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it's a SMASH with feminism

the new NBC show smash gives a some what accurate depiction of the professional theater world. the story goes, there are two girls up for the part of Marilyn Monroe, in Marilyn Monroe the musical and they have to battle it out for the part. the fact that they are battling for Marilyn is the start of the feminist problem. from the moment the girls step into the audition room, they are being surveyed through the male gaze, just like Marilyn always was. it was all about who had her body and sex appeal. the two things men got to decide, so in that instance the men had the power, and the women have to play at their rules.

the second thing that smash does is project stereotypes, the stereotype of the seductress, the innocent, the mother and the power-women. first, we have Ivy Lynn, one of the girls up for the part of Marilyn. she ends up getting the part, after she sleeps with the director. this act makes her the seductress, and she is already being punished for it. second we have Julia, the writer of the show but also a mother and wife. what happens here is really interesting she brings home he bacon in her family and is the leader of the house, which challenges the stereotype that the wife is supposed to care hand and foot for her husband. in fact her character opposes this stereotype so much that she also becomes a seductress and cheats on her husband.  and finally we have Eileen the power-woman. She is trying to produce Marilyn, her problem is that after her divorce she has no money and all the big shot producers won't take on the project without her husbands approval. so she is being controlled by what her husband allows, not allowing her any freedom of her own.

Smash also in some ways supports a patriarchy. First Eileen can't do anything without her husbands  will letting her. her struggle slash conflict in the show is trying to over come the obstacles of being a women in a mans business. And Second, and my favorite, Ivy sees her worth only as derek sees her as, so if he thinks she is worthless, then that's how she feels. this thinking shows that ivy is not capable of being independent of a man,  and that she in fact needs a man to tell her what and who she is, that she needs a man to define her. i think this is the most powerful image the show gives off, and it does not support very feminist ideas. even though i love the show, to me it is not a feminist peice of work. 

Desperate Housewives: A Feminist Critique

 

The ABC series, Desperate Housewives depicts the lives of five women struggling to maintain the stability of suburbia. Wisteria Lane, where each housewives lives may seem to be a prim and proper neighborhood yet is full of deep and dark secrets these women hide behind their conservative facade. Throughout the course of eight seasons, these women have proven that they are capable of anything ranging from being a nurturing mother, to murder. Though at first I did not notice, this show reinforces the stereotypes made through the media to an extreme degree.

If you haven't seen this show before, some of the main characters are Lynette, Gaby, Bree, and Renee. Lynette who is a mother of five children is a stay at home mother. Bree like Lynette is an accomplishes business owner who prides herself on her home and cleanliness. Both of these women represents the stereotype of the domestic wife and mother. Gaby, who is a former model prides herself on her personal appearance and her outward beauty. She represent the role of the sex object. Finally Renee, the newest character to the show is a New Yorker who has recently moved to the suburbs. She recklessly sleeps around with many men and is known to be a cougar. She represents the stereotype of a seductress. The show presents three stereotypes of women: the wife/mother, the seductress, and the sex object. Desperate Housewives reaffirms to its viewers the stereotypes that have been implanted in contemporary media and lacks to show the true agency women have over their lives.

Both Bree and Lynette are stay at home mothers, who face the challenge of balancing the task of maintaining their social status and the welfare of their children. They portray the roles of the wife/mother by sacraficing their individual dreams to support their families. Throughout the beginning seasons of the series, Lynette could be seen to challenge stereotypes through successfully attaining a high management position at her job by hard work. Yet, when her husband needs her to be more for their children she is faced with the desicion to give up all her hard work for her home. Instead of showing agency and  defending her years of hard work, she surrenders her achievements for a broom and an apron and leaves behind her job. 

Gaby and Renee reaffirm the stereotypes of the sex object and the seductress. Renee who constanly reciceves criticism for her promiscuious ways. As an older women she dresses provactive, and is not afraid to speak her mind. Unlike the other women in the community she is constantly bringing home different men from bar and various other places but never acheives to have a stable relationship with a man, until later in the show. Once Renee has tamed her ways, and the viewers might actually think that stereotype has been broken, it is once again promted when Bree takes on those qualities. 

Desperate Housewives is not a feminist show. Its characters strengthen societies views on gender roles and stereotypes. By captivating its viewers through a male gaze, women are further encouraged to sustain their gender roles. Even before a person views this show, the name Desperate House wives objectifies women. Unlike, feminist films the women in this show do now show the freedom of agency in their lives. 

"Family Guy", A Feminist Critique

American pop-culture Is often grotesquely inconsiderate when it comes to gender roles. The plethora of programs in just television can span from one extreme to another. Often times shows are canceled because of their vile nature and the extremely high amount of complaints a network receives. A perfect example of a show, which was canceled because of its extreme disrespect is "Family Guy". This program received a staggering number of complaints within it first few seasons because of its stereotypical content, but it was brought back after a very long hiatus because the true meaning of the show was revealed. Although the show "Family Guy" may seem vile and disrespectful the program actually challenges gender stereotypes by exemplifying the gender rolls within the show. By over exaggeratinggender stereotypes like, "the tough guy, player, seductress, and the wife/mother" the show actually challenges gender stereotypes.

