Author Archives: Samuel Shapiro

Blog Post 4/22

What stuck out most to be in the final podcast was the notion of a useful degree versus a useless one. I came to the University of Richmond knowing I wanted to major in Leadership studies and Business Administration. Even before I enrolled I had been told that a Leadership degree was not useful and that I would need hard skills, hence the Finance concentration. To be honest, I do not enjoy Finance or most of the business school classes for that matter. The overall intellectual level is low (among students, all the professors are wonderful and brilliant), yet an air of privilege and expectation is ever present. I still get questions about what exactly a Leadership degree is and I still get made fun of for having a useless degree. But, I no longer care. My Leadership classes are intellectually stimulating and enjoyable. Most importantly to me, they are not overly structured and allow for genuine discussion and conversation. I am not worried about future success, both because success is a goal one sets for themself and because success is measured in many different ways. I know that after graduating, I will be a better person, intellectual, and business-man for having majored in Leadership Studies. That is more than enough for me.

The tea cup analogy Dr. Bezio used, and the first essay from our “Impossible” reading helped put back into perspective the effect any one of us can have on making the world a better place. The massive scope of the COVID-19 pandemic has made it hard to think that small, individual actions can actually have a positive impact on the world at large. However, as Dr. Bezio pointed out, if everyone did a little bit of good, then there would be a lot of good that had been done. The actions can be as little as picking up trash and litter from around campus because helping the Earth is also a noble cause. Who would have thought that? The readings for today have reinvigorated me to put more care and effort into the smaller actions, because even during a global pandemic, their effect can be massive.

 

Blog post 4/20

Dr. Bezio’s choice to have us watch the music videos for “Formation” by Beyonce and “This is America” by Childish Gambino was a great and necessary one. I personally usually find an affinity with music because of its beat, tune, or mood, instead of the lyrics. Often times I find that the words fade away, making it harder to discern the messages latent within the music unless a piece is listened to many times. The use of a music video allows for another dimension for the viewer to learn and appreciate the messages the piece is pushing. The images tell their own story just as the lyrics and tune do. When taken separately each tells a unique story, but when they are combined the listener/viewer can see the whole picture.

“This is America” is a song I had listened too many times before this assignment. I understood the message of the song that being black oppression and violence towards the African-American community being ingrained in American society. However, watching the music video for the first time caused me to have a greater appreciation of the message. The visual stimulus makes the gun-shot sounds more powerful and Donald Glover’s cheerful, relaxed smile and posture creates a stark contrast to the lyrics and actions depicted. The suddenness of Childish Gambino shooting the guitar player, and later the choir is stunning. Without the visual stimulus, those actions are far less personal simply because we have no idea who is shot when only listening to the song. By putting faces (smiling ones at that) to the sounds of gun fire that inevitably signify tragedy, the listener cannot think of the violence perpetrated against the black community as abstract. Additionally, the calm manor in which Childish Gambino carries out the killings is disturbing. That is obviously the point. His expressions make it seem as if the tragedies are common everyday occurrences that should not surprise. Unfortunately that is the reality we live in right now. While police shootings still surprise the nation when the occur, the surprise and shock is lessened by its repetitiveness. Childish Gambino does a great job at highlighting the complacency that the majority of America has towards solving the issues outlined in his music video. It is now up to the nation to understand that America should not stand for violence and hate.

 

Blog Post April 15th

The reading and blog post for this class was definitely a throwback to high school English (my most recent formal English class). For as long as I can remember teachers have been telling me to do close-reading. To be honest, I never really knew what they meant. Reading for the deeper meaning and looking for connections and themes just seemed natural. Turns out it happened to be close-reading. There is no one right answer when something is closely read. Our experiences and innate knowledge shape what we see when reading something. I as a white, Jewish, male will likely see things differently than an Asian, Christian, female would see it. There are so many variables, race, gender, sexual orientation, class, educational attainment, etc. that the number of different interpretations of a close-read are near limitless. Because of all these variables, I think that close-reading is most useful when done in a group setting. Different viewpoints and ideas will be out in the open potentially enlightening the group to new thought processes and ideologies. Close-reading allows us to delve deeper into what an author has created to search for meaning, whether intentional or not.

