Standing up for what one believes in can be a challenging task because no one knows what the outcome may be. It is all about striving for an impactful result hoping that the world be more accepting and less judgmental. In the passage “Small Change” written by Malcolm Gladwell, he makes a compelling argument that deals with the issue of making a difference in the world, both social media or in the form of hierarchy. Social activism has different variations for people to become aware of any news or trends present in the world. Hierarchy, which means "A body of persons or things ranked in grades, orders, or classes, one above another,” is the best form of movement that one may take in order to establish a change in the world because people tend …show more content…
Caitlyn, like many transgender individuals, has struggled with guilt and shame because she does not wish to disappoint the people in her life. There have been cases where adults and children have suicidal thoughts because they cannot digest the feeling of potentially being alienated. Caitlyn Jenner, formerly known as Bruce Jenner from the television series, “Keeping up with the Kardashians”, struggled with severe anxiety all of her life. She was born a male, but desired to be everything a woman is. Around 1976, Caitlyn was a star Olympian that everyone looked up to and sought as a source of inspiration. Throughout the years, she tried to hide the fact that she was a woman trapped in a man’s body, but eventually, that subsided. Gladwell stated: “But if you're taking on a powerful and organized establishment you have to be a hierarchy” (Gladwell 237). In other words, Gladwell is saying that in order to initiate a trend, it should be an individual who stands up for what he or she believes in, regardless of the cost. Caitlyn was a prime example of one who stands with bravery and took a risk, confessing to everyone the transition that was happening in her life. This courageous action influenced and touched the hearts of many people, allowing other transgender individuals to act freely and not hide his or her identity. If an idolized athlete and celebrity such as …show more content…
His outlook is that people should be straightforward about a situation and confront it head-on. He shows his viewpoint in the following quote: “Boycotts and sit-ins and nonviolent confrontations-which were the weapons of choice for the civil rights movement-, are high risk strategies. They leave little room for conflict and error” (Gladwell 237). A chief example of how social media can raise awareness, but failed to reciprocate a major change in the world for the better was the trend called the “ALS Ice Bucket Challenge.” The ALS Ice Bucket Challenge was when an individual throws a bucket of ice water on his or her head to publicize awareness and raise funds for research on the disease known as Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (alsa.org/fight-als/ice-bucket-challenge.html). The Oxford English Dictionary defines awareness as “The quality or state of being aware, consciousness; also the condition of being aware (of something or that something is)” (“awareness”). While it is important to some degree to actually have knowledge about the disease and how it affects society, it does not directly assist in the advancement in finding a cure. The ALS Ice Bucket Challenge went viral with videos that did help raise awareness of the disease. However, a vast majority of the participants performing in the challenge were young adults and teenagers who were looking for
After finalizing the divorce of him and Kris Jenner in early 2015, a 20/20 interview with Diane Sawyer came out in April of 2015, releasing the news that Bruce came out as a transgender woman. Caitlyn said that she had dealt with gender dysphoria since her youth and that, she cross dressed for many years and also took hormone replacement therapy, but stopped after her relationship with Kris Jenner in the early 1990s became more serious. Caitlyn recounts having permission to explore her gender identity on her own from Kris, but because of not knowing the best way to talk about the issues they faced about this situation of wanting to become a woman, it lead to the deterioration of the 23-year-long
Name: Instructor: Course: Date: Rhetorical Analysis essay “Small Change: Why the Revolution Will Not Be Tweeted.” In his article “Small Change: Why the Revolution Will Not Be Tweeted.”, the author, Malcolm Gladwell presents the readers his rhetorically effective arguments regarding the socio-political question why social networks cannot be an efficacious instrument in arranging such fundamental changes in the life of society as revolutions.
In his article “Small Change: Why the Revolution Will Not Be Tweeted”, published in the New York Times on October 2010, Malcolm Gladwell looks closely into the notion of social change and the different means to achieve it. He makes a clear distinction between traditional activism, which implies sacrifices and physical devotion, and current activism, based on social networks. The writer considers that “social media can’t provide what social change has always required” (Gladwell, paragraph 1).
In the article “Small Change: Why the Revolution Will Not Be Tweeted” by Malcolm Gladwell, he argues that the use of social media to start a revolution doesn’t help the cause to be as big or impactful than it could be. He explains the connection between social media with “weak-ties” versus “strong-ties.” In relation with these “ties,” throughout the article Gladwell goes back and forth from discussing the successful approaches of the Civil Rights Movement and their strategies for their cause without the use of social media, to how ineffective other various organizations in the past and present turned to social media to try their cause.
Communication is a process that allows us to construct identities based on the interpretation and intention of speech acts. Caitlyn Jenner, formerly known as Bruce Jenner, spent most her life identified by her master identity as a cis-white-male and until a few years ago she adopted the interactional identity of a transgender female. In this paper, I will demonstrate how various forms of speech acts build, remain and/or change the master and interactional identity of Caitlyn Jenner as well as her relationships to others. To do so I will explain how Caitlyn Jenner seeks advice from her close family member Scott Disick to help her understand the variety of speech acts coming from both her private and public life: ranging from Scott who demonstrate face redress and accept her based on her new interaction identity as a female, while also dealing with the face threats that come from those (particularly males) who only see her as her previous master identity as a male.