One example of an over exemplified gender role is the character Lois. In her life she most often plays the role of the "mother/wife" by cleaning and cooking all day. However she often breaks out of this role and becomes a "seductress" by seducing men other than her husband and even much younger men. The fact that Lois jumps from one extreme to another pokes fun at gender roles instead of conforming to them. Another example of a completely ridiculous way of portraying a gender role is the character who plays the "tough guy". The character Joe would seem very stereotypical because he is aggressive, a cop, and tries to act like a very insensitive man. However what makes him ridiculous is the fact that he is paralyzed from the waste down. By still acting as a "tough guy" despite his disability Joe challenges the idea of gender roles. An additional example of an over exaggerated gender stereotype in the show "Family Guy" is the "player". Quagmire, the character who acts as a "player", is always either having or talking about sex.  In almost every episode he goes through mutiple women and never seem to feel any regret, but what makes him challenge gender stereotypes is how he truly feels. In a few episodes he reveals that he secretly longs for a lasting, stable, relationship with a woman he truly loves. The irony is the fact that the way he feels is the opposite of what a "player" is. Thus he is yet another character who challenges gender roles. What the show boils down to is that it is merely poking fun at gender stereotypes by over exaggerating them. The program is absolutely not enforcing gender stereotypes.    

 

Buckwheat Sings

To give some background, Buckwheat was a character in a series called Our Gang (Little Rascals) that ran from 1934-1944. The "Buckwheat" character was subject to controversy in later years because it contained elements of the "Sambo" or "Jim Crow" stereotypes.

Eddie Murphy made a series of Buckwheat videos in the 1980's. He appears as an adult Buckwheat and highlights the issues with the Buckwheat character. This video appeared on SNL and uses parody and hyperbole to make fun of and criticize the Buckwheat character. Eddie Murphy uses parody by imitating Buckwheat's hair, clothing, characteristics, etc. He uses hyperbole to exaggerate Buckwheat's behaviors for comic effect.

30 Rockefeller Parody

Most people today have seen at least one episode or part of an episode of the wonderful NBC show, 30 Rock. As both the creator and the lead of the show, Tina Fey uses her witty sarcasm and perfect comedic timing to make this show one of the best on network television. But if you're like me (which you probably aren't because I'm super imperceptive...) you may not have taken the time to realize that 30 Rock is actually a parody in itself. Every character, every incident, and every sketch is dripping in satirical gold. 

For example, characters like Jack Donaghy, Tracy Jordan, Liz Lemon and Jenna Maroney are all perfect parodies of the television business class. Jack Donaghy is portrayed as the quintessential business man, always wearing a suit, in a big office, getting everything he wants no matter how ridiculous. Tracy Jordan is the portrayed as the innapropriate, simple-minded, illogical black guy who tries to play the funny man, but usually just ends up being offensive. Liz Lemon is the typical hard-worker who gets absolutely nothing in return. Still single because she's too invested in her work, Liz is the perfect portrait of what we see to be the "nerdy" woman in the workplace. Finally, Jenna Maroney portrays the "dumb blonde" kind of character who is invested in herself and her work, giving some time, but not much, to her friends. Often getting into trouble with Tracy, she is seen as the naive, conceided type of person.

The entire show is a parody of what working at a TV studio is like. Everything from the ridiculous sketches (like the accidental Nazi fireworks...) to the crises that befall Liz and Jack, all add to the ridiculous parody and satire of the show. 

Wii Fit Parody

This parody of the new spin off of working out called the Wii Fit, is quite hilarious. The director, or at least the narrator, uses irony throughout the entire video to conduct a complete opposite meaning of what the product is attempting to have people do.

The Wii Fit sends a message to the viewers of its commercials and the consumers that buy the product that working out can be as easy as pulling out your Wii, standing on a white piece of plastic, and moving the equivalent amount of walking about a half of a block. Also, through the original commercial, the Wii is advertising the product to be something that can bring the whole family together to have fun, but lets be honest, when one wants to get in shape the first thing they think of is not usually how they can get their family involved.

The real message behind this, I believe, is the unconscious image that the media embeds into the heads of many Americans that a perfect body is necessary for a happy human and the Wii is telling America that it is as easy as moving your leg back and forth to get that ideal body. 

The parody includes situational irony through elaborating on how what the people are doing in the commercial is the close to the exact opposite of what you have to do to get in shape, is very comedic and does successful take on the ironic form of satire.

NBC's Making Fun of Itself?!

The television show 30 Rock is an NBC comedy that is, in itself, satire.  It pokes fun at corporate America and television networks by being a parody of itself.  It shows the "behind the scenes" of a fake an NBC show "The Girlie Show," and shows idiotic moves of the people in the business.

The very first episode is filled with irony.  About seven minutes into it, Liz Lemon meets her new boss, who just happens to be made successful by his invention of the GE trivection oven.  

This is situational irony because you'd expect the new Vice President of East Coast Television Programming to have some background in the media business.  Instead, it is made apparent that Jack (the new VP) was promoted not because of his knowledge of the art of entertainment, but for reasons entirely of business and numbers.

This example of irony is showing how corrupted corporate America is by data.  The only thing that drives decisions is how much money can be made off of it.

Jack "the businessman" is just one example of the many commentaries 30 Rock makes.  The rest of the episode and the many following ones are filled with satirical remarks.  They are what make this comedy funny.