Close-reading in my mind is a little bit misleading as a term. It can apply to films, tv shows, music, art, and other non-literature works of art. All of those genres benefit from close-reading. In the modern screen centric world visual centric story telling and information conveyance is the norm. Understanding the deeper meaning behind a news story or a popular movie (Dr. Bezio’s Black Panther example fitting perfectly) enables a deeper understanding of the world around. Most importantly it allows for better learning by creating a more vivid shared experience. Close-reading allows us to parse through false-information and form our own opinions. Close-reading is any form is doing a deeper analysis to find new and different meanings in any work of art. That is why is can be and is applied to such a wide variety of works of art despite its implied usage in literature. I guess doing a close-reading of “close-reading” is necessary to really understand what it is all about.

Blog Post 4/13

Harvey’s seven questions are not unique, nor are they revolutionary. However, the questions do create a simplified framework for a leadership plan. “Who are we? Where are we? How are we doing? Where are we going? How will we get there? Why should we care? Do we understand?” are all questions that we are asked and ask ourselves fairly regularly. The first thing I thought of when I read the questions was The Who? What? When? Where? Why? writing philosophy that was pushed all throughout Elementary, Middle, and High School. Obviously the questions are a little different but the ethos is the same. Both sets of questions focus on a deep analysis of the details and goals. The Five W’s usually focus on an outside party and as a result are less introspective. Harvey’s questions are all about knowing oneself and the group intimately. Leaders can use the questions to accurately assess if the group is on the right course of action. Furthermore, how a group wants to be identified and what its true group identity are can be seen by the leader answering these questions. I believe that followers or the group can best use Harvey’s questions to ascertain whether they want to remain as part of the group, maintain the status quo, or ascend to a leadership position. If a follower does not like who the group is or where they are going or the plan to get there then he or she might choose to cut ties. On the other hand they can also try to change the group from within by attempting to become a leader. I think Harvey’s questions allow for the necessary introspective questioning that is necessary to be an effective leader or follower.

On a different note, I find it fascinating the things that modern society considers “high culture,” when it was sometimes created to be “low culture” during its time period. As Dr. Bezio pointed out, Shakespeare is a great example with mom and fart jokes galore. I wonder what pieces of our culture will ascend to the status of “high culture” in the future. I hope it isn’t reality TV.

Blog Post 4/6

Dr. Hayter’s seems especially relevant in today’s political climate. Both close to home and across the country, racism is infecting us. I will not delve into the Board of Trustees questionable decision making recently, as I believe it is likely we are all decently well versed. The voting restriction laws passed in Georgia is the most recent example of lawmakers disenfranchising minority voters. The restriction of absentee ballots, stricter ID laws, and the near absolute removal of drop boxes among other dangerous changes poses a real threat to a supposedly democratic system. What I found most interesting about the annexation of Chesterfield County and today’s voter restriction laws are the financial ramifications. Individuals on both sides of the annexation, and how it would affect black voting, saw it as necessary to combat flagging tax revenue in the city because of white flight. The way activists balanced the financial needs of the city, which they lived in, and the fight for voters rights is impressive. The activist found a method for success, at that time, that enabled proper representation and provided more money for Richmond. The financial ramifications of Georgia’s new voting laws are potentially even larger. Leadership from nearly two hundred of the nation’s largest companies spoke out yesterday (April 2nd) condemning all actions to restrict voting. In arguably the most damning stand against Georgia’s new law, Major League Baseball(MLB) has pulled its All-star game, its festivities and the MLB draft from Atlanta, Georgia. These events would have brought countless millions of dollars in revenue and taxes to the surrounding areas. However, in a joint decision MLB and the Players Association decided that holding the game in Atlanta would not be commensurate with the sports ideals. Playing the game in Atlanta would have been especially hypocritical in light of the fact the game was meant to honor Hank Aaron, the Atlanta and Milwaukee baseball and civil rights icon. Dusty Baker, a former teammate of Aaron’s in Milwaukee and the current manager of the Houston Astros, thinks Hank would be proud of baseball’s decision to stand up for voter rights and move the All-Star Game. MLB most likely will not lose a lot of money from their decision. Some sponsors may disaffiliate from MLB, but inevitably some organizations are going to be more willing to get in bed with them. However, the state of Georgia is the big loser. Corporations are showing that there will be financial ramifications to endorsing voter suppression.

