08th Mar 2010
EDEC 262- Blog 10
Blog 10- This is not a pipe
Margitte’s famous painting, “The Betrayal of Images”, reminds us that whenever we view media we must consider it semiotically. That is, we are at our greatest fault as interpreters when we mistake the image of something for reality itself. Thus, the figure on Margitte’s canvas is not a pipe; it is a representation that resembles a universal pipe we have collectively stored in our minds. To claim that it is a pipe borders on the ludicrous; yet how many times do we mistakenly consider what appears on our screen as actual, tangible and real? How quickly do we have to remind ourselves that the image is merely a representation of reality?
If Miley Cyrus appears on television, should the image be accompanied by a caption that reads, “This is not a girl”? Or if a montage from the local news provides us with imagery from a battle in Afghanistan, should the screen include, “This is not a war”? Hidden below each image is an unseen army of producers, lighting equipment and carefully crafted shots that help hone what we come to believe is reality- but to quote Paul Tillich, to mistake the symbol for the thing it points itself beyond to is little more than idolatry.
Perhaps most frightening about television, film and web saturated media is its ability to convince us that what we are viewing is reality, that the lines between the production of art and the thing it wishes to represent are vanishing and we as viewers are continually situating ourselves smack dab in the middle. What are the consequences of this blurring, when we can’t tell the difference between what is real and what is manufactured?
What are the consequences for our children and our students who don’t know that this is not a person, this is not a role model, this is not a war, this is not a wrestling match, this is not a size zero, this is not a police officer, this is not a slave owner, this is not a pipe?
Robert
New Topic–Media Issues online
While searching for a topic for my unit plan project, I decided to google the term “media Issues”. One of the first sites that came up was http://www.media-awareness.ca/english/issues/
It is a website that enables teachers and parents to look up and read on topics that are controversial and that could be addressed by a chid. It gives us games and research that we can use to help make children aware on certain topics. The teacher section gives us lesson plans, topics and CANADIAN resources, and the parental section gives tips and information for certain issues.
I know this really isn’t an issue to discuss but I thought that this was a perfect example of resources that we can use, one that is credited and supported, not only by teachers and parents, but by CANADIAN research.
Hey Everyone!
Being a media class and all, I figured the web would be a terrific place to reach out for support!
I am running for Education Senator and the elections are on now! It is an important position for our faculty, and I bring an outspoken and Education centered voice to Senate.
I could use all the support and it only takes a minute of your time to vote, plus its done online!
If you have any questions feel free to drop me an email or use the media source of the social networking site Facebook to contact me!
Thanks so much,
Phil
https://ovs.ssmu.mcgill.ca/
DIFFERENT TOPIC: Ads, Ads, Everywhere
On my ride home from school this week, I thought about how bombarded our society is with advertisements. Try as a person may, it is impossible to get away from them; unless, that is, a person severs all ties with the outside world.
Sitting in the metro, I attempted to tabulate a list of all the places that I have ever seen an advertisement. I was able to think of 24 different places that advertisements exist:
? Buses
? Metro cars
? Billboards
? Light posts
? Television
? Webpages
? Magazines
? Newspapers
? In bathroom stalls
? On articles of clothing
? Radio stations
? Water bottles
? Pens
? Pads of paper
? Cups/glasses
? On key chains
? At sports games (sideboards and the big screens)
? Through telephone calls
? By text-messaging
? The sides of trucks
? In the mail
? On car windshields
? On anything carrying a name brand
? At the movie theatre before a movie
I am positive that the list of advertising mediums is, in reality, much longer than the list that I was able to create. We cannot get away…I have tried. When I try to think of a familiar place where I could go, where absolutely no advertisements exist, I cannot think of one! Even my bedroom is adorned with a ‘Pillsbury’ calendar.
My question is then, when is enough, enough? The list that I made is a list of places where advertisements are commonly found, but a simple search on the internet reveals how creative advertising companies can be. I discovered that advertisements can be found practically anywhere, even on escalator stairs, and manhole covers. (To see examples of how companies push the boundaries of advertising space, I found examples at http://www.hemmy.net/2006/10/15/creative-advertisements-around-the-world/) Maybe I am the only person, but it bothers me that I am constantly told to buy and consume things. It would be nice to not have all this media in my face all the time…especially when I use a public restroom.
Ceci n’est pas an office
This seems like a good place to talk about “The Office,” a popular TV show with many different versions in different countries, beginning in the U.K. and arguably most popularized by the U.S. version.
The premise of “The Office,” in any version, is that it’s “not a show for everyone–just anyone who works.” Essentially this a show that many, many relate to and consider highly analogous to their everyday life.
I’ll focus on the U.S. version. The show’s first seasons start off with situation-based humor about situations that supposedly face many workers: diversity workshops, sexual harassment, health insurance issues, not to mention forced social situations with co-workers, the fear of layoffs, and dealing with an overbearing boss.
Another fan of the show told me he thought the show couldn’t go on much longer, that they’d run out of office-humor material. He should have been right; offices are boring and office humor is often repetitive and cliche.
However, the show is more popular than ever before. This is especially strange because the romantic tension pair, Jim and Pam, reportedly stole the show from Steve Carell with their will-they-won’t-they relationship through seasons 1-3. However, the tension is broken at the end of season 3. They start a happy relationship through season 4; they get engaged in season 5; they get married in season 6. They had a baby last Thursday. This success defies logic because most romantic tension relationships, once resolved on screen and the audience receives its gratification, become dull and boring almost immediately in the happily ever after and ratings fall. For some reason, Jim and Pam, with their (almost painfully at times) true-to-life relationship, are just as interesting in love as they are chasing it.
Does the seemingly lifelike relationship of Jim and Pam provide a model for a ‘good relationship’ for people to watch and compare themselves to?
Does the apathy, inefficiency, and awkwardness of their office inspire feelings of familiarity as well as a sense of ‘this being the norm’?
Is there a danger to seeing “The Office” as so true to life?
**The Oscars
Once again, I found myself watching the 3 hours and a half Oscars ceremony. Just like every other year, they dramatize the whole show, and keep the “best” categories until the end. They all enter and walk the red carpet and have fans screaming around them. Later in the show, Mo’Nique won the oscar for supporting actress in the movie “Precious” from the book Push. I watched the movie, and I personally agreed with the decision they made. However, as much as I liked her character in the movie, I did not quite like the comment she made during her speech. She said “that it was the first time that an Oscar was won for performance and not politics”. Whether or not it is true, I found it to be very insulting towards all of the other winners from the past. Were they not good enough to receive an award?? Many outstanding actors received awards in the past, and I don’t find that the comment which was made was fair. Even if that’s what she believed, she should have not of spoken that way when receiving an award, especially when others would love to be in her place. Is it just me, or was that comment not appropriate??
**Off-topic: Disney and Stereotypes **
Disney has a massive influence over children; pertaining to shaping traditions, encouraging stereotypes and increasing corporate culture (Media Literacy, 407). When it comes to feministic stereotypes in Disney films, we are quick to point out that Disney films misrepresent females. They are viewed as cozy, sexy, and seductive with Anglo features despite their race or ethnicity (Media Literacy, 407). The female characters are either saved by a man or willing to do anything for love. For example, Ariel (The Little Mermaid) gave up her voice in order to win the Prince’s heart. Snow White (Snow White & the Seven Drawfs) is awoken from her comma with a kiss from her prince. Belle (Beauty and the Beast) used her feminine charm to emancipate the Beast; only to marry him in the end (Media Literacy, 412).
However, it seems to me that these feministic stereotypes are typically viewed and critically analyzed using the Disney “Classic” films. What are the Disney Classics? To name a few: Beauty and the Beast, The Little Mermaid, Aladdin, Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. Disney has a variety of other films that do not necessarily represent the typical feministic stereotypes: The Nightmare Before Christmas, Finding Nemo, Toy Story, Monsters. Inc, The Incredible, Cars, G-Force etc.
Even though, Disney may portray feministic stereotypes in their “classic” films, their more recent films (ex: The Princess and the Frog) include several alternative identities for children to identify with.
NEW TOPIC: Media saturated squares
An earlier post about “Ads, ads, everywhere” by a student lead me to thinking about the advertisements I am exposed to on a regular basis as well. There isn’t a place to go to that does not have some sort of advertisement. The public washrooms are a really great example because although they may be available to the public they are meant for private uses, yet still we cannot sit on the can without being harassed by some sort of ad.
I couldn’t help but think of places like the Vegas strip, Times Square, and Hollywood Boulevard. These are extremely popular tourist places or squares as I call them, loaded with media advertisements that makes your eyes hurt from all the lights and glare. You might initially “ooh” and “awe” at the monstrosity of eye candy however, after a few hours you come to the sad realization that your sitting in a huge maze of money hungry corporations trying to get into your pocket any way they can – it’s disgusting. What kind of world do we live in when everyday, all day, one is exposed and harassed by consumerism and consumerist tactics? Is to consume every and anything we can all there is to life? It makes me wonder, what some people are really about…
**DIFFERENT TOPIC** – IN RESPONSE TO: DISNEY AND STEREOTYPES
After reading Lisa’s comments on Disney and the significant manner in which they misrepresent women through the use of typical stereotypes, it got me thinking and I wanted to just add on a little to what was previous said. In many Disney films, the female gender is depicted in discriminatory and stereotypical ways. As stated in one of previous blogs (#6 to be exact), the Sopranos present the female gender in stereotypical way (weak, inferior, and there for every need of their male counterparts).
Now, our good friends at Disney do the exact same thing as the Sopranos. Yes, I just compared the fun, heart-warming Disney films to the violent Sopranos (hard to believe, eh?). As Lisa mentioned, Ariel, from the classic Disney film, The Little Mermaid, achieves the human form after trading her singing voice for the legs she never had. However, in doing so she cannot fulfill her desire to remain human without the aid of the dominant male character, Eric. She trades her voice in order to obtain legs because it would make her into a “real” woman, a woman that her man Eric wants her to be.
Disney teaches its younger audience that they live in a male dominated world where females must rely on the males for assistance through life. It is through this constant idea of men saving the damsel in distress that the female characters are portrayed as weak and inferior to men. Disney is merely expressing the role that society wants females to take. It must also be considered that the gender discrimination that is expressed in these cartoon films will possibly impact the opinions and views of the future generation, leading to the continuous male figure dominance over the inferior and subordinated females.
On a side note: After reading Twilight for my class, Literature for Young Adults, I believe that the book shares a close resemblance to the way Disney portrays females as being weak, unsure, fragile and the need of a male in their lives that brings meaning to their existence. Does anyone agree, or am I totally off base with my connection of Disney films and Twilight?
Toddlers & Tiaras
As we viewed clips from the TLC show “Toddlers & Tiaras” in class yesterday, I couldn’t help but NOT be shocked. I actually thought the clips were kind of funny. TLC has so many “shocking shows (about really obese people, really tiny people, crazy brides, people with weird diseases…the list goes on), that the shock value is just not much for me.
The show was produced for such transparent reasons: to boost ratings by shocking their audience. It seems so obvious that these families were picked to be on the show because of how outrageous they are, and then the most outrageous clips of their lives were picked, and then strung together in an outrageous manner to shock and appal the audience.
I guess what did shock me was the fact that it worked! Our whole class bought into the stage mom scenario. A class that has been working on media literacy for the past few months- but we watched it like any other viewer would at home. Yes, I know people like this actually do exist. Yes, they are crazy. But there are crazy people all over the world, and it takes all kinds to make the world go round. I am not justifying the stage mom’s control issues by any means- I just think we need to go a bit deeper than being shocked by the show. If we’re going to explore the world of beauty pageants, let’s do so from many points of view to gain an educated perspective- instead of judging one mother in the States and saying what a creep she is.
******HIP HOP CONFERENCE*******
I attended the Hip Hop Symposium and I’ll be honest, I didn’t think I would enjoy it because I’m not really a fan of Hip Hop music. However, I was very pleasantly surprised and I was amazed by all the talent in the room. The people that performed (most of which were my age or even younger) were outstanding. The SLAM High poets brought forth so much energy and passion; I really feel they were able to touch everyone in the audience with their profound words and lively expressions. I can definitely see myself using Hip Hop poems in the classroom. It’s a wonderful way to get the students to express themselves by first having them create meaningful compositions and then having them perform to express their deepest emotions. Using Hip Hop as a teaching tool is creative, exciting and fresh…all qualities that our youth can really relate to and take interest in.
Different Topic:
The Oscars
Last Sunday’s Oscars were in my opinion one of the best ones yet! It was Barbara Walters last pre-Oscar special, which was a collaboration of all of her best interviews. I suppose that was a good idea but I would have wanted to see some interviews with the new nominees for this year too. I read in the newspaper on Sunday that this year, the Academy was trying to gear the show towards a younger crowd, or at least make it more youth friendly. I think they definitely succeeded. They made many references that only a younger crowd would catch onto, for example, Alec Baldwin and Steve Martin spoofed the movie Paranormal Activity, which I thought was hilarious. That’s something that most adults haven’t seen and most of the younger crowd has. Speaking of the hosts, I think they did a tremendous job! They really managed to stick to their own type of humor, and blending their styles together made it all the more funny.
In the paper I also read that they were going to be trying to cut the time short. I thought they succeeded with this too. I actually think it’s pretty mean, but funny when the music starts playing mid acceptance speech. The ceremony lasted 3 and a half hours, but it really felt shorter! There was never any dead air, meaning that the mood was often upbeat. I also thought they kept the commercials short and sweet, which is rare for a big event.
