Viewed as what I am not... so now what?

As a young woman who is viewed as "white" because of my light skin tone, I am a part of the dominant group. However, because I am Latina, I am actually a minority. For both of these reasons, being viewed as the majority but being a part of the minority, the role I will take is to be a positive role model and work to treat others as I want to be treated. I hope to make an influence on the world as a strong, educated, prosperous, and moral woman, but not only that, as a Latina woman. I will be an ally and work toward the "dismantl[ing] of oppression" because by doing these things I can only become a better and stronger student (or employee when I graduate), daughter, and (in general) person. Although I realize, as allies, we are in for a long haul -- I am ready and willing to be a part of such a process that can make our world more wonderful and can revolutionized the pictures in our heads.




...its been fun, perhaps I'll keep up this blog after class, we shall see... but for now, "Good Morning and in case I don't see you Good Afternoon, Good Evening, and GOOD NIGHT"

If you're reading this...I have your consent.

Walter Lippmann’s Public Opinion is a tough and long read but he has the old-age lingo, the new-age idea and he provides an interesting and detailed point of view. To me, the most attention-grabbing of these is his idea of “manufacture’s consent.” Manufacture’s consent involves the media receiving “consent” from the daily consumer through the interaction each consumer has with their medium. In Lehman’s terms: if I sit down to watch the Discovery Channel tonight I am “telling” the gatekeepers I enjoy their product and, by interacting with this media, I am also helping the company to succeed which will, in turn, cause them to continue to produce their product.

Media and their imposition of “necessary illusions” keep the power in the hands of those who are educated, informed, and specialized; otherwise known as the “elites.” Lippmann believes it is impossible for American society to know what is in the best interest of the public. This is the reason for manufacture’s consent. It is simply a hidden way of hypnotizing the public and receiving the approval they need to keep doing so from the patron.

It is true that we in a way are our own gatekeepers. Through selective exposure theory we may not interact with media that is not congruent with our thoughts and it is still our choice with what medium we choose to participate. However, the gatekeepers still control what is on those mediums, the control of which starts at the very top with the elite.

The greater part of our class has dealt with selective exposure theory and gatekeeping theory because all media tends to be connected with the two. As previously stated, we do have the choice of what medium to use, what shows to watch, what radio station to listen to, etc. but we do not have the choice of what is put on those mediums. Gatekeeping theory states: “the people who hold decision-making positions in our society actually select the information and ideas that will be allowed to pass through the ‘gates’ and be incorporated in our culture.” Walter Lippmann tells us that by interacting with their products we are giving them the consent to continue to produce them, therefore giving more power to those already in power by allowing them to persist in putting pictures in our heads.

You are cordially invited...

Beta Productions presents:

The Voice of Abuse

The true story of abuse
as told by survivor
Vanessa Ford Taylor




Tuesday May 8th
1230pm
Mueller Theater
Westminster College

Be Heard: Clip of Freedom Writers Diary

Their story...Their words

Creativity and dedication help a Long Beach, California teacher, Erin Gruwell (played by Hilary Swank), succeed in changing the lives of high school students who are on the road to gang violence, jail, and death. Based on a true story and best-selling book The Freedom Writers Diary, Freedom Writers is both gripping and inspirational. It is guaranteed to have its audience on the edge of their seats and teary-eyed by the end.


The 1990s in Long Beach provided its disadvantaged high school students with three things: violence, intolerance, and hopelessness. As tensions build and racial wars are on the brink of taking over the city, Long Beach high school receives a new ninth-grade teacher, Erin Gruwell. In a display of naivety, Ms. Gruwell takes on the job of teaching “unteachable and at-risk” students. The obstacles she faces, according to the older and “more experienced” teachers, are impossible and innumerable; Margaret (Imelda Staunton) attempts to find any way of ruining the good Ms. Gruwell has done. She shows jealousy of the achievements of this young teacher and is angry with Gruwell’s impulsiveness.