On a different note, I found Dr. Hayter’s article very easy to read and enjoyable. The succinct writing style made it easier to stay engaged. Furthermore, the placement of the notes at the end created a more aesthetically pleasing article. The section headers helped clearly delineate the flow of the article. I may just like reading history more than philosophy (I think that one is pretty obvious) or other humanities’ genres. Regardless, I though the article was clear in getting its point across.

Blog Post April 1st

I was assigned the 1980 election of Reagan vs. Carter. The first impression I had was that the ads were pretty mild, especially the attack ads. Most of the pomp and flair of modern day ads is missing. Furthermore, the attack ads stick to criticizing the opponent’s political views not trivial matters such as social status or appearance. Additionally, I found it interesting that the vice-president candidates where essentially missing in action. At the end of some of the ads they are present on the re-election posters, but they never appear in any of the live portions of the ads. I am likely giving the VP position more attention than the average voter in 1980 because of Bush’s future presidency and Mondale’s abject failure of a campaign in 1984.

Seeing the difference some of the the ideas that are associated with which political party in 1980 versus the present day was fascinating. Carter running as the Democrat was a champion of the military and the South. The South has traditionally been carried by the Republican Party since Nixon, however, Carter is the notable exception. Furthermore, the Republican Party is typically associated with large military spending. Obviously those views are not held by everyone in the Republican Party and same can be said with the Democratic Party with the opposite.

My “favorite” ad was the Republican “Kennedy/No more” ad. At the end of the advertisement we see that it was made by the Democrats for Reagan. I find this an interesting contrast with the Republicans for Biden group that emerged during the most recent elections. I had thought that it was a novel idea at the time, but I was clearly wrong. Also, the ad has a Kennedy in it. Being the gullible, brain-washed, all-American that I am of course I am going to like an ad that the Kennedy family is tied to.

 

Blog Post 3/30

I went through three different simulations of the Millennium Village. I ran into the same problem all three times. I kept running out of money. As a finance major this has me worried for my future both academically and professionally. Luckily I was never fully intending on going into finance as a career. I tried three different approaches to solve my money issues. I took out no loans in the first run through, the maximum loans in the second run through, and only the necessary amount to buy bed-netting, a better stove, and good seeds the third time. Nothing worked. I also experimented with the small business investment option. I tried three different approaches, but again none of them really worked. My largest struggle was raising money for the town. My initial thought was to build up a strong infrastructure for the citizens to have by taking on debt and repaying it when the economy got strong. However, I was never able to get to the point where I was able to properly invest in the town’s infrastructure. If I had to identify my biggest problem it would probably be my lack of patience. The issue is twofold. I am not a naturally very patient person and I happened to be doing the simulation late at night after a long day. I knew going into the simulation that I would probably fail miserably. But, I did not think it was going to be because of money. I figured I would end up creating a barren landscape devoid of any resources. I am pretty sure I was well on my way to that outcome but alas money was my limiting factor. The simulation was pretty fun to do and I intend on trying it again before class on Tuesday.

My respect for decision makers has risen. I was tasked with caring for virtual people in a made up place and I failed miserably within a few years. It really puts it into perspective that our leaders are trying their best but will still inevitably fail or encounter bumps along the way. We are all only human. While I understand it can be hard to break through the partisan curtain, I believe that if we see each other as people first and what we believe comes second that the world would be a better place. Obviously exceptions exist to seeing others as people first, namely if they are fascist, antisemitic, racist, etc. As I write this I realize the unlikeliness of the ideal outlined above to come to pass. Every individual has a different set of values and threshold to which they can and cannot overlook certain views to see another individual as an equal. Hopefully we all can just make our best effort to show each other a little kindness and see where the world comes out on the other side. (I am aware that most of this probably makes no sense).

 

 

Blog Post- March 18th

When tasked with finding my favorite advertisement, the Mathew McConaughey Lincoln commercials immediately jumped to the front of mind. I do not know of the Lincoln Nautilus one is my favorite (the car certainly is not) per se, but it is the most memorable. As a car enthusiast, I love anything and everything about cars even if it is a mundane semi-luxury crossover (aka the antithesis of an exciting car). Also, who does not love Matthew McConaughey? If you do not, then I would like to meet you to understand why because it is unimaginable. Furthermore, playing pool is pretty fun. Cars plus McConaughey plus Pool is a solid recipe for success. I am sure I have enjoyed watching other ads more, but none are more memorable the Mathew McConaughey and Lincoln commercials.