I also think that watching history being made was pretty cool. Kathyrn Bigelow was the first woman to win best director. Her movie also won best picture. And on top of it all, she was up against her ex husband in both categories, so take THAT James Cameron. Overall I think it was a really great event and yes, I’m looking forward to seeing the Hurt Locker.
** Hip Hop Culture Conference **
I must say that the conference was quite an enlightening experience because of the strong message that was sent. This message expressed how in today’s day and age, Hip Hop has become a major part of our youth’s society. Hip Hop gives the youth the power of voice where they are given the freedom to express their problems or concerns found in their community. Generally speaking, the youth are presented with a weapon, and this weapon is their voice. Those who spoke at the conference articulated the fact that teachers should expose their students to this weapon by integrating Hip Hop into the classroom through the creation of an urban pedagogy. In this pedagogy, students are encouraged to create personal verses and articulate it to the class. At the conference, we were able to witness some very powerful verses created by the “Slam High Poets” giving us an example of what we can bring into our classroom. In my opinion, I believe that this urban pedagogy may be too advanced for many students at the elementary school level because the problems that they face, in most cases, do not amount the problems faced by the youth living in New York. We must also consider that certain things may be too personal to express to the entire class, especially if they are really young. Without a doubt, I would encourage students to express themselves in my classroom, but at a more appropriate level and with discretion. Their just beginning to be exposed to symbols, metaphors and rhymes and much of their vocabulary has yet to be developed. I believe that this urban pedagogy would be more of a hindrance than a benefit for elementary school children because it can lead to a lack of confidence in their literary skills when creating their own Hip Hop verse. Instead, I would expose these children to a variety of lyrics, not just involving Hip Hop, but a wide range of genres, and analyze it as a class. This will allow students to better understand the power of voice, and the importance of expressing yourself. However, this pedagogy would be an excellent project for students who are gifted. I would definitely incorporate a Hip Hop unit if I were teaching High School because it’s at this stage that they confront many trials, and it’s important for them to express and understand these issues. Mind you, I would only incorporate this unit depending on my students and their interests. Basically, what I’m trying to convey is that Hip Hop can be a useful way to give power to our students’; however, incorporating this unit depends on your students’ needs and their grade level.
The consequences of a child not recognizing a media production as a fabrication of reality are far-reaching and dangerous-although difficult to project specifically.
Just as Magritte used placards to call attention to the fact that his paintings were not in fact reality, Bertolt Brecht too used a similar alienation from the illusion of performance in his stylized Epic Theatre. He too used large placards that would jolt audience members back to reality. His productions hid no secrets about the technical side of plays either, as he allowed lights and stage hands to be clearly visible. Perhaps most characteristic of Epic Theatre were the actors themselves, who visibly and continually slipped in and out of character whilst on stage. Brecht encouraged his actors to remember that they are playing role. The distinction between themselves and the character they are “playing” must remain evident to the audience so the illusion of performance cannot be mistaken for reality. The intent (like Magritte’s art) was to get audience members to think and to think critically.
However, this is a style choice. Not all media can be the same. Artistic and theatrical movements are constantly developing in reaction to periods and events in time. Whilst I recognise that the call for placards to declare media production as an illusion was doubtless a rhetorical one, I think it is worth mentioning that if this became the norm, then it would probably lose the very impact that they had gained.
An avenue perhaps less explored but more “realistic” (haha!), is the reasons behind which children and audience members are duped into believing it is reality.
Why are we taken in so easily?
Surely, the technology, artistic talent, and refined acting abilities can only take us so far. There is usually a break from illusion at some point (perhaps for example when the credits come up)…
I propose, therefore, that it is our deep-rooted belief that WE MATTER that drives us to believe in these illusions. In short, we WANT to believe it.
We search for a feeling of connection with the media we are exposed to. By comparing ourselves to the illusions presented through the media we determine our role within the human context.
Miley Cyrus has been successful because she promotes this idea that a parallel life is possible and within our reach. She can be a normal kid (like anyone one of us) but at the same time be famous. It becomes within a child’s grasp.
By contrast when we watch shows like Toddlers & Tiara’s, we feel better about ourselves because we “would never do that to our kids”. We reject the mother’s choices and again understand where we lie within society’s hierarchy.
Blogs are another great example of our generations fascination with itself. The belief that we matter and the feeling of connection is somehow our entitlement. Indeed, as I write this very blog I think that my opinion matters and are worthy of being read. But the reality is no one really cares. Unless they are marking it ( this is their job) or someone who wants to respond to it ( part of the blog requirements as outlined in the syllabus).
We are motivated purely by what we can gain, whether it is emotional, financial, or otherwise. We believe the illusions because we want to and because they make us feel better about our existence.
In response to David’s question of relations between Disney and Twilight – I couldn’t agree more. Maybe this is just me taking the chance to bash the Twilight serious, but I read the books to relate to my little sister’s new obsession and wanted to vomit.
I’m a hardcore Disney lover to the end. I am aaaabsolutely not denying that there are serious problems going on there, but we do have to appreciate the steps that are being taken in the right direction. Like the Princess and the Frog, the new Disney Classic, has an African American princess! It might have taken them a little too long to realize it, but it’s there either way.
However, Twilight is this new series and a whole new arrival to the media scene and it’s actually pathetic how… pathetic the girl is. Bella is compleeeetely dependent – from the vampire, to the werewolf, to the vampire. And the novel portrays all of the vampires as dependent, because every single one of them has a partner to rely on. What happened to 17-20 year olds being able to be single!?
Twilight is a horrible novel on its own, but the way Bella is portrayed is really just a backwards step for independent females.
New topic**** Toddlers in Tiaras
This class was not the first time I have seen TLC’s Toddlers in Tiaras, and I was just as shocked and almost disgusted by what I saw. After reading Suzanne Robinson’s blog, I thought to myself; Am I just buying into what they want to show me? Is this not an actual representation of what stage moms are like?
After some thought I came to the conclusion that maybe Suzanne was right! Maybe this was all a big “setup,” a collection of every stage mom’s worst moment in order to make them seem like evil, obsessed moms living vicariously through their children. HOWEVER…
1) I know that this show broadcasts only a few stage moms, and does not represent every pageant mom in America. However as someone who has seen the show several times, each episode features many moms who behave this way and each episode features a different group of families. Not to mention that even one mom who acts this way concerns me!
2) Even if the show only broadcasts the worst moments, displaying only each of these mother’s worst attitudes and decisions, the fact of the matter is that these women did behave this way and I believe it is totally wrong and could destroy the self esteem of the children.
When our class was discussing Miley Cyrus on Monday and saying that she was definitely not a proper role model for children, I had to agree with most people. I think that despite the fact that she is just trying to better her career, the message she is sending out to children is terrible. I think just last year, or perhaps the year before, she performed a pole dance at the Teen Choice Awards. Many children watch the award show, so I was shocked to see her do such a sexual performance. To answer Robert’s question, I believe that the consequences are already showing. When I speak to 6th grade students I can see that the only thing that interests them are boys, make-up, clothing etc… When I was that age, I was definitely not having these thoughts. I believe that the major consequence to these children having young pop stars as role models is that they are goring up way to fast. I’ve even heard 6th grade boys already discussing about how they want to have sex. It shocking to see that today’s youth is not actually enjoying their childhood days and are just trying to be as grown up as possible. I think that if our children and students have any chance to see the light, it is up to us as parents and teachers to show them the difference between role models such as Miley Cyrus and having perhaps a big sister or brother as a role model. I believe it is our job to guide children in the right direction so that they can enjoy their childhood and deal with adult situations when they are adults!
RE: TODDLERS AND TIARAS
In watching this short clip in class, I was horrified by the mothers in this show, and their eagerness to put their daughters on display, even pitting one against another. I agree with Suzanne that, yes, TLC does have a lot of shows that are popular only because of their “wow” factor, but I don’t think that we should be any less horrified by this. TLC looks long and hard for these crazy people to put on TV, which shows that although we do have people like this in Canada/ the US, they really aren’t all that common. And although the editing of course will pick the most shocking clips to air, one of the most shocking things to me is that any parent would WANT to pit one child against the other in a beauty contest, especially twins! So even though the show is “scripted” reality, people with these twisted ideas and motives really do exist somewhere, which is what disturbs me the most. I am fully aware that not all stage moms behave this way, I’m sure that most of them don’t. But there are many episodes, and like Samantha said, each episode shows a few different moms, that adds up to a lot of moms who think that “this child is prettier than this one”, or “she’s not pretty enough without a few more layers of fake tan”. If the child is the one who wants to be in the pageants, then I think it’s fantastic for their mothers to encourage them, but they certainly should not control their lives, or force their children to be in these beauty contests.
New Topic: Killer Whales
After the recent attack in the United States, where a killer whale killed a trainer, there has been much media coverage done on killer whales and their behaviours. Often depicted by the media as cute and playful creatures, creatures that can be ridden and played in the water with, killer whales are often cause for misconceptions.
With the recent attack, the media has been playing stories of killer whales attacking, killing and attempting to drown trainers or tourists. They are repesenting them as monsters, killers and play interview after interview about whether or not those killer whales should be put down. In retaliation to this, stories have been playing on the Discovery channel that show orcas in their natural habitat. Often acting very similar to the ways that they did in the “attacks”. These stories are done in hopes of opening eyes that the orcas are not clowns but rather dangerous creatures.
Recently there has been pickets about putting the attacking orcas to sleep, killing the creature to prevent them from attacking humans again. On the other hand, there are pickets about wanting to set the particular creature free. As teachers, addressing issues on animals, we need to show our students that there are natural instincts in which animals react to. Is it fair to punish an animal because they have finally reacted to instincts that are born into them?
***NEW TOPIC: GOSSIP GIRL or other teen dramas
So yesterday was the return of Gossip Girl. I have been impatiently waiting for it’s return and was very excited to watch it. While watching it however, I got to thinking about how the show is so FAR from reality and how some storylines are exagerated but yet we all LOVE watching it and cannot miss an episode. This also goes for adults, who are more likely to disagree with us watching shows like this but somehow I seem to hear quite often of my friend’s parents or my aunts that like the show and follow it. Actually, my own mother watches the show and repeatedly says “OH! that’s so stupid, that would never happen in real life” or “UGH! they’re such dramaqueens”, yet she is still sitting next to me, every monday night at 9pm, watching closely to see what is going to happen next.
I’m not going to go into detail about what the show is really about since I’m pretty sure everyone knows what it’s about. In short, the show is about a bunch of rich kids in their late teens and how they struggle with teenage issues. We also have that one middle class family who is struggling to send their kids to well known private schools and get picked on or made fun of constantly for being poor or being “Nobody’s”.
For example, in this week’s episode, the French ambassador was hosting a supper with a bunch of politicians and socialites. But somehow all the teenage characters somehow show up at this event but none of the parents are there. My point here is how did a bunch of random rich 17-18 year old’s get invited to some big political supper? or better yet, WHY would they be invited and WHY would they want to go? All the characters wanted a way in to this supper and they were all trying to get an invitation or a way in. Another issue from this week’s episode is how one girl wanted to be introduced to this big-shot man who is the leader of a secret high society club. Finally, another struggle was a young man’s quest to find out if his mother was still alive. Which sounds pretty normal and realistic, right? However, it’s way the he goes about finding out the truth. He hires private detectives to find out if she’s alive or not, and once he suspects of a woman to be his mother he confronts by setting up a meeting in bar in a prestigious hotel. I’m not quite sure, but I’m pretty sure it’s not that easy and simple in real life.
I guess what I’m trying to say is, what is it about these shows that captivate our attention so much? Because it’s not only teenagers and young adolescents who watch this show, it’s also adults like my mother and aunts. I can see how people around my age watch the show, because of the good looking people and the high fashion that is very present in the show, but why do older people like it so much?
DIFFERENT TOPIC: Facebook and Your Future Job
I was reading the Gazette yesterday and came across and article called “Students do an about-face on social network: change their names on facebook Worried about how online presence will be perceived by potential employer”. I was intrigued, because I do use facebook and actually have a past employer as a “friend”. Basically the article states that most companies nowadays “check up” on potential employees through social networking sites. If you have an open profile, they can and will judge you based on the information you present to the public. Many people (I admit, myself included..) have pictures that I would definitely not like my future boss to see, for example a picture of my friends and I taking shots. In normal life, this is fine and just a sample of a fun experience with friends…but to an employer this could mean that I enjoy partying too much/might be hungover at work on Friday morning!
As well, if you call in “sick” one morning and your boss feels like checking up on you, they might discover your pictures from a crazy weekend and wonder exactly how real your “sickness” is. Or perhaps they will see a message from a friend saying that they can’t wait for your spa day, that day. There are many risks to having a facebook/twitter etc profile. I see that one of them include a possible tainting and prejudgement by future employers, but I make sure that everything on my profile is extremely private and noone can even search me…another option that is mentioned in the article is that student change their names (ie. James Smith becomes James S) to help alleviate this situation. I don’t think it would stop me from using facebook, but it is definitely something to be careful about!
Here is the link: http://www.montrealgazette.com/business/Students+about+face+social+network/2653276/story.html#ixzz0hjbIVyWA
Not only is it important for us to view media semiotically, it is even more important to educate the younger generations on how important it is not to believe everything that is shown to us through the media. A child picks up on everything they see. They are exposed to so much that it does not take long until they say a bad word or pick up a bad habit. Right away, we educate them on proper behavior and because they have been taught, they will most likely not repeat it. I think the same importance should be accorded to educating our children and students on the media. The children of today are exposed to a lot of garbage in the media but it is our job to educate them about it.
