From Lighters to Digital

This past weekend I attended the Michael Buble concert. It was amazing, he is such a great singer and an even better performer (he could have not been any funnier). When I think classic concerts I think Woodstock. The first picture that pops into my head is all the audience holding up their lighters. As I looked around this past weekend, all I saw was little lit up screens. Between cell phones and cameras, the whole place was lit with our tiny pieces of technology. I admit that at one point I took out my camera for a couple of minutes to grab a quick picture, but besides that it was put away. Now I am all for documenting your fun times and so on, but wouldn't you want to enjoy the concert. Instead of worrying about the flash and the zoom button, just relax and enjoy the concert. Some people are too caught up with their technology. I for one would not want to spend that money to sit there with a camera in front of my face. I want to see him in person, not through a screen.

p.s If anyone gets a chance to go to one of Michael Buble's concert, PLEASE go!! It was such a good concert.

The Speed of Lightning

Technology now-a-days is amazingly fast. You hear everything that happens within a minute of it happening, whether it's through Facebook, news, radio, or email. Last night the Bruins won the Stanley cup. Within hours of the game ending my email was full of "deals" from JC Penny, Modells, and Sports Authority trying to get me to buy Bruins gear. The stores didn't waste anytime; they obviously had the emails pre-written and ready to go out. But just the fact that everything is done so fast amazes me.

Wind Turbines

In the movie The Age of Stupid there was a man who wanted to build wind turbines as an alternative energy source. Not a bad idea, I think. And the people around him agreed. BUT what the people around him did not agree with was the building of them in the area in which they live. The excuse that these people gave was that they would ruin the view. Personally I think that is bullocks (as the man in the movie said). Which is uglier? A wind turbine? or The sight of another hurricane Katrina or Japanese earthquake? All that is trying to be done is to help save the planet and people are arguing that they don't like the way it looks? Well, what if you were the leader of the biggest charity organization in the world, but I didn't like the way you looked? I wouldn't get rid of you! (a little harsh, but I am trying to get my point across). I don't even think that wind turbines are ugly, I find them to be quite pretty. The white, sleekness of the turbine is very appealing to me.

I am perfectly okay with someone defending their opinion. And it is one thing to defend your opinion for a good reason. But to put the planet in jeopardy just so you can have your pretty little view seems quite ridiculous to me. Most likely, with in the next 20 years or so there is going to be some sort of building or factory there anyways so you mind as well have it be something that is helping the planet. Any other thoughts?

It's 2011

Today I was listening to Ramero and Pebbles on Jamn 945 and they were talking about Tracey Morgan and a comedy show that he had done on June 3rd. During his comedy show, Morgan went on a rant about gay people. It was not taped and there is no audio evidence but there was a gay person in the audience that felt very offended an tweeted about it. Apparently Morgan stepped over the boundary of comedy and into an inappropriate rant. It was tweeted that people got up and walked out of his show because it was THAT inappropriate. I don't even want to repeat what was said by Morgan because it is something that should have never been said. Morgan came out a few days later with an apology statement. The point that Ramero was trying to make that all celebrities have to do now-a-days is make a public apology and in a few days the issue will be forgotten.  Sadly, it is true that all celebrities have to do is make an apology, whether it is sincere or not is another question (usually the statements are written for them). Ramero used the example that a few weeks ago the world found out that the govern of California and actor Schwarzenegger slept with the family's live-in maid and she had his child. The world then moved on to talking about Senator Weiner and his tweeting inappropriate pictures. The point is that the celebrity messes up, they apologize, and the next week the issue is forgotten by the media. But just because the social world has moved on doesn't mean that everyone has. Maria Shriver hasn't moved on. Weiner's children haven't forgotten. The gay man in the audience hasn't forgotten those slurs.

I think it is horrible that the media lets these celebrities get away scott-free with just an apology. As Ramero said "It's 2011, and that's all it takes"

Really Parents?

This blog post relates to chapter 4 in our media textbook; specifically, the idea stemmed from pps 118 and 126.  It also relates to my previous blog of censorship...

On page 118 in the side margin it talked about T-shirts for young girls and padded bras for 9 year olds. This is a definite problem, but in this case I blame the parents. I don't want to insult anyone here, but if you 9 year old daughter is wearing a padded bra that is YOUR fault. The 9 year old does not have a job or car to go out and buy the bra herself, therefore the parents are the ones buying them and encouraging the rapid growth of their child. I don't care if she throws a temper tantrum, don't buy the bra. I do not have a child so do not know what it is like to deal with their lash outs, but in this case I think it is necessary to absolutely put your foot down and say NO.

