Scott Summit
Mrs. Miner
English 1010
February 13, 2013
One morning you are a running a little late for work. You hop in the car and begin the drive,
hoping for nothing major to happen on the way there. Your boss keeps getting after for being late,
and today you have an important meeting.
As you drive down the road, there is a sign flashing asking you to slow
down for children crossing the busy street on their way to school. In this moment, you have the choice to ignore
the signs telling you to slow down, or do the responsible thing and slow
down. Most people will probably slow
down, but you are in a hurry. You really
need to be at work on time today.
As you get closer to the flashing sign, you see kids coming
up to the crosswalk. Do you speed up, or
do the responsible thing and slow down?
You may be smiling as you are reading this, thinking that of
course you would slow down. But in
today’s busy world do we bother to actually look up from our iPhone or iPad to
actually see the kids near the crosswalk?
I am distressed to see how many adults are driving while
distracted. Driving down Main Street it
is not uncommon to see at least one other driver on their phone talking to someone
or a driver who is looking down, not paying attention to the road. This is a serious problem.
On October 27, 2008 an editorial that appeared on the
website “theonion.com”, (1) an editorial cartoon that emphasis this point. The cartoon is a picture comparing and
contrasting how we as a society view both the youth and technology today with
the view of both 30-40 years ago.
In this cartoon there are two sides: one has a caption that
says, “Then,” and the other side has the caption “Now.” The side that has the caption “Then” shows an
idealistic picture of a boy and girl, carrying books, on their way to
school. The kids, smiling, are about to
use the crosswalk to cross the street.
There is a sign that says, “Children x-ing, please slow down”. Above the words appears a sign that has a boy
and girl using the crosswalk. This is
the same sign that is still seen near schools.
The children are smiling, happy to be on the way to
school. They are both dressed in nice
clothes, the girl in a skirt. I am sure
that some children are happy to go to school, though this is not the way I felt
each morning.
On the other side of the cartoon the same situation
appears. Two children are about to step
onto a crosswalk. Only the kids look
markedly different on this side then one the first side. One difference is the sign. The words “Children with gadgets… please
speed up”. The picture above the words
is different as well. The boy is drawn
as having baggy pants, headphones and a cell phone. The girl is also carrying a cell phone. There is a man, who is saying the words,
“Don’t break for gizmos.”
The kids are drawn differently. The boy has a hat on backwards, with baggy
pants and a tee shirt that reads, “RAP BAND”.
He has an iPod blaring in his ears and is carrying a portable gaming
device. The girl is wearing a shirt with
“SLUT” across it, busy talking on her cell phone and reading a book with the
title “text-o-matic.”
The kids on the left side appear as they probably would have
30-40 years ago. The kids are well
groomed, have on nice clothing, and have a nice look about them. The sign is asking people to be considerate
on the youth crossing the street.
The kids on the right side of this cartoon look and are
acting like what most people would call the “average” teenager. It is becoming increasingly popular to have
baggy pants, to have a cell phone, and to generally have a sloppy
appearance. These kids are seemingly all
over high schools and shopping malls across America.
This cartoon uses primarily uses pathos, ethos and logos to
show the viewers how technology is a problem in today’s society. The cartoon uses pathos to appeal to people
emotions. The viewers feel shocked to
see the right side, where the sign is asking drivers to speed up. I felt shocked when I first saw this
cartoon. This I think is an emotion the
author wanted his viewers to feel.
The use of technology has increased exponentially in the
last few decades. Whereas few people had
cell phones 20 years, it is uncommon to find a teen today that does not. My grandparents did not know what an iPod or
MP3 player was until I told them multiple times. They still play their records to listen to
music. They do not understand what it
takes to be a teen today.
With so many distractions out there, it is unsurprising to
see many teams so involved with technology.
There are countless online games, cell phone apps, music players, and
other forms of electronics that not being involved with it is inconceivable for
today’s youth. You must be able to use a
computer, send a text message, and do other things to survive in the
future. Technology is not bad; it
enhances our lives. We can send a
message to someone almost instantly, and they can send a reply back. It is easier to communicate with others today
than it was 30-40 years ago. It is how
and when we use technology that it becomes a problem.
Many parents and other responsible adults do not feel that
the use of electronics is bad. I agree
with those that feel this way. I do
think that when we use technology irresponsibly is when it is bad. The kids on the right side of the cartoon are
so distracted that I doubt they would notice an oncoming car. I think the cartoon implies that any
oncoming drive will be distracted as well.
Many drivers today are distracted with cell phones and other
electronics.
The cartoon also uses logos to persuade the users that media
distractions are becoming a problem in today’s society. If I saw a sign with “Speed u. Children with
gadgets.” on it I would probably go the city offices and complain. I would want that sign changed. It is completely irresponsible for drivers
not to yield to pedestrians, especially kids.
I know it is an inconvenience, but it is a good thing to do.
If I or most any other adult saw kids about to cross a road,
of course we would hit the brakes and wait for the kids to cross. It is just common sense. Why would you want to speed up for kids? That makes it less safe for kids to cross the
road. So why would the words “speed up”
be used in this cartoon? I think they
are used to show us how ridiculous it would be to have such a sign. Sometimes you need to exaggeration in an
argument to show a point. This is a
point well worth exaggerating.
The picture also uses ethos to show how we as a society view
our youth. “Ethos is a Greek word meaning ‘character’ that is used to describe the guiding beliefs or ideals that characterize a community, nation, or ideology”. (2) Both sides of the cartoon show how society has viewed children: the left side 30-40 years ago, and the right side of how we view the youth.
The effectiveness of this editorial cartoon will not be noticed at first. Its real impact lies in our realization of how technology is impacting our youth, as well as ourselves. When we realize the impact that electronics are having in our daily lives, we should evaluate how we use them. If needed, we should cut back how much we use them, as well as when and where we use them. We should also realize that with smart use, electronics enhance our lives as never before.
Sources:
The effectiveness of this editorial cartoon will not be noticed at first. Its real impact lies in our realization of how technology is impacting our youth, as well as ourselves. When we realize the impact that electronics are having in our daily lives, we should evaluate how we use them. If needed, we should cut back how much we use them, as well as when and where we use them. We should also realize that with smart use, electronics enhance our lives as never before.
Sources:
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