Similarly to Christina, I was also really shocked to hear some of the subjects of conversations coming from a six-grade classroom. I also found it quite shocking that many of them were watching shows such as 90210 and Gossip Girl. Well, no wonder why these children are growing up faster than they should be. I do agree that there are more and more shows that revolve around sex and drugs and other very “grown up” matters, but shows like that have always existed. I don’t think the problem is the television shows themselves, I think the bigger problem is their parents and how these children are being brought up. I think that parents have less control over their kids and it is beginning to reflect in what they watch, how they act and how they speak.
The purpose of entertainers is to entertain. If you ask me, they are doing their job perfectly. They are getting people to talk about them; therefore, they are getting the publicity they need whether it is positive or negative. At the end of the day, they are just doing their job and doing what they need to do in order to get their name in the public eye. Miley Cyrus is popular for a reason, so the media must be doing something right. She acts the way she does because she is getting attention from it, if not, they would change her image in a second.
The media does not care about what images are thrown out where. As long as it gets people taking, it is successful. We, however, must care and educate our students and children that what we see on TV is entertainment, not reality.
I think a big consequence of the blurring of what we consider reality and what is manufactured are specific gender roles and stereotypes. I think people, especially young people, are learning from what they are seeing in the media and recreating and reenacting them. Young children are seeing ads and shows all the time where they see girls dressing in little clothing, obsessing over beauty and sex appeal, where women are responsible for cleaning the house, taking care of the kids, etc. and guys are show either being a slob when their wife serves them or they are big tough studs with huge muscles. They also see other stereotypes such as stereotypes of natives, african americans, etc. which we’ve discussed in class. Children are easily sucked into believing the lies shown in the media, they see those ‘fake’ people having fun and they repeatedly see them acting that specific way, therefore those children start wanting to be like who they see and think that’s how they’re supposed to look, act, and think, and start imitating what they see.
I believe that blurring the line between what is real and what is not can have serious consequences for children today. Children are impressionable and as a result, they are more easily convinced that what they see on TV or in other forms of media is reality, instead of just entertainment. They are more likely to want to be like the people they watch on TV or in the movies and they emulate what they say and how the act. There have been arguments for years now that the presence of more violence in the media today has led to children being more violent. They see the violence in TV shows, movies and video games and they imitate it in their own lives. The same can be said for shows that revolve around sex and other grown up issues as well.
When our class had the discussion about Miley Cyrus on Monday, I agreed with everything that what was said. I remember watching the Teen Choice Awards when Miley Cyrus performed and after watching her pole dance and looking at what she was wearing, I didn’t know what to say. She was definitely sending out the wrong message to her audience, where the majority of that audience is children. I wonder if she thought of that before? I mean, she was around 15 or 16 when she did this, and she thought it was ok to do? She was basically telling children that to get attention, what you have to do is dress and dance sexy.
In order to help children distinguish between what is real and what is not, we as teachers must educate them, and this is why media literacy is so important in the classroom. They need to be taught the tools necessary to look at media critically so they don’t take everything for what it appears to be. As well, I believe that parents must take responsibility, which is something that Elisa mentioned. They need to monitor what their children watch. Children today are watching TV shows and movies that are way too old for them, and this is where the problems start. Children are growing up way to fast, and I think that this is something that needs to be addressed.
GAGA & SWIFT
Miley is taking a lot of heat right now, but I must say she is only a product of her environment. If children were not sexualized at a younger and younger age, there would not be such push by marketing agencies to milk the sexuality of her. Miley is a star. She may be the beneficiary of having a father who received a considerable amount of fame, but nonetheless she does possess a certain level of talent. She was also 29th on the Forbes Celebrity Earning list in 2009.
If I may switch gears for a moment, there are two people I think needed to be outlined; LADY GAGA & TAYLOR SWIFT.
These two artists were up for the 2010 Grammy for Album, Record & Song of the year, but they got there through very different marketing campaigns. Yet each is an incredibly talented artist and do not follow your typical “Britney Spears” rise to fame.
LADY GAGA:
Style: Dance- Pop
Age: 23
Instrument: Piano
Known for: Lewd attire and outrageous costumes.
Compare to: Madonna (9 time Grammy winner with 30 nominations)
Notes: She writes all her own songs! Was accepted to Julliard at 11 years old!
TAYLOR SWIFT:
Style: Country – Pop
Age: 20
Instrument: Guitar & Piano
Known for: Conservative attire & autobiographical lyrics.
Compare to: Dolly Parton (7 time Grammy winner with 45 nominations)
Notes: She writes all her own songs! Is the top selling digital artist ever!
I use this contrast to show how, despite their completely different attitudes, talented artists can embody different personas and their job is selling CD’s rather than becoming appropriate role models.
I encourage everyone to watch the following videos of each artist:
Taylor Swift – Picture to Burn
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yCMqcFAigRg
Lady Gaga – Paparazzi
http://www.youtube.com/user/LadyGagaVEVO#p/u/8/d2smz_1L2_0
In response to Christina and Elisa
I could not agree more with the discussion that we had this week in class on Miley Cyrus and on her negative attitude that is influencing many young girls. Whether Miley is a role-model or not, her image and actions are being projected to the public and they are influencing young girls. I remember, like Christina and Elisa, watching Miley Cyrus do a very provocative dance with a pole and being barely dressed at the teen choice awards a few years back. I remember reacting in a similar way and not believing my eyes that an actress/ singer that wants to be famous so much reacts in such a way by keeping in mind who her audience is.
This discussion about Miley leads me into what is going on in the minds of elementary school students at the moment. Having had a considerable amount of experience with students from this particular age-level just like Elisa and Christina, I as well heard many disturbing things that made me worry about my future role as an educator as well as possibly becoming a mother one day. Having spoken with students ranging from grade four to six, I realized that the main issues that go on in their minds are attraction to the opposite sex (or the same one in certain circumstances), having perfect physical attributes as well as looking a certain way and doing everything to be socially accepted but more importantly, becoming popular. Like Christina mentioned, I was most definitely not having thoughts that were even close to these ones when I was the same age. I remember first liking a boy in high school and not worrying about the way that I looked at all; my main focus was to have an enjoyable time with my friends by learning and doing my hobbies.
Just to add to this, I heard this week from one of my professors that works at the Montreal School Board how she was working on a particular case at the moment. She explained to us that there is a grade four student that is pregnant for the second time! ! When I heard that, I understood why my professor looked discouraged. Considering this little anecdote as well as everything else that I mentioned above, I think that it is important as future educators and possibly parents one day to teach the newer generation to critically analyze what they see on television and not to believe everything that is shown to them as well as said; seeing and hearing is not necessarily believing!
NEW TOPIC: Response to Suzanne’s post – toddlers and tiaras
I understand that the television show blows scenarios out of proportion, but hey, what reality show doesn’t? The whole point of reality TV is to find the most extreme of everything! That’s what makes reality TV entertaining.
What is not so funny is the fact that there are parents actually like that. Society has changed, people are obsessed with appearances! I have friends who are 20 years old who still have their parents harassing them to be the person they want their child to be, and honestly, there is nothing entertaining about it – it is awful!
My one friend is 19 years old. I’d say she is probably about 5’8 and 150 pounds, i.e. NOT obese by any means. Well her mother hates that fact that her daughter doesn’t wear a size 1 or whatever and constantly hassles her about it. Get this — her mom lives in Toronto, as my friend is away at University, and she still constantly bothers her about it.
So anyways, her mom’s birthday was in December and my friend asked her mom what she wanted as a gift. You know what her mom replied? I want you to lose 15 pounds. What kind of mother says that? Especially to your healthy child who is by no means fat!
Her mom is crazy and signed her up for pretty much every workout class possible at McGill. Her mom will NOT lay off the issue. And all her harassment only makes things worse on my friend because she’s so insecure and really doesn’t need to be!
I have another friend back home who is naturally beautiful and could be considered a tom boy. She pretty much never wears makeup or does her hair or gets dressed up. She likes looking natural. Unfortunately, her mom disapproves. Her mom wants her to be prissy and high maintenance (like herself). As a result, her mom won’t pay for stuff unless they meet her expectations, so basically my friend owns a bunch of things that she never wears because she actually hates them. And every time her mom is around, she’s always like “I wish you were pretty like all of your friends, you would be so beautiful if you just tried once in awhile”. And I am telling you, this girl is stunning just the way she is!
It hurts to see my friends going through what they do. But things like this do happen and these girls and 19 and 20 years old. I can only imagine what mothers of younger girls are like (because honestly, the younger they are, the easier they are convinced).
That is what I saw in the television program. I mean yes, I noticed psycho moms who were outrageous but I know that’s just TV. But when you sit and watch a show like that, it makes you think about how many of your future students are going to have parents who are never happy with them. And I don’t necessarily mean physically, I mean discontented with whatever it is: appearance, intelligence, style, hobbies, etc.
And I am sure the “whole class” didn’t buy into it, that is just your assumption. Several people made strong points in class. I am sure most people took the show for what it was at the time and laughed at the idea, but that doesn’t mean they weren’t “thinking critically” or taking an “educational perspective”. People process things differently and at different speeds. Maybe some of the people in our class had different opinions or conclusions later on. We shouldn’t generalize on things we have no proof of.
Similarly, to what many have already responded, I do agree that as future educators we have a responsibility to educate our students on how to filter what they are being exposed to from the media. This is to say that they should not be following nor believing everything they see, because as well all know children will take things literally and apply them to their lives.
Our students are clearing not given a chance to just be kids. The images and messages that the media is sending out to these students all revolves around superficial ideas. Yet our students take these messages and begin to apply them to their lives. As I read the blogs, many of you have said that you found it shocking at what sorts of topics as well as shows grade six students were talking about. Well, here is something more shocking, try hearing kindergarten students talk about how first you get married and then you have sex or even worse when a little girl is telling all of her friends that girls are supposed to put their mouths on boys ‘private parts’. Now that is shocking! This is a clear example of parents being negligent as to what their children are being exposed to. If parents are not able to filter the type of media their children are taking in then it is our job as teachers to guide them in the right direction. I was also shocked to hear that one of the boys in the kindergarten class would also stay up late and watch Family Guy with his family. Why is a 6 year old watching a show like Family Guy? Clearly the content is too vulgar for his age, but here again the parents are to blame for the type of media that they are exposing their children to. I agree with Elisa, the entertainers are not entirely to blame. This is their job and what it entails is to entertain certain target audiences. The target audience for Family Guy is definitely no child under the age of 12. Parents need to pay more attention to their children and educate themselves on the shows they are letting their children watch.
Many of the media children are being exposed to now is basically forcing them to grow up. If parents allow their children to watch movies and shows that are clearly not appropriate for their age, then they are simply encouraging this idea of having to grow up, because clearly if Mom and Dad let them watch it then it must be ok.
In order to help our students live out their childhood to its fullest, we must educate them on what types of media they should be watching. We need to show them that in reality a good image does not mean looking like Miley Cyrus, they need to learn to be confident and accept themselves as who they are. As future teachers we need to show our students how to be media literate and filter for themselves what information they should be taking in.
** Hip Hop Conference **
I attended the Hip Hop Conference last week. Everyone was amazing! I have trouble, sometimes, putting my thoughts or emotions on paper. I take vocal lessons and at times, my teacher just makes me throw out words to her (that i’m thinking). It’s just in the moment, to describe how I’m feeling. I’ve yelled all kinds of words, from “tears, pain, soul, life, love, betrayal, etc”. Even though it’s difficult for me to make compositions and poems with verses that rhyme, etc., once I say four words, I automatically feel more relaxed.
The teens who performed were unbelievable. It’s crazy to see such young people expressing themselves in ways that I could never imagine. The SLAM poetry was intense. The poems were all about completely different topics. They were all extremely deep, emotional, and daring; nothing like I hear in popular hip hop songs. Their lyrics were true and meaningful.
SLAM poetry is great for the classroom. Even students who are not fans of Hip Hop would enjoy it. It makes expressing oneself less stressful and more exciting. I would definetly use this in my advanced ESL classrooms.
Response to “DIFFERENT TOPIC: Facebook and Your Future Job”
I saw a similar report on the news where CEOs or big shots in certain companies were getting caught with photos on Facebook of themselves smoking weed or other similar incriminating activities. When on my 3rd stage, practically all of my high school students tried to add me on Facebook, I tried having a talk with them in class, saying that I wouldn’t add them, that they are not my friends, which ultimately didn’t work and I had to make my profile and all my photo albums private. The main reason I did this is because other teachers told me what had happened to another teacher at my host school, where they videotaped her in class and posted it on YouTube, got photos from her Facebook and photoshoped them for the entire school. This brings me to my next point, I don’t think kids understand how “permanent” the internet is. Once they post a school yard fight, or naked pictures of an ex on the internet or taking a video of another student in a bathroom stall while they’re trying to go to the bathroom, it’s there forever, at a least for a really long time. They don’t seem to realize the effect it has on the person who is being portrayed in this photo or video. Just about any can be instantly published with YouTube and Facebook but most people aren’t aware of the dilemmas their photos and videos can get them in.