 

To relate my chosen advertisement and the assigned reading, I think that the ad attempts to correlate McConaughey’s lifestyle and him driving a Lincoln. McConaughey is portrayed as living in a beautiful house, surrounded by friends on a nice day, and having a good time. Those three things are desirable, so it follows that since he has those and also a Lincoln that the car is equally as valuable. At least that is the advertising spin on it. Furthermore, the music has an air of occasion and mystery to it. Lincoln is trying to connect those qualities with its mundane crossover. The inclusion of Mathew McConaughey playing a game of pool with one of the spectators saying “I’ve never seen that before” is the icing on top. When McConaughey does a crazy pool move, it flashes between the shot and the Nautilus implying that both the pool shot and the car are something out of the ordinary. The appeal of the car is further accentuated when McConaughey states that he has seen the crazy shot and car before, showing that they are not out of the ordinary to him. Doing the crazy pool trick shot may not be attainable but the car is, so anyone can have something that Mathew McConaughey has. And, that thing can be something others are impressed by.

Extra Credit Blog Post- Teach-In

I think the tone used strikes a nice balance. It showed how much the issues matter without being overly combative. Furthermore, the length of the event found the sweet-spot of ensuring enough material was presented, while also not allowing the audience to grow bored by drawing out the time taken. It was a cool sight to look around campus and see groups of people gathering together to learn as a community. The decision to record the teach-in and post it was a great one with the benefit of hindsight. So many people wanted to attend the event that the zoom room filled up and did not allow additional people to join. That fact combined with the knowledge that many zoom logins consisted of groups of people watching together shows how large the audience was. Unfortunately, while sitting in the Westhampton Green it was apparent who those individuals that did not find the event worthy of their time were. Almost every individual I saw walking around and not watching the tech-in was white. While the campus is majority caucasian, statistics tell us that if I saw ten people walk by (I saw more than that), only six should be white (I am using the class of 2020 diversity breakdown). Clearly this is not a big enough sample size, but nevertheless it was disheartening. Renaming Mitchell-Freeman and Ryland Hall is necessary step, but the campus as a whole needs to grow and learn to solve the issues plaguing UR.

 

 

Blog Post Due 3/16

 

:https://twitter.com/NextGenStats/status/1370439909400543233

This particular chart is not my favorite. I wanted to use a win probability added for defense and offense that showed all 32 NFL teams. However, I was not able to find the chart very easily. I like the Patriots Run Action Rate by Season chart for a few different reasons. The graphic has clear, easy-to-read numbers and titles. Furthermore, I like how the focus is explicitly drawn to the Patriots by using their logo as the data point instead of just a dot. The axes also make it pretty easy to identify increases or decreases in run action rate by selecting axis ranges that are relevant. I like the inclusion of all the other 31 teams’ data points on the chart. While we do not know which dot corresponds to which team (I have a feeling that the color of the dot denotes which team it is, but NFL teams color schemes are very unoriginal), we can see where the Patriots fall with regards to the rest of the league. It is interesting to see that while the New England Patriots have always skewed towards a more run-heavy attack even with Tom Brady at quarterback (statistics show that he thrives off the play-action), the addition of Cam Newton at QB led to a drastic spike in Run Action Rate. The 2019 Patriots dealt with injuries to the running back core, so they added more short passes and screens to help alleviate the run game. The 2020 Patriots played a ball-control game style. As a result, most games they played were close, which allowed the continued use of the run. However, they were also blown out a few times, so having a run action rate as high as it surprises me. The coaching staff likely knew the deficiencies in the passing game and determined that despite being behind multiple scores, running the ball would still be the most effective way to score points.

For more selfish reasons, I really like this chart because it is about football and my favorite team, the Patriots. Sports Statistics in general, interest me more than other statistical charts and graphs because I have more innate knowledge on the subject. Additionally, my knowledge helps me spot more biases present in the data. Sports Statistics charts that are purely informational, such as the one above, tend to be as free of bias as is possible for a chart that was at least partially designed by a human being. Charts and graphs used on talk shows on ESPN, FOX Sports, CBS, etc., are typically used to spin a story one way or another, and the creators often try to skew the perception of the viewer. As with most things, it is best to take a step back and analyze the information you are being presented with.