The Leader

Peyton Manning embodies what a true leader looks like. For those of you that don't know, Peyton Manning is the quarterback of the Indianapolis Colts, a professional football team. In his tenure as quarterback, the Colts have made the playoffs 11 times with two Superbowl trips and one championship ring. Peyton Manning has won the prestigious Most Valuable Player of the league award a record four times as well as earning the Superbowl MVP award. He has set and broken many many records and is considered a shoe-in for induction to the pro football hall of fame despite the fact his career isn't even over. Those are some impressive statistics.

But flashy numbers aren't the only things that make Peyton Manning a great leader. Pure talent alone is not enough to lead people. Peyton has something about him that makes everyone else on his team better, which is a primary function of a leader in any situation. He leads by example with his incalculable drive and dedication to what he does. He sets the example for others showing them what it takes to be on top and that includes getting your hands dirty by doing the hard things. He shows up at the practice facility at 5 am to watch film and study his past performances as well as his upcoming oppoenents. He analyzes himself, and addresses any shortcomings and mistakes that he makes, and you can be darn sure he won't make the same mistake twice. He also works hard physically, keeping his body in the condition the game requires. That kind of dedication really inspires his teammates around him. Peyton is also a decision maker. His discipline and thorough knowledge of the game allow him to control whats going on during a game, and make critical decisions on the fly. Peyton Manning leads by example, makes decisions, and has a dedication to excellence, all of which make him an exceptional leader.

Exit Through the Gift Shop

Exit Through the Gift Shop is a documentary on a very interesting but controversial topic: street graffiti. Many consider graffiti a form of artistic expression that deserves respect and admiration, while others dismiss it as vandalism. Banksy is a very skilled graffiti artist who often combines dark humor into his work.

If you think graffiti is art, fine, host an art show and rip a bunch of people off to make some money, but don't go around vandalizing the public/private property of others.

Responsibility

I was on the "for censorship" side of the debate. A popular argument the opposing side made was that as competent adults, people should not let themselves be manipulated by advertisements and whatever products/ideas/lifestyles they are attempting to impress on them, if they are dumb enough to believe it, its their own fault. This is a very narrow minded view, advertisers have power, they can change the very fabric of society through all of the products and messages they're selling, even if some people are incompetent, that doesn't give the right to advertisers to prey on them how they want. Advertisers must have responsibility in how they conduct their business and be careful not to manipulate society in a harmful fashion.

Ads are Porn

Far too many advertisements are sexually explicit. Take the super bowl commercials for example. This event is the single most widely viewed television event every year and is notorious for how expensive the air time is for advertisements. There were several ads on from companies like Godaddy.com and Sketchers, that displayed scantily clad women in commercials that were highly inappropriate. Also, consider the audience, there are thousands of children watching the game, children are being exposed to these pornographic images. This is completely wrong, and must be changed. I don't care how much money you pay, a company should not be allowed to display these kinds of commercials. There needs to be much stricter regulation for television advertisements, especially when children are watching.

Media

The dove commercial we watched in class was very clever. They attempted to make themselves appear as the "good guys" because the company was upfront about the kind of shameful practices lots of beauty product advertisements are involved with. Dove however may not have been truly sincere in their mission to remove the practices of beauty enhancement in their advertising, but they at least have cast a favorable image of honesty about themselves.

Field Day Assignment

Thanks for dropping in. This week, I've invited the notorious politician Henry Donavon to an interview* concerning the controversy surrounding the internet organization Wiki-leaks.

Below is the criteria I used for evaluating Mr. Donavon's critical thinking capacity

• The subject is honest with their shortcomings and lack of knowledge
• The subject is enthusiastic about the opportunity to address controversial issues
• The subject strives for understanding
• The subject is patient with complexity
• The subject has a legitimate desire to overcome his/her own confusion
• The subject bases judgments on evidence rather than personal preference
• The subject is open to opposing viewpoints when appropriate
• The subject demonstrates use of the three pillars of critical thinking: Investigation, Interpretation, and Judgement
• The subject provides accurate educated guesses when necessary
• The subject avoids unwarranted conclusions based on bias and prejudice

These elements are then formulated into a final score on a scale of

1. Awful
2. Disappointing
3. Decent
4. Excellent
5. Mind-Blowing

Mr. Donovan's final score was a 4, demonstrating excellent critical thinking skills. He addressed questions directly and had a confident knowledge of the subject. His judgments and conclusions concerning the controversy at hand were based on sound evidence and principles.

The "What is Critical Thinking" handout had some insightful ideas about the fundamentals of a critical thinker. In particular, the excerpt addressed several common misconceptions about critical thinking, and identified some mistakes that the common layman often makes when he considers himself to be "critically thinking". Critical thinking is not memorization or imitation, but rather the process of of questioning and evaluating issues and forming sound judgments and conclusions.

*The interview was an elaborate ruse designed to bait Mr. Donavon into a critical thinking evaluation test

Beginning this blog.

Hello, this is my first blog post. Enjoy.