Erin Gruwell’s dedication to her classroom silences her critics as she tears down the racial walls separating her students and infuses in them a hope for a bright and prosperous future. She provides for them examples of others who have overcome adversity and struggles like the ones they are facing through books such as Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl and meetings with survivors of the Holocaust. This amazing woman, while dealing with a husband (played by Patrick Dempsey) who is struggling with his own self-confidence crisis and the success of his wife, finds a way to teach her students to value their education and each other and in turn, the students slowly realize they are each other’s family.

This movie brings our attention back to the effects of racism in our country both in the past and present. It provides us with a hero from both of those times that rise above the racial boundaries and depict highly motivating and encouraging situations.

Freedom Writers is a true story of having faith in those others have given up on, an illustration of how far the encouragement and belief in others and oneself can go, and a testimony of those who have overcome racial boundaries, violence, and hopelessness. This is a movie for all to see; a movie that will inspire its audience to become heroes themselves.

From behind the mask...

When our topic was first introduced, it really hit home with me because I know a person in an abusive relationship who refuses to leave him. Through our project I have found information to help her, myself, and others close to her cope with such happenings.

BETA productions has spent a significant amount of time with our participant, Vanessa, hearing her story and advice she has to give. We also interviewed Dr. Pataki and an educational specialist, Ann, from the clinic. We are moving on to the editing portion of our project and I am thoroughly looking forward to the final draft, I think this is going to be an amazing and powerful message.

Is life reality or a fantasy?

I believe all questions about what we are exposed to by media, in this case television, can be answered by one simple statement: “it depends on what you’re watching.” So…does television expose us to a diversity of people from all sorts of places with different lifestyles from our own? Diversity…sure, if you’re watching Survivor; lifestyles different from our own…more often than not, because most characters on primetime television are either super rich or super poor, and most viewers are somewhere in the middle. But do we, the viewers, the normal everyday people that spend countless hours in front of the television attempt to make our lives like those of the actors we see on TV? Do we believe that what is important in life is dictated by primetime television?

Over Easter break, I sat down in front of the television (because I actually had time to) and watched a few of my family’s favorite shows during primetime hours. As I was watching these episodes of Ugly Betty, Extreme Home Makeover, and Law and Order: Criminal Intent, I attempted to keep track of situations that I would not have experienced had it not been for the box sitting in front of me in my living room. All three of these shows provided me with a unique view at society and what is deemed “most important.” Ugly Betty displayed the idea of “inner beauty,” and reminded me how people are often more appreciated than they realize by some while being looked down upon by others. Extreme Home Makeover showed me how caring and generous people can be for those who truly deserve and will be grateful for it and Law and Order: Criminal Intent revealed an intense and gruesome case I would never want to be a part of or see in real life.

Jean Baudrillard claims that television determines what should be important in our lives and that after exposure to it we apply those rules to our own reality. He describes hyper-reality as the consciousness losing its ability to distinguish reality from fantasy. Baudrillard believes that society soon demonstrates actions through this hyper-reality rather than through their reality. Joshua Meyrowitz argues that television “breaks down the physical barriers that separate people” (Hanson, 2005, p. 256).

Television would be a hyper-reality if we believed everything we saw. However, our society filters the information and understands that television, and other forms of media, are mostly for entertainment purposes, which keeps this hyper-reality from existing. Sure it is nice to see generous people do wonderfully nice and amazing things for others, and it is awesome to watch a show about a young, not-so-attractive girl who is well-liked by her boss. But as it is with everything, there are two sides to every story and reality tells us a different one. Extreme Home Makeover takes heat because “there are more deserving people that should be helped.” Betty has to deal with the teasing from her co-workers who don’t think she’s pretty enough. And of course, Law and Order shows us how cruel people really can be, but it’s not as easy to catch those criminals as they make it out to be. Our conscious does not lose its ability to distinguish reality from fantasy because the happenings in our world once we step away from our televisions often has a cruel way of bringing us back to earth. Television also does not bring people together; in fact, it has probably separated us more from others. Not only does it provide us a way to refrain from conversations with others but also it puts pictures in our head that prior to being exposed to this media may not have been there. I feel our class is somewhat portrays that idea because before I was taught to delve into stereotypes in media I never paid much attention to them and now I can not help but to realize them all the time.

