Baron Seven-Through-Twelve

Reading the second half of Dennis Baron’s” A Better Pencil,” chapters seven through twelve offered some interesting topics, scenarios, and ideas. Baron shows us the good and bad that comes with the tools and technologies we constantly use on a daily basis. “A Better Pencil,” was definitely one of my favorite textbooks thus far.

In chapter seven Baron goes over the complications that go into trusting texts. Baron states, “Technologies let us recreate the world and also lie about it”(116). Usually people don’t believe something unless they see it with their own eyes, but this doesn’t always mean the things we see are accurate and truthful; weather its written text, pictures, or video. When topics are written, we are always skeptical of the accuracy of the story, and most importantly who the author is says a lot as well. Baron also states, “A text, for us, remains only as good as the paper it’s written on or the person behind it, if that person can be found”(120). I agree what Baron says, but then again, we don’t know these authors personally, only professionally from the texts they have written in the past. Whose to say people don’t have a hidden agenda? I believe that writing does not have the same respect it did, many people have abused the trust you can say.

Chapter nine struck me as interesting, and a chapter I definitely could relate to. Baron explains how now a days “Everyone’s an Author.” He discusses blogs, and MySpace accounts where teenagers as well as adults put their personal lives out there for the world to see, such as diaries. The internet changed how we view privacy. Now, blogs can be used for writing your innermost thoughts, we not only get to type them up, but we get feedback and advice from others which is a positive and helpful thing. Baron also discusses the negative light many schools have on blogs, and MySpace. Baron gave an example about a student on a blog discussing a teacher in a negative way, the students were suspended. The student made a comment stating, “I didn’t know our Xanga’s were being monitored. I should have expected it. I thought it…was freedom of speech, but it’s not” (169). We all have the right of freedom of speech; and I disagree with the students being penalized for the comments made online. I wondered, if these comments were made orally to their friends, would they still be suspended? I think not, because when things are said, not heard with our own ears was it really said? We’re not able to go back and replay what was said.. But when it is written online, and it’s there continually month after month, we’re able to take notice and see it plainly in black and white whenever we’d like. I think this situation shows how much the internet, has changed our outlook on privacy. Whatever we display online…is never private.