At my highschool when you became a senior you would eventually have to complete what was known as a, “Dreadful,” senior project. This was a complete dread for many of my classmates and myself. The project first required us to pick an occupation and research what the job was really about. At the time I thought this project was the worst thing that could ever happen to me, but soon became quite insightful. I decided that with this project I would pick the job, PR, known as Public Relations. Picking Public Relations is something I have always had interest in so I thought why not. After picking my occupation I then had to find out what my pay and budget would be. I had to budget an apartment, food, car, telephone, electric bill, water bill, cable, taxes, and everything else that goes into living a normal lifestyle. This is when I had to really think about how much money would go into each category, and be careful with the amount of money I was spending. This part of the project included graphs, research, and thought. I found out that Public Relations is a very fast growing occupation according to Bureau of Labor Statistics, “Employment of public relations specialists is expected to grow 24 percent from 2008 to 2018, much faster than the average for all occupations”. The next part of our project was to really understand what the job we picked was really all about. In order to do this, each student was to personally find something in that job and interview them on what they do, and what life in the day of them consists of. Since I picked PR, I found a man who was the director of Public Relations at a big hospital and interviewed him. As we were interviewing he of course told me all the basics, and how his job was to protect the company’s image and name. He was to stay close with reporters and news stations along with keeping good relationships with everyone he came in contact with. In the middle of the interview he got an emergency call about a shooting in the hospitals parking deck and the victim was found dead in their vehicle. I was shocked when this occurred, and didn’t realise what people in PR really had to deal with. He immediately made phone calls and had to get on the job of making sure no one would find out, because as soon as the media does find out, it could hurt the company severely. When he was done making his phone calls he told me not to be alarmed and that in order to work in PR you need to be prepared for any type of situation and any time. This is what really tought me the true meaning of PR and if you go into that field how important is it to always be on task and be organized in the work that you do, because you never know what could happen. Even though I thought this project would be dreadful, the interview tought me a lot about the true meaning of what it is like in Public Relations, and I am now very glad we were given the known as, “dreadful” senior project.
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Recently in English 101 we were given the assignment of creating a research paper on anything we want that may be meaningful to ourselves. At first I had no idea what topic I would choose, but finally decided my topic would be on Tourette Syndrome. Many might think this is a random topic, but to me this disorder is one I believe people should become more educated in. The main reason I Have chosen this topic is because my brother has grown up with the disorder of Tourette Syndrome. This research paper is important to me because I have written it to try and educate others with facts, and learn how a person who is diagnosed with the disorder of Tourette Syndome really lives .
The Secret Life of Tourette Syndrome
When someone hears the words Tourette Syndrome, they often misunderstand the true definition by what they might think or have heard this disorder is about. Many times people joke about Tourrettes because media often portrays it as a funny disorder, but it is the opposite and has a much deeper meaning than people may interpret it. The National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Strokes states, “Tourette syndrome, abbreviated with the letters TS, is a brain disorder characterized by repetitive, stereotyped,
Facial tics photo from netterimages
involuntary movements and vocalizations called tics.” This National Institute also includes,
Dr. Georgas Galles de la Tourette picture by historiadelamedicina.org
“Tourette Syndrome is named for Dr. Georgas Galles de la Tourette, the pioneering French neurologist who in 1885 first noted the diagnosed condition in an 86-year-old French nobleman.” Media creates false information on a daily basis, and it is important not to depend on only it, but depend on the truth of facts. It is important to realize what this disorder really means, and to gain true knowledge on facts, and not just information from what you hear or see on the media.
Talk of Tourette Syndrome became widely talked about after the show, True Life: I Have Tourette’s Syndrome. This show was meant to inform frequent viewers of MTV about this disorder; however became the opposite as a funny subject for many viewers to talk about. This show also created more bullying towards students with Tourettes then there already is. Giving the idea to young children to laugh at the idea of someone having Tourettes can become an extreme issue for someone diagnosed with this disease. “Children with Tourette syndrome and associated impulsive traits often have major aggressive outbursts and are easily wound up. Other children will be quick to see this and do their best to wind up the child and get him into trouble (Chowdhury, Uttom Tics and Tourette Syndrome : A Handbook for Parents and Professionals).The episodes on True Life: I Have Tourette’s, gave the idea that people with Tourrette’s have miserable lives, no friends, and scream and curse all the time. True Life focused on the cursing, hitting, and emotional aspects of having Tourettes. The show left out however, that still having Tourettes you can have a great social life, and even though it might be more difficult for some, you can still be happy and overcome the fact of being diagnosed with Tourette syndrome.
True Life-Where Tourette Episodes were seen
Unfortunately with the disorder of Tourettes, tics are brought into place. Tics are sudden brief movements or sounds that a person repeats over and over (Tourette’s Syndrome: What It Is and How It’s Treated). These tics can be mild or severe, as well as coming and going at certain times. According the American Family Physician, common ticks can come anywhere from eye blinking to shoulder shrugging. American Family Physician has concluded Ticks can become worse with stress or if you talk about them. In nervous or exciting situations tics become elevated with more movement or vocal tics causing more frustration for the person with
What comes along with Tourettes
tics, then causing even more of a trigger for tics. With the help of medications some tics are able to be lessoned with neuroleptic drugs, such as haloperidol, pimozide, and fluphenazine (Luise Pernar).
Hearing the name of Tourettes and tics bring about a common question of what causes this disorder, and why can’t the tics stop? The answer to this question remains unknown, but parts of the brain that control a chemical called dopamine my be involved, and the syndrome may also be involved in the family (National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Strokes). Tics are unable to stop because if the person does not get out their urge to do the tic, it can hurt them, and it is something you simply can not prevent.
