Renée's Blog

On April 15th, 2019, a devastating tragedy took place in Paris, France. This catastrophic event is the Notre-Dame Cathedral fire. The 850-year-old cathedral that went up in flames resulted in damage costing one to two billion American dollars to repair. Responses from companies, groups, and individuals were made immediately. Support and donations were generously given so that nearly $1 billion had been raised for repairs within one day. These unselfish acts have struck up debate and controversy. Some people may support the generosity of the wealthy towards the Notre-Dame cathedral, while others think that this outcome reveals something appalling. A reason why people may think that the abundance of donations to rebuild the cathedral is positive is because it shows the goodness of humanity. What is also made evident is the compassion of people today. This is recognized as something good because in today's world, there are so many incidents involving displays of h...

Fake news is simply news that is false, not real, or a twisted version of the truth. Media can be deceiving because it is littered with fake news and can be created by anyone, which is why it is very important to identify facts from lies. It is important to know what is true from false because fake news can damage reputations and spread harmful rumors. Therefore, knowing the difference between real and fake news lessens publicity for these creators. Understanding what is true may not be immediately revealed, but there are some suggestions to consider when categorizing news. Mental notes to make while reviewing stories in the media are looking into the source, author, and date, as well as going beyond one location of information and doing further research. Although I do not often spend much time seeking the tiny details of stories, I think that there are methods that are beneficial to pinpoint fake news. An effective and easy strategy that can be used to distinguish fake news is...

Halloween is an exciting time when people mask their own identity and wear unique and exotic costumes. It is a time to display something fun or frightening, but not mock someone else's culture. A video released by Teen Vogue in 2017 addresses this issue and highlights the offenses made by dressing up in another's cultural clothing as a Halloween costume. By interviewing various people about seeing their cultural clothing being used as a costume by someone of  a different background, I was able to see the effects that these actions have on people. I was also able to see how people who dress themselves in a cultural costume are viewed by others. The video by Teen Vogue shows consistency in how people feel when their culture is wrongfully displayed in a costume not taken seriously. These situations make people feel misunderstood, disrespected, and humiliated because the purpose behind a Halloween costume is not meaningful, whereas their cultural clothing and appeara...

An American organization called "Knock The Vote" has released a commercial in regards to the issue that is young people voting. During times of election, there is a lack of participation of young people voting which means that they are unable to represent and voice themselves.  This video shown all around the United States addresses this problem straightforwardly. To show the urgency of the problem, the video is very honest and includes the faults of young people and what they can do to change their situation. The main error presented in the video is that young people are unsatisfied with possible changes resulting in their complaints, but they are not doing all that they can to contribute in elections. This ad encourages this targeted group of people to vote so that they can change the odds of elections rather than only speaking of what they do not like. When I first viewed the ad, I initially thought that the people speaking in the video were too harsh and only...