Cheer up

Yesterday I heard an economist talking on the radio. He said one of the biggest problems with today’s volatile market is that everyone is afraid. This affects their buying and selling habits. I agree. The other day I heard someone comparing today’s economy to the great depression. I asked her if she was crazy or ignorant. I believe it was the latter because the depression was far more dismal than what we face today. I think this recession is exaggerated in large part because of the ease of communication. The more people talk about a problem the worse it looks. Due to the fact that everyone can talk to everyone with great ease the problem seems worse then it is. Common guys, Cheer up!

The Broken Horse

I just finished my paper for my journalism class and it brought something to my attention. Rock and roll is becoming more and more tame. Rock and roll use to be considered the devils music. Now it has become almost completely acceptable. So what will be the rebel voice in today’s mass media now? I believe rap has taken the torch. It is now being bombarded by preachers and philanthropists alike. Perhaps soon it will be tamed as well; but what will take rap’s place?

A Straight View

This semester is nearly over. I am now more in tune with stereotypes and racial references in the media. However, I believe that if you look for racism or stereotypes in the media your mind twists what you see and you find what it is you are looking for. So the question is: How hard should I examine what I look at? The answer is this. Educate yourself on racism and stereotypes. After that, take everything for what it is.

You Are What You Are

After watching Spike Lee’s film “Bamboozled” one question has been brought to my attention. What makes a black man? Many people ponder the question of what makes a person a man; perhaps its courage or dependability. However there seems to be more precise specifications to be a black man. In “Bamboozled” black men were accused of not being black because of the way they acted. Personally, I think if a male is dependable, honest and lives up to his word he is a man. If an African-American is those things and has acknowledged his culture and embraced it fully then he is a black man.

52 years, 11 months and 3 days

On December 1, 1955 Rosa Parks was arrested when she refused to give up her seat to a white man. On November 4, 2008 Barack Obama was chosen over a white man to be the President of the United States of America. We’ve come a long way.

Exposing the Hobo

This week I’m going to talk about how the homeless are portrayed in the media. Before you start to moan and groan just think about it for a second. The homeless are about the most one-dimensional group portrayed in the media. They are seen as either drug addicts or people that were screwed over in life one way or another. No matter how you look at it its one big pity party.

What if there is another way to look at this population? There is. Granted there are some homeless that fit the previously listed stereotype; but there are others. I know a church that found a homeless man, acquired identification for him, found him a job, found him a place to live and basically gave him a clean slate. However, after living the “average Joe,” nine-to-five lifestyle for about a month he wrote a letter to the church thanking them for the assistance and explaining that he preferred the homeless life. He then disappeared and was never heard from again.

You don’t see that scenario played out in the media. Few acknowledge the fact that some people prefer the bohemian, free spirited lifestyle.

Perverting the Perverted

One thing you might notice when you first visit France or many other countries in Europe is that they have a much more liberal appreciation of sex. Pornography is not contained in lowly adult book stores but is displayed on public television.

Would it shock you if I said the United States is not far from that? We display sex in a different but just as public way. Countless ads in magazines and on TV show men and women wearing sometimes less than nothing.

This media is based on the idea that sex sells. America is now even dealing in homoerotic advertising as well. Gay vague, as it’s called, is being utilized by clothing companies as a way to break through the cluttered media.

So what is worse? Displaying sex for what it is; or using it as a beast of burden to persuade the public to buy things?

Equal Rights for Men

At the moment, it seems popular to go to bat for women’s rights. This is a good thing. Women are still not treated equally to men. However, what about the guys?

It seems that the public’s opinion of men has been declining in the past 50 years. Just look at TV shows. In the days of ‘I Love Lucy’ and ‘The Brady Bunch’ the man was looked at as the wise leader of the family. Today, it seems that every father on TV is the bumbling caveman that can’t do anything but drink beer and put together the occasional coherent sentence.

While women’s public image has improved, men’s has gotten worse. How could this be? Is there only so much respect to go around that someone has to get cut short? Could it be that someone has to be upon the head of the goat?

Giving equal rights to everyone does not mean we should move around the pluses and minuses. It means the lower party should be lifted to the same status as the higher party.

The Portrayal of Women

In class we recently began talking about how women are being portrayed as bodies in magazines, television and movies. There is no doubt that this is detrimental to future generations of women. However, where did the concept of “women are just bodies” come from? Did women start showing more skin for attention or did the media start exploiting the idea that sex sells? Lets take a look at both sides of the spectrum.

