Future Role

What role will I choose for my life? Well, I am currently a psychology student, and the role I want to choose regarding that is become a counselor and peacemaker. I want all people to know that their opinion does count and people can work things out if it means that much to them. I also want to be a good daughter, sister, and friend. Family is very important to me, so I definately want to center my life around family first and foremost. I want to eventually be a wonderful wife and mother to start my own family life.
After this class, I have seen the roles that activists have taken and how the roles that they choose effect them in every way. Being an activist is not for me. I am happy with my life right now and want to focus on things that mean a lot to me, such as my family. I think everyone should have a passion, and their role should coincide with their passion.
These are the roles that I choose

Lippmann Wrapped Up

Walter Lippmann addresses many issues in his book Public Opinion. He states that media creates the pictures that we have in our heads. One issue that he addresses is stereotypes, and he states that the reason that the public has the stereotypes that it does is because media (television, radio, film) puts these ideas into media consumers’ heads. In this way, media acts as the gatekeeper and agenda setter of society. Media chooses what it wants individuals to know and feeds it to us through various sources of medium. In this way, Lippmann hints to the idea that our society is not a democracy at all, but in fact, the public is controlled by the gatekeepers of media.
It can be seen how technological determinism ties into this idea. Technological determinism is the idea that technology determines history and drives society. In a more specific sense, technology (media) determines how individuals in society react and the choices that people make every day. We act on the pictures in our head implanted by the media. This creates society.
The solution that Lippmann proposes to stop the media from holding this power over the public, is a call for intellegencia. The intellegencia are individuals who are educated and thus will educate the public and cause individuals to participate and think critically. The intellegencia will help the public become media literate, and end the power that it has over society. In this way, media will not be able to set their agenda and act as the gatekeepers, but we as society will be guided by individuals who are educated and will lead us to become a better society.

Even though Lippmann was hard to read, “Public Opinion” truly was an interesting read. Until you have a chance to analyze the novel, one may not even think about the control media has over us as a society. It is only after we realize this, and become educated enough to stop it, that we can create a change in society and be our own gatekeepers

Caitlyn May. . .

What would life be like being a Down syndrome child, or having a Down syndrome child in your family? Our documentary follows the life of 3 year-old, Caitlyn, and how she influences her family every day. Raw emotion and genuine love are shown through the relationships presented in the documentary. Life may seem rough sometimes, but viewing it from a different perspective makes us all aware of the gifts that we do have.

View life from Caitlyn's perspective on Tuesday, May 8th, 2007 at 12:45 in Mueller Theater. Find out what Caitlyn May. . .

Documentary Update

JAMA Productions documentary on Catelyn, a Down syndrome child, has been coming along. So far, we have interviewed Catelyn’s Mother, Father, and even her older sister a little bit. We have met with the family numerous times, and have a lot of footage of Catelyn playing and simply being herself. We also have footage of Catelyn and her sister playing and dancing together. The parents graciously loaned us some pictures of Catelyn throughout her childhood that we plan to include in the documentary. Furthermore, they have given us a CD of inspirational songs that we will most likely use as well. The family has been very open and receptive to our project.
We do have a couple things left to do though. This Monday, my group has an interview scheduled with one of the psychology professors, to get the technical information about Down syndrome. We will be asking the professor what Down syndrome is and how it affects an individual’s life, among other things.
After our last interview, my group will begin the editing process. Finally, we will start advertising for our film and eventually present it.
I feel that we are right on track with our documentary. Everyone in my group has equally participated and we work really well together as a team. It has been smooth sailing so far. Hopefully it will stay that way for the final stages of the project.

Desperate Housewives - Our reality?