Racisim on the Chappelle Show?

Many people criticize Dave chappelle for his style of comedy and skits he performs because a lot of his skits and jokes are based on racial stereotypes. For example the clip from the show that we watched in class with white people dancing to electric guitar, black people dancing to drum beats, and Latino people dancing to a mixture of beats gutar and keyboard.

Why are sterotypes like these funny? Well first of all, stereotypes would not be funny if there was absolutely no truth to them. Also, the majority of people find dave chappele's style of sterotypical comedy funny because they are so exagerated. For example in the clip when the white people where eating dinner and then all of a sudden once they hear an electric guitar, they all get up and start moshpit style dancing. Ofcourse nobody believes this would ever happen, but that is also why it is funny because it is so ridiculous.

Many people believe that even though these racial stereotypes are put out their in a comedic way, these distorted images eventually become a reality and you start to percieve other races in deifferent ways. I believe this to some extent, but mainly when it comes to racist cartoon images that distort the faces and bodies of people of different race. Like in certain old cartoons where they would show black people with big lips. This distorted image gets into peoples heads, and subconciously alters their perception.

I don't believe that Dave Chappelle does this. I dont believe that he projects sterotypes. I believe that what he did was a good thing and that is that he put all the racial sterotypes out on the table and stripped them of their power through comedy. Becuase when you can truly laugh at something like that you dont take it seriously anymore, and I believe that we shouldn't take them seriously because as dave shows, they are just over exagerated generalizations.

The Bride of Blackenstein

Due to many stereotypes that have developed in society, the image of many races, has been corrupted. These racial stereotypes that began towards African- Americans in the pre civil-war era, have continued to develop and mature into the minds of everyday Americans. Snl is commonly known for spoofing, and over exaggerating this stereotypes of many races, especially in the skit below featuring Nikki Minaj.

 

A few months ago when female rapper, Nikki Minaj was the musical guest on snl she poked around with many racist stereotypes of African-American women. I must admit the first time I saw this clip on snl I laughed because it is such an exaggeration of the African- American women. However, this clip further embeds stereotypes that black women are bossy, demanding, and obsessive with their physical attraction.

When the Blackenstein character asks his bride a simple question, she responds in a bossy and harsh attitude towards him. Also using the stereotype that black males cannot find a job. This part exaggerates that black women have no tolerance, and are are demanding. Further throughout the video, more of these stereotypes are portrayed. These examples of stereotyping are funny because they partially are true, but these stereotypes cannot be used to fully define any race. 

These stereotypes of not only the black race, but all races have been around so long that we no longer know the truth of an individuals character. Instead, of actually getting to know the character of a person we "judge a book by its cover" and categorize them with the different images society has formed for us. 

 

The Idiocy Behind Racial Stereotypes

Last year a show called Outsourced aired on NBC. The plot of the show is that the company a man named Todd works for is being outsourced to India. He is then sent by his boss to train the new Indian employees. Todd and his employees go through many situations that involve the differences between life in America and India. Throughout Outsourced the stereotype that Indians are ignorant is highlighted and then satirized. .

One character on the show is named Gupta. Gupta depicts the stereotype that Indians are ignorant through all of his dumb actions. One example is that Gupta yells at customers while on the phone and lacks any talent for a call center. This example shows his ignorance because he does not know how to act with a customer. Another example is that he lacks self-awareness. When the employees are learning about how to fake being American Gupta sings and dances crazily and when the other employees ask him to stop he doesn't.. The way Gupta dances shows how he is ignorant to what others feel or that what he is doing is embarrassing. Although most of the situations Gupta finds himself in are very funny they all show the stereotype of the ignorant Indian.

Outsourced highlights many other stereotypes such as knowing little about America. In one episode the employees have to learn to fake American accents in order for customers not to hang up because the company is outsourced. Not only does this situation reinforce this stereotype but it also is comedic.

Outsourced shows that no stereotype can be true for everyone and how stereotypes are very wrong about the different races. When people see Gupta or the other employees on screen they realize how wrong the stereotypes are about Indians. Overall, Outsourced uses the stereotypes people think about Indians to make everyone laugh about the idiocy behind them.   

 

 

Romanticism on the Discovery Channel?

Planet Earth is a series of documentaries that is a compilation of Nature's different landscapes. The show is filled with amazing video-clips of animals in nature. The show has little narration and is only really telling you what type of animals they are filming and what they are doing. I thought that the show Planet Earth was a good example of romanticism in our media today.

Romanticism was a movement in the arts that originated in Europe in the mid 18th century that involved less contemplating and understanding things, to just appreciating the things just for what they are. Focusing on beauty and the all types of emotions. Planet Earth made you feel all sorts of emotions, emotions that are fairly hard to explain. However, i can tell you that when you are watching the deep ocean scenes, scorching hot dessert scenes, jungles scenes, or arctic scenes, you feel different emotions for each one. Also each landscape had it's own sort of beauty. This was not your typical nature documentary because it had zero focus on trying to explain things. The images themselves where mentally stimulating enough.

