Project Proposal

Connecting with the heart and the mind simultaneously is not always a simple task, but it is what we have taken on for our final English project. Instead of the traditional final project, our idea was to take what we have learned about “new global voices” and create a project using our own voices.

At the start of the year, our first activity was looking at the tags on our clothing, finding where in the world our T shirts and sweatshirts started their journey; it seems sadly fitting that four months later, our class comes to a close with the collapse of the massive factory in Bangladesh. Multiple companies involved are major manufactures for the US, and in the wake of the crash, the corruption behind sweatshops and unethical made clothing has come to light. However, just because people are aware, does not mean they are willing to change. In order to create a project which will not only inform, but convince, it must have “The Kony effect”.

The Kony 2012 video went viral last year, as millions of people worldwide hit share, retweet, and repost. It carried weight not because of the magnitude of the problem; it would be naïve to think Joseph Kony is the first and even more naïve to assume that he will be the last. So why did the video carry so much weight? By using a young, happy, American child, the viewer saw the parallel between our society, and theirs. It connected with people on an emotional level, appealing to their pathos. Now don’t misunderstand; apart from sniffling at the end of the video and emailing the link to colleagues and family with the subject “So sad! Must Watch”, Americans did nothing. Shockingly, thousands of over privileged white people changing their profile photos didn’t stop Kony.

For our final project, we need the Kony effect. After talking about combining the heart, hand and mind, we decided that the best ways to convey our message and convince people that they have a voice and make an impact were:

1)      Creating a video on the path of a T-shirt, showing where just our money takes a clothing item, and who it affects along the way. It could show the two different paths: one path of ethically made clothing and one of unethically made clothing. This video would be promoted, and a photo or logo could be shared the way that profile photos were with Jabs and Gay Rights.

After class on Thursday it was decided that our logo would be “ethical intervention”, and our slogan is “Shop for Everyone”. We’ve got everyone on committees for the weekend.

Good luck everyone!!!!