There are situations, trends, etc. on television we should really take with a grain of salt. However, that is not to say we should not learn from certain situations that are portrayed through this primetime entertainment television. For instance, after watching Law and Order: Criminal Intent, a person can learn from the mistakes of others in these fictional stories who have been hurt or killed by lack of attention to their surroundings.

The question: Is primetime television entertainment fantasy or reality?

The final verdict: Entertainment fantasy.

And yes, our species is intelligent enough to know the difference.

Oh, what to watch on Thursday nights!?

vs.

My two favorite television shows are on the Neilson Media Research’s Top 10 Broadcast TV programs list. Unfortunately, these two shows are also competing against each other for these ratings.

Grey’s Anatomy, airing on ABC Thursdays at 9pm, and CSI, airing on CBS Thursday nights at 9 pm, are listed as numbers 3 and 5 on Neilson Media Research’s list for the week of March 19, 2007. Against their other competition, both of these shows fair well, however, when competing against each other, Grey’s Anatomy comes out on top. If either of these shows were to change the time or the day they are aired, it would help both of their ratings because I am sure there are many people like me in the predicament of which show to watch every Thursday night. I would be one happy camper if they would move one of the shows, however, it can not be aired on Mondays at 8 or Tuesdays at 9, because my third favorite show, Dancing with the Stars is on at those times :)

Gangs of New York

AMERICA WAS BORN IN THE STREETS.

Death, corruption, and Irish immigrants fill the streets of New York. Lower Manhattan’s Five Points encompass violence and fraud and illustrate a strong sense of “survival of the fittest.” As vengeance takes over the soul of one man, the center of a town, where five roads intersect, turns worse than it has ever been before.

The motion picture, Gangs of New York, by acclaimed director Martin Scorsese was the winner of 2 Golden Globes for Best Director and Best Song and nominated for 10 Academy Awards. Leonardo Di Caprio and Daniel Day-Lewis give chilling performances that will keep the audience on the edge of their seats. Filled with stomach-turning gore and flagrant gang activity, Scorsese aims to create a mythical and infamous beginning to New York City.

Gangs of New York begins with a battle between two main gangs in Five Points, The Dead Rabbits and The Natives. The Dead Rabbits led by Priest Vallon, Amsterdam Vallon’s father (Leonardo Di Caprio), are a group of Irish Immigrants fighting for control of Five Points against Bill the Butcher’s Natives (Daniel Day-Lewis), who are strongly against foreign influence. After the death of his father at the hands of Bill the Butcher, Amsterdam is incarcerated and the Dead Rabbits are banished from Five Points. He returns 16 years later to avenge his father’s death by becoming an apprentice to William Cutting, otherwise known as Bill the Butcher. As a friendship is broken over a woman, Jenny (Cameron Diaz), information is leaked to The Butcher and young Vallon and his plan are revealed. After an initial battle with William Cutting, Amsterdam faces his foe once more in an epic battle between the newly re-formed Dead Rabbits and the angered Natives. While the streets of New York are taken over by an enraged mob and political corruption and racism erupt, Five Points acquires a new leader.

Scorsese’s gruesome masterpiece embodies gut-wrenching violence, passion, and deceit. It is both captivating and unbearable. A majestic, compelling, and powerful work of art.

CRASH -- into me.

Released in the spring of 2005, Crash, the winner of three Academy Awards, tells the story of peoples’ lives colliding in the city of Los Angeles. It is an exclusive tale of African Americans, Latinos, Asians, Persians, rich and poor, powerful and powerless, dominant and subordinate. This motion picture depicts images of racism, prejudice, privilege, and stereotypes.