I myself enjoy Planet Earth, however I do not care much for other romanticism works, because I don't believe in the discouragement of knowledge. Because ignorance is bliss, but ignorance is also mainly why we have genocide and wars in our world. Knowledge is power and the more we try to understand the less we let our emotions make the irrational decisions and instead we act through reason and understanding making ourselves closer to a peaceful world.

The Lovely Bones and Its Power of The Imagination

One of the many characteristics of Romanticism/Transcendentalism is the power of imagination, or "transcending" the physical world/envisioning ideal worlds. This specific trait of this era of literature is modernly adapted in the novel The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold. 

The novel follows the story of Susie Salmon and her untimely death. But what is different about this tragedy than others is that Susie dies in the first chapter of the novel, and then we follow her into her "in-between" imaginary world, some would consider it her own purgatory. In the novel, that was later adapted into a film, Susie uses her imagination to create connections with her family back in the "normal" world in her attempt to bring justice to her murder. Slowly the reader realizes the novel is not about who killed her, but about little Susie Salmon learning to grow up and move on.

Susie's "In-Between" world changes as she changes throughout the novel. It begins where her imagination creates the perfect world for her and when the darkness of her old life begins to reflects in her own world, one can understand she is using her imagination for much deeper reasons.

Throughout the novel the author not only repeadently emphasizes the importance of Susie's imaginiation, enabling her to move on and finally end in peace but also emphasizes how important imagination was for her family, allowing them to hold on to a piece of Susie when she was gone. This is shown through her father. Susie's father feels connected to Susie multiple times in the book, and when he lets the power of imagination completely take over he is able to actually connect with her for the last time. Going through this traumatic experience then allows him to appreciate everyday life, another characteristic of romanticism. 

In the end Susie uses her imagination to end her "In-Between" experience and move on with the rest of her murder's victims. But Susie Salmon, with her power of imagination, leaves a lasting impression on all that she left behind. To me, this story influences one to open their horizons to new experiences and new people, you never know what you will discover with your own imagination.

 

 

Abigail Williams

In the movie The Crucible, Abigail Williams is a teenage girl who desperatly desire to be with John Proctor. Though from the outside she is a young and confused girl, within she posses hatred and desire for power. 

Like a circus, Abigail is the ringleader of the young girls in the community. Her dominace over these girls is very present. Whenever she cracks he whip the girls follow in pursuit even when they know it is not the truth. Throughout the entire movie Abigail spreads lies that there are witches in the commity. She goes on to blame and lie about peoples encounters with spirits, as if she seeks to be cleansed be God. The other girls go along with Abigails dishonest bahavior to save themselves from conviction. For example, in the picture abo when an elderly man was accused of dealing with witchcraft Abigial started screaming there were spirits coming to her and went around the town running as if spirits were chasing her. The others followed screaming in "terror". 

Abigails desire for power was all to gain the love of John Proctor. But in the way of Abigail getting her way she spares the lives of innocent people. 

20 Years Doesn't Make it Good

We've all seen commercials where the advertisers say something along the lines of "serving you for over 20 years" or something like that.  These advertisements are examples of the appeal to tradition logical fallacy.  What these commercials are saying is pretty much that their product is better because it is older.  They are not really selling their product with real reasons. 

One example is the Mercedes Benz commercial inserted at the bottom.  Even though it doesn't explicitly say that it is better because it is older, this commercial starts with a very old car and progressively gets newer.  It is trying to show that because the company has been around for a long time, it is obviously the best. What they are trying to say is that their car is the best one and that if a company hasn't been around as long, it is not as good.  This is the reason that the fallacy is a fallacy.  Older doesn't necessarily mean better, it just means older. 

 

A Puppy Pity Party

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IO9d2PpP7tQ

 

It's those commercials. You know, the ones with the close ups of the really sad looking dogs while Sarah McLachlan sings and begs you for money after preaching to you how many animals have been abused? Yeah, you know what I'm talking about. We've all seen them and some of us have even had to change the channel for fast forward just to avoid the heart-wrenching, tear-jerking sight. This is a perfect example of the sob story/appeal to a pity sentiment logical fallacy. The people of the ASPCA foundation work to make you feel so bad for these poor animals that you have to donate to their cause or you will be left sitting on your couch feeling like a total jerk for not saving a puppy. And it works. This commercial has made millions of people feel bad enough for sad-looking animals that they will pick up their phones and call. Well played, Sarah McLachlan... Well played.

10 Items To Finish On Top

Watch this video before reading!

 

Superbowl ad's are always trying to outdo each other, trying to have the most comedic commercials of them all. This FedEx commercial tries to entertain their audience by listing out the top ten criteria to make a successful commercial. It starts off with "1.Celebrity", saying if you have a celebrity in your commercial everyone else will buy it because of them. Then it goes down a list, "2. Animal 3. Dancing Animal 4. Cute Kid" and so on. 

The fallacy used in this commercial Non Sequitur. The overall meaning to this ad is because you have all these things listed in our commercial, you will have a successful commercial. There are no others options to choose from in this commercial but the one's presented. Many other brands have presented good ads that include non of the following yet have became very popular and effective. 

This fallacy was used in a comedic way in order to capture the attention of millions of viewers watching the football game, yet it nonetheless is still a misconception. 

