Marchello Carlucci

COM327-010

April 1st, 2017

Dr. Grapsy 

Duke Lacrosse Case

When the Duke Lacrosse rape scandal first came out it caught everyones attention and was a very big deal for society, as most rape cases typically are. Although there was no evidence or proof of anything that these lacrosse boys actually did, it was believed just from the words of this colored girl saying that these three white college boys raped her. Now we obviously know today that this wasn't true and that this was a bunch of fake news, but before it finally came out that these boys were innocent, everyone believed that these three men had indeed rapped this girl. The girls attorney and everyone jumped to conclusions on this case so fast and it was so hyped up because of peoples generalizations. Everyone immediately believed that these stuck up, privileged white college lacrosse boys would go and do this to some innocent women of color. This accusation really ruined these boys lives for the time being, based just off this one girls words and society did the rest of the work from there. News like this is a very big deal and is heard and read about almost world wide, having everyone in the country look and think of you with disgust when in reality these boys did nothing wrong just based off of one girls words and the media reporting there side and then society does the rest. A lot of this is a thanks to media and the way that they report the news, although people will assume what they will when they here stories, the media puts a different spin on these sort of scandals and incorporate other aspects of the situation that aren't relevant creating inaccurate representations. For example there was even a book made about the situation written by William D. Cohan’s ,The Price of Silence: The Duke Lacrosse Scandal, the Power of the Elite, and the Corruption of Our Great Universities. “The book is at once a masterwork of reporting and a devastating critique of a university that has lost its way.”(newyorktimes). The fact that the school was given this image and representation of decline and failure just because of three boys on a sports team were wrongly accused is terrible. There is fake news all around the world every day involving any number of different things, where this news is typically just news reporters and writers taking there opinions and what they know people will bit on and giving it to them. Writers and reporters use there own vocabulary and opinions and have the ability to persuade societies opinions. In situations like these where the news is something that seems everyone believes, media attacks at it more than not. Another quote I found in the New York Times stated “..the three accused players were savages, patently guilty of an act of profound sexual violence..”(thenewyorktimes). The vocabulary that is used to describe these men is wrong and inaccurately stated being that these boys never did anything wrong and this individual female along with the media created this huge fake story. 

Marchello Carlucci

COM 210-020

Feb 24, 2017

Blog #1

   The Trump Era 

               Months before trump was elected, the thought and idea of Donald Trump ever becoming the president of the United States stuck almost everyone as a joke. It really is a crazy thing that someone with a history like Donald Trump could ever be the president. After it came out that he did indeed win the election there was mixed feelings by the population of the United States, varying from Joyful to terrified and a couple in between. It is a huge event in our history and it is seen all over, from social media, radio, news, to in our classrooms and it is crazy how open people are with voicing there opinions. So much so that I have almost witnessed fights in some of my classes just because of people disagreeing about wether its right or wrong that Donald Trump is our president. 

Coming into office Trump had a a bunch of things he planned on changing and things he planned on putting unto action. Some of which personally I think are good ideas but a lot of the way that he went about communicating and representing these ideas to the public were poorly done. Donald Trump told the crowd gathered at his New York headquarters to hear the mogul’s first campaign speech. “They’re bringing drugs. They’re bringing crime. They’re rapists. And some, I assume, are good people.”(POLITICO MAGAZINE). Out of this I can certain understand how this can strike many people in the wrong way. Although he is looking to overall benefit the population and people of the United States by taking certain people out. The way that he groups people together and labels them as a whole is wrong, not everyone that is here that has a green card or not is not automatically a bad person. In many of my classes I have had foreigners and people that have traveled to this country legally and have a green card have expressed there fears of Trump being president, I don't quite understand where these fears are coming from when they are already here and a citizen. He is stating that he wants to get all of the illegal immigrants out of the country, not legal citizens. 

While Trump is too open with his words and doesn't act like a president with certain words he chooses and certain actions he goes about making he does have other qualities that makes him to be a strong leader. Trump is smart economically and having had dealt with money for his entire life he is smart with his money and is really looking to help the United States get out of debt and create more jobs for people.  "Donald Trump can actually operate and economy and bring America back into insolvency, by creating actual jobs and by expanding our worth as a world leader rather than being indebted and playing second fiddle to foreign nations."(Discuss Much). This is something that America is in need of, considering how much debt our country is in and how little our previous presidents have been able to do about it. Although he may be going at it all aggressively he really has just represented that he is going to do everything possibly to reverse this problem that we have been seeing economically in our country. A lot of things he has talked about was canceling certain fundings that we have been doing in attempt to conserve and spend our money on different and more appropriate needs for our country.  

Works Cited:

Magazine, P., Heilbrunn, J., Karni, A., & Gollan, J. (n.d.). The 155 Craziest Things Trump Said This Election. Retrieved February 24, 2017, from http://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2016/11/the-155-craziest-things-trump-said-this-cycle-214420

Kelly, A., & Sprunt, B. (2016, November 09). Here Is What Donald Trump Wants To Do In His First 100 Days. Retrieved February 24, 2017, from http://www.npr.org/2016/11/09/501451368/here-is-what-donald-trump-wants-to-do-in-his-first-100-days