Blog #3

I think the transition from objectivity to subjectivity is difficult. First off, I often find myself reading articles stating opinions I agree with. This is dangerous as both a reader and a writer. If I only ever read material that I agree with the opinions on, I will have little knowledge about opposing arguments and have a more obviously biased opinion. For a writer, this is also problematic because if only people who agree with you are reading what you write, you will continue to write biased works. However, I also see many angry Facebook posts from people reading op/eds that they do not agree with. I think the best kind of op/ed is one that ic worded cleverly enough that it can sway the people in the middle in your direction.

I often find myself wondering why people with influence choose not to make statements about current events. In fact, I am often frustrated by it. When Taylor Swift made her opinion public about the November elections, tens of thousands of people registered to vote in Tennessee in just 24 hours. This made me think, "What would have happened if she would be publicly denounced Donald Trump?" Would we have had a different president? Would we still be talking about a wall? I think many people with influence are afraid to share their opinion on rhetorical situations because they fear losing credibility with their fans or audience.

There are a few rhetorical situations I could choose to respond to. One that is older, but still relevant is the anti-vax movement. This is a really frustrating situations for me due people's lack of credible research and the risk it puts many kids in with fragile immune systems.  I am almost positive this is the rhetorical situation I will choose to write my op/ed about. There was a time where it seemed like this issue had been put to rest, but there are still communities who are choosing not to vaccinate their children. These communities are relying on herd immunity without realizing that by not vaccinating their child, they are single-handedly destroying any herd immunity kids that are UNABLE to get vaccinated had any chance of.

Op/eds do not appeal to all audiences because of their biased nature. You would be hard-pressed to find me reading an op/ed about Donald Trump and all he has done to better our country, or why the wall is truly going to "make America great again." If I did, it would probably be followed by an angry Facebook share, where many of my liberal friends would show their solidarity with a, angry or sad emoji response to my post. Few people spend their time reading article after article of things they do not agree with. This is why op/eds are tricky.