*****New Topic : Ritalin ******
Dans le cadre d’un cours que j’ai du faire lors de mes études collégiales, j’ai fait un travail sur la consommation du ritalin chez les enfants et les effets secondaires que ceux-ci pouvaient apporter à ses consommateurs. J’ai été surprise de constater à quel point cette médication peut être néfaste pour la santé de quelqu’un. De plus, les éléments que j’ai constater représentaient seulement que les effets à court terme considérant la nouveauté de ce produit. On entend souvent dans les médias que les effets néfastes de cette médication sont des mythes ou encore des légendes urbaines totalement inventées. Par contre, lors de ma recherche, j’ai eu connaissance de plusieurs cas qui ont en tenté d’être cacher par les médias en échange d’un bon montant d’argent mais qui ont tout de même fait surface. Afin de garder leur bonne réputation, les compagnie pharmaceutiques tels le Ritalin peuvent débourser d’assez gros montant afin d’acheter les gens qui veulent témoigner contre eux. La conspiration contre la vérité ne peut tout de même pas durer pour toujours ce pourquoi on peut constater quelque faits sur ce produits.
Voici quelques effets néfastes de ce produits sur les enfants. Les jeunes peuvent être dépressif ce qui a lié à quelques cas de suicides. De plus, ils peuvent être davantage agressif ( ce qui est aussi en lien avec le fait qu’aucune personne ayant des antécédents de Ritalin ne peux s’enrôler dans l’armée) Ces deux exemples d’effets secondaires négatifs ne sont rien comparativement à plusieurs autres. Il est donc triste de voir que les médias, qui ont pour but de nous présenter les information véridiques, réussissent à nous cacher de telles histoires qui sont plus que très importants pour la santé des enfants de notre société.
**Different Topic**
I was just reading Stefania’s comment about the Oscars and I too wanted to respond to what I thought about this event. I usually only watch the Oscars to see what people are wearing and who went with who etc. I tend to find the actual awards ceremony a little boring and this year was no exception.
I find it interesting that Stefania found Mo’nique’s speech insulting because I actually found it to be the most interesting one. I don’t know if people watched the interview with Mo’nique and Barbara Walters right before the ceremony but I think it actually shed a lot of light on who she is. She spoke about the fact that she is in an “open relationship” and does what works for her without thinking about what other people think of her. As an example, she showed Barbara Walters her legs, to show that she has not shaved them in years! (It was not a pretty sight!) But she doesn’t care what I or anyone else thinks of her.
I think that to a certain degree Mo’nique was right in saying that it was the first time that someone won for performance and not politics. She is a woman that is not particularly good looking, not mainstream and says highly controversial things, the politics card is certainly against her. I don’t think that her comment referred to the fact that it os only politics that won other before her the Oscar, obviously performance factored in. I think she just meant that politics helped.
RE: TODDLERS & TIARAS
This is not the first time I had seen this show, and let’s say that those were not shocking clips. The shocking clips were those of three year old girls participating in these pageants dressed in gowns of $700 and looking like little porcelain dolls. Some of them are so young, that they are not even able to speak properly, but still have baby voices and minimal vocabulary.
Their mothers, the culprits in all of this, dress them up and make them up to be years over their actual ages. They back up their actions by saying that its tradition and that they were also doing the same when they were at that age. A big part of these pageants are the fact that these kids of 3 or 4 must be “southern belles” just like their mothers. They are pressured at young ages to compete and win, because coming home empty handed is not being a Southern Belle. This is not right because these children don’t even have the choice, but instead are just thrown into it. These parents put extreme pressures on these little girls and they are expected to do it right. If not they get in trouble and both them and their parents get mad.
In my opinion, these competitions should not be forced upon a child. What kind of values are they really learning from this? Nor should they be wearing all that make up at 3 years old. The girls competing have probably worn more makeup in one day, than I have in 20 years. Also spending 20,000 on accessories and costumes for one pageant is ridiculous.
Finally, I feel that these pageants are not teaching the children anything positive, but instead it is teaching these young girls that they must look a certain way to succeed and as we all know, this is not true.
http://tlc.discovery.com/videos/toddlers-tiaras-ronis-mom.html
This girl (Roni) started pageants at 11 months old!!!!
Medias and you
Unfortunately there are too many people who believe what is on television. I am not talking about some random people without any cultural capital; I am talking about probably most people in our class (no offense). Of course, anybody that is going to read this will say: “Well certainly not me.“ But the truth is that when one watches too much TV one begins to believe in it. A lot of people believe that because it’s on TV it’s true. Sorry but you’re wrong. The best example is H1N1. Anybody who received the vaccine believes in what happens on TV. There never was any proof that the disease was going to spread and have annihilating consequences. People went to receive the vaccine, spend hours in line to receive something which they probably didn’t even need and made the pharmaceutics company multi-millionaire. Because let’s face it, having a little girl who watches that show with Miley Cirus and believes it is quite bad but it’s not as bad as having whole populations believing that they need that new product that’s on television or believing that they should dress in Nike since they are fit people. The real goal of television is not to make us smarter or happier. The real goal of television is to tell you that your TV is way too small, that your wife is way too fat and that your car doesn’t suit you anymore.
*** HIP-HOP CONFERENCE ***
Last Thursday I attended the Hip-Hop conference, which at first thought would be nothing but boredom and I good way to get an extra 5%. Oh, how wrong I was! From the first presentation of No Bad Sound to SLAM Poetry, not once did I not listen. I even took part! When one of the young ladies from Rochester, New York went to present her verse, she asked the audience to participate with some “Mhmm” or “finger snapping,” and who did you hear giving a big “Mhmm”? My friend and I! It was actually very energetic. I’m sorry for not remembering names, but as Dr. Steinberg called her “dangerous professor,” came and read us some of the poetry her high school students had written, I was really stunned. The use of vocabulary and emotion is just surreal. I think it’s quite amazing how the do SLAM competition though. As the man mentioned it (once again, sorry for not remembering names…) he said when they have the competitions, the winner wins nothing (except self gratification) and everyone who participated comes on stage right after his win. This is not a competition to put anyone down. I thought that was incredible how the children get to express themselves without being judged or hurt by someone with better poetry or lyrics because in the end, they all win!
I’m very glad I went to the conference, and if there is to be a Montreal team (hopefully No Bad Sound will go out there), I’ll support them 100% all the way!
**New topic-Internet safety in the Elementary curriculum
I recently read a very brief article in the Globe and Mail concerning changing school curriculums to include lessons concerning internet safety. This curriculum change that will take place in Ontario will be aimed mainly at children in grades 4 through 7 but programs will be implemented “age appropriately” as early as grade 1.
Although this article didn’t go into great detail and was very short it definitely left an impression on me. As technology continues to evolve and grow, I feel that children in our society are becoming more mature and wanting more freedom at an early age. These two factors are definitely associated with each other and not always in a positive way. Yes, children in elementary schools now know how to do their own research for projects and such on the internet without the help of their parents but at the same time the internet is a very dangerous place if you are uneducated.
I joined facebook when I was in grade 10. Children these days are joining as early as 6 years old. Although facebook is a relatively safe website, I feel that this could be a starting point for children who start using the internet young. There are so many websites out there where there are predators and scams and most children don’t know about these or know how to spot them. I feel that our society is continually changing and it is wise for us to change our curriculums as well to prepare our children for ‘real life’. I think Ontario’s schools are going to benefit from the lessons and I think that it should be a program that all elementary schools should adopt.
When watching the news this week I saw the news coverage of another 80’s child star, Corey Haim, who died of a drug overdose at the age of 38. This shows how living the Hollywood life can affect young teens. Children and teens can get caught up in this make believe world and spiral out of control. I believe the media has a huge influence on this because they put pressure on children and teens to behave in a certain way.
When discussing Miley Cyrus this week I had to agree with many of the comments that the acts of this young pop star are inappropriate for you children to idolize. The influence of media on children also extends into how we view ourselves and others. Television shows portray women in a certain way. Generally focusing primarily on their attractiveness; or at least Hollywood’s version of it. These images from movies, television, and all kinds of advertisements bombard women; often with the effect of creating an unattainable image in their minds of how they should appear. Anorexia, bulemia, low self-esteem and many other problems can result. These images of course, can also effect the expectations that men have regarding how women should behave and look.
I was shocked when reading Noemie blog on the fourth grader who was pregnant for the second time. I think this is absolutely horrible and discouraging for the future. That is why I agree with many of our classmates that it is important to educate the younger generations on how they should not believe everything that is shown to them through the media.
* NEW TOPIC * The Oscars
WHat classifies as a film worthy of an Oscar? I may be speaking just for myself but I always get the feeling, year after year, that the movies nominated for Oscars are either really boring or really expensive. Most of the time, I haven’t even seen half of the movies that are nominated and I go see movies on a regular basis. Action, Drama, historical, and suspense movies are nominated but what about the other genres of films? What about horror movies? What about romance comedies? What about documentaries? Not often are those kinds of movies nominated for “best film”. So many movies come out each year and only a select few of the same style get chosen.
I understand that “The Academy” chooses them and they have their own criteria to decide who gets nominated but as a young viewer myself I find that many of the movies that I go out and see in theaters aren’t even mentioned at the Oscars. Every year after watching the Oscars I get a feeling of disappointment but for some reason, every year, I just can’t seem to stop myself from watching it.
What an interesting topic. In the past, I have studied the idea of symbolism and idolatry. I find it to be a touchy subject. When one is discussing the idea of symbolism as a whole, there are of course certain limitations. The symbol itself does in some respect the idea, theory, person, place, thing, etc…. However, it is critical to teach students that this symbol or idol represents something, not everything. It might indeed represent someone, not everyone. Certain aspects that could be discussed are things such as: what does this symbol mean to you; what are its implications; what are some positives and negatives? The lines do become blurred. It is often difficult, especially for younger children, to decipher reality from falsehood. Which realities are truly revealed through media? What can one trust, and what must one take with a grain of salt?
For example, let’s take the example of the coverage of the war in Afganistan. There are certain realities that are shown through this coverage, and of course some shots and stories that create false ideas and assumptions as well. But, how do we teach our students how to understand the right information from the hyped up information? I would suggest that this comes through the discussion of appropriate subject matter and educating students about the true nature of the facts and actual historical information and contexts. This is why classes such as this one are so important. I have already learned a few different strategies to help students make proper choices about how they perceive media and to ensure that they leave my class with a more advanced level of media literacy.
As mentioned by classmates, young children are often exposed to shows that have alot of adult content. It is either because their parents/guardian believe that this content is appropriate, or it is because the students access it without consent. As much as one would like to assume that they can control what children are exposed to, it is very difficult to shield them from everything. I believe that it is important to create an environment where a child feels safe to discuss whatever they want to. They can come up with questions or ideas without feeling as though they will be judged. For example, if you take the whole Miley Cyrus debate, I can understand that there are more negative connotations because she has marketed herself to younger girls. Yet, we are sort of placing the blame on the actress, instead of taking the blame into our own hands. It is young girls who are watching the show, going to the concerts, and buying the merchandise. So, we can sit around and talk about how “bad” her dance moves are and so on, but there is a market for it, so of course people are going to capitalize on this. I am not saying that this is morally right, but it is a fact of capitalism. So, since these sorts of influences are not going away, what does one do? Exactly this. Talk about it, and discuss all the bad and good things about using such people are role models. It is up to the guardians, parents, teachers, older sibilings and so on to guide their younger counterparts. I find that from time to time we are way too quick to place blame and responsibility of media sources. This is not accurate. Of course I do believe in the idea that media outlets do have some sort of responsibility to their viewers, but I am really not sure how one would calculate what a fair or adequate level of censorship would indeed be. I think that the responsibility of discussing the meanings behind these “symbols” of popular culture and lying out what is right and wrong about idolizing such symbols truly lie in the viewer and those who may be responsible for the viewer.
****
I also wanted to respond to the post about Killer Whales. It has been such a big debate recently. I was watching a special about it on Larry King Live the other night. It was interesting to hear both sides of the debate. Although I am inclined to say that animals should never be captivity; there are exceptions to every rule. I agree with Samantha when she says that it is important to discuss such topics with students. Animals are still animals, and they have their natural instincts. When there is such an outbreak of negative news coverage on animals, I think that it is a topic that should be addressed with a class.
DIFFERENT TOPIC: THE MARRIAGE REF
I have heard a lot about the Marriage Ref and so I thought I’d check it out last night. The show is about different couples who fight (the fights are filmed) and celebrity judges and the marriage ref decide who should win. The show is not life changing but it is quite funny. It is interesting to see if the people commentating have the same opinions and how people decide what is good or bad in a relationship. For me, the puzzling part is the couples that decide to do the show. Firstly, the public will have to see all the crazy things that you do and then you need to listen to celebrities and the ref make fun of you in the process. There was also an issue with a therapist yesterday because they were wondering if his practice would be affected now that people could see that his issues are just as bad as his patients’. Also I, like others mentioned on the show, think that this show will not solve the issues of the couples. I don’t think that they will change because some guy on TV said they should. There was a prize for the couples, a second honeymoon, but I don’t think that it’s worth the public humiliation and possible loss of reputation (the therapist). I must say that I spent the entire show wondering who would subject themselves to this ridicule for a vacation that I’m sure that most of the contestants could have afforded in the first place. I think the premise of the show is interesting but I don’t think that the ruling of the ref will solve these people’s problems and I just don’t see the drive that the contestants have to be ridiculed on national TV.
Different Topic
Internet Por n
Why is Internet porn so easily accessible? Is it normal, that young school age children could be viewing such graphics instead of watching the Magic School Bus. Imagine our kids one day, let’s say our 8 year old daughter might see a Reverse Cowgirl! What will they think!! What happens if she wants to experience it with one of her guy friends a couple hours layer because it looks fun. This could lead to children being sexually active at a young age. Individuals might feel pressured, and obligated to be sexually active just because it is being advertised everywhere. Young children might see having sex as a pass time. We should take action to not make internet porn easy accessible. A young toddler might accidently open up a website and may be scarred for the rest of their lives. This is wrong, and may lead to total catastrophe. Just imagine a world were grade 5’s and 6’s are being sexually active. Young girls going on the pill. 10 year olds girls getting abortions. 11 year old boys buying condoms, and lube at the drug store. This may be a likely scenario if the government does not act quickly. Websites such as redtube, spankwire, youjizz, even youporn are all free por n sites, of course I’ve heard through friends in my program and I’ve never seen myself.