This movie captivates its audience by its presentation of impulsive behaviors and its portrayal of real interactions and situations. The audience will quickly be overcome with emotion as the lives and backgrounds of the characters are revealed; as they become more understandable, the movie becomes more riveting. Director Paul Haggis takes a profound look at racism and how often it goes unnoticed. At the same time he forces us to reflect on our own personal lives and the pictures in our heads. Whether it happened through fate, chance, coincidence, or luck, the lives of these main characters crash into one another. Due to their perceptions and assumptions, they are unable to see the real person they are interacting with, and instead concede to the stereotypical judgments.

Crash begins and ends in the same place, with a crash. In between, it explores the 36 hours prior to the devastating event. It tells the story of a black detective with a drug addict mother and criminal younger brother, a white District Attorney with a distraught wife who does not attempt to hide her racism and a Latino locksmith with tattoos who is nothing but a family man. It reveals the feelings two black young men have about discrimination and racism, while they look for cars to steal, a Persian family mistaken for Iraqis who have their store robbed and vandalized, and a Korean man who seems innocent and suspicious at the same time. Two white police officers, influenced by their own personal problems and each other and a black couple torn apart by a white privileged world.

I don’t expect that this movie, the winner of 3 Academy Awards including Best Achievement in Editing, Best Writing, and Best Motion Picture of the Year, will work any miracles. However, it will command the attention of its audience every time it is viewed. It will provide its viewers with a sense of understanding and move its audience to feel at least a slight bit of empathy and sympathy for those unlike themselves. This movie provides hope for those who view it that one day we will be able to move from dwelling on our differences to appreciating our similarities.

Media Madness

In an article from Cosmopolitan's March 2007 issue:

We'll be slaves to the media more than ever in 2007, the U.S. Census Bureau reports. Teenage and adult Americans will spend about...

65 days watching television
8 days exploring the Internet
41 days listening to the radio
7 days reading the newspaper
5 days reading magazines
4 days reading books
______________________
= more than 4 months (approximately 3,127 hours)






WOW!

What if you had an idea that you knew would change the world?

The truth is, our history books lie to us and the internet confuses us. Our books tell us it was Vladimir Zworykin. One website states: “The Americans will tell you it was Philo Taylor Farnsworth (what a name!). The Russians and RCA will tell you it was Vladimir Zworykin. Like all complex devices, the television has many contributing inventors.” WikiAnswers. How do we find the true answer? Read the real history: Philo.

Philo T. Farnsworth is overlooked because he demonstrated normal intelligence and did nothing extraordinary in his early years; “he lacked stereotypical traits of genius” (Philo). He was a farm boy from Utah; a member of the white lower class. Yet, with only a stack of old science magazines from his family’s attic and no formal college education, this man was the first to develop technology for the television. Not only was Philo without higher education but he was also uneducated in the business world that he thrust himself into with his invention. Philo quickly became a part of the submissive group as Vladimir and RCA attempted to take advantage of him using their money and knowledge of the malicious business realm (dominance).

History teaches and illustrates that the little man doesn’t win. Without the resources it was near impossible for Philo to have the victory in this battle over the television patent. Although Philo did eventually win a lawsuit against Vladimir and RCA for the patent but not without a cost. The general public acknowledged Vladimir as the inventor, and with his public defeat, Philo became depressed and soon turned to alcohol to numb his pain. He was the little man; a small farm boy from Utah, a member of the submissive group, uneducated yet brilliant, and unfortunately lacked the voice to make himself known as the man he truly was: the inventor of the television.

The Bluest Eye

I’m not a middle aged black woman, in fact, I’m not a black woman at all, but realizing that this book was written to target that demographic made it easier to recognize the key issues the author was attempting to tackle.