I am an avid Desperate Housewives fan. I try to never miss an episode and own the previous seasons on DVD. This Sunday, I was watching Desperate Housewives as usual, and couldn’t help but notice all of the drama that does not happen in every day life. The episode starts out with Susan meeting her fiancé’s parents for the very first time. Normally, I would simply watch the show and enjoy all of the drama that is in “their” lives, and not mine, however, this time I was noticing situations that I would not normally experience. During Susan’s meeting with the future in-laws, she accidentally sets her mother-in-law to be’s dress on fire. Not only is this situation unimaginable, but it gets even better; the mother-in-law does not get burned in the slightest! Another example from the episode on Sunday was when Susan walked in on her future father-in-law trying on her lacy undergarments and silk robe. When would this ever happen in real life? Even if the father-in-law did prefer woman clothes, would he be trying on the clothes of a person that he knew only for one sit down dinner? I doubt it.
According to Joshua Meyrowitz, television has become a negative form of entertainment, because while we are watching the lives of others, it shows us all the places we want to be, but can’t. It makes us aware that is a bigger world than simply our daily lives, and because of this, we begin to feel isolated and alone. An example of this from Desperate Housewives on Sunday, was when Gabriella was visiting a male friend and saw a closet full of designer clothes that had belonged to his ex-wife. Being a woman that loves clothes, I was a bit jealous of the beautiful garments that Gabriella was able to try on. I would never be able to afford even one of those gorgeous dresses.

Baudrillard’s take on television is another interesting one. He felt that television was a kind of hyperreality. According to Baudrillard, television dictates what in life is important, such as fashion. After viewing this “hyperreality” that we are exposed to by television, we apply these rules to our own reality. Therefore, television becomes how we model our lives. I like Baudrillard’s description of television more than Meyrowitz’s because I think that we do take what we see on television and incorporate it into our own lives. For example, the style of clothing that we see on television becomes the new fashion, no matter how ugly it may be. Tonight, while I was watching Desperate Housewives, there was one scene where Gabriella was wearing this black, trench coat-like dress, and my mother stated that it had to be the ugliest thing she had ever seen. I responded back by saying “Mom, that’s the new fashion”. That proves to me that we wear, and consider attractive, what we see on television.

Uses and Gratification theory, ties into this idea that we model our world from what we see on television. This theory states that we actively choose media (in this case television) to satisfy our needs. If your need is to be fashionable, and a style icon, you may watch Desperate Housewives, or other popular television programs. We choose what we want to watch because it suits our needs.

After watching Desperate Housewives this weekend, I realized how much of an impact primetime television has on our society. From the ugly dress that is considered fashionable, to the closest filled with designer clothes, it enables the media to tell the masses what we should like and what we shouldn’t.

Grey's Anatomy

My favorite television program would have to be Grey’s Anatomy. According to Nielson Media Research, America loves the show also. For the week of March 19th, 22,304,000 individuals tuned in. The rating was 14.4 and the share was 22.0. CSI: Las Vegas plays at the same time and day, Thursday at 9:00pm. CSI: Las Vegas is not even listed in the top ten television programs on Nielson’s top TV ratings for the week of March 19th.. However, this week (March 26th), CSI placed above Grey’s Anatomy with 10.6 rating/18 share. This information leads me to believe that whenever either Grey’s Anatomy or CSI is showing a re-run, the other show flourishes in its popularity for the night. If Grey’s Anatomy moved to a different night, I believe that the number of viewers would increase dramatically, and the rating will thus increase. This would occur because it would not be in competition with CSI: Las Vegas for primetime television on Thursday nights. However, because both CBS and ABC have popular television programs lined up for every night of the week, there would still be competition between Grey’s Anatomy and whatever was on the other channel.