***Different Topic: “Facebook” and Your Future Jobs (Response to Shannon and Mimi)
I also heard about employers’ new form of “interview” on television (I don’t remember what the show was). They were saying that employers now conduct interviews of candidates at home through social networking. Meaning, they look you up through networks like “Facebook”. A guest on the show said that she did not get the job and she was told that it was due to the inappropriate elements on her “Facebook” profile. Another guest said that they had been fired for a similar reason.
I understand that “Facebook” is a social network that is available to everyone, and if you’re not careful, everyone can access to your profile. I do also believe that there are limits to what should be displayed on “Facebook” as some things are better kept private. However, I don’t think that it’s fair to fire or not hire someone because of their “Facebook” account. This network is their social life that has no place in the workplace, therefore, I don’t see what employers are bringing it into the workplace by using it as a form of interview.
I am, however, aware of the reality that is “Facebook” and the damages that can result from some of the things displayed. This is why I, like Shannon, have increased my security settings so that people who are not my “friends” have access to very little. I took these steps in increasing my account’s privacy settings after I had numerous students and girls that I coach try to add me to “Facebook”. I was afraid of what they may see and how they may interpret some things on my profile, so I made the necessary adjustments. Social networking is definitely something that needs to be considered when thinking about our future jobs and careers.
I think Mimi brought up an interesting issue; the possible consequences of posting personal information on the internet. Indeed, we tend to forget about the permanent nature of the internet. Despite what we might think when we are posting images, videos or text on the internet, there are possible drawbacks. Similarly to the situation Mimi’s colleague experienced, I also witnessed an undesirable use of people’s personal information on the internet. I used to work as a recruiter and it was standard practice to research candidate’s internet profiles before hiring them. Personal pictures, comments or content could easily disqualify a candidate for a job even though this same person had all the required skills. I don’t agree with this practice and I think it’s just another way to discriminate in the work place. This being said, I think we probably need to be conscious that what we post on the internet is permanent and can be used against us.
Forgot to mention I was responding to Mimi Street.
**DIFFERENT TOPIC** Response to “Ads, Ads, Everywhere”
I was shocked to see the huge list that Diana came up with that included different places that advertisements are seen. Going through the list, I can recall at least one time where I saw an ad on each of the items she listed.
I think that we are so used to seeing ads everywhere that we don’t even notice or care anymore. Sure we’ll read it, but it’s like when someone speaks and it goes in one ear, and comes out the other. We look at the image and text because it’s there, not because we are looking for something to buy into.
Diana asks, “When is enough, enough?” Honestly I think we are at that point. Wherever you look, something is being advertised. Soon there will be planes constantly flying with an advertisement attached to the back, soaring over us for everyone to see.
But imagine a world without advertisements. Do you think we would notice, or would it all be the same? Would we miss the image of models posing for our favorite name brand? If we were to erase all ads from the world, there would be a tremendous job loss!
I checked out the website that Diana posted, and there were some pretty clever advertisements. I love graphic design and think that some advertisements are really out of this world. Maybe if they were all as good, it wouldn’t bother us as much?
Ceci n’est pas un pipe. It is not, but it is. That is why people still talk about this image. More realistically, this http://images2.wikia.nocookie.net/uncyclopedia/images/2/27/Ceci_n_est_pas_une_pipe.jpg image of a cat sticking its tongue out with laser beams coming out of its eyes is not a pipe.
Here is the difference: when the distance between the image and the words is greater, it loses meaning. When we watch The Lord of the Rings or Avatar, they are so far from reality that we accept them as fiction. There are no expectations that reality should reflect these at all. These are my cats with laser beams.
On the contrary, Miley Cyrus is a pipe. She is not so far from reality. She is not a cat with laser beams coming out of its eyes. Media becomes a problem when it is too close to reality. The lives we hear about in celebrity gossip are not real. They are surreal. No one should live that that, and really no one does. The media doesn’t focus on celebrities on the 360 days when they are leading closer to normal lives. Media attention is given on those 5 days when their lives are closer to reality. After all, no one would buy a magazine if the main article was “Miley Cyrus reads the newspaper, brushes her teeth, puts on a sweat suit and watches The Office”. That is why the media we see is closer to a pipe. It is still a cat with laser beams…it is further from reality than the pipe. It is not a representation of reality, it is a representation of surreality.
The problem is that the cat with laser beams is now smoking a pipe. When surreality is depicted as reality and we see the representation of this…well, read this blog. The logic presented here is about as clear as when you try to explain to a six year old that Miley Cyrus isn’t a real girl. They see a pipe where really there is a cat, sticking its tongue out, with laser beams coming out of its eyes.
***New Topic… Ads Ads Everywhere!***
First off I would like to respond to Diana and Camille’s posts. I was also very shocked at Diana’s long list of places where she has seen advertising. However, I was only shocked because I have never actually sat down and thought about all the places I have been victim to bombarding advertisements! Like Camille I can also recall more than one time where I have seen advertisements on the places she listed. Wherever we go there is an overwhelming amount of advertisements that surround us. I mean I understand that there needs to be advertisements on television and in magazines, but in bathroom stalls and on manhole covers?! Seriously?! Advertising companies are becoming more “clever”, and there is no where that is advertisement free. We are constantly surrounded, and it bothers me as well. What bothers me even more is that I am so bombarded by it that I don’t even notice it anymore. I like the point that Camille brings up about questioning what the world would be like without advertisements. Yes, there would be a tremendous job loss which would severely affect our already struggling economy. I do not think that advertisements should be completely banned, it has just been taken to far, and like Camille said perhaps if the advertisements were unique and out of this world we would be more interested. In the near future I think society will become completely immune to the media and its advertisements.
***Second Topic for Blog… HIP HOP Conference!***
Secondly, I wanted to talk about the Hip Hop conference that I attended last Thursday. Honestly, I went to the conference because we were getting extra credit, and it did seem somewhat interesting because I Hip Hop interests me. After the conference was over I was truly impressed by the whole evening. I want to talk about the young individuals that shared their personal stories with us and that we listened to. Their talents, skills, and passion are truly inspirational. I have worked with kids and teenagers who are very similar to those young individuals from Montreal that performed for us. However, some of the kids and teens that I see throughout the summer do not have programs in their neighbourhoods like this one, and they end up hanging out with the wrong people, and finding themselves in bad situations. I think it is very important for children and teenagers to express themselves creatively. With the uprising popularity of Hip Hop, teenagers can relate to this new lifestyle and it is good to include this in the classroom. Hip Hop gives individuals the opportunity to express their emotions, opinions, and life experiences. All in all, I could not stop listening to what these individuals had to say. From the No Bad Sound, to the poetry readings from Rochester, and finally the talk about the SLAM competition I was very intrigued throughout everything. I am so happy I attended this conference, and hopefully Montreal can be seen in the upcoming SLAM competitions.
I just noticed my blog is missing a very important “not”.
The sentence should read:
“Media attention is given on those 5 days when their lives are not as close to reality.”
***FACEBOOK AND THE WORKPLACE
Shannon rasied an interesting point about Facebook and this reminded me of a story that was in the news a few months ago. It was about a lady (in Quebec) who was on sick leave because she was suffering from severe depression. She was receiving a pay check but when her boss saw pictures of her smiling on the beach and at a friend’s party they decided to fire her. She took her employer to court but I forget what the ruling was. Facebook and other social networking sites seem to have blurred the difference between private and public information. A lot of people are tagged in photos having fun with there friends but if these photos were to be seen by employers or parents they could be seen as inappropriate. Facebook allows you to set your privacy settings and control what people can see or not see. Does not allowing people to see your pictures work? How are employers getting access to their employees’ photos? Can’t an employee relax and have some fun outside the workplace without being fired.
Facebook can be a great way to reconnect with past friends. But some people just seem eager for friends and will add anyone even if they don’t even know them or only met them once! Mimi mentionned how many of her students wanted to ad her on facebook. This reminded me a little of what a teacher saying about Facebook. She had just joined Facebook and some of her student’s parents were adding her has friends and she didn’t know what to do. She didn’t want to offend them by saying no but still she wanted to keep her private life separate from her teaching career. Then of course as Mimi students sometimes want to ad there teachers. This could definitly pose many problems. There needs to be some privacy involved I’m sure that CEO’s and many employers have done their share of crazy things but because the photos are not on the web its okay.
Different Topic:
The death of Cory was quiet sad, considering he had been clean for the past couple of years and was trying to get back his life.
Being from his generation, I am aware of the fact that many hollywood stars during the late seventy and eighties became addicted to drugs or have been in and out of rehap for most tof their young life. Cory was no stranger to rehabilitation centres. It was sad to see the decline in an actor, that as a young child I could relate to because we were the same age.
It says something when the older generation is out living those who grew up in my generation. Are drugs the problem or is it the the break down of family structure?. Maybe it’s the pressure of living up to unrealistic expections, that is killing young stars.
What does this say to future generations? Does this mean that a cocktail of drugs is the in thing to do. Perhaps, there are numerous young performers who just can’t handle the pressure of living the life of a star.
What ever reason it may be, it says alot about what my generation thought of themselves and how this generation will handle the same pressures. Will they learn from those who passed away? or will they may the same mistakes?
Last week I attended the hip hop conference that Professor Steingberg recommended, and I absolutely loved it! Before going to the conference I honestly did not think I would enjoy it as I never really got into hip hop music, however I thoroughly had a good time and came out with a greater appreciation for it. I thought all of the acts were incredible and I was in awe throughout the whole thing. I think it is so amazing and inspirational how they could come up with such meaningful and relatable lyrics. I was truly shocked at how young the members of No Bad Sound are! I expected them to say they were in their 20’s, however they were all under the age of 18! And the Slam Poets, wow. I really loved all of their performances and stories. They were all really touching and I found them very moving. I especially loved the young man in the red’s poem about his empathy for look-obsessed women. This poem really stood out for me and it was very relatable, as I am a woman who does care about looks, maybe a little too much. Moreover, I think that hip hop/poetry is a great technique that should be used more in the classroom. Having gone to this conference I have left with a greater understanding of the hip hop culture and how to implement it in my own class room one day. I really believe poetry is a great outlet for students to talk about their issues and express their true emotions and feelings.
Last week I attended the hip hop conference that Professor Steingberg recommended, and I absolutely loved it! Before going to the conference I honestly did not think I would enjoy it as I never really got into hip hop music, however I thoroughly had a good time and came out with a greater appreciation for it. I thought all of the acts were incredible and I was in awe throughout the whole thing. I think it is so amazing and inspirational how they could come up with such meaningful and relatable lyrics. I was truly shocked at how young the members of No Bad Sound are! I expected them to say they were in their 20’s, however, they were all under the age of 18! And the Slam Poets, wow. I really loved all of their performances and stories. They were all really touching and I found them very moving. I especially loved the young man in the red’s poem about his empathy for look-obsessed women. This poem really stood out for me and it was very relatable, as I am a woman who does care about looks, maybe a little too much. Moreover, I think that hip hop/poetry is a great technique that should be used more in the classroom. Having gone to this conference I have left with a greater understanding of the hip hop culture and how to implement it in my own class room one day. I really believe poetry is a great outlet for students to talk about their issues and express their true emotions and feelings.
I really like the questions you asked this week. I’m working with the big brother big sister program, as a big sister for twin 7 year olds and haev been seeing the effects of the media more and more by talking with them.
In their home there are no limitiations as to what shows or movie they are allowed to watch, nor are there any time constraints. Anything the mother watches, the children watch. Because at the age of 7 they already have been watching only adult television instead of more age appropriate shows, they cannot seperate reality from what they see in the media.
The way the hero (almost) always lives….they do not understand the makings of the movie, and speak to me as if what they have seen is reality.
I also realized that with everything being increasingly dramaticized, and media growing a the rate that it is, children are being exposed to more ‘adult’ media at a younger age. When this happens, once tehy are exposed to it, cartoons and kid movies are no longer of interest to them.
I raelly do think that there are too many homes with parents that are too busy, and/or not caring enough to monitor what their children are watching. Especialyl with how the media is able to recreate images and display them as ‘reality’, or clip videos and cut articles to twist stories and distort the reality of a situation, movements have to be made to make it more strict, kids shouldnt be exposed to such media until they are taught to be critical and to analyze.
Hip-hop
I was quite surprised at how much I enjoyed the hip-hop event that took place at McGill last week. I think that people are really unaware of hip-hop culture and what it has to offer to adolescents as well as adults. Hip-hop enables students to express themselves and share what they are feeling using metaphors and symbols that are often found in essays and public speaking. The segment that I enjoyed the most was the slam high poets. I loved the passion that these kids had when performing. You could tell how much they loved what they do the second they presented themselves on stage. I admire their courage and their fearlessness to get up in front of an audience and be themselves. It takes a lot to show people who you really are, especially to people who you have never met. Throughout the entire event, the audience did a great job of participating and joining in if they agreed with something said. I previously knew nothing about hip-hop culture and am now incredibly interested in the subject. I would love to incorporate hip-hop with my future students.
**DIFFERENT TOPIC : THE OSCARS.**
I have always been a huge fan of the oscar ceremony. I have to admit though, that I am more earger and excited about the stars arriving on the red carpet and their maginficent gowns ( for the most part) than the actual ceremony.