The organization, “WE MOVE”, has divided the tics into two categories. One category named Motor tics and the other Vocal tics. “WE MOVE” stated during motor tics, initially patients develop recurrent involuntary movements, particularly in the head and facial area. Motor tics can also include things like grinding teeth, kicking, hitting ones self, without being able to stop. Vocal tics are also bursts of loud vocalizations that occur at any second without warning, causing the person hearing the vocal tic to jump. The difference is motor tics usually consist of abrupt, brief, isolated movements, such as repeated eye blinking or facial twitching (“WE MOVE”). Vocal tics usually begin as a single simple sound that my eventually progress to involve more complex phrases and vocalizations (“WE MOVE”). It is very often people have the misperception of thinking when someone with Tourettes screams out; they have to say a curse word. This is a very false statement, blurting out can include random words, sentences, or what that person may be thinking about at the time.
Tic urges photo by emedicine
Tics have the power to create embarrassment and also significantly interfere with certain activities such as writing or reading of other activities in someone’s life because of anxiety about showing or displaying tics in public or social situations (“WE MOVE”). Tourettes can also cause self-consciousness and depression causing the person to withdrawal from professional or social situations (‘WE MOVE”).
When becoming familiar with this research on Tourette Syndrome it is important to realize who may be getting hurt by ones actions towards someone with Tourettes. Many interpret this disorder the wrong way causing a confusion of what comes about with this disorder. Without learning the knowledge about this disorder, people with Tourettes will continue to have to same problems they have today. It is important to know Tourette Syndrome is not a negative characteristic, but just a mind imperfection.
Works Cited
National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Strokes. National Institute of Health, June 2010. Web. 9 Nov. 2010. <http://www.ninds.nih.gov>.
“Tourette’s Syndrome: What It Is and How It’s Treated.” AAFP. American Family Physician, 1 Mar. 2008. Web. 1 Nov. 2010.
“We Move”. WE MOVE. 7 Dec. 2008. Web. 1 Nov. 2008.
Kingsley, Jessica.“Bullying and Tourette Syndrome.” Tics and Tourette Syndrome : A Handbook for Parents and Professionals. By Kingsley. Chowdhury: Uttom, 2004. page 118. site.ebrary.com/lib/Alabama. Web. 4 Nov. 2009.
Pernar, Luise. “Parkinson’s Disease and Tourette’s Syndrome.” serendip.brynmawr.edu. Serendip, 7 Jan. 2002. Web. 6 Nov. 2010.
When searching for a magazine to pick up and look through, we usually pick up what draws our attention the most. This could be fashion, celebrities, food, work, electronics, furniture, and whatever else could pull someone’s attention. Recently I have learned there are four main categories that magazines tend to be categorized in. The first are Consumer Magazines, which advertises and report on consumer lifestyles and consumer products. Second are Trade Journals, these magazines relying on strictly business. Next Sponsored Publications, which include particular publications along with organizations, unions, or other Groups. The last category is Farm Publications, covering agriculture and agribusiness.
When we see a magazine in a grocery story, mall, or drug store, our first response is not to automatically filter it into a specific group. Our first thought, or my first thought is if the magazine looks interesting, then I decide why not pick up the magazine that looks interesting and scan through it before I get to the front of the line. Many tend to do this, and forget to realize a lot of what we are reading, is sugar-coated to add more interest to the information originally provided.
Adding all the different parts together to create a magazine takes a lot of hard work, and requires many different workers that eventually create a magazine that will be sold to the public. What is now being focused on with more magazines is the appearance. This doesn’t always include the design or layout of the magazine, but the ads and images. Ads in magazines have turned into what looks cool, what looks good, and what people want to hear. This is what becomes dangerous in magazines. Rose M. Kundanis, author of “Children, Teens, Families and Mass Media: The Millennial Generation,” states: “Magazines, not television, seem to have the strongest relationship to eating disorders.” This statement is something I strongly agree with because magazines are becoming more and more destructive to a person’s mind, causing many ideas that should not have been created in the first place.
Some magazines can be a great thing they give advice, tips, and information in an exciting way, while others send out the wrong ideas about image. There is no one to blame but ourselves, because as magazines become more and more fake, we still continue to buy them.
Source:
Kundanis, M. Rose. “Bodies are New Priorities for Girls.” Womensenews.org. We News, 29 Oct. 2003. Web. 10 Nov. 2010.
Throughout unit one I have learned many things about communication as a whole that made me think about life in general and how people communicate with one another. Before learning the basics of mass communications I never thought about how anything was communicated or how people communicate with each other, I always just kept the idea that communication is just a conditioned factor. Alghough Communitcation is conditioned and just something we all know to do, much more comes from communicating. Withough communication there would be no life or energy in the world. Interpersonal, mediated, and mass communication are all used to get some kind of point across whether it be face to face, in a small group, or a very large group. These types of communication are not just focused on speech, or a person communicating to others, but go as far as TV, the radio, magazines, news, and ect. What also ties into communication is Media. The media is important because as the world changes so does information and the way of doing things. Technology today is constantly progressing and without economic congervence and technological convergence the world would not be the same as it is today. The reason I have chosen to be a student at Alabama is not only because I’m a Bama fan, but because of the teaching, experience, and success that is mediated about Alabama. Withough the communication through televison, newspapers, the radia, magazines, and art, many upcoming college students wouldn’t even know about how great Alabama is because no one communicated any imformation. My title includes the question, “Where would we be without communication,” simply because without it there would be nothing, and through this unit I have learned more in depth of what communications is all about and how it impacts every singe one of us in out daily lives.
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