Sexual subjectivity refers to the notion that a person’s sexual orientation, or rather, sexual desires dictate their identity and how they perform said identity. For the purposes of this essay, the focus will be on the recently dubbed “American hero” for her journey with transitioning from being a male to a female, Caitlyn Jenner. The famous news of Caitlyn Jenner’s transition had plagued the tabloids in 2015, where some probing questions about her sexuality have been answered and some left unanswered. Caitlyn Jenner has performed two distinct forms of gender on the family reality television series (Keeping up with the Kardashians) and her new reality television series, which will be the media discussed (I am Cait). These distinct forms of gender roles also accompanied a change in her sexuality—or at least the spark of a change. Although Caitlyn Jenner’s new identity has majorly evolved during the past few years, due to her lack of disclosure in regards to her sexual orientation, her identity as a whole remains to be under questioning. Certain aspects of Caitlyn Jenner’s transition tend to indicate that she will succumb to society’s ideals of heteronormativity and transform her sexuality as a result, by creating a new sexual identity for her new gender. It can also be argued that her sexuality is completely dependent on how she performs it, rather than what she as an individual actually wants and desires. This essay will use evidence through Caitlyn Jenner’s new reality
Over the past few years, the issues faced by people who identify as transgender (gender dysphoric) have gained momentum in the media. From Caitlyn Jenner to which bathroom to use, transgender people have made a lot of progress in addressing
Candis Cayne, the first transgender actress to have a recurring primetime television role, was brought onto I am Cait, along with others, to show Jenner’s introduction and immersion in the transgender community. Cayne, having transitioned from male to female years ago, is a valuable resource for Jenner. But unlike Jenner, Cayne chose to undergo complete gender reassignment surgery, according to the New York Times. With so much transgender life experience, if nothing else, she has proven to be a significant mentor and friend to Jenner through her journey.
“It’s hard to decide what’s more frustrating about Bruce Jenner’s decision play-act a woman named Caitlyn: that we’re all supposed to ohh and aww over his new feminine face or curvy breasts, or that we’re supposed to act like this is at once fantastic and normal, brave and routine,” says Russell. Individuals all over the world question if Bruce’s transition is really brave, or just for attention, after sixty-five years of living. Since he is doing it publicly, with an interview with Diane Sawyer, and on Keeping Up With the Kardashians, it is easy for people to think that way. Adding onto that, since he is a celebrity, he is able to afford all of the surgeries, and the top doctors and plastic surgeons, but for other people, they are not so lucky. He cannot symbolize the transgender community when the population is not as fortunate as him.
Bruce Jenner transgender has change his whole life style. Some people think Bruce Jenner is just cross- dressing but Jenner said “Its not that
In the reading “Small Change : Why the Revolution Will Not Be Tweeted,” Malcolm Gladwell discusses the act of four brave college students and their act of social activism. The four freshmen from a local all black college sat down at a counter in a diner near Greensboro, North Carolina and were denied service because of their race. The students refused to leave and instead started a protest there at the restaurant. The numbers of people protesting with the four young men increased as the story spreaded across states. The story of the sit in was done without the use of any technology or social network. Gladwell discussed the effectiveness of the sit-in because of the relationship between
As Gladwell conducts his argument, he writes with confidence and authority, which expresses his passion and knowledge about the subject. Gladwell’s poise throughout the essay, combined with his resume, establishes his credibility and constructs a rhetorically effective argument. Being a best-selling author as well as a professional
What determines a movement? Malcolm Gladwell defines what pushes a movement to make a difference. He analyzes the concept of “strong ties” and “weak ties” and how these relationships affect an individual’s willpower and determination to help a cause. Gregory Orr puts these ideas into context in his memoir, “Return to Hayneville”, in which he recounts his experience and involvement in the civil rights movement of the 1960s. Malcolm Gladwell’s “Small Change: Why the Revolution Will Not Be Tweeted”, focuses, in particular, on the civil rights movement concentrates to the lunch counter sit-ins in Greensboro, North Carolina. Gladwell’s ideas and opinions of social and political emancipations are given a real world setting, as
According to Dictionary.reference.com, activism is the policy or action of using campaigning to bring about political or social change. A huge campaign that is well known across the world, the Civil Rights Movement, was brought about by Martin Luther King, Jr. King risked his life everyday to ensure justice and equality for the African American race. “Small Change” by Malcolm Gladwell gives insight on how activism is more effective than social media, especially from one scenario at the Woolworth’s lunch counter in Greensboro, North Carolina. Gladwell points out his strong belief of what activism can do for a society rather
Transgender inequality has gone on for a lot of years, causing commotion, suicides, and more. Due to the lack of respect to transgender people, some feel like they don’t belong here, because of all the hate they get from others and end their life which should never happen. In 1952 “Christine Jorgenson became the first American to have a sex change” (The New York Times). The first transition from male to female sex was starting the new transgender phenomenon. One person started something and now a bunch of people do it. If someone else isn’t comfortable as who they are why would another make fun of them, when they know they are already nervous in their own skin. Transgender is a category that more people should take a stand on and protect: “That’s why we defend free speech and advocate for political prisoners, and condemn the persecution of women, or religious minorities, or people who are lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender” Mr. Obama said (The New York Times).On New York Times it states, “It is always a tragedy when anybody takes their own life, doubly so when they are so young.”This week Leelah Alcorn took her own life. In her