The night started off with a promising surprise, as Neil Patrick Harris — who dazzled as the host of the last Emmys — proved his awards show prowess yet again with a ditty about Hollywood duos (and a sparkly tux to boot). Harris and his showman panache make him a hosting favorite for years to come, as he seamlessly continues to marry funny with flair.
Hosts Steve Martin and Alec Baldwin continued the good times when they started off the night with a message: Nobody is safe from ridicule. Their pointed and often hilarious monologue jokes — skewering everyone from Meryl Streep to Zac Efron — brought a bit of edgy, insulting-yet-funny roast environment to the awards that have been sorely lacking. It was far more MTV than ABC, and if you ask us, it worked.And then, as always, it happened …
A recurring theme each year of the Oscars (and almost all awards shows) is the crippling loss of steam following the opening numbers and introductory awards. Going from Vegas-style showtunes to best score within minutes is like throwing on the emergency brake halfway through an exciting chase scene, yet the awards gods never seem to realize this. There’s an easy solution to this conundrum, and we’re laying it out on the line: Show fewer awards.
Fewer awards during the broadcast equals more opportunity for allure, razzle-dazzle and a fulfilling show, but for some reason, nobody on the production crew wants to make that call and put in the extra writing work. Sure, everyone should get their due and be honored, but this is showbiz, people, and when all of Hollywood is crammed into a room, someone should fire off that memo. So, sorry best documentary and best make-up, but the Oscars would be better off with your awards being doled out beforehand.
As for the presentation of the awards themselves, while a bit tedious, the longer vignettes featuring each nominee brought back a focus to why the Oscars actually exist: To honor the actors and films. The intensity of the performances is the reason everyone gets dressed up, so seeing them showcased in such detail was a nice touch. Still, when the majority of the big awards are no-brainers, something’s gotta give when it comes to the show format to keep people interested. The Academy shouldn’t be faulted for the fact that the Big Four were locks, it’s just that they surely could have done something to spice up the remainder of the show.
By far the night’s most touching and memorable moment, the tribute to late director John Hughes was as flawless and heartfelt as one of his signature teary-eyed scenes, conveying the hilarity, relevance and soul that Hughes’ films consistently delivered. The intimacy he brought to his movies made Hughes and his art so endearing that it was almost impossible to not tear up when the shot panned to his family in the crowd. His legend will forever be a part of Hollywood, and the Oscars did him justice.
In response to Toddlers and Tiaras
I am not at all surprised by the way the mothers in this show are acting! It seems to me that they are dressing their girls up like dolls with make-up, fake teeth, and very expensive dresses!! These mothers are unfortunately going too far when it comes to competition. I find it very important for the parents to be involved with their child’s leisure activities, however, there must be a limit. These toddlers should absolutely have a say in being part of these very demanding pageants. However, more often than not these children are too young to express what they like or don’t like that the parents have absolute power. Consequently, the majority of the time the mothers get so into the competitions and are constantly striving to win at all costs.
As Vanessa mentioned, what are these children actually learning from this? That it is important to compete, compete, compete, and always be the prettiest and the best? Don’t get me wrong, I do find that it is important to compete in life when you are working hard at something you love, however, these toddlers are too young to know what’s actually happening. Let’s not forget that most of these mothers must stop their full time jobs to be 100% involved with these pageants…
***America’s Next Top Model***
Media definitely has a big impact on young children. As we discussed in class, Miley Cyrus is someone a lot of elementary students look up to and admire. However, many of them are also staying up to watch shows such as America’s Next Top Model. Most of the girls on these shows are very skinny, but nobody criticizes their bodies as much because that is “the way models are supposed to look” in today’s modelling industry. We aren’t even really fazed anymore when we see such skinny girls models on the runway because that is how most of them look. There has only been one plus size model winner, and she looks the healthiest of them all.
I don’t have a problem with this show, because I watch it and enjoy seeing all the photo competitions and the drama between the contestants. However, I do have a problem with little girls watching this show. When I was at my stage last semester, there was an incident where a little girl in another grade felt sick and wanted to go home. Her teacher took her out to her locker to see if she had any snacks to eat and see if she felt better. What her teacher found was that her whole lunch was sitting in her locker, uneaten. This girl was not fat at all!! She was in grade 5 and she did watch America’s Next Top Model. It is really sad that an 11 year old girl is so self conscious about her body that she has stopped eating. Anorexia can start at a young age, and this situation proves it. Watching these types of shows don’t help and parents should really monitor what their children are watching because it could lead to bigger problems in the future.
This is why I believe that the health classes which were given at the elementary school where I did my stage are very important. They focus on healthy eating habits and how to remain active. Little girls should be enjoying their time as kids and not obsessing over their weight.
RE: New Topic: Killer Whales (Samantha B)
I remember having this same exact conversation with my mother, just days after the attack of the Whale trainer. Should these creatures be put to sleep or not? As Samantha mentioned, they are following these inborn instincts that may not have been totally suppressed during their training. These creatures belong in their natural habitats–large bodies of water– how can we punish them for following through with their natural instincts? Obviously, the whale should not stay in such a place as “Sea World”, but maybe setting them free would be an alternative worth considering, rather than putting the creature to sleep.
However, to focus more on the “Media” aspect of this scenario, I find the media coverage on Whales post-incident is so typical of media coverage creating, or contributing to, a kind of “moral panic”. Now, all of a sudden, whales are worse than sharks somehow (At least, that’s what it seems from the outside looking in)?
As educators, while it is fun to share stories about swimming with dolphins and watching Killer Whale shows at SeaWorld, it’s important that we explore all dimensions of animal science with our students. We need to teach them about the NATURE of these animals and the reality of their behavioural instincts. Only when people begin to fundamentally UNDERSTAND the core of the topic will they then be able to critically approach the misconceptions and “moral panics” created by the media.
I believe that the future of children who are unable to distinguish the line between what is true and what is not true in the media face many negative consequences. We are faced with influential media advertisements many times every single day. Most of the time, these advertisements contain dangerous images that transmit a false message. I believe that the images can be dangerous because they are unrealistic yet attempt to portray the truth. In many advertisements for things such as apparel, perfumes, shoes, and more, we see the models as happy and satisfied individuals. In other words, in order to be happy, you must be a part of the product. One can assume that children are easy targets for this type of advertising. Children are more prone to believing in a truth within advertising due to their naivety. I often see advertisements that are targeted to teenage girls who are considered vulnerable and have low self-esteem and are sensitive. Based on my experiences, I feel as though teenage girls face a high level of pressure since they feel the need to belong to a certain social group. Since advertising is an exposure of a false reality, it contributes to many problems in children such as social anxiety, anorexia and even drug or alcohol use. Therefore, I believe that as teachers we must apply media education to our teaching in order to prove to children that advertising should not always be taken literally. I do not believe in censorship, therefore I think it is of great importance to be willing to show advertisements to any age group. However, it must be done with awareness and with the intention to un-blur the line between what is real and what is manufactured.
Different topic: Hip Hop Conference
Once upon a time, I used to think hip-hop was all about gangsters and trash-talking. Was I ever proved wrong on Thursday! When I first walked into the building, I admit that I was sceptic of how the night was going to turn out. When the group “No Bad Sounds” from Cotes-des-Neiges came onto the stage, I was blown away. They were absolutely fantastic! I was stunned by the fact that they were only around 15 years old.
Just when I thought the night could not get any better than No Bad Sounds, I was introduced to The Slam High Poetry group. I always considered poems as extremely boring and dull. However, the way the young adults from Rochester read out their poems revolutionized poems for me.
I also enjoyed when Hodary Davis from Brave New Voices came on stage. He was very inspiring and interesting. Also, one of the highlights of the night for me would probably be the Narcycist PHATWA video because of the fact that Habib was in it. Overall, I believe the night was a great success!
Response to Gossip Girl and other teen dramas
I completely agree with the fact that these shows are unrealistic, yet entertaining. Perhaps, the unrealistic aspect of the show could explain its high ratings; people seem to love the “impossible”. None the less, I think these shows are great for entertainment purposes; however as educators, I strongly believe we should discuss these shows with our students and analyze the teenage fantasy aspects.
Like 90210, the characters are high school students who come from rich families, have sex on a regular basis, not always with the same partner, and who some also consume “high-end” drugs. The rich and famous theme is more emphasized on Gossip Girl. We constantly see these high-powered teenagers living like forty year olds (established, with lots of money and power). For instance, some live alone in a huge luxury condo/hotel suite; they are seventeen years old, yet they are constantly seen at bars with alcohol, and buying people to get secret information, and they are constantly seen being driven around by their personal limo driver. When they come across an obstacle in their lives, they often fly to Europe, or any other destination to avoid that problem. How do they get there? Oh, just a private jet; which they got themselves, because when they actually decide to tell their parents they left, they are already at their destination.
In my opinion, although this can be highly entertaining, it can be damaging to some sixteen year old. Most teenagers at that age, face an identity crisis. They watch these shows, and want to be like the characters. The fact is, not many teenagers live this way, and the show portrays no reality whatsoever. So the issue here, is that teenagers could possibly start working, then spend some money on drugs (or sell drugs, because according to gossip girl, selling drugs gives you money, power, and boyfriends…) go out without telling their parents; god forbid something happens to them. And when they realize that they don’t have all the money in the world, or that drugs doesn’t give you power, or that they can’t go anywhere they want, this can lead them into confusion, and perhaps even worsen their identity crisis. In comes us, the educators!
****NEW TOPIC****** ” HIP HOP CONFERENCE”
The hip-hop conference was extremely exciting and influencing for me. I learned how people express themselves through hip-hop. I took some quotes from the hip hop conference that got to me.
“Open free gut wrenching radical love” – that is what the speaker’s dream is
“Do you believe in love? Change?”
“Police brutality”
“Daily naps”
“Self-healing”
“Personal transformation”
“We BELIEVE in the power to change a world through art , love, leadership, purpose”
“Being able to use our voices to express…”
“The problem with stereotypes, don’t be defined by the place someone puts you in”
“Walk in your own shoes”
“ Materialistic mindset – society makes people feel bad”
“See yourself for who you are – not who the media has programmed us to be”
The hip-hop conference and their participants made an emphasis to celebrate diversity.
It was strong and passionate. It basically is a combination of stream of consciousness, acting, and poetry. I was so enticed by the Narcissist PHATWA video. It was so exciting for me to see some of the people (including Habib) and the main creator that was in the video having explained his point of view.
I loved watching and listening to the powerful women express themselves so passionately and proudly. To think that some of them were still in their teens! Mrs. Steinberg did a terrific job with the conference. And I hope Hip-hop will continue to spread throughout the world. There are so many influential and positive aspects that can come from expressing yourself through the art of hip-hop.
**Different Topic: Music Video for “Telephone” by Lady Gaga feat. Beyonce
The music video for Lady Gaga and Beyonce’s new single “Telephone” was released a few days ago, and like the rest of the 4 million people who watched it on youtube on its first day, I was excited to see it as well. I was already expecting to see Lady Gaga do outrageous things in it, as she is known to make bold statements and shock her audience in the rest of her music videos as well, but in my opinion, “Telephone” is her most shocking (and disturbing) video yet. I didn’t enjoy watching the music video as I thought I would; instead I immediately began thinking about what this world is coming to, and how young kids watching the video would react to it and become affected by it. I found so many things that disturbed me about the video: the fact that Lady Gaga becomes nude to the point where her crotch is actually censored, how Tyrese Gibson (who makes an appearance in the video) disrespects women by slapping them around, how Lady Gaga and Beyonce ride in a car that is named “The P*ssy Wagon”, the fact that ALL the women in the video parade around looking like prostitutes, and the list goes on. The video also made me think about how Lady Gaga can possibly shock us more in her future music videos. What is she going to do next, have sex with somebody in her next video? I also wonder about the rest of the artists in the music industry who do similarly disturbing things in their sex-infused music videos.. I worry about how they are negatively affecting kids and teenagers who actually look up to them and want to be like them. It is moments and situations like these that make me realize how truly important it is for teachers to educate their students about media literacy – it may be one of the only ways we can help protect children from these extremely damaging aspects of the media.
You can watch the music video here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GQ95z6ywcBY
New Topic: 10 Best Picture Nominees at the Academy Awards
Like many people, I spent last Sunday evening watching the Academy Awards presentations. For the first time in close to seventy years, the academy decided to expand the list of nominees for the coveted best picture prize from five (like all other major categories) to ten. I was a little puzzled as to why such a decision was being made and felt as though the increased number of nominees would take away from the aura of the prize and water down the quality of the films nominated. Then I watched the broadcast. They sporadically introduced the best picture nominees with two to three minute trailers, accompanied by a kind introduction by Hollywood star, to attract people to watch the nominated movies.
To me, it came off as a cash grab; a last chance to entice people to the theatres or to their video store to pay more money to watch the films. It’s a win-win situation. More people get nominated and the industry will make a little more money. Now, the number of films who can boast that they were nominated for best picture in their advertisements to sell their DVD’s can grow from five to ten. I thought the whole thing was a little cheap and desperate and wanted to find out what they were saying to attempt to legitimize their decision to promote as many films as possible According to Sid Ganis, the president of the Academy, “Having 10 Best Picture nominees is going to allow Academy voters to recognize and include some of the fantastic movies that often show up in the other Oscar categories but have been squeezed out of the race for the top prize.” To me, this justification made very little sense. So now, as opposed to other years, they will be able to recognize films that weren’t all that great but may have had good direction, a few good performances or strong visual affects. Isn’t that why there are categories to recognize those achievements?