Toni Morrison’s first book, The Bluest Eye, tells the tragic story of a young girl in Lorain, Ohio during the 1940s, Pecola Breedlove. Pecola’s trials throughout the book question power, love, and beauty, and show the difficulty her family has trying to survive in a white society.

Pecola could not find love at school or at home. The students and teachers at school do not treat her well or fairly, her father is an alcoholic and abusive, and her mother has fallen into the idea of “white privilege” by showing more love for the white girl she takes care of than she does for Pecola.

She also deals with self esteem issues. Like other black girls and boys, she has been taught from the society she grew up in that she is inferior and ugly. For these reasons, she is hates herself and believes she is ugly. Throughout the book Pecola can only speak of having blue eyes because she believes that would make her beautiful. Claudia, her best friend, challenges this and sees beauty in a black baby. The final lesson is that beauty, on the outside, does not bring happiness.

The illustrations of the society where Pecola grew up, the pressures and treatment from the majority group, and the ways in which they influence the lives of minorities are very vivid in this book. Toni Morrison’s The Bluest Eye was written with the intent to tell a story, and it does so in a very interesting way. In order to appreciate the book, the reader must realize the messages that Morrison was attempting to get across; the struggles minorities in our country face both internally and externally.

I AM SAM

Before class today, I did not really put a lot of thought into documentaries. Sure I researched them a little bit and wrote about them in my previous blog. However, class today sparked some images in my mind, or "pictures in my head," that I had not realized had been there before; I was reminded of the movies I am Sam.

Before I watched the movie, I am Sam, I had never really thought about a mentally disabled person having/parenting a child. Throughout the movie, Sam is fighting for custody of his 7 year old daughter because to avoid looking smarter than her father at her young age, she was holding back in school -- therefore, police took her away with thoughts that Sam was unable to properly care for his daughter. The lesson comes from their true love and affection for each other that Sam's cold-hearted lawyer begins to see, as does the audience.

I can remember crying the first time I watched this movie, as well as every time after that. Although Sam is not played by someone who is actually mentally retarded, the true story that the producers attempted to bring to life for the audience was portrayed very vividly. For me, a whole new view point on the capabilities of the "differently abled (Anne Fadiman)" were definitely changed by the message that was given. The focus, for me, was not on the actor playing the role -- but rather on the message of true love, family devotion, and overcoming obstacles to obtain those two things.

"Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails."


See for yourself...

I Am Sam Clip

What is a documentary?

The Princeton Review defines a documentary:

• relating to or consisting of or derived from documents
• a film or TV program presenting the facts about a person or event
• objective: emphasizing or expressing things as perceived without distortion of personal feelings, insertion of fictional matter, or interpretation; “objective art”

I have always thought of documentaries as the boring, or what I classify as boring, shows my dad watches on the History Channel. However, this class has brought documentaries into a different light for me. I now know documentaries are a person’s way of educating an audience by putting them “in another’s shoes.”

While researching documentaries online, I stumbled upon a website that lists the best (in terms of money made) documentaries from 1982 – present. I was surprised at some of the movies on the list that I would have not considered a documentary; for example, The Girl Next Door was number 81 on the list. I also watched a preview of a documentary on HBO.com called The Bastards of the Party, which airs Tuesdays at 6pm. To me, it had all the things a documentary should have. The main character in the documentary, Cle “Bone” Sloan, was the narrator, but instead of focusing on him the whole time, there were a lot of cuts to pictures and videos that gave vivid illustrations of what he was saying. This documentary also taught me that the “crips” and the “bloods” were the “bastard offspring of the political parties of the 60s.” The Bastards of the Party did what a documentary is supposed to do, made the lesson it was attempting to teach its audience interesting.

Although I have had to watch many documentaries, such as A Class Divided, in my psychology courses, I never took a distinct interest in them. However, the more I am exposed to documentaries, the more I find how educational they are. In every documentary that I have watched, I have been taught a lesson and been dumbfounded by either my own or others’ ignorance to certain issues. Cle Sloan decided to produce his documentary to “make a powerful call for change.” Not all documentaries are calling for change but they all contain a powerful message and, while not containing any of the authors/producers opinions, the attempt to enlighten the audience.

