EOTO: Vinyl Records

The history and road to getting to the type of records we have today is a long road. the invention of records starts back in 1887 with Thomas Edison, he invented a device called a phonautograph. The phonautograph was the first of the modern style turntable. This device made it to people were able to see the characteristics of music as this device graphically represented the sound being produced. Back in the day the only reason people were able to hear music was if they went to attend the live performance. They had no way to preserve the sound. So the invention of the record was thought as an idea to be able to safe the sound being played. It took many steps and people to get to where it is today.

It wasn't just Thomas Edison that contributed to the creation of the record. About a decade after Edison released the phonautograph, Emile Berliner patented the gramophone and this was the first type of record player machine. While the gramophone made its debut to consumers it was a big hit. Back with the creation the records were made by shellac.
These were being played at 78 revolutions per minute. The down side was that the 78's could really only hold a few minutes of recorded music. A lot of people enjoyed this type of record but due to the low capacity on those records they later became extinct in a way when the 12 inch 33RPM record came to the scene when postwar entertainment was on the rise.

These records were way better then the past type as they were able to hold a whole album of music on each side of the record. These new type of records that were the next hot topic also were made out of a different material.

Instead of being made out of shellac like the 78RPM records were these 12inch records were made out of polyvinyl carbonate, which is where the name of vinyl records that we know today comes from.

The creation of vinyl records has done more than you may think for many cultures and music lovers. Back in the day listeners had no way to be able to listen to their favorite types of music or artists. Vinyl records made it possible for people to be able to fill their homes with their favorite sounds. This helped spread the love and contribute to the rise of artist like The Beatles and Elvis Presley. This not only helped the listener, but it also helped the artists as they were able to make money off of their vinyl records being sold. This is still the case today as we have big name music apps like Spotify, Pandora, Apple Music, and others. As we all know musicians write their songs to convey a message or tell a story. The creation of records made it possible to get the messages that are portrayed within the music of rock and roll, blues, and jazz to many people all over.

Records then went on a decline as the rise of CD's came alone and made it even easier for people to listen and play music. Then it was cassettes being able to be listened to in the car that also hurt records sales. Then in today's society we all have digital versions of whatever song we want with a couple taps of our finger on our phone or computer. Then like anything from the pass, vinyl records made a resurgence due to it giving a sense of nostalgia to people, collectors wanting to find and buy old and limited edition records, and the want from people for a more tangible music experience like back in the day.

I will say personally I have vinyl records and a set up in my basement, at first I thought my mom was crazy for setting it up. But now we go down sometimes and listen to the different types of music we have, things from Elton John, John Denver to Jelly Roll, Noah Kahn, and Morgan Wallen. I enjoy it as I am able to listen to music like my mom did when she was little and also still be able to listen to today's top artists. Who knew that Thomas Edison's creation of the phonautograph in 1887 would still have impact in today's society in 2024.

Eight Values of Free Expression: Stable Change

The First amendment states that, "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances." When it comes to the constitution it is the first amendment that everyone uses the most on a daily basis whether they know it or not. Many have their own definitions and opinions on free speech. And the Eight Value of Free Expression helps us explain the different opinions that those may have. 

When it comes to the Eight Values of Free Expression, there are many that stand out to me either based off past experiences or they are seen in action in today's society. The one that stands out to me the most though is Stable Change. 

I really like this value because I think that it is important that people are able to speak their minds no matter what the topic is about. If you are mad about a decision made by our U.S. government then it is okay to talk bad about it and let your opinion be heard. I think that it is great that it is possible to talk bad about the government and not have to worry about repercussions. I also think that it truly saves us as a country and as a society from the exposure of dangerous riots and extreme violence. 

This value pops out to me the most because this year is an election year here in the United States. Americans have the chance to exercise their right to vote for whichever presidential candidate they want. When an Election year rolls around we see a bunch of people talking positive about their candidate and negative about the opposing presidential candidate. 

Even though we see a lot of things being said on the internet from many different people. We also see big names from the world's biggest influencers, public figures, athletes, singers and others publicly endorse one or the other candidates. With Stable Change it makes it possible for these big names to express their opinions and not have to worry about what the government may say or do, and if their job is jeopardized by giving their opinion. They also don't have to worry about causing a riot literally and figuratively by sharing their views.

I think it is actually nice that celebrity's voice their opinions on topics like politics because it can help get people who may not be interested in a certain topic interested in it. We have seen this with the help from Taylor Swift. It was shown after Taylor posted a post endorsing Kamala Harris, this lead to the next day 400,000 users voting. Swift is able to make a voice for all Americans to vote even if you don't agree with her. You then have Cody Johnson on the opposite side of the aisle. Shortly after the attempted assassination of President Trump in NJ he is able to go out on stage and open his concerts talking about how it is "absolutely disgusting" that someone though that those actions would solve a problem in our country. He then continues to speak about the importance of voting and that it is okay to disagree. He tells the crowd, "You want to solve a problem in this country, come Election Day go vote".

I think with the Trump attempted assassination we saw as a country a preview to the type of actions that would be taking place if we were not able to disagree and openly talk about our opinions about the government and the people running our country. 

I believe in today's society it has become such a divide when it comes to politics. It frustrates me as an individual because we live in a country where we are allowed to disagree but others try to make it a reason for division or to cause harm on others.  Instead we are able to vent and be angry and it is allowed to be by the government because of stable change. I am thankful we have the constitution still today, because without it protecting us and giving us the rights and protection that it does. I don't know what our world would look like.