04th May 2008
Amster Amster dam dam dam
Do you remember when we used to sing that as kids, and thought we were saying a dirty word? So, off to The Netherlands, Spain, and Spain again, this is the good part of writing and teaching. Wonder if the Dutch kids consume as much as North Americans? Is Hannah Montana big? Paris? Lindsay? These questions haunt me…
Glad to get off North American soil for awhile. Been a long month. Ironic that someone who teaches media got hacked, and identity stolen from my personal email. Huge ramifications, the reality is once someone poses as you, it is hard to convince them that it wasn’t you, even with police reports. Would like to hear from people who have had cyber identity theft in regard to personal relationships (not bank accounts).
Will write from a cafe.
I was actually looking for a topic concerning the readings that we had this week and I didn’t find anything related to how media is educating young girls and teenage girls. Cartoons are indeed one of the first things that children start to watch on tv at a very young age and they are pretty much defenseless to wat kinda messages the tv programs are shooting at them. I always thought that shows such as powerpuff girls and sailor moon give girls a certain sense of empowerment(using the textbook’s words) and suggests to kids that girls are not totally powerless and they do not necessarily belong in a kitchen doing housework and laundry. What I DIDNT realize tho is that even tho these girls have supernatural powers,they still live in a world where the authorities and leaders are male,putting them nonetheless in an inferior position. It’s important to note that not only do these shows and films(Disney films,for instance) set an example for young girls to follow,but they often also teach them what kind of men they should be looking for,and the image of men in society in general. An example from the textbook is when a father and son are home alone and they cannot manage to make food right. This gives power to the female characters by making them feel that a woman is what’s needed in a house,and that’s where they should instinctly belong to.
I myself watch cartoons such as family guy. I started watching family guy simply because it was funny. THat show very obviously depicts how a standard american family looks like: fat dumb lazy husband,smart and caring housewife,and kids with personalities and characteristics that everyone can relate to,whether it’s because they feel the same way,or they know someone similar to the cartoons characters. I don’t think that family is directed to a young audience though,so this kind of show is more directed for older teenagers and young adults. A similar show is the simpsons,where most of the episodes contain a certain moral value to be learned.
After the readings,i started to realize that most Disney movies shoot out the same kind of message,even in movies where the girl is the main character,but the leading role is male. Snow white,cinderella,belle in beauty and the beast…these 3 movies come instantly to mind when i think about main female characters. What do the girls do in the story? Practically nothing. They’re just “pretty”,that’s all. In pocahontas as well,she has a bit of a more important role by influencing her clan’s views on the british people. Just when you think that she achieved something more than John Smith in the movie,what happens in pocahontas 2? she moves to europe. So she too falls under the authority of a male character.
I’m still debating whether or not media is actually shooting these images and messages that do not represent an actual truth about our nature and where genders should stand when it comes to taking up roles. For example,biologically men are physically superior,and roles such as warriors should be assigned to them,but what about roles such as secretary? Are women really more organized than men,or is that just another stereotype that media projects?
I am going to blog in response to Amsterdam because I was just visiting Amsterdam this past summer (my sister was on a law school exchange there) and I was so amazed by the place. When arriving in Amsterdam, the first thing I immediately notice is the mass amounts of bikes everyone while at the same time I noticed a complete lack of cars. I was shocked to learn that for the 750,000 people living in Amsterdam they own over 600,000 bicycles. The city is built for pedestrians; for example, there are narrow streets and canals, few parking spots, single lane traffic, winding mazes and so on. It only makes sense for everyone to be riding a bicycle. Of course, it is way more environmentally friendly too!
So the whole time I was in Amsterdam I was riding a rented bike and I loved it!
I was constantly laughing. I have never seen a place like this before where men and women are biking home from work in their suave suits approaching rush hour bike traffic. I also felt like I had traveled back in time. The bikes pedal backwards to brake, there is a basket up at the front to carry things and the bikes are positioned upright. It is also not unusual to see mothers, grandmothers, business people, police officers, happily biking along. Riders are often on their cell phones, using only one hand to maneuver their bikes. And in Amsterdam, bikes have the right of way, even over pedestrians.
I swear when I was visiting Amsterdam, I probably saw no more than 10 cars the whole entire trip. I felt like these bicycles really added to the free spirited and culture of this wonderful city and I was so glad to have experienced it.
Tall Benches in Amsterdam
Every new place that I traveled, I tried to experience and understand even in a small way, the culture of the people living there: what the people looked like, how they were dressed and how they interacted. Although Marijuana may be legal to smoke in local “coffee shops”, I noticed that the more I talked to Dutch people, the more I noticed that they probably smoked less than Canadians. I thought to myself, what a wonderful place and what a test to the human psyche. The more accessible and legal something is, the more disinclined people are to do it.
Not only did I really enjoy the free-spirited and liberal attitude of the people in Amsterdam, I noticed the fashion sense of the young people. However, one of the most unique aspects that I noticed about the Dutch people was their height. Now, I am 5’ 7” –not short by any means, but in Amsterdam most everyone appears to be over the average height norm in North America. I mean really tall! It was a little intimidating.
As I was looking around the town, I noticed all the super tall benches. All the public benches seemed to be much higher than any other benches I have ever seen. Could this be because the Dutch culture is so tall? Aren’t benches always the same height?
I guess I will never really know the answer to this question because it seemed silly to ask anyone. However, I loved everything about Amsterdam and I would love to go back there someday.
I was so surprised when I got to Amsterdam. I thought that it would be a fun place to visit; however, little did I know that Amsterdam is a beautiful city, with flat terrain that is centres around dams throughout the entire city. Of course, Amsterdam was the home of Anne Frank and today her hiding place is a museum in Jordandam that was one of the highlights of my visit to Amsterdam. Anne Frank’s house is right on a canal and gets millions of visitors every year.
While I was in Amsterdam, I was lucky enough to take a personal boat tour of the entire city. I saw the city on land, but seeing the city through the canals, is truly something to see. Amsterdam is the capital and largest city of the Netherlands, located in the province of North Holland in the west of the country. Its name is derived from Amstel dam, indicative of the city’s origin: a dam in the river Amstel where the Dam Square is today. Settled as a small fishing village in the late 12th century, Amsterdam became one of the most important ports in the world during the Dutch Golden Age, a result of its innovative developments in trade. During this time, the city was the leading centre for finance and diamonds. In the 19th and 20th centuries, the city expanded and many new neighbourhoods and suburbs were formed. The reason I told you all of this information on Amsterdam is to provide an example of experienced learning. Yes, I agree it is extremely important to read, because reading is one of the finest forms of reading. However, learning through experience for me personally is when I am most intrigued. I also was so excited when I talked to Dutch people and find out that barely any of them smoke marijuana even though it is legal. Through experience I learned about the people, the culture, the history and the city.
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This is a lot better than what I’ve been seeing elsewhere lately. If we had more like it around, we could be better off.
This is a lot better than what I’ve been seeing elsewhere lately. If we had more like it around, we could be better off.
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