So, in search of my definition for a documentary, I came up with this:

A factual film or TV program that captures and captivates its audience while providing educational information in an interesting way.

Its raining, its pouring...

Sweet summertime. It’s supposed to be sunny and relaxing during the day and warm with clear skies at night. However, if you experience the weather as I do in my part of the country, you probably find yourself stuck inside on the couch, watching the television, for at least half of those summer nights; have to love the rain.

My proposal: instead of watching MTV’s Road Rules or the Real World, or watching a movie that you have seen 500 times before, expand your horizons and watch a reality show that is unscripted and explores authentic “societal differences that Americans face today” (FX Website; “30 days”). During the summer months, Wednesdays at 10pm, FX presents their original reality TV series “30 days.” Morgan Spurlock, the creator of the series, who is best known for his movie “Super size Me” for which he received an Oscar nomination, “places an individual in a living environment that is antithetical to their upbringing, beliefs, religion, or profession.” It is his as well as his crew’s hope that this show will reach numerous people from all demographics. While airing in the United States on FX and used on the Oprah show, it has also been publicized in 15 countries.

The episode “Immigration” is the story of a minuteman, Francesco Jorge (known now as Frank George), who will be moving in with a family of illegal aliens. Walter Lippman states: “the people who change their names....mean to change themselves, and the attitude of strangers toward them.” I found this true for Frank. It seemed to me that he felt more American with an American sounding name, rather than the one he had when he entered this country. Frank, although he is an immigrant from Cuba, believes he is a very patriotic man and that illegal aliens are “a plague to our country.” . Frank also feels that if they can not enter this country legally, as he and his family did, it will lead to strife in the United States and the only right illegal aliens have is to be deported back to their home countries.

In order to fully understand the feeling of being an illegal alien, Frank had to leave behind his Id, work as a day laborer and share a very small apartment with the family. He spent 30 days with the Gonzalez family, all of which are illegal aliens except the two youngest children who were born in the United States. It helps tremendously that Frank is fluent in Spanish as many of the conversations that he has with the parents are in Spanish. His days are spent eating, talking, and working with the family. There are days when he goes to work and sees the “dirty” jobs that Rigoberto does because no one else will. He also sees the work that Patty does separating recycling for $5 total. It was Patty who broke the ice for Frank, but his trip to Mexico to see Rigoberto’s family and the place they fled really put things into perspective for him.

Armida, the oldest daughter played a very integral role in the show. She was a well educated young lady with high hopes to reach the “American dream.” She often got into debates with Frank, but in the end, Frank said that he learned something from her, as she did from him. The two were even able to put aside their differences and Armida taught him how to play golf. Although he gets into many different arguments with the family about his work as a minuteman and the stance he has on illegal aliens, they win a place in his heart and he finds that he can call them friends.

While some may argue that the gatekeepers manipulated certain aspects of the show, I believe that everything shown was fact and very, very real. The struggle for Frank was to overcome the preconceived stereotypes and pictures he had in his mind, changing any version of the places he went or the experience that he not have adequately conveyed the message. Sure the gatekeepers cut out certain parts of the 30 days that he actually spent, but isn’t that what all documentaries do to make you see the “true” picture in the allotted time!? The filmmakers do a great job of getting their point across in the 1 hour they have to air the show.

This episode of “30 days” brought out my emotions in a number of different ways. I was at times angry, sad, happy, and confused; in fact, at one point, I cried thinking of my own grandparents who are immigrants. I believe that any good movie or show should have the ability to do these things. So as you are sitting around in your house on those rainy summer nights, be sure to watch this gripping, edge-of-your-seat series.

When you look at me... Do you really see me?