Seeing Glee in a Different Light

The celebrated television hit, Glee, has won the hearts of many because of its relatability and "great messages".  Although many view Glee as a show about the underdog coming out on top and the importance of individuality, the topic of an undying social hierarchy remains one of its main themes.  The ultra popular TV show ends up reinforcing the overrated ideology of a high school social structure instead of encouraging deviation from the status quo.

In one episode, Rachel, one of the "outcasts" decides she wants to influence the popular fashion at her school.  To do that, she recruits one of the popular girls in glee club, Britney, to promote her fashion.  In no time, everyone in school is copying Britney's outfits.  Rachel never gets credit for her "fashion genius" simply because no one cares about what she wears because she's not popular.

In another episode, popular couple, Finn and Quinn, are struggling to stay on top of their school while in glee club.  They even try wearing sunglasses in school as a solution to the ridicule.  It goes so far that Finn quits glee, and even though he ends up back on glee and football, the idea comes across that it could only happen on a TV show.

MANswers- demeaning to both men and women

Manswers is a show about common questions that an average guy would ask. This, however, is implying that the average man is sexist, likes to drink a lot of beer, loves guns, loves junk food, like huge explosions,  are obssessed with money and the majority of their thought process is devoted to sexual thoughts and questions.

If you have ever seen or even heard of this show, you know exactly what I am talking about. The show is jam-packed with explosions, girls, guns, and practically any sexually related question you can think of. This show is portraying american men as closed-minded and perverted. There are a lot more things going on in the minds of men then just this stereotypical garbage.

Although I admit that I find the show is entertaining, in the back of my mind i feel that all it does is reinforce the negative stereotypes. It portrays men as greedy, lustful, and overall just plain stupid. 

On the other hand, as it reinforces those negative stereotypes of guys, it portrays all women as if all they will amount to is just trophy wives. Every girl on the show, in my opinion, basically all look the same. The only girls that are chosen to be on that show are skinny, big-breasted, and almost all of the time are wearing a bikini. Also, not a single woman on that show isn't making some sort of sexual hand gesture and/or body movement with sexual condentations.

Only in America do we have the audacity to create a show like this. This show is so out in the open with its ignorance and stereotypes it is hard to take seriously. In the end, however, it's all about entertainment, and if that means extremely exaggerating stereotypes and playing off of men's attraction to bimbo-like women, then so be it. This is America, and whatever ignorant/sexist tv show idea there is out there, that you can legally air, you can bet ur butt its going to be on the air until it sucks up all the money it can. That is just how corporate america works.

On a lighter note, it is just a televison show and if it makes you laugh, it makes you laugh, but if your offended, just let ur frusrations out on a blog or talk to someone who actually cares about the garbage that is on tv. I watch manswers and I am entertained because i think it is funny, it is as simple as that. There is no need to take shows like this seriously just like how you shouldn't take life too seriously. Just chillout and laugh while you are still alive and healthy. There are a lot more sinister fish out there to fry. For instance, things that physically impact our lives, not mindless entertainment on a television screen.

 

A Gleeful Look at High School in America

Over the past two years, the Fox television show, Glee, has skyrocketed to being one of the most popular and most watched television shows in America. Highlighting the lives of seemingly 'misfit' teenagers in the show choir ("glee club") in their Ohio school, the show takes on a different theme to sing about every week to display the dramatic twists and turns that high school has to offer. 

I'm as much of a fan of the show as any other teenager in America, but even I can admit that the stereotypes can sometimes get unrealistically out of hand. From pregnant teenagers to cheating couples, the show touches on all of what Americans envision as a stereotypical high schooler's life. This isn't to say that these stereotypes don't exist in the world, because they certainly do. But believe it or not, not every high school girl in the world is pregnant, and not every football-playing jock has a tendency to cheat on his girlfriend. There have been times while I've been watching the show and I have to utter a small scoff at what the adult producers seem to think high school these days is like. The show seems to go above and beyond the call of duty in making every teen in America feel like they can be accepted. And they do it very well. The themes of the week constantly differ from one difficulty to another in the lives of all the different characters. Everything from weight issues, to sexual orientation, to self image is brought up, sung about, and reassured in the end. You'd think, like most shows, that the general theme of "feel good about yourself" would start to get old, but it never does. The show continues to chug along on its course, with more and more viewers every week, stereytypes and all. 

The stereotypes don't necessarily make the show hard to watch, but it definitely gives it an extra does of cheesiness to go with the singing and dancing brought in by the show choir aspect. The stereotypes do, however, reassure non-Americans about what they already think they know. To any foreigner, our high school systems tend to seem a bit out of control, mostly due to the shows and movies that promote the same ideas that Glee does. The show's stereotyping ways tend to go a bit too far in the relms of reality, but it doesn't seem to be affecting the ratings of viewers all around the world. 

Let's Not Blame the Media

Yesterday, I was discussing our feminism unit with my mom. Our conversation went something like this:

I of course believe in equal rights. But I was reading the blog Mr. Heidkamp showed us, and they had an article about how sexist a Swiffer commerical was - in part because it depicted a woman mopping."

My mom replied, "I think that you're fine with feminism and just hate that they blame the media."

It was like the "lightbulb" moment of a psychotherapy session. I like TV, and news, journalism - media as a whole. It annoys me when people blame the media for things. Sure, it over exaggerates news all the time. They lie, and are biased. However, I feel that people should try to be aware of this themselves and look at the information they are being sold. I always ask myseld, "Do I buy this?"