Let’s say it started with women. If women started wearing less and less to attract attention then the fault of women being perceived as bodies lies with them. The only way this scenario can be corrected is if women of the world dress differently and bring peoples eyes above the neck.

Lets say it all started with the media believing in the idea that sex sells. In this scenario women are the victims. The only way to curb this problem is to boycott and publicly reprimand the companies that cheapen the image of women.

The lines are probably not as finely drawn as what I just described. The problem could very well be a mix of the two mentioned scenarios. If this is so then both solutions must be put into action to restore the proper public image of women.

Something About Nothing

I cannot think of anything to blog about, but here I am blogging my little heart out. However, the very idea of not having an idea gives me an idea of what to blog about.

Years ago the masses looked to a select few for answers and commentary on daily events. This tended to keep things organized, less cluttered. Now, due to the Internet and the increasingly popular view of the “every man,” everyone’s opinion can be heard.

Most everyone in the public cannot wait to pull out his or her soapbox and begin telling it how it is. With all these messages flying this way and that, how do we know what to listen to? Today that question is becoming more and more difficult to answer.

Plus, all these opinions are chipping away at the idea of credibility. If there are millions of people out there telling me the way things are and what to believe as true then they all seem credible. If everyone sounds credible then no one sounds credible.

Should we tone back our voices to hear the more passionate ones? How do we know we do not have the better more passionate idea? Who should we listen to?

Racism: The Self-Sustaining Beast

Merriam-Webster dictionary defines racism as “a belief that race is the primary determinant of human traits and capacities and that racial differences produce an inherent superiority of a particular race.”

What defines someone as a racist? The lines are not as distinctly drawn. You do not have to cause a negative impact to be considered racist. It is possible to be racist if you are helping someone based on race.
When examining media, if racism is found, is it really racism? Everyone sees everything differently. If you are looking at an article in search of racism, you will probably find it do to your skewed perspective which is based on your objective. In this cycle the prosecutors become the guilty.

As long as people actively seek out racism, it will always exist. What do we do to become neutral? Treat everyone with respect and equality. If we stop trying to apply hidden agendas to everything there would be a lot fewer.

America's Trademarks

The other day after a concert I found myself chatting with the bassist for the Swedish band The Hives. He said if you are going to write a rock ‘n’ roll song, you should write it in English. His point made sense to me. Rock ‘n’ roll came from America therefore it should probably stay in its native tongue.

My point is if a popular genre of music is tied so closely to America then what else could be a symbol of our nation? Fast food, Hollywood, and the American dream are all part of our culture and represent us to the rest of the world. While some of these trademarks hold great merit, some may only taint America’s reputation. Perhaps we should pay closer attention to what we purchase, support and do because who knows, the neighbors might be watching.

The Escalation of Decency

In the 50’s Lucy and Ricky of I Love Lucy slept in separate beds. It was simply inappropriate to imagine them in the same bed. In the 70’s two women shared a living space with a man in Three’s Company. While it pushed the line of decency people still accepted it. Today, shows like Project Runway use transsexuals as plot twists to attract viewers.

In a relatively short time period we as a culture have gone from the word "lousy" being taboo in film to hearing the word "damn" in most every primetime sitcom on TV. If America has gone this far, how much further will it go? Will the generation Y’s that are enjoying movies like Superbad today cringe when they see the movies their kids are watching in twenty years?

While redefining the definition of decency over and over can be considered progressive, it can also be perceived as detrimental to American culture. I believe one of the most important parts of maturing is not letting it happen too fast. Kids learning every curse word in the book, the lifestyles of transgenders, and the latest sex positions before the age of ten does not seem like a natural progression of exposure to all the world has to offer.

Slowing down in any subject is not a popular idea these days. However, in this field, maybe America should pace itself. What do you think?

Sarah Palin's Skeletons: Relevant or Not

As most people know by now, Sarah Palin of Alaska was recently named McCain’s running mate. As most people also know, Palin has a few skeletons in her closet. One of these skeletons being that Palin’s daughter (Bristol, 17) is five months pregnant.

The point of controversy is whether or not this family issue is relevant to the politics. In my opinion…no. You can be the best mom, politician and even vice president in the world but that will not stop your kids from making dumb decisions.

Look at Palin for the real issues. Do not judge her on the issues that we as human beings struggle with as well.

What do you think?