Stereotypes are generalizations or judgments (positive or negative) our society makes towards a group of people based on broad similarities that we perceive all members of that particular social group to possess. What we want to see is what we base stereotypes on, because our society can not handle what the world really is.

In Chapter 6 of Walter Lippman’s Public Opinion he states: “…we pick out what our culture has already defined for us, and we tend to perceive that which we have picked out in the form stereotyped for us by our culture.” This quote proves to me that Lippman was a brilliant man. Due to our society labeling various social groups according to their “similarities” or “personalities” or where they have come from. For example, my hometown is very close to a city that has been labeled as one of the top 10 most dangerous cities in the United States. When people hear the name of the city they shutter in fear of the people that live there and the apparent “danger.” However, what they do not see is that there is violence in every city, and right now the mayor of the particular city near me is working hard to change things, and has. For example, friends of mine had a hockey game in that city a few weekends ago. All they have heard of the city is bad things so when they talked to me about it, they told me they were a bit afraid of going there without really knowing where they were going. I told them they would be surprised at how clean and how wonderful parts of the city were, and how beautiful the convention center is. When they returned to school that afternoon they were in amazement of the arena they had just played hockey in and the city around it, stating that it was like nothing they had pictured. They, like other people often do, perceived the city by what they heard about it. Mostly, rather than finding out about people or places, our society fears the stereotype.

America Online & Time Warner

My favorite medium is the Internet. I chose to investigate Time Warner, the result of the merger between America Online (the original Internet Service Provider) and Time Warner (the magazine/movie/cable giant of the 1980s). Hanson wrote about the synergy of these two companies on pages 42 – 46 of his book, Mass Communications: Living in a Media World.

The idea of synergy, as Hansen writes, is for the different components of the combined company to promote the company itself and the other mediums it provides. Time Warner spans over a number of different mediums today; books, magazines, recording labels, cable networks, cable television operations, broadcast television networks, and movie studios. With the number of various mediums the audience has to choose from it is obvious why Time Warner, as of 2005, is the largest corporation in control of media and why the combining of AOL and Time Warner was so successful for the merged company. Hanson writes “the combination of AOL and Time Warner gave the new company a huge pool of material to offer customers and multiple methods of delivering it – from printed magazines to television networks to online services.”

The idea is -- past vs. future.

I found this in a 7th grade history textbook during my Field Experience for Child Development Psychology over winter break. I believe it was in the section about JFK, however, I am not sure about that or who wrote it.

I feel that it is very true and that it relates to what we have been talking about in class. While our past is a part of our history and a part of our culture, it does not bind us to those ways. We have the ability to mold our world and our future.


"Only to a limited extent are we prisoners of the past -- the future sets us free."

A lesson well learned

(If you click on the picture it will come up in a different window much larger so you can read what it says)



My mom sent me this image in an email today and I feel that it in a way relates to what we have been talking about in class. This is what it read...

It is now more than 60 years after the Second World War in Europe ended.
This e-mail is being sent as a memorial, in memory of the six million Jews, 20 million Russians, 10 million Christians and 1,900 Catholic priests who were murdered, massacred, raped, burned, starved and humiliated with the German and Russia peoples looking the other way!

The pictures in my head...

1. How does your media usage function with the pictures in your head?

The people (gatekeepers) that govern what we, the public (society) see provide us with a contaminated view of the truth. What they want us to know and hear is what is provided to us. The pictures I have in my head and what my media usage conveys to me coincide with each other, although only to a certain extent; I find myself angry at the media when all that is presented are the negatives when there are so many positives in our society.

2. How is your reality limited?

I believe that the media dictates to us how we are supposed to live and gives us a certain though corrupted view of things that we have not yet experienced or that happen in a culture other than our own. Our reality is limited because the things that are unfamiliar to us we do not research or attempt to find more information on before making judgments and all we know is what we see or hear through the mass.

3. What happens if you engage more media?

I believe that engaging in more media is like a liberal arts education; you can receive a full spectrum of ideas about a subject (while learning a little something along the way) and perhaps grasp a little bit more of a the “big picture.”