Tristan + Isolde: A film to watch

Romeo and Juliet. Lancelot and Guinevere. We all know and have heard of these love stories, but Tristan + Isolde becomes a mixture of both stories to form a film for every audience. Tristan + Isolde was produced in 2006 by Ridley Scott (Gladiator). The story takes place during the Dark Ages, when a feud is at its peak between Britain and Ireland. Tristan, played by James Franco is from Britain, and after his parents are murdered by the Irish during an attack, he becomes a pseudo-son under the future King, Marke, played by Rufus Sewell. Tristan grows up under Marke and becomes an excellent fighter, but during one Irish raid, is supposedly killed. Because of his leadership qualities, he receives a king’s funeral and is put on a boat for it. Ironically, his funeral boat lands on Irish shore and is found by the King’s daughter, Isolde, played by Sophia Myles. The love story develops and takes many twists along the way.
However, the entire picture is not completely a love story. Tristan + Isolde has action packed fighting scenes, and themes of loyalty and betrayal. This film would make for a good date night because both women and men would find an interesting plot to follow. The film keeps the audience on the edge of their seat every second.
Not only is the story and characters remarkable, but the sets, costumes, and music are spectacular as well. Because the story takes place during the Dark Ages, the sets are more dreary and give the audience a sense of the time period. The building structures are amazing, and one can tell that attention was given to the details. The costumes also fit the time period very well. They represent the time period and socioeconomic status of each character individually throughout the film. Lastly, the music is memorable and appropriate for the different scenes. The song “We belong together” written by Gavin DeGraw, evokes emotion and tells of the underlying theme throughout the entire movie.
Overall, Tristan + Isolde is definitely a film to watch, particularly with the one you love. Because of the amazing story, and various other aspects of the film, I would rate it as a 9/10.

Crash Review

One of the most powerful films that I have ever seen has to be Crash. The film was released in 2005 and directed by Paul Haggis. Crash is also the winner of three Oscars, including Best Picture for 2005.
The film takes place in Los Angeles, California and tells the story of many characters of differing backgrounds, skin color, and socioeconomic statuses. The characters do not know each other, and do not realize how interconnected they truly are. This film really is an interwoven masterpiece. The story is not just told from one perspective, but many that are separate and unique. In the end, the characters, who were trying so hard to be their own individuals and live their lives, crash into each other literally and figuratively. My favorite quote from the film is, “You brush past people, people bump into you. In L.A., nobody touches you. We're always behind this metal and glass. I think we miss that touch so much, that we crash into each other, just so we can feel something”. In any big city, I feel that this statement rings true. Human contact is needed because we are social beings, and need others for our survival. In a place where everybody is out for themselves, crashing into one another is inevitable.
Not only is the story extraordinary, but the music, filming, editing, and lightening also make for a powerful piece. Take for example Bird York’s song “In the Deep” that plays towards the end of the film. While watching the powerful images and hearing a deeply moving song, chills run up and down your spine as your realize that this too could happen to you. The audience feels for the characters because they are not doing anything unordinary, but simply living their lives.
Is the film overdone though? Are the characters’ lives filled with more drama and more connected than the average Americans? I would say some what, but it is the characters’ stories that make Crash seem realistic.
I would recommend that everyone see Crash. It opens the audience’s eyes to topics that are not often discussed outside of a sociology class, including discrimination, racism, and stereotypes. Crash gets my two thumbs up and undeniably deserves it.

Philo T. Who???

Thomas Edison. Alexander Graham Bell. Philo T. Farnsworth? We all know who Edison and Bell are, but Farnsworth? Philo Farnsworth was a farm boy, a Mormon, and the inventor of the electronic television. If Farnsworth invented the television, then why is he not a well known figure in American history?

Growing up, Farnsworth had a curious mind, especially about projecting images using electrons. He dreamed of a tube that would turn a picture into electrons and then back into a picture to be displayed. Before he was 20 years-old, he was already immersed in created the first television, with economic support from local businessmen. However, during this time period, RCA (the corporation that owned rights to radio at the time) was also trying to create the first electronic television. With a major corporation competing with Farnsworth to create the first television and obtain a patent, the race was on.

When discussing the dominant and subordinate groups in the Farnsworth vs. RCA television race, it is clear that RCA was the dominant group. The corporation had money, power, and the respect from every major company. Farnsworth was subordinate because of the lack of money and support. At one point, RCA even sent a representative to Farnsworth’s laboratory in San Francisco, and copied the blueprints from Farnsworth’s work. RCA clearly took advantage of Farnsworth because they felt dominate to him. When Farnsworth finally developed the first working electronic television and got the patents, RCA offered him $100,000 for the patents but it was refused. Because the corporation had the money, they were able to make the offer and attempt to steal Farnsworth’s work.

