Once upon a time... Brianna did her blog
"A better way to talk about abortion" -Aspen Baker
https://www.ted.com/talks/aspen_baker_a_better_way_to_talk_about_abortion/up-next#t-1176
ANALYSIS:
Baker is an activist in the new "spectrum" she created with the term "pro-voice", and wanted to show that the division society creates with abortion (and almost anything else political) doesn't have to single out a person. She talked about the invention of "pro-voice", and how it was the first of its kind with abortion related topics. She created a calling service, kind of like an addiction network, that would just allow men and women to talk about their experiences with abortion, whether they had one or not. She hoped it would create a sort of safe-place for people to share their feelings toward the subject, as well as get emotional help. Since she created the hotline, she talked about what it means to be a good listener (the person receiving the call), as well as good storyteller (the person calling). She talked about how listening to someone talk about how God and their religious beliefs, might be uncomfortable for a non-religious believer, but that one has to be open-minded. On the other side of the call, the person telling their personal story might feel uncomfortable sharing such a personal experience with a complete stranger; Baker blames society for that. Baker also uses her own personal experience with having an abortion right after she graduate college. She talked about all her life she grew up in the middle of religious, pro-life activists and how that didn't make her decision to have an abortion. She also talked about her pregnancy later in her life, and how she knew that she was ready to have the baby and that she welcomed her new son. Baker said that it is ultimately a decision that can't be easily decided and listening to others and their experiences makes the decision a bit easier.
Speaker:
Baker first touches on the personal aspect of persuasion by telling her own story with abortion. She talks about how she made the decision not to have her baby, which went against everything her childhood believe in. Baker said that when she was a child she would say that she could never take the life of a baby (because of how cute they were), and that she was brought up in a family that had always been pro-life. She was even born on the third anniversary of the Row vs. Wade case (that criminalized or restricted access to abortions). Her community were serving Christians, and yet that still didn't fluctuate her decision to have her abortion. I think that this is the most compelling argument that she presented in her Ted Talk because it showed that even with her background, she felt the need to do research and talk to other people about abortions (even though it was tough to do so). In addition to personal experience, Baker used statistical facts, or logos, to appeal to a certain type of audience. She presents the fact that 1 in 3 women will have an abortion in her life. That is a compellingly big number when thinking about the amount of women who are religious or come from a religious background. I think that she overall, prevents her evidence well and talks about her subject even better.
Personal Relationship:
I really liked this Ted Talk, as well as the speaker who chose to speak on this topic. Abortion is hard to talk about and overall has a bad connotation, but I don't think it needs it. With the Women's March yesterday, I think that the subject of abortion is very relevant and should be discussed (no matter how difficult it is). Not only is abortion a current division in our society, but contraception is as well. Almost all of my friends are on birth control and I have an IUD, making the concept of pregnancy known, but abortion is still something we don't talk about. This is a reason why I was drawn to the video and why I chose to analyze it: it's misunderstood. I am a firm believer in feminism and leaving women to be able to decide for themselves, but without giving women the knowledge of all their choices, some women could be lost. The organization of Planned Parenthood shouldn't be seen as a place that's scary just because they specialize in difficult topics. I support these organizations helping women through their experiences (wether they're tough or not), and believe that the topic of abortion shouldn't be hidden or kept to the side just because of division caused by modern society. Although I have never had to make the decision of abortion myself, I hope that if I ever do have to make this decision that I have people in my life that will listen to me and respect my decision.
Brianna! I watched your tedtalk and really enjoyed your post. I think difficult conversations are some of the best and one most needed to have. Otherwise the subject is left misunderstood and the lack of awareness and unfamiliarity increases. I'm glad you chose this topic as it does relate to storytelling because women have their stories and can be shared to lift the anxiety it used to bring, raise awareness, and bring more people together. I think with all stories it's definitely how the speaker presents it because all their facts remain the same, it's just how they convey it. This lies in with the listener aspect and one key point in the talk that stood out to me was the person on the receiving end use the same terms the caller/teller is. That leaves for a better situation between the two and talking it out can always help if the person listening is more compassionate and sincere. Overall great blog post!
ReplyDeleteHEY GIRAFFE! i just watched your tedtalk! I really liked how Aspen Baker linked abortion to being "pro-voice." It's unfortunate that it's hard for people, women in particular, to have a conversation about abortion. In todays society, abortion is seen as a sin, which seems to be the reason why it's become harder and harder to talk about. Additionally, I agree that women need to be more educated about abortion or other "options." Women need to be able to decide for themselves; however, it will be a harder decision if they are not aware of the emotional/ physical impact that will arise from their decision. Abortion needs to be discussed more, bottom line.
ReplyDeleteAfter watching your Ted Talk I really wanted to focus on the personal relationship you shared in the third section of your blog post. I too agree that Aspen Baker made it clear how hard and almost "taboo" it feels especially for women to talk about having an abortion. I am pro choice, and whatever a woman feels like doing to her body she should be able to do without having to receive the harsh negativity that comes with wanting to do your own thing and being your own person. She mentions this topic when she starts talking about "pro-voice." Aspen states, "Beyond abortion, pro-voice works on hard issues that we've struggled with globally for years, issues like immigration, religious tolerance, violence against women." All of these issues require attention regardless of how little or small people think it is and even if it has nothing to do with you. But relating my comment back to abortions, I feel as though they should never be frowned upon because if people actually took out time and talked about them then it wouldn't be as "taboo" as it is today. #staywoke :)
ReplyDeleteI love how you picked this talk and how you were able to talk about this topic in a mature and intelligent way. I really like how you mentioned the statistics in order to emphasize both the point of the talk and to transition into your personal relationship. Really amazing post!!
ReplyDeleteHEY! the video was really good and so was your analysis. This goes perfectly with story telling, due to how many different women have their own take on things that can bring awareness to those around them. I'm pro-choice so I agreed with a lot of what was said and it's honestly sad how little a lot of women know on the topic, so I'm so for women needing to be educated on the subject. Anyways, LOVE LOVE LOVE what you wrote and you!
ReplyDeleteRemoving the bad connotation on abortion is something I 100% agree with because it should be talked about and not every abortion is bad and evil. It never occurred to me that they are so common and 1 out of three women have an abortion or deal with the topic of abortion. As we grow older, we will see the effects and how it truly is more clearly! Abortion among other issues need to be discussed because it's real and happening now. Excellent analysis and connections!
ReplyDelete