Discussion Questions 8/9

Response to #1

In Mollie West’s “How To Create a Culture Manifesto for Your Organization (And Why It’s a Good Idea),” West gives amazing examples of companies that successfully implement their own “humanifestos”. She recognizes that companies usually acknowledge their external goals rather than internal and stresses that employees need to create a comfortable working environment that benefits all. West definitely did her research; she gathered three routes that three companies took and offered this insight to her readers. I assume that her target audience for this piece would be employees in a company of any size and higher executives that could implement this type of change and support. What works so well for West is that she talks directly to an audience. Although I am not an employee yet in a formal workplace, I felt directly spoken to regarding the future steps I should take in implementing an inclusive work environment. I believe this strategy is compelling because it makes the readers feel as if they have the capability to implement advances and growth. West uses another great rhetorical strategy to acknowledge that building a manifesto does not have to be hard and complicated but simple. She has told readers to sit down with their core team and start asking questions. She also mentioned that when discussing Warby Parker’s route that brainstorming sessions started their process. By keeping the encouraged processes simple and writing them simply, readers then have a sense of relatability. Parker’s simplicity, I assume, has made readers really believe that they can do the same as these larger companies. This is a very crucial tactic because it subconsciously creates a quicker response for readers. By really believing they can do it, quicker actions are made for their workforce. Parker’s “simplicity” or “straightforwardness” may seem effortless, when really the outcome creates real, physical effort.

Response to #2

When I created my research portfolio, I constantly thought of how many people my age needed to be aware of issues regarding intersectionality and bias. I felt as if I was educating people that already knew what I was talking about and would find myself defining intersectionality a lot. I then thought of a future scenario where I did not have to define intersectionality for people to understand. For my project, I really want to educate college students that will soon be headed into the real world, have a solid foundation for understanding intersectional issues, and how to avoid furthering them. To develop a genre of text or platform that people my age would really read and listen to, I have thought of what I am particularly drawn to.

I have read a lot of University Girl while being at Syracuse and reading posters on campus when I am waiting for an elevator or walking through a new campus building. So, I am still not sure yet, but I think a “relatable” blog post would work, or an informational poster targeted towards students. Not only do I think people my age need to understand these issues, but I think they are the real crucial audience. My age group will soon be joining the workforce and will need to bring insights into companies for change to be made. I believe it is harder to educate people who have been used to a certain way of life for so long and easier to create a new way of life for a new generation. The expectations regarding my work for this audience would be rather simple: clear writing that illustrates the problem, shorter text that incorporates an array of information clearly, with further resources linked to implementing further research and understanding. My goal would be for people my age to be really intrigued by this poster or post, quickly read substantial points of information and then acquire the interest on their own to do more research and education. Because for real change to be made, the individual needs to want to change and implement change.