On page 126 it talks about the images of disability. First I would like to point out that I looked at the picture of Cerrie Burnell and saw nothing wrong with it. It was not until I read the yellow box that I realized she did not have an arm. I knew she was going to have some sort of disability but clearly it did not affect my opinion of her, because I didn't even notice it. The yellow box stated that Cerrie was subjected to letters by parents in which their children were scared by her image. That is ridiculous. One, teach your children to accept people for who they are and that not everybody is perfect. Two, if you don't want them to be "scared" by certain images then don't let them watch shows that have these particular images. Again, I don't want to insult any parents  but this is my opinion.

So in these two cases, yes the media has a role, but I put most of the blame on the parents. There are things in the world that you can't shelter your children from no matter how hard you try, but in these circumstances there are things you can do.

Media and Decision Making

Ok so here is the scenario-

I work at my local mall and I got out of work last night at about 9:30. I was walking to my car in the main parking lot in which a couple other co-workers were walking to there car too (the point is it wasn't deserted). I hear "Ma'am! Ma'am! Can you help me?" being shouted at me across the parking lot. There was a woman who looked extremely concerned and was clearly upset. My first instinct was to turn around and see what the problem was, as I did. As soon as I did this woman, who was not familiar with the mall could not find her car. She had gone out a different exit than she entered so she was all turned around. I wanted to give her a ride to her car but I opted for just giving her directions instead. I saw that she made it safely to her car, so all was good.

So here was my dilemma-

Was I right to not give this woman a ride? I say this because I think I watch too many crime dramas and I feel that they have definitely affected my decisions in life. I watched an episode of Criminal Minds where a man asked a woman to help him find his "lost" daughter; he deceived her and ended up murdering her. I am a very trusting person and am open to helping those in need but these shows have made me doubting my judgement. From watching these shows and knowing what is on the news, am I naive to trust people I don't know? Or is it sad that the world has come to the fact that we can't take anyone's word for truth? I think it is a little bit of both- I need to work on not trusting everyone that I come across and the media and the world has caused people not to trust ANYONE. These are just my thoughts, anyone else have an opinion ?

"The Show Goes On"

When I was writing the paper for week two I was intrigued by the part that asked about the medium of the text. This referred to a text in the form of a song vs that of a movie and how it affects the message that is being portrayed. I have been OBSESSED with the song "The Show Goes On" by Lupe Fiasco http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rmp6zIr5y4U . It took me a while but after listening to it a couple of times I finally learned all the lyrics. This song recognizes the people that are in the ghetto and the people that are trying to help them out. I think it is important for songs like these to be heard because the kids that they are talking about listen to them. Unlike some movies, it does not take two hours to get the message across. Lupe makes sure that his message gets across in the song; no matter what you have been through in life and no matter where you come from, life goes on and you should never give up!!

Body Image

As everyone knows the media as a humongous impact on our lives, whether we try to block it out or not. One of the biggest impacts, by far, is that on body image. Non-celebrities are constantly comparing themselves to the magazines and the runway models. That is not realistic. This affects both men and women, but I think women are a little more open about it. I think that it is pretty damn sad that people compare themselves to celebrities. If I had millions of dollars and my job was to be physically fit in order to perform (on stage or in a sports arena) then I would be a size 2 as well. I am by no means over weight, but I am no where near having a body like Fergie. And I am perfectly okay with that. It saddens me to know that young girls (or anyone for that matter) walk around calling themselves fat because they do not look like what they think they should. I am a firm believer in accepting yourself the way you are. As long as there is no extreme health risks involved, what is the big deal if you have a little extra meat on the bones. The media does noting but add fuel to the fire in this case. Tabloids are always hounding celebrities who gain a little weight and are the first ones to point out the cellulite. Umm, excuse me but I would like to see what the people writing these look like. Who the hell cares if Brittney Spears gained 10 lbs and isn't the same size as when she was 16? In my opinion, it is a complete waste of time spending the day staring in the mirror saying "I'm fat, I need to lose 10 pounds. My butt is too big. I hate my hips." Where is this going to get you? Nowhere. If you don't like the way you look then change it. If you're skinny, you're skinny. If you're chubby, you're chubby. In the end, it doesn't matter what you look like. If someone thinks you're too fat and doesn't want to look at you. Then screw them, you don't want them as your friend anyways. My motto in life is "If you don't like it, then don't look at it" and I am sticking to it!!!