Farnsworth eventually began to suffer from depression and alcoholism because of the stress that RCA imposed onto him. How did a gentle, farm boy become a completely different person? It was because RCA exploited him because of their dominate status. Philo Farnsworth’s story shows subordinate groups can be destroyed by dominate groups, Now we can understand why no one knows the name Philo T. Farnsworth; because he was not powerful, wealthy, or dominate enough to compete against a major corporation’s exploitation.

"The Bluest Eye" Review

“The Bluest Eye” is a novel by Toni Morrison that was first published in 1970. The story follows the life of an 11 year old African American girl, Pecola Breedlove, and her daily struggle in being black. The audience is introduced to Pecola’s friends, Frieda and Claudia MacTeer. Beauty is a main theme through out the novel, and Shirley Temple was a beauty icon for little girls during the time period. Claudia despised the idea that white skin and blue eyes equals beauty, but Pecola feel into the trap. She desired blue eyes because she felt that they would make her less ugly. Because Pecola knew she was unable to change her skin color, blue eyes was the next best alternative to fitting in.
The author, Toni Morrison, clearly wrote the book for black women in the United States. Because I am a white woman, it was hard for me to follow the story and put myself in Pecola’s shoes. However, “The Bluest Eye” was very well written because we were able to see the effect that standardized beauty has, specifically on a young girl who was always said to be ugly because of her skin color. What I did not like about the book was the fact that there was not one narrator and that the point of view kept switching from the girls time period to 40 years before their time. Morrison did a good job at explaining why Pecola was the way that she was, but it was hard to follow.
For an individual who is of a minority race, the book may have been more valuable. For myself, it was enlightening to read, but was not that powerful because I could not relate to the main characters. The novel is a sad, depressive read but very well written. I would recommend that everyone read the book, but it will most likely be more powerful to those who can relate.

Defining a Documentary

How would you classify a documentary? Would reality television shows be considered documentaries because they are documenting a person’s daily life? Or, is a documentary a boring film that you are required to watch for a class? I would define a documentary as entertaining as a reality television program but with more substance. I have watched a few documentaries, the latest one being “Super Size Me” where Morgan Spurlock eats at McDonald’s for 30 days and monitors the effects that it has on his body. His documentary was very entertaining, but I also learned something from it. Therefore, maybe a documentary can be used as a learning tool to present information in an enjoyable way. Documentaries should include a main character, or characters that the story follows. The documentation part of the film should be from the point of view of the character(s), but it is also helpful to see the opposite side of the story. In Spurlock’s documentary, we saw his viewpoint of McDonald’s and got other people’s input as well.
Having a narrator helps the audience follow the events that they are watching. In “Super Size Me”, Spurlock was the main character and narrator. A documentary should follow the life of the character(s) but not to the point where the audience is bored. Furthermore, the use of music that is suitable for the documentary may intrigue the audience by adding another pleasurable element.
As Morgan Spurlock says, a documentary is “A work, such as a film or television program, presenting political, social, or historical subject matter in a factual and informative manner and often consisting of actual news films or interviews accompanied by narration.” I believe that Spurlock summed it up quite nicely. Documentaries should be entertaining, informative, and factual. A good documentary is the type that makes the audience want to come back for more.