To be fair, the article was also talking about the sexism behind a woman being in love with a mop. And here's me answer to that: Advertisers know their consumers.

In 2006 (old, but the most recent statistic I could find without hacking into Proctor and Gamble's computer system... which I lack the knowledge to do, and not because I'm female) Swiffer's parent company spent $3.5 Billion on adversiting. You could feed 29,166,666 hungry children in Africa for a year with that much money. They don't throw that money away. Big companies hire the best advertisers they can get and a lot os research goes into what they put out there.

The ads reflect what pleases Americans. I'm sure that they had many, many test groups watched and responded to the commerical before it was put out. They liked it.

Media refelects our society's values and preferances. We should think about what we take in, and not blame the media for putting out seeminly (or overtly) sexist things. We should be more worried about society's acceptance and favortisism towards the things that the media refelects.

EDIT: If you care about women, show your support by coming to V-Day on March 18!

Maybe our minds deteriorate as we age.

I was talking to a friend about movies the other day. She told me that she cried during every single Pixar movie she's seen. Most people would think, "Really? Pixar movies? Aren't those for little kids?" And the answer is yes, they are made for kids. But most Disney or Pixar movies today get to the heart of real issues and present much deeper meanings than the movies teens and adults enjoy.

Most of the movies that come out today are romantic comedies like "When in Rome," or action movies like "Transformers." I watched "When in Rome" a few months ago and thought that it was actually one of the wirst movies I've ever seen. Sure, the overall idea was kind of cute: a girl picks up coins from Trevi Fountain in Rome, and all of the guys who threw in those coins immediately fall in love with her. But the "comedy" that the movie used was just corny, and the ending was completely predictable. Of course, it ends with a happily-ever-after wedding, and everyone ends up happy. And "Transformers"... well, while it is entertaining to watch cars that turn into machines smashing a bunch of buildings, Shia LaBeouf driving really fast, and things getting set on fire, what do you take from a movie like this? Absolutely nothing. I'm no movie critic, but I can safely say that a good majority of what teens and adults watch today is completely shallow, unrealistic, and unmoving.

What I've realized over the past few years is that the some of the best movies I've seen have been "kids'" movies. Not only are these movies adorable, entertaining, and funny, they also leave me thinking when I walk out of the theater. "Wall-E", for example, addressed a real problem in the world - people are ruining the environment, and someday it will lead to the downfall of mankind. "Up" deals with the difficult process of coping with the loss of a family member, and conveys the message that you can only mourn for so long before you must accept the loss and move on. And perhaps my favorite, "Toy Story 3," challenges kids' and teens' ideas of growing up. While most media that kids and teens see and hear glamorizes growing up and makes them look forward it, "Toy Story 3" illuminates the downside, the hard part about growing up. While Andy is conflicted about leaving his toys behind when he goes off to college, the toys represent his childhood, his home, and his family. College is always depicted as fun and exciting in movies and television, but this was the first time I had ever seen a movie show a teenager's hesitation to leave his childhood behind. The movie truly made me reshape my ideas of college and adulthood.

So why is it that children's movies are so much more meaningful than "adult" movies? Is it because our society is trying to teach kids morals and life lessons while they are still young? Or is it because our minds deteriorate as we age? Is it possible that we start life ready to take in new ideas and progress into mindless beings that simply consume and wish to be crudely entertained? I think - thanks to today's movies, music, television shows, and magazines - the answer may be yes.

"Then you show up, and it breaks!" A Post-Hoc Fallacy

A Post-Hoc Fallacy is also known as a post hoc, ergo propter hoc, which is Latin for "after it, therefore because of it." It is an assumption that, since two events occured, one event was caused by the other event. It ends up as a conclusion that makes sense but doesn't have the evidence necessary to prove it. Sometimes these assumptions make sense: for example, I could say that since my sister was the last person to use the computer, and then the computer broke, my sister broke the computer. It seems logical that the last person to use the computer was the one who broke it, even though there is no clear-cut evidence to back it up.

Lawyers also use post-hoc fallacies to persuade the jury to believe that someone is guilty. They may say that the defendant was in the house at the time of the victim's murder, so therefore the defendant must have killed the victim. Again, this argument is very persuasive but cannot be proven true.

I found a great example of a ridiculous post-hoc fallacy in an episode of "Friends." Joey broke his refrigerator, but he doesn't have enough money to buy a new one, so he tries to blame all of his friends so that they willl pay for a new fridge. But there are definitely some holes in his thinking... check it out:  

An Explanation of how the Kardashians Became Famous

Circular Thinking is when a person uses fact A to justify fact B, and then fact B to justify fact A. This proves that fact A was true and therefore fact B is true. Confused?  I think that might be the point...

It really isn't that complicated, though.  Here, I'll give you and example:

People often question why reality stars are famous for doing nothing.  Someone, somewhere decided that people should give the Kardashians attention.  The family became famous, then more people give them attention.  They become even more famous. That's circular thinking. Why are the Kardashians famous? Because people pay attention to them.  Why do people pay attention to them? Because they're famous.