Celebrities Doing Some Good

Lately I feel as if the majority of celebrity news focuses on all the negative parts of their lives. So for this I would like to shed a little light on some of the good that celebrities do. Yea, they might mess up and cheat on their spouse (which I am not condoning in the least bit) but they also do some good too. Celebrities make A LOT of money, most more than they know what to do with. So I want to say that I appreciate the fact that celebrities give back to the less fortunate. Whether it be donating money to try and cure cancer or being a part of the "Make A Wish Foundation" or helping at Katrina, celebrities do more than just party and mess up. Angelina Jolie, an extreme case but still valid, has adopted children and given them a better life. Lil Wayne has gone back to his home of Louisiana and helped the hurricane Katrina victims. Countless celebrities donate time and money to charities around the world. And I just wanted to take this time to recognize the good in the world. For once, let us not all focus on the bad.

The Previous Generation

The generation before us grew up quite differently then we have.  The major difference between the two generations is the technology.  I am constantly listening to my mother complain about how I am too addicted to my phone and all the other technologies. Granted, she has an argument; I have my blackberry next to me at all times. But here is the kicker...she has recently upgraded from a flip phone to a droid, which is a smart phone as well. Along with this she has her iTouch, with the two she has become just as addicted as me.  I am sick of hearing older people complain about how us younger people are always on out phones. Hi, Hello, have you ever though of how convenient this devices are?! With the technology that we have today are so useful. Yes, they have their down sides, but so does everything in life. The main complaint that I hear is using phones while driving. My mom tells me not to talk on the phone while driving, then she calls me form her car!! Umm, okay? I see just as many adults talking on their phone as teenagers. So for once I would love to have my mom admit that she loves her phone and would be lost without it.

Teen Mothers on T.V

Whether it is "reality" television or sitcoms, teen mothers are all over television; the most popular shows of this topic are "Secret Life of an American Teenager", "16 and Pregnant", and "Teen Mom". The latter two shows are reality TV, which follow teenage girls who are pregnant and then follow up on their lives post-birth. The "Secret Life" is along the same lines but it is a scripted show and involves many woes that teenage parents must face. The argument that surrounds these types of shows is whether or not the shows send a good message or bad message to the people watching them.  Throughout each episode of these shows messages are sent to the audience through the characters. The shows provide websites and telephone numbers that can be used for additional information about teen pregnancies and how to avoid them. I, personally, watch these shows because I am a TV junkie, not because I need to learn about teenage pregnancies. I went to high school just as everyone else and sat in a classroom for years and listened to teachers preach about the consequences of having unprotected sex. I do not need a television show to tell me what the consequences are or how to avoid them. I think that the reason for these shows is to make money and not to inform young girls. I learn nothing new from watching shows like these; the message is Don't have unprotected sex...Cool, I've known that since I started health class in 8th grade.  In my opinion the shows on MTV about the teen moms is doing nothing but providing fame for the girls involved.  Everyone makes mistakes and teenage pregnancies happen, but the lives of these girls are turned upside down and exploited just for entertainment purposes. It is pathetic that we have nothing better to do but watch the miserable lives of teenage parents that are just trying to get by.

The Loss of Innocence

In today's society it amazes me the amount of information that is out there for children to know.  It seems to me that children have gone from being innocent 5 year olds playing with toys to 7 year old "teenagers" with cell phones and ipods.  I understand that society is evolving and we must evolve with it but shouldn't a line be drawn? It is not only the electronics that children are getting a grasp of but the things that the media puts out there too know is insane. For example, the songs that are on the radio these days are no longer children-friendly. These children not only know the words of these songs but they unfortunately know the meaning to the words as well.  The song by Brittney Spears "If You Seek Amy" is a good example of a song that has an underlying meaning. I think that the society in some ways is corrupting children and taking away their innocence.  Whatever happened to children playing kickball til sundown and complaining when they have to come in for dinner. Now children are obsessed with T.V. and video games and get upset when their parents make them go outside to play. I understand that parents play a major role in how their children are raised and what they are exposed to, but now-a-days there is only so much a parent can shelter their children. With the exception of home-schooling your child and with-holding a social life from them, there is no way for a parent to completely control what their children are exposed to.  I think that the media has to take the majority of responsibility of the fact that children are no longer children; they are teenagers in a little snack-sized person...