So Far...so Good

  Through the process of unpacking the Save our History campaign, I have been finding out some interesting facts about what exactly this campaign does. My views although have been a sort of robotic semi-passionate, to trying to find ways to implement myself in the campaign locally or nationally. The importance of history can be seen every day and sticking to the original position that I had in the early part of the semester still stands. The most alarming things I have learned are the simple facts of history that most Americans don't know. The amount of people who fail simple citizenship tests who have lived here their whole life. The new tactic of educating the youth about America in the classroom is a different yet effective way to preserve the knowledge of the American idea both past, present, and future. As far as in the classroom or in the book that I've learned to help me understand the messages better could be such things as Maslow's theories, celebrity endorses, educating, Marshall McLuhan's understanding media as it relates to the commercials and media outlets. Other things including but not limited to framing and how the "frame" big business for ruining some historical sites, transportation model of teaching when running educational TV in classrooms, and the 5 steps to prepare when it pertains to setting up arguments to save a particular landmark.   

Understand the Effort

   This issue of preserving history through Save our History and why historic sites should be protected is still in its infancy. The organization does however use a wide range of techniques that try to rope communities and individuals on the side of being for their cause. Save our History is backed by a massive organization that has an outlet to millions. The History channel has become one of the most recognizable television channels on the television. With this form of revenue stream it allows the foundation a large range of budgeting for such things as commercials and ads. Most of these have celebrity endorses such as John Legend, Michael Keaton, and many more celebrities endorse the messages that are geared toward Save our History. The celebrities appeal to middle age men and women who have the ability to do something about the history that once was in their state and in their community. 

    Educating one about past mistakes made in history could help potentially from happening it again in the present. Save our History campaign brought a new twist into most campaigns, which educates the children of the United States about certain topics across the course of history. In order to preserve a historic object it is necessary to know the meaning behind it that makes it significant. These sessions that our sponsored by Save our History educate young minds about the American history through videos, games, and educational television. The lack of knowledge about history is a major problem in America. 70 percent of Americans don't know what the Constitution stands for; an alarming stat. Americans lack of historic knowledge has gotten so bad that 38 percent of American citizens out of a 1000 collective sample failed the U.S. citizenship test. This test is issued to immigrants seeking citizenship. This form is trying to identify the problem and combating ignorance at a young age in grade school to really focus on the study of history. This part of the campaign makes educational documents that allow students to fully understand different events through the course of history. This form serves the issues of the American public's ignorance toward historic events as well as promote their campaign to all target markets rather than the typical investors. Doing a service of this magnitude sparks up positive publicity and comes across as a positive influence on the surrounding area. 

     This organization was founded in the act to protect some of American histories most unique and ordinary alike parts of history. This campaign not only preserves but also helps educate people on vast areas of history.  Save our History acts to try to stop some hindering commercial expansion and under appreciation of some of the national relics that are forever apart of American history. Upon my research I haven't found extremists on either ends of the campaign. They’re those who are opposed to this campaign because some of the historical landmarks that are trying to be saved sit on money trees for potential businesses. Cut throat businesses such as Wal-mart, banks, and shopping centers are found along, thorough and over some of America's "sacred ground" 

    With the amount of backing that this campaign has both individually and collectively, I personally feel comfortable representing this campaign. The marketing, actions, and positive representatives of the Save our History campaign to preserve history is making an impact but in some ways is also failing. Negative stories of how some relics and historical sites, which were demolished, should be more of a big deal. Rick who is a star of History's Pawn Stars said this about preserving history " We need things of the past no matter good or bad, so it can be a reminder of what or not to do."

Preserving the Past

  Save our history is a campaign geared toward preserving America's history across the country. Not only does it try to save history, but it also makes an effort to educate young people about history in the classroom. Save our History is sponsored by the History Channel and works toward pushing a state tax to preserve the very foundation that America was founded on. The preservation of significant historical sites sounds good to the mass population until they find out about the means such campaigns as Save our History use to preserve these sites. Most of the funds that Save our History use are mainly through a small percentage of tax dollars. 