"30 Days" Review

“There is nothing good on television” is a common complaint that is constantly being said. After watching an episode of “30 days” titled Immigration, this statement is proven to be false. The show is produced by FX Networks, with the executive producer being R.J. Cutler (The War Room). “30 days” is a documentary with hints of reality television through out. This “in your face” television program is for individuals who are into current events and who strive to be open minded. In this particular episode, Frank, the main character who is also part of the Minutemen, moves in with an illegal immigrant family for 30 days. Frank migrated to the United States legally and also comes from a Spanish speaking background. The show begins by showing Frank at home and then out with the other Minutemen on the Mexican border. He shares his thoughts about illegal immigrants, which is that they should all be shipped back to their own countries. For 30 days, Frank lives with the Gonzales family in Los Angeles, California. The house is small and crowded with five children ranging in age from 10-22 and the parents, Patty and Rigorberto.
After Frank moves in with his new family, tensions rise as the oldest daughter, Armida, begins to confront Frank on his beliefs. Through out the entire episode, this discussion continues with Armida at one point stating “The American dream, what about the American dream, you know? The American dream, for him to try to stop that is insane”. Frank speaks his mind later in the episode as shown in the following quote “If you’re going to be here, you have to understand how to take care of this country. And if you can’t take care of this country, you need to go back to Mexico”. After living with the family for a couple weeks, Frank takes a trip to visit the Gonzales’ family living in Mexico. Seeing the deplorable conditions pulls at his heart strings and he beings to see past legalities.
Stereotyping is a theme seen throughout the 30 days. Before Frank went to live with the Gonzales’, his intended purpose was to send them back to Mexico the following day. He felt that they were not being productive citizens of society and not helping the United States. However, Frank’s views are changed later in the episode when he sees how hard the family works to support itself and that the oldest daughter Armida plans to attend college to make a name. As Lippmann states in his book Public Opinion, “There is neither time nor opportunity for intimate acquaintances. Instead we notice a trait which marks a well known type, and fill in the rest of the picture by means of the stereotypes we carry about in our heads”. It is only after we are able and willing to see people for what they are that stereotypes are not as relevant.
After viewing the episode, it definitely opened my eyes to both sides of the illegal immigration movement. I was interested the entire time because it was human nature at it’s finest; the need to be on top, such as how Frank acted. “30 days” not only was entertaining but also serves the purpose of breaking down stereotypes and judgments of others. It allows the viewer to see both sides of a current issue that everyone has an opinion on. The only part of the episode that was negative was when Frank and Armida were playing golf. It seemed to me that it was not needed to make the intended statement. Also, it seemed contradictory that the Gonzales’ family had no money but could afford golf clubs. That scene ruined it for me a bit.
Morgan Spurlock is the creator of “30 days” and also produced the documentary “Supersize Me”. The purpose of creating the show was that viewers can discuss the episodes and learn more about each other along the way. Other episodes include the following; Chris Jobin, a man who lost his job to outsourcing, travels to India (where his job was outsourced too) and lives with a family for 30 days. Another interesting episode is when Spurlock actually enters a jail system for 30 days to see what being a prisoner is like. The idea of the show is to put people in uncomfortable positions, in which they have preconceived stereotypes about, and let them see the other side of the fence.
Overall, I would give the episode an 8/10. I think the message was clearly shown and it was entertaining. However, I felt some scenes took away from the message that was being portrayed.

Stereotypes make the world go around. . .

Stereotypes are everywhere. If we are aware of them or not, we all judge people by them. We have racial stereotypes, gender stereotypes, religious stereotypes, age stereotypes, and anything else that makes people different. We are all meant to be individuals. Naturally, there will be differences between people and we expect this. Then why do we judge others when they are not like us and place stereotypes on them? Are humans just naturally inclined to group others and make references from those groups? I believe so. Walter Lippmann tackled the subject of stereotypes in his book “Public Opinion” and there are two particular quotes from this book that I believe encapsulate why we hold stereotypes and what they represent for us as humans “There is neither time nor opportunity for intimate acquaintances. Instead we notice a trait which marks a well known type, and fill in the rest of the picture by means of the stereotypes we carry about in our heads”. What a true statement that is. Time is money. Money is what makes the world go around. In today’s society, money is what motivates most people to go to work everyday, and how do you make money if you are too busy learning about others? It is sad but unfortunately true. Lippmann also stated this quote “Our stereotyped world is not necessarily the world we should like it to be. It is simply the kind of world we expect it to be”. Certain traits that become stereotypes for a group of individuals does not represent the entire group, there is always an exception to the rule. However, we expect stereotypes to exist when making choices dealing with people. Stereotypes in essence make the world a more concise place and people simpler to understand. Until we change our ways of thinking, stereotypes will always exist, there is no way around it.