Last Thursday I attended the Hip Hop conference that Dr. Steinberg recommended, and I really enjoyed it. Hip-hop was never for me, as all I knew about it was what I saw on the radio, which spoke of gang violence and women’s fat ass’s. That really was not what interested me so I stayed away from that and all hip hop thinking it is all the same. Was I ever wrong!!! The performers and the speakers at the conference really opened my eyes to a type of art that I was so oblivious too. The hip-hop that was performed was so beautiful and so raw. It really touched me and gave me a greater appreciation for this style of art. The individuals who shared their art were extremely talented and it was very inspirational. It changed my view on hip-hop entirely.
Attending this conference really meant something to me. It taught me a lot, not only about Hip-hop culture, but also about being a teacher. One day I plan on being a grade 6 and 7 English teacher, and I now plan on using the tools that I learnt at the conference in my classroom. I think that hip-hop is a great technique that should be used more in the classroom. I want to use “ hip hop” as a form of poetry and an outlet for my future students. Hip-hop gives youth the ability to voice their opinions and feelings. The conference showed me that as teachers, we have the ability to allow our students to be heard. By integrating hip-hop into the classroom, we are giving them something they may or may not be familiar with (hip hop) and using it as a tool for learning, for growth, and for expression in the classroom. When I become a teacher, I want to use this technique in my classroom, as I believe it is very important to give youth a voice.
In response to Katherine Dimopoulos post about Lady Gaga’s Telephone video, I agree that her videos are obscene but definitely not shocking. Has come to a point where we sort of expect this stuff from Gaga. My question is how come only people like Lady Gaga and Madonna can get away for pulling of such scandalous videos? All Adam Lambert did was kiss a guy on stage, I this is far worse. It was obvious that Gaga’s intentions for this video were to settle the dispute about her being a hermaphadite. If you listen carefully to the dialogue between the two cops at the beginning when they strip off her clothes and throw her into the cell, her crotch is exposed and one cop says, “I told you she didn’t have a dick”.
Another thing that caught my attention was the fact that this music video was a giant ad for so many different companies. I guess this Media class has allowed me to pick up on these things. If you look carefully in Gaga’s hair there are diet Coke cans, there are also quick flashes on advertisements for Wonder Bread, Kraft’s, Miracle Whip, Polaroid and even an online dating site called “plenty of fish”. This video was filled with subliminal logos and must have cost them nothing to produce with all the corporate sponsors ( not to mention the lack of wardrobe). I just think at a corporate level, this video was geniously staged, they are well aware that everyone is anticipating Gaga’s video especially with all this controversy surrounding it, so what better place to advertise their companies?
I have to admit that I am torn when it comes to the issue of Miley Cyrus and whether or not she is an appropriate role model. Going back to the previous discussion “I am not a role model”, I feel as though just because these celebrities are in the spotlight, it doesn’t mean that they are role models. I agree with many that we choose to portray these people as our idols, when many of them do not wish to be.
Miley Cyrus is undeniably a role model to many young girls here in North America and abroad. As Christina Lenta mentioned in her post, yes we are seeing the impact in this young generation. But however, I must disagree in a sense. How can we simply blame Miley Cyrus for these things? We as teachers and future parents need to be able to help children distinguish right from wrong and allow them to understand the consequences of these celebrities’ actions.
As I previously said in class, I teach dance to several young girls (and boys) and they do indeed love Miley Cyrus. However, the main thing that they love about her isn’t her image, but what she represents to them – a dream. A dream of one day becoming a celebrity. My older dance class use to be in love with her last year and now they are not. So I feel as though yes, she has a great impact upon young children but we must hope that many of these children will out grow this.
Part of my powerpoint presentation on a chapter in media literacy talked about the power of images. I completely agreed with what the author wrote on this topic. Firstly he said that as viewers, we believe what images are portraying to us because they are the easiest thing to believe. In today’s society, we are constantly being bombarded with media that it creates information overload and therefore we choose to believe what is readily available to us.
However, those in control of these images realize that they are very easily manipulated and this, in turn, gives them power. They now have the power to manipulate what we see as normal and what we believe is reality. Having this in mind, we need to be very careful when viewing media. We need to take everything with a grain of salt, as they say. Photoshop is a perfect example of how this power can be wrongly distributed. Now, basically anybody can manipulate an image and distribute it themselves on a website for example. Im not sure that I think this is such a good idea in a world where many of us are quick to believe a lot of what we see without a critique.
New Topic: Television shows affecting people’s career choices
Over the weekend I was catching up with an old friend and she told me that she was applying to an advertising program after she graduates this spring. I had never known her to really take an interest in advertising or even media studies for that matter so I was a little surprised and asked her what brought on this sudden interest in the field? She told me that she was introduced to this idea through the hit TV show Mad Men. She told me all about her obsession with it, and her hopes to begin a career in an advertising firm just like that one.
I smiled politely and wished her luck on her application process, however, was appalled that she would devote the next who knows how many years to a profession that she thinks is cool only because of a TV show.
I relayed the story to my parents who told me that they had read about this increase in interest towards the advertising field in the newspaper. They said that many colleges and universities were receiving more than double the number of applicants as they were a few years ago; the assumption was that it was due to this popular tv show.
My parents also told me about a similar trend when the shows like CSI started coming out. Criminal sciences and lab type professions boomed in popularity because of the ‘cool’ image that was portrayed on the show.
These trends alarm me slightly because people are dedicating years of their lives to studying in these professions and spending lots of money to apply to these programs when the only real experience they have with this field is through TV shows. Does that really ensure that they will enjoy it in real life?
Different Topic: Jon and Kate plus 8
Last Monday in class, I think someone quite rightfully brought up Jon and Kate and the implications their TV show will have on their kids. I was a huge fan of the show when it first aired on TLC. I watched every show, I own season 1 and 2 on DVD, and I had such respect for Jon and Kate. Now though, when I watch interviews with them, I can’t even recognize them; fame and money has drastically changed them both individually. Kate has gone from budgeting her groceries and buying all-organic foods for the family, to now being a tanned, manicured, high maintenance contestant on “Dancing With the Stars”. They have claimed that the well-being of their children has always been their priority, but there is a contradiction between prioritizing your children and going on a Reality Show for washed out celebrities. No one could have predicted the tremendous success their show had, but Jon and Kate did choose to have the lifestyle they have today. Kate claims that she has bills to pay and needs to support her family somehow. By going on Dancing With the Stars though, Kate is just trying to uphold her mark in the media, and consequently keeping her children in the limelight. Ultimately, I really think they have chosen money over the well-being of their children.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RSsbkQ_GOT8
Although Disney is very controversial and may have affects on young girls, I think MTV can have a huge effect on young girls. MTV airs a lot of reality TV shows that depict a certain lifestyle.
The Hills, Laguna Beach, The City and a few others, show the lives of a certain type of person. The women broadcasted on these shows are all well off, live in cute apartments or in little homes, drive fancy Mercedes or BMWs and live off their parent’s money. A lot of these shows touch upon situations that a lot of young teenage girls go through, such as losing a best friend, getting backstabbed, cheating on your boy/girlfriend ect. It can have an affect on how teenagers react in certain situations. It can promote cheating and lying.
Other shows like Teen Mom can easily be promoting pregnancy at a young age. Juno in itself was very controversial because it had such a positive feel and did not show the consequences of having a baby at such a young age. It showed that if you fall pregnant, don’t worry about it you still have options and everything will be ok. I do not know if it is because I am very old fashioned but pregnancy is not under any circumstances something that should be taken lightly. Similarly, Teen Mom might show the hurt in finding out you’re pregnant but doesn’t just airing or having a show like that promote teen pregnancy?
Do MTV shows have a purpose? Are they simply entertainment? Do they have affect on peoples mind and attitudes? Does the Real World for example show girls how they are supposed to dress and act to be noticed by boys?
Although I heard about Miley Cyrus in class for the first time, I agree with the teacher and most of our classmates that she may not be a great model for students to watch on television. I remember one of the students mentioning that although Miley Cyrus does not appear on television as a girl wearing sexy clothes and clothes which may not be appropriate for children at that change, there are many other singers or actresses who children could watch in television. However, now days, appearance is very important for women to be liked by men. This passes on to children. Although I understand the actions of Miley Cyrus, I also feel that young singers and actresses have a limit of actions they could do. I get surprised when I hear that children in grade 1 or 2 have boyfriends and one of my cousins had 2 boyfriends at the same time when she was in grade 3. Although media is being exposed to inappropriate images, we need to limit that to children.
***DIFFERENT TOPIC: The Emily Grace Collection***
Unfortunately I was not able to attend Monday’s lecture and put in my two cents with regards to Miley Cyrus” impact on today’s youth. The place where I work allows me to borrow and read gossip magazines. A few weeks ago i read an article on Miley Cyrus’ sister. It seems that Noah, Miley’s sister, Cyrus and her friend Emily Grace, who is an actress on Hannah Montana, are deeply involved and have actually succeeded in launching their very own “rique,” as they called it, lingerie line for pre-teens. It shocks me to see an elementary scool child seemingly strike the balance between virginal and innocent youth and mature and sexy woman that pedophiles insist on as perfectiion. Perhaps some people reading this will think of me as dramatic but if we were to truly analyse media and uncover the hidden meanings behind it, it would soon become clear that what culture now aims at is youth combined with experience. This seems to be an unattainable objective, made to appeal to a an array of people, but in reality, that is what young people aim for and that is what Noah Cyrus and Emily Grace have managed to do. Good on you? My question is wether or not this is a direct result of mass media directing the people’s taste, is it a more obvious end result to Miley Cyrus’ excellent role modeling, or rather is it a lack of decent parenting? Perhaps it is a bit of of all of these. I mean, what is country crooner Billy Ray Cyrus thinking? Does he simply let his children run free so as to allow them to ultimately become more famous than he ever could? When will he step in?
For shock value please visit: http://celebrities.ninemsn.com.au/img/blog/blog161009_noah2.jpg
or simply Google image: The Emily Grace Collection
Different Topic: Toddlers and Tiaras
I didn’t know about the TV show Toddlers and Tiaras before we looked at one clip in last media classes. I was shock and couldn’t believe that little girls wanted to do these kinds of contest. We can see that it is really the mother that wants to do the pageant contest; it seems to be more their dreams that their daughter’s dream especially when they are only 2 or 3 years old.
TV broadcasters want to attract their audience with shows that will make them want to watch more and more and it is the case with Toddlers and Tiaras or The Bachelor and any kind of reality shows. As Suzanne mentioned, they want to shock us and it works because we don’t look at it critically but emotionally. It’s probably not all the mothers that act like theses ones.
I find that this kind of pageant contest portray the little girls as mini women. They were too much makeup, they put too much money on the dresses and the girls even tan their body. This kind of pageant hypersexualizes the little girls.
The hypersexualisation of little girls is an actual issue and we should not have Pageant or TV shows that emphasis on that.
I completely agree with Karine. It is quit shocking to see these toddlers running around in heels, makeup and dresses. They are losing their childhood and losing sight of what is important life. I feel that mothers really push the children to do these contests to the point where it’s not even fun anymore and the clip shown in class last week is a perfect example of this. Should these types of events even be allowed for children under a certain age? I don’t see any benefits for children this young to be part of a pageant. They should be playing and running and exercising their imagination. These pageants are emphasising the “importance” of beauty. It’s giving these girls the idea that there is a certain look and certain image to attain, which is why I don’t agree with what’s happening in the show. Little girls shouldn’t be surrounded by that type of view at such a young age.
Response to Samantha Boyd’s post on killer whales
I must say that I completely agree with what both Samantha and Sabrina have articulated previously about the “incident” that happened with the killer whale in Sea World. The media portrayed this incident as completely shocking and horrible, yet I did not really understand what was so surprising from it. There is no doubt that it is tragic; however, can we really blame the whale for doing something that it did not think was wrong. As Samantha and Sabrina said, it was simply following its natural instincts. I have been to Sea World before and seen shows with wild animals like orcas, sea lions and dolphins in them, and I admit that I enjoyed them very much; however, I do not think that these animals should be kept in captivity as they are.
Killer whales are not made to entertain tourist and I do not think that this particular whale should be punished or its actions. Just let the poor thing free! What I thought was sad as well was all the negative coverage killer whales were given in the past few weeks. I mean, there name describes them; they are killers. They are meant to live in the wild and kill their pray. Although as I mentioned before it is extremely sad that a trainer was killed by a whale, I definitely do not think that that whale should be put down because of it. However, it should not continue to “work” for Sea World as it may, and probably will, hurt or kill other person.
HIP HOP CONFERENCE BLOG
While I was at the hip hop conference, I really enjoyed myself. My favorite part was the spoken word slam poetry that the team from Rochester performed for us. Although I sometimes found the words to be quite angry, I loved the passion and humor I saw and heard.
As a soon to be teacher I really think this is a way to introduce poetry into the class without it sounding boring scripted. I to this date cannot stand poetry because of the way it was taught to me. I was told to memorize the poem and recite, or to write a “descriptive” poem about the clouds. I mean who really wants to read my boring emotionless poem about a cloud? With the slam poetry I feel that students would be able to express their feeling, thoughts and emotions while still using a poetic form. These lessons can even involve media like video clips, making their own “music” video, or even recording their voices in a tape recorder. Using the slam poetry a class might even be able to take a trip to Brave New Voices competition and experience the culture. There is enormous potential in this type of contest.
Response on Nathalie and Samantha’s post on killer whales.