    A small price to pay considering the amount of land that is going to waste in America to "big businesses." Numerous sites that have large value of helping shape this nation are being built over, filled in with banks, shopping centers and dead end cul-de-sacs. For instance a city like Philadelphia with all of its historical sites had to close its doors last winter. This converted three-story brick building was the ground of where Joe Frazier forged his dynamic and prosperous boxing career. Plans have the building being renovated and turned into offices; simply what America needs, clearly. 

   My paper will contain examples of how the landmarks of America are endangered due to the rapid expansion of the country. It will appeal to tax payers and future taxpayers, who might be concerned with preserving the past, present, and future of America. The controversy is where is this money going to come from? In these economic hard times, where the power of the almighty dollar is struggling to hold on to its reputation, tax payers don't want to shell out more money then they have too. In order to fuel this campaign, these dollars have to come from more than the usual "rich history buff" investors. The pool of revenue to preserve these historic relics has to come from the mass population who are paying taxes and the majority of people who don't know the details about this campaign just think that its just another government sponsored organization milking them of their hard earned money. 

   Unfortunately there hasn't been a big enough site in the past 10 years that have called most Americans to rally around the preservation of history. However a trip that I recently took through the Virginia country side really made me think due to the fact that signs marked with "Civil War Trails" were overshadowed by Wal-Marts, grocery stores, banks, and recently built residential neighborhoods. It's sad to see how the greed of America has lead us to destroy grounds that once held the footprints of men and women who help forge this great nation. At the rate America is growing in my lifetime some of the most influential sites like Independence Hall, The Trinity Church in New York, Mount Vernon, and potentially other historical sites could be victim to expansion. I'm afraid by the time the people of America realize what is being done to its history it could be too late and that the ignorance and stupidity of America will rein supreme.

Oh.. Mr. Milton

    Adapting to an unfamiliar area, full of new faces, living style and different scenery is hard enough when one is fresh out of high school, but being a 14 year old can make it more of an uphill climb for an institution. The closely-knit community of Milton Hershey School welcomes that struggle to reduce the pain of the struggles under privileged kids by providing an opportunity to get away from distractions. Through the process of extensive premier selection of house parents, faculty, and staff it can make the Milton Hershey School an elite charter school to go to on the east coast.

    Due to the condense living areas that the School offers it is very likely that some viruses, common colds, and most contagious diseases poise a major threat to the mass student body here at MHS. Upon much thought and consideration, MHS, turned down a 14-year-old student who was born with HIV. This child living conditions on a daily basis would consist of co-habituating with two house parents, who were picked by the school, along with up to 13 additional kids in typically a three story house. Considering liability issues for the health and well-being of our currently enrolled students and staff this request is too great for the MHS to accept. It's simply a matter of watching over and protecting the already intact unique community that MHS has. Trying to continue a positive, focused environment that children can learn and grow in. Imaging a mass panic of trying to find out which one of the new faces has a deadly disease inside of him makes the institution alarmed. This could possibly turn into an immediate act of discrimination against one individual that could lead to blood in the water type problems. Home live for would a challenging one for our employees. Turning the slightest scratch into a battleground that mustn’t be taken lightly. The obstacles are too great for us here at MHS to grant. 

    As of now MHS stands by the statement released to the public concerning the incident " In order to protect our children in this unique environment, we cannot accommodate the needs of students with chronic communicable diseases that pose a direct threat to the health and safety of others." This is a private institution that has the right to choice who walks in and out of those doors. Although deeply saddened by the situation it cannot be done here at MHS.

    Listed above are some of the opposing arguments in my speech. The arguments go with the framing of this issue by hanging it on putting forth an effort to protect the investment already made on the current students. By not putting them in harms way there is no potential liability issues that could arise from taking this student. The audience it is geared toward is most likely concerned parents ranging late 20's to 40's. I believe this because of the word choice as well as trying to reach out to the parents whose kids could potentially be in danger. The opposite side of the argument in my opinion is based on mass appeal. Trying to get everyone to rally to fight for the cause of allowing a child an education. Although from what I read MHS didn't go into detail and kept the statements broad. 