4. What happens if you analyze message, the medium, and gatekeepers critically?

By analyzing messages, the medium, and gatekeepers critically, a person will encounter sources that do not agree with his/her views. Our society constantly searches for information that will confirm ones thoughts/biases. One can get more facts and receive a better understanding before making judgments by analyzing these three things.

5. What are the stereotypes in your head that help you navigate media and the world?

I was a bit stumped by this question and really had to do some thinking about what stereotypes I have in my head. I finally came to the realization that there are some things that I care to hear and talk about and there are some things that I could really care less about. The pictures in my head dictate that to me and also dictate what sources of media I use. Since I don’t care much about hearing the death toll of the War in Iraq, I choose not to watch the news because I believe the media is a big reason why there are such a large number of war protests. On the other hand, when a subject interests me, I will use various mediums to know more about it (i.e. medicine and Discovery Health/Internet).HoHo

What would I do without my favorite media source?

My favorite media source is the Internet. I don't use it to get the latest gossip, but I do enjoy receiving emails, having Facebook and Myspace, and being able to look up picture or information with the click of a button. If the Internet were taken away from me, I would more than likely get school work done in a timely fashion, and I would probably watch more TV. I don't let the Internet take me away from personal interaction with people, I enjoy being in the presence of my friends rather than talking to them through a computer and I don't spend hours upon hours doing nothing online. I do, however, use the computer very often for research, for pictures I need to complete presentations, and to keep in touch with friends and family across the U.S. and in Iraq. Although I would enjoy not having the urge to check my email every 30 seconds, if this luxury were taken away from me, I would not know what to do.

Media Checklist

1. I only use the telephone when I am at home but I tend to use my cell phone a lot. More than likely the person that I call the most is my boyfriend Garrett Horvath, however, I do call my parents and brother quite a bit as well.

2. The last public speaking event that I attended was in early December; Christmas Vespers is always one of my favorite holiday events.

3. I'm not in my room a lot so therefore I don't IM a lot. When I get on the computer to check my email I only usually IM people when I have a question or if my friends IM me. I most often chat with Bridget or my aunt on IM.

4. I use my email quite a bit. I find that it is an easy and quick way to communicate with others and to receive information that I may need to know.

5. I bought a CD this past summer and also went to a concert in Pittsburgh.

6. The most recent thing I watched on TV was the news yesterday. I only occasionally turn on the TV when I am in my room, I like to listen to music more. When I do turn it on, I don't always pay attention to it, so whatever is on, is on.

7. During fall semester, I had to miss an episode of Grey's Anatomy and my friend recorded it for me.

8. Today my sorority got together to watch the DVD "Step Up" in Mueller Theater.

9. Last night while my sisters and I were driving to Sheetz, we listened to 103.9 (Rock 104) because one of our favorite songs was playing.

10. I am in the midst of reading the original story of Peter Pan and Wendy by J.M. Barrie. My parents bought it for me for Christmas because the 100th Anniversary edition was just put out on the shelves and I love the movies Peter Pan and Hook.

11. I read the NCAA newspaper on Thursday morning. I was wasting time waiting to get into the weight room and I like to talk with the trainers, while they were busy with someone else I took a look at the paper to see what new and interesting things were going on in college sports, particularly my sport -- soccer.

12. The most recent magazine that I read was Fitness magazine. I was walking through the grocery store and caught a glimpse of it. Since I love to workout I thought it would be a good read.

13. I had to write a letter for my Educational Psychology class fall semester, I believe it was in the beginning of October that I sent it.

14. I have both Facebook and Myspace bookmarked on my computer. I don't spend a lot of time on them, but I do check them everyday just to see if someone posted something or sent me a message.

15. I do not have a Facebook or Myspace blog. I really am not too big of a fan of blogs because I like to keep information personal, however, this class will give me the opportunity to explore the blogging world.