of the situation being logically plausible, relatable, the emotional toll it takes on the audience, and the staggering statistic about the number of suicide attempts moves the audience to want change. It drives the audience to root for the girl, and all of the other girls and boys who suffer from bullying while also causing them to root against the two bullies. Rooting against the them can cause people to think twice before making a comment, which as shown by the video, can save someone’s life.

With farfetched yet effective and relatable elements combined, stopbullyingnow.com was able to depict what can happen when bullying occurs. Even though bullying, in its many forms, is hard to conquer, hopefully with public service announcements like these, students and people in general can begin to use their words the right way.