I am deeply sorry for the family of the young woman but this incident does not come as a shock for me. I watched the news and they were saying how this came as a shock to the Sea World family. I am sorry but when you put in captivity a killer whale in a small restrain pool to the entertainment of people, there are consequences. The animal simply did what his instincts told him to do… It is sad but this woman put herself in a dangerous position. The animal should not be punished because it only did what it knows best. I think this animal should be release in its natural habitat where it belongs. Media is portraying killer whales as dangerous animals but that’s why they should not be put into captivity. Like Nathalie mentioned it should not continue working at Sea World because it might hurt somebody again… Sadly, I do not think it is the last incident we will hear from. As long as killer whales will be restrained in small containers for our entertainment, trainers are risking their lives by swimming near them.
Here’s my blog about the hip-hop conference.
First, I would like to say that I wasn’t there for very long, because I had an exam that day so my friends and I came in late. However, we liked what we’ve seen. Considering the fact that I haven’t been there for to long, rather than talking about the conference I would like to talk about my relationship with hip-hop. I grew up listening to Metalica, AC/DC, Nirvana, Blink 182, Pennywise and NOFX. When I was a teenager I hated everything that had to do with Hip-Hop. I know that it might sound racist, but I felt no connection with all those black rappers that where coming out of L.A. or New York. The Universe that they were describing was foreign to me and I did not understand most of the language they were using. I simply did not get it! Nevertheless, one day I grew up out of my angry adolescence and opened up my mind a little to different cultures. I discovered that, like any other style of music, there was good and bad hip-hop. Who’s the first hip-hop artist I liked? For sure it had to be Eminem! Again, it sounds racist I know, but I felt a deeper connection with that artist. First of all, he was funny as hell and he had the same energy that all those metal and punk band I was listening to. But then, I asked myself why to I like him even though he speaks the same language than the other rappers and uses the same music? So I did my research and I began to understand where these guys came from and what they went through and why they were using that type of language that I so hated. Now I’m proud to say that I listen to a wide variety of hip-hop music and I think that I can say like all those kids during the conference that I am hip-hop now.
Kelly Toman
DIFFERENT TOPIC: response to Lady Gaga and Beyonce’s video “telephone”
I had to respond to this because I had the same reaction as Katherine. The video was SHOCKING, but honestly, I expected that from Lady Gaga. You know, so much has changed in the music business since we were young. The Pop/boy band and girl band Scene grew out and now I find that the music has evolved in sexualizing and “un-dressing” of the “so called icon” that children and others around the world look up to. You know, it was a big scandal when Britney and Christina Aguilera took a turn in their own pop lives as artists. It was always a question of “what the audience would be satisfied”, a little innocent, young teenager….but then they break out into their own individual personalities, that both depict them as being highly sexualized. I’ve always said Lady Gaga wants to make a statement. She is that type of artist that would pretty much do anything to be on top of the game. She has pretty much done a lot of things many people would not even think of doing. I refer her to another “Eminem” because these artists don’t worry about image and their roles as “role models”, they feel like they should express who they are as artists and be honest with their fans.
Is dressing up in bubbles, weird hats, extreme costumes, and a half naked body portraying in a music video what Lady Gaga is really all about? Probably! She did say that she wanted to be remembered, and wasn’t in the business to become rich….but FAMOUS and WELL-KNOWN is something she is ready to do whatever it takes to achieve. Young audiences, I think, view this video and might imitate these sexualized videos. It’s not only Lady Gaga, but other artists as well…just in specific Lady Gaga has stretched to the extreme on the limits of censorship in her music videos. She is raw, raunchy and at times can be quite deranged in her videos. I went to see a concert of hers in Montreal last year, and let me tell you SHE WAS SO WEIRD! She talked like a baby and used WAY too much profanity! It was another Eminem. But are we too quick to judge and censor these images or portrayals? I think so, but I also think there is to some degree a level of sanity in music videos. Yes, it is art and it is an expression of a person as an artists, but highly sexualized videos might turn off audiences completely. I am also worried for our future children in the generations to come. I bet you it’s probably going to be worse! I don’t know if we, as future teachers, really have any control over the media our students might watch, and we have to prepare for the worst to come! Are we going to survive? Probably, but I think it’s going to be challenging to deal with issues already in the classroom, and then have to worry about outside influences that their impact on our students, which can be exhausting! THANKS Lady Gaga!!!
This is a perfect example of the effects that mass media has on the population in general.
The consequences for children are great because even as adults we have the tendency to believe what we are told. With newspapers, magazines and news broadcasters all displaying the same imagine it’s a little difficult not to believe the images you see depicted in front of you. As a society we’ve become quite gullible.
Children are sponges; they soak up everything around them and love to emulate what they see. As future parents and or future teachers it is our job to teach them right from wrong. To let them understand that just because someone is their favourite singer doesn’t mean that their actions are those you should copy and just because it was on the 6 o’clock news doesn’t make it fact.
The way kids are being brought up today gives them too much freedom and knowledge from a young age. I remember being younger and being way more naive and innocent than kids are at this age. Kids are growing up too fast and its due in part to what they see on television and the products that are being geared towards them. When I was younger my mom was more aware of what I watched and what I did, which is a lot more difficult nowadays with the internet. I remember spending my summers playing soccer with all my neighbours and when the sun went down wed all play hide and go seek. Its different nowadays my sisters barely know their neighbours and spend their time on the internet, watching television shows that aren’t for their age (desperate housewives, gossip girl, 90210) and rarely going outside. You go out to a club and all you see is 15-16 year olds looking older then you do and wearing a lot less clothes and you wonder where their parents are in all of this. It’s sad to see these kids missing out on memories that I so enjoyed when i was young, they have the rest of their lives to drink and club and act old.
I agree with Elisa that the purpose of artists is to entertain and they are not people children should be emulating. We need to teach these kids how to be kids again.
The consequences can already be felt and seen across the board. Children are growing too fast aren’t they? This is what the “fake reality” displayed in the media causes: “fake children”. Ones that give way too much importance to the distorted elements glorified or taught-to-be true in the media. Whether it be war, money, romance, relationships, government, etc. all biased by the mentioned “army of producers” who put these images together. When questions like the ones I’m about to list arise in today’s generation of children, there is definitely room for concern. When nobody would’ve thought to wonder or closely consider these topics in regards to same aged kids from the 60s or 70s fro example, we know there is something wrong.
Should a 4 year-old girl be asking her mother for permission to wear her bathing suit bikini top as a bra?
Should a 5 year old boy be so turned on by guns to the point that he’s convinced of joining the army?
Is the provocative dancing approach of a pre-teen (ie grinding, pole dancing) ok to encourage?
Should children’ ambition be to “become famous” as oppose to a more “normal” career (eg doctor, fire fighter, nurse).
I’m certain you all see where I’m going and the fact of the matter is clear: children have an untrue vision of what reality is. We are building a weak, uncritical, stereotypical, dependent group to handle the future. Can anything be done to put a halt to this phenomenon? Personally, I think it’s too late and it’s already gone to far. The damage is done. The future ain’t so friendly and excuse the pessimism but all we can do is hope for the best and try to control or maintain the situation within “clean” boundaries.
Thanks for reading
In response to Suzanne Robinson’s post about TLC’s “Toddlers and Tiaras”
In her post, Suzanne said: “If we’re going to explore the world of beauty pageants, let’s do so from many points of view to gain an educated perspective- instead of judging one mother in the States and saying what a creep she is.” I cannot agree more. This post got me thinking about the whole “reality TV” phenomenon. I am not revealing a well kept secret when I say that there is nothing real about reality TV. The people represented in these shows are always exaggerated, always morbidly obese, or insanely disorganized hoarders, or simply ridiculously annoying beings (Snookie from Jersey Shore, I am talking about you!) ; they are always on the outskirts of “normalcy”.
They are just not the kind of people you meet every day, and if you do meet them you either feel sorry for them or are appalled by their behaviour. They unquestionably do not leave anyone feeling lukewarm about them. These people are turned into caricatures of what seems to be most people’s biggest fears, they reflect our shallow concerns and insecurities, but also seem to act as “foil” characters, contrasting with the people watching the show and making them feel so much better about themselves. This makes me wonder, why is there a need for these shows? Why do they get such great ratings, and why is this twisted voyeurism so common in the North American culture?
Any thoughts? (I do not mean to come off as judgmental; I have watched far too many shows about hoarding in my never ending quest to become more organized
)
While some young stars manage to maintain careers in Hollywood, and thrive and stay alive, while others struggle with fame, money and whatever else comes with it. I find it unfortunate that the same week we discussed the all too common fate of childhood stars, we saw a perfect example of it. Corey Haim, the ultimate child actor, died of a drug overdose. Corey was in so many teen-oriented movies in the 80s and his face was on all the teeny-bopper magazine covers, much like Leo’s was in the 90s, or Robert Pattinson today. However, this epidemic with drugs and excess, whether illicit or prescription, has been the formula for many young stars for many years. However, it seems that more young stars add onto the statistics, year after year. Where is the prevention & intervention? Why is this problem seemingly getting more severe, when it should be diminishing with all the knowledge and resources we’ve acquired throughout the years? Are they all waiting for a chance to rehab themselves, while trying to revive their careers on Dr. Drew?
Pregnant in Grade 4? Pregnant at age 9?? TWICE??? What is wrong with society? Many girls at age 9 are not even developmentally ready for s-x, let alone emotionally. I am shocked with this little anecdote and I’m having a hard time wrapping my head around it. I guess it makes sense that something like this would happen when children have s-xualized role models like Miley Cyrus or Hilary Duff to look up to. They clearly don’t have the maturity to understand the consequences of being s-xually active and you would think that getting pregnant once would be enough to make you want to wait until you’re a little older. I feel like there may be a problem in the education system too. Are we teaching children enough about the “birds and the bees?” I remember having “s-x-ed” classes in elementary and they were obviously more focused on the changes of puberty (Aids and STI’s discussions came later). Perhaps the teaching community is going to have to change that and focus more on the dangers/consequences of s-x. Imagine having to talk about that to children in grades 3-4…. what has this world come to?!
Ps. My blog is in response to Noemie Battista’s post.
****TODDLERS & TIARAS*******
In response to Suzanne Robinson and the Toddlers & Tiaras topic I was also very shocked by the show. However I don’t think that we should be viewing the world of child pageants in a different way because I think that every which way would still be terrifying. It’s the fact that these pageants do exist and I think that’s what TLC is trying to show us that there are people teaching their daughters at such a young age to see beauty as the most important thing in life. That in order to be loved or succeed at anything you must be tanned, with the perfect teeth, the perfect hair, the most expensive outfits, and that you must win in order to make your mother happy. I looked at this show as more of a type of awareness that we need to remember that mothers should be teaching their daughters the importance of inner beauty and that even though there is such a thing as healthy competition it is not the only thing and that they should be doing things that make them happy and not be thrown on stage as an object to watch.
NEW TOPIC: LIVING DIFFERENT THROUGH THE MEDIA
There are many ways one can live a different life through the media. There are computer games, such as Sims, in which one can create her own perfect family or couple, build her perfect house, and live her perfectly controlled life. There are Wii games that let you relax, take a coffee, go shopping, and do almost anything you want – and would do in your real life – in a perfectly designed world. Or, there are the internet sites where you can create yourself a new appearance, with a new name, and live a new life in a new world. What is it about the world we live in that makes it not good enough for us? I have a hard time understanding how people can really “waste” their live observing a created character evolve in a created world instead of just doing exactly the same, but in reality. I can understand that these types of games sell well, because they offer an escape from a reality that can be sometimes harsh, but they do sell the message that the real world just isn’t good enough. It is effective, but it is also unfortunate because there are beauties in the real world that aren’t available through these “perfect” games. Like the feel of refreshing wind on your skin on a hot summer day. Or just the satisfaction of eating your favourite meal and tasting it for real.
Escaping from reality can be reasonable, if it is done once in a while. However, when people live only through these perfect worlds, it becomes unhealthy. Just like everything else, moderation is better than anything else. Thus, I believe there should be more advertising for living reality in order to balance out for all the advertisement that encourage us to live in utopias.
I think it is really important for children to understand who they are looking up to and why they are looking up to these people in the media. I personally do not think Miley Cyrus is a good role model since she dresses so provocatively and seems to be acting like a rebellious young adult even though she is just getting into her teenage years. The real problem with her I think is that little girls are her target audience and little girls are not necessarily mature enough to realize everything that they watch isn’t real and that fame doesn’t mean everything. If children were taught how Miley really doesn’t have it all and how anyone can live a happy fulfilled life without being famous, I think it would be okay for them to watch television so frequently. However I think that little girls are so sucked into the media and cannot read the subtle messages that they think that since the “Hannah Montana Show” shows her as living the dream life at such a young age, they should strive to have the same thing which is shown as ideal.
NEW TOPIC: Death of a Child Actor
I think that there is a very common trend for the high death rate in actors who were once child stars. The most recent death of an actor- once child star, is Corey Haim. It was said that he died from a drug overdose, this is not something that is unheard of for child stars. I think that the enormous amount of pressure that child stars have to perform well, and deal with being famous would be extremely difficult for anyone. Child stars not only have to deal with the normal pressures of growing up and maturing, but they have to do this in the public eye. I think that they do not have the chance to grow up, and they are forced to live a life of an adult before they are mature enough to make adult decisions. This is similar to the case of Michael Jackson. Michael Jackson started off being a child star since he was forced by his Dad to perform on a daily basis, he did not have a childhood. In many interviews Michael Jackson explained the hurt that he still has due to his loss of a childhood, and the pressures his father put on him. This is a trend that we see far too often.