Viacom; The power it has over me.

Television. I just cannot get enough of it! When you are watching television though, most of the time you are not thinking “Oh, I wonder which media company owns this station”. At least I do not. However, I have been lately. Sometimes after the credits, it will show which company owns the station, whether it be Time Warner, Disney, Viacom, Bertelsmann, News Corporation, or General Electric/NBC. After paying attention to this, I realized that most of the television stations that I watch are owned by Disney and Viacom. How is that for gate keeping? Because I think I watch more stations produced by Viacom (mostly CBS and MTV) I will focus on that company. Viacom owns many stations that you probably watch on a regular basis and did not even know it. Its properties include CBS, MTV, TNN, VH-1, Nickelodeon, UPN, and Paramount Pictures as its movie studio, along with many more properties. Viacom bought CBS in 1999, and has since grown larger by having two influential broadcasting networks in its grips (CBS and UPN). Sharing programming and expanding a franchise are two synergies that Viacom has brought about. For example, Saturday morning cartoons on Nickelodeon are now run by CBS and since this switch, ratings have increased dramatically. The company has also created movies in cooperation with their television stations. For example, MTV films produced Save the Last Dance in 2001 under the co-production of Viacom and MTV films.
After realizing how much information I consume under one company, it is worrisome. Most all of the information that I receive on a daily basis is controlled by a small group of individuals. And that is a frightening thought, even if it is entertaining.

Limited realities in everyday life.

Consumers of media are limited in how reality is portrayed to them by the “gatekeepers” of society. These gatekeepers decided what information will be shared, what information will be kept confidential, what information is valuable, and what information is worthless. Therefore, many of our realities are skewed because we are told what is important in the eyes of others. It is only after one becomes involved in many forms of media that their reality may broaden. To see the conservative versus liberal view of an issue will allow us to make our own judgments because we have been exposed to both sides. We as individuals need to decide what forms of media we approve of (and follow) based on the stereotypes that we make. For example, I tend to think that individuals who are more liberal do not have the same values as I do because I am more conservative. Therefore, the forms of media that I may take part in are most likely more conservative than liberal. It is only after seeing various forms of media that we are able to create our own ideas, not based off of what others are telling us to think but what WE as individuals think.

Television is the best!

My favorite form of media is probably television. It serves so many different purposes in entertainment (you can pretty much find anything you want to watch with the technology that is available today). It also gives me a sense of normalcy, that even if something is going wrong in my day, Oprah will still be on at 4pm! If television was taken away forever, I would be very disappointed because it plays a big part in how I relax and get entertained. I would probably cry myself to sleep every night but eventually snap out of it! Then I would turn to other forms of entertainment that would fill the hole that television left!

Media Checklist

Media Checklist

1) I use the telephone five-ten times a day. The person that I call the most is a tie between my parents and my boyfriend.

2) The last speech I attended (not for a class) was freshman year for a workshop on sexual abuse. I went to the speech to increase my awareness on the issue.

3) About 30 minutes a day I chat on AIM. I chat with my two best friends from highschool the most.

4) I use email too many times in a day to count!

5) This summer was the last time I paid for music, and it was on iTunes.

6) Step-by-Step is the most recent show I watched on TV. I did because it is entertainment and reminds me of my childhood.

7) Last time I recorded a program on TV was in December of 2006. It was CSI.

8) Eragon was the last movie I watched in the theater. On DVD, the last movie was The Devil Wears Prada.

9) The last radio station I listened to was country because I like it! It reminds me of home.

10) The most recent book I read was Heaven and Earth by Nora Roberts.

11) The last time I read the newpaper was two days ago, it was USA Today and I read it for entertainment purposes.

12) The last magazine I read was Glamour and I read it two days ago. The reason I read it was to relax and have some time to myself.

13) The last time I wrote a letter was this summer, and it was to thank someone for a birthday present.

14) I visit Google.com the most. The last time I visited it was yesterday to search.

15) I have a Facebook so I can stay connected with my friends and family that I don't see everyday.