Circular thinking is the fallacy that led to "Speidi".  That make it the most detrimental fallacy in American Culture.  Why?  Because it made Spencer Pratt a household name. 

An Arrested Analysis

Like almost all other teenagers in America, I'm constantly fighting a losing battle with procrastination.  Lately, my academic downfall has been my recent discovery that Hulu.com has every episode of the wrongly  canceled series, Arrested Development.   For those of you that have never seen the show, the plot revolves around the dysfunctional Bluth family.  The show begins as the father and patriarch of the family, George Bluth, is arrested for fraud. That leaves his adult son Michael in charge of keeping the rest of family out of trouble.  The once privileged family is now strapped for cash and struggling.  The show features Michael's alcoholic Mother, his immature older brother, twin sister, developmentally stunted younger brother, son, and niece, many of whom are living in a model home developed by the Bluth company. 

The show's plot is often ridiculous, but the plot lines always stem from problems allot of american families have. Alcoholism, crumbling marriages, adultery, selfishness,and coming of age are featured heavily throughout the series.  But more than anything else, the creators use comedy to show the importance of family.  No matter what, every member of the Bluth family is happier when they are surrounded by their family.  Their role, whether it be the person in need of help or the one fixing things, only works if the family is together.  Though its only a (tragically under appreciated) television show, maybe American can learn a little bit from the Bluths about the strength a family can have.

Super Bowl TV Ads...YAY!!!

In an article The Super Bowl and Abortion, Julie explains how certain groups are using the Super Bowl as a place to post Pro-life vs. Pro-choice ads. She shows that a Christian group called Focus on Family has paid 2.5 million dollars to run an ad focusing on football player Tim Tebow and how his mother contemplated abortion and by not doing so gave birth to one of the best college football players ever. She goes on to explain how she doesn't necessarily have any problems with this ad, but the group itself. Julie said that they "advocate complete abstinence out of marriage." But she was really concerned with a statement that the group had made earlier.

Looking at the history of teen birth rates, it can appear that rates have lowered significantly and that there’s less reason to educate our youth about sexuality. The rates have in fact decreased, but the higher historical numbers represent married teens. And, married teens tend to face less life-long negative consequences of teenage births than unmarried teens.

Julie then goes on to say that we need more sex education and not less of it. "And I’m sorry, what are these life-long negative consequences that teens are facing by marrying their high school sweethearts because of an accident? Not that I’m saying that never works, but honestly, why does that make everything better?" She does bring up several goods points, especially in particular with the audience. Lets be honest, more men watch the Super Bowl than women, its a fact. Julie explains how the majority of the audience will be drunken men seeing these ads which make her mad. I do agree with her however, in that these type of ads should not be placed during the Super bowl, but during at a different time.

Lost in the American Culture

Imagine boarding a passenger airplane. You depart from an airport in Sydney, Australia, and plan to land in Los Angeles, California within hours.  Midflight, the plane hits severe turbulence and begins to drift off course. The jet’s system breaks down and the equipment can no longer function. Oceanic Flight 815 violently crashes down on an uncharted island.  There are many deaths, but you and the rest are wounded and scattered along the island’s shore.   With no communication with the outside world, you are forced to team up with complete strangers to survive in the wilderness.  You don’t know when help will come; all you can do is wait.

The smash-hit television show Lost captivates the mystery and adventure of this experience, interweaving “flashbacks” about the passenger’s lives before the crash.   The diverse group of characters on the show represents all the different nationalities, social classes, and subcultures of those who reside in America.  Some of the main characters include: a single mother, a heroin-addicted rockstar, a Latina policewoman, a high-status surgeon, a con artist, a woman fugitive, an interracial couple, an Iraqi, a package salesman, a Korean princess and her forbidden husband, and an overweight lottery winner.  The list goes on.

Although the differences between the characters are extreme, it is interesting to see their social interactions on such an isolated island. Who would have thought that John Locke, the package sales man, would become the main hunter and mentor of the group? Who could have imagined that Ana Lucia, the policewoman, would fall madly in love with the conartest, Sawyer? In the real world, the chances of completely different social groups living and mixing together is limited, but the show offers a cool look into what life would be without a predetermined government or social class system.

Lost also points out our culture’s reliance on technology and manufactured products. On the island, there is no car to drive, telephones to call for rescue, or beds to sleep in.  There are only raw materials surrounding the survivors.  Because of our highly industrialized society, none of the people are prepared to be living in such primitive conditions. The challenge of this transition can be seen throughout Claire’s pregnancy when she cannot get the medication she needs.  Our culture is so heavily reliant on formulated medicine and high performance technology that we often forget how to live “naturally”.  The creator of Lost peels back the layers of the material world to show the start of a completely new, integrated society.

A Critic's View on A Birth of a Nation

A Birth of a Nation is a silent film produced in 1915 by director D.W. Griffith. It is a film that promotes white supremacy and uses propaganda to give a positive view of the Ku Klux Klan. It is based on the novel by Thomas Dixon's The Clansmen. During parts of film is it believed that the Ku Klux Klan's actions were justifiable because they were restoring order in the South. The movie depicts African-Americans as inferior to whites and shows the Klan as almost the police force of the South.