    The reason why I chose the side I did because when I lived in Hershey I use to work for the Hershey company. The restaurant I worked for, the profits went straight into the Hershey trust which funds the whole operation of MHS. Through my experience at the Hershey company, an employee is force fed the legacy of the Man Milton Hershey, and then they go and deny a child an education, publicly. It didn't sit well with me and if I had the time I would have been holding up a sign to support this brave 14 year old boy.

Persuasion on the Open Airways

Through the course of being in the environment in a world run by technology, campaigns, and target markets, there are various images that could possibly persuade the viewer to go against their current position. With the current three selections that are listed below are the most current forms of persuasion that I have come in contact with while being here at Kutztown these last two weeks and my finals days around the Hershey, Harrisburg area. 

During the opening of the college football season this weekend there were plenty examples of persuasion. The most pertinent of these being the pregame show that happened before the day of hard-hitting football. This television program showcases various sports anchors and professional analysts that discus the pending match ups that were occurring throughout Saturday. These analysts argued numerous points and tried to prove which one was right by bringing up stats, player profiles and key match ups to give the viewers reasons why they should go with this or that team come kick off. Lee Corso, Kirk Herbstreit, and Desmond Howard provided their option by using observation of what they've seen on the field during practice and mini camps, considering it was the first week of the season. Going off straight opinion, they formed arguments based off what they’ve seen and how they believe about a given game around the nation. These forms of persuasion are targeted mostly to men of all ages who enjoy the competition of Division I college football. The reason I believe the target is a man is because the art of sport is mostly more appealing to the male population.

Commercials are a powerful form to reach the majority of Americans locally, nationally, and even sometimes globally. Messages can be broadcasted from Atlantic to Pacific and most of these commercials have turned to mudslinging on occasion to get this message across. For instance, The DirecTV commercials who features Deion Sanders and usually a Manning brother focuses on why a person should choose their product over the competition. These commercials consist of mostly "what we have is better" cliché that has a one sided stat that gives the illusion that their product is THE choice.  In my opinion I believe that these DirecTV commercials that do this are the best at it. With the overwhelming credibility of the Hall of Famer Deion Sanders, defending Super Bowl champion Eli Manning, and possibly the best quarterback to ever play the game in Peyton Manning to convey that message is very powerful. So when these athletes who are flying around "ordinary people" throwing out phrases like "see every game with DirecTV, cable doesn't do that" in a humorous manner that could potentially persuade people to make the switch over. As a man who that would appeal to, it really makes me take a look at the Service Elect package a little bit closer and wondering if I'm getting what I pay for. Comparing them to the other forms of "corporate commercial mudslinging" is home phone and cell phone carriers. It seems like every time I flip on the television there is a new alarming one sided stat that either Verizon or AT&T tries to bribe on the fence customers with. Instead of having a celebrity do it they do solid proven facts that are commonly projected through charts and percentages. This gives the literate the knowledge of what each phone carrier can do for you no matter where one would think of traveling to. Other examples of this form of persuasion include but aren't limited to car insurance agencies, Internet providers, and local car dealerships ranging from all different types of target audiences.

In the shadow of Hershey Park, right next to the sounds the roar of roller coasters and the laughs of children and adults alike there’s the nationally known, Chocolate World. In Chocolate World there is a ride that explains the concept of the process the Hershey Company uses to make their form of chocolate. Not like the craving for chocolate isn't hard enough to fight. The Hershey Company takes the ride to that next level that could even make a dog salivate. After the ride comes to a complete stop and before a rider can even view their photos snapped on the ride they are handed a free sample of usually some new or unique chocolate. Now how does this tie into persuasion? It tries to persuade a potential customer why they should go downstairs after the ride is finished, and buy some of the millions of packaged button-buster, hip-enlarging but delicious candy treats that are made by Hershey's. It also gives encouragement to walk around and explore the various types of candy that Hershey has to offer. With the universal product of something like candy it gives an unlimited target market because even grandma sneaks candy bars every once in while. Even though it doesn't come out and say this is way a chocolate lover should chose Hershey's but offers credibility, history, and a sample of the product all tries to persuade a consumer to think Hershey's when they think chocolate.