For many people who haven't seen this movie, you should. You should see it because not only do you need to be a critic and questions, but you also need to see to realize how much propaganda can influence the masses. Think about it, if you grew up in another country and saw this movie, not knowing anything about America and its people, how would you depict the African American and white race? Many people would depict African Americans as lower than the white race just from seeing this movie. However be aware, that this movie does not reflect D.W. Griffith personal views, it portrays the views of the novel.

This movie as well as many other things in America visualize propaganda. Which is why in many ways people should become more like scholars. And you may ask, "Why like a scholar?" Because scholars look at many different sources and use that information to create their own personal views. Many people today, even though America is one of the most educated countries in the world, don't look at other information, even though it would benefit them greatly. And another question you may ask is, "Why don't people look at other sources?" Well because it takes time and people don't feel like taking that time. So they see one thing; they stick to it. Even though it is the most common cliche', Knowledge is power. The more you know, the better the person you can be.

Finally, one book that people should read is The Revolt of the Masses by Jose' Ortega. It shows how the masses can be influenced and elect people like Adolf Hitler and Mussolini into power. Although I have not read the book, I have heard many great things about from other people.

In conclusion, people need to stop getting influenced from propaganda, and start to create their own ideas. To question is to think, and that is what more people need to do.

A Critic's View of "24"

“24,” a popular television show on Fox that has aired for seven seasons, deals with common American anxiety and obsession concerning terrorist threats. Each season of the show is one day and every episode is one hour of the day. The main character, Jack Bauer (played by Kiefer Sutherland), is the stereotypical tough guy who often stretches and even ignores the law in order to stop terrorist threats in time to protect the American people. His violent and often over-the-top actions make ordinary Americans wonder if morality has its place when it comes to battling the threats of terrorism. The show also explores how far ordinary Americans will go in order to protect their country and its citizens.

Jack Bauer, who is likened the Chuck Norris, is an incredibly tough character who is very rarely emotional. One of his co-stars in the last season, Renee Walker, is distressed by the fact that Jack often feels no remorse after killing, and that he shows little emotion in general.  He gets the job done any way he can, and often leaves behind a trail of bodies. At some points in the show, he is so brutal that the viewers are left to wonder if it is moral to be so cruel to people (some of whom end up being innocent) for the purpose of protecting others. Although they may not like to admit it, I think many Americans wish and even hope that they have someone like Jack Bauer there to protect them and the country at all costs, even if the moral integrity of his methods is questionable.

Often times in the show, ordinary Americans are threatened by the terrorists to perform actions against their own country. Many Americans in real life like to think that they would do anything to protect their country. The show often challenges this patriotic idea. When the ordinary citizens in the show are threatened (and especially when their families are threatened), they often do what the terrorists want. This is a very realistic portrayal of how ordinary American citizens would react under such a colossal amount of pressure.

Additionally, “24” has been criticized in the past for perpetuating the stereotype that all terrorists are people of Arab descent. This stereotype causes Americans to generally associate people of Arab descent as terrorists. One episode, however, attempted to disarm this stereotype.  In the episode, an Arab man was forced by the actual terrorists (who were not Arab) to take the blame for their violent actions against the United States. When Jack readily accepted the Arab man as the person behind the terrorist attacks, one of the Arab man’s friends accused Jack of racism against Arab people. Eventually, Jack saw the error of his ways.

A Critic's View On MTV

MTV has been one of the leading stations on TV since the 1980's.  The majority of its viewers range in age from 18-34.  MTV is not only considered a very popular channel but it has a huge impact on pop culture.  Even though the channel has a remarkable ability to capture such a vast audience, MTV is also well known for its ability to influence that vast audience.  Is it right for one channel to have the upper hand on influencing of young peoples? And is the so-called culture they are presenting to such young opinions moral and/or wise?

As an American teenager I am aware of the kind of impact MTV has on my peers.  From the latest fashion, gossip, and music MTV covers all of superficial concerns of an average teenager.  For one TV show to have such an influential quality on its viewers seems somewhat problematic.  Even though MTV is not trying to corrupt the young minded viewers the opinions of writers and producers could very easily be linked into the MTV scene. This could produce a large number of people thinking alike, and thinking of what?

The kind of 'culture' spewing out of MTV into the heads of American teens hold a very low importance and necessity in the "Real World".  Some popular themes include the pursuit of being beautiful, the pursuit of being wealthy, and the pursuit of promiscuity of the opposite sex. These themes hold no worth in reality and are an unwise thing to be feeding into to developing minds.  The kind of enrichment that should be coming from such a powerful and influential channel should be enlightening and broadening.  Things like books, current events, music rather than news of how Paris Hilton made an irresponsible decision. 

MTV puts the idea of idolization in excess with its shows.  Viewers should be more concerned with how they can better themselves and further grow into becoming responsible, intellectual, humans rather than consuming their time with thoughts of being their favorite celebrity.  The themes of the show are providing viewers with false concept of reality and independence.  When independent one would crash and burn if we applied the things displayed on MTV. 

The viewers should consider waking up from the stopper MTV has forced them into and realize where the majority of time should be spent. American teens need to get of the couch and computer and step foot outdoors, walk to the library, and actually finish a book for pleasure rather than when assigned.  TV shows like MTV are only a waste of time and money that is giving viewers false concepts and a persisting reminder to people that we have lost our moral compass.