Women

It appears that no matter what we study, women get the shaft. In advertising, women are more often portrayed in an unflattering light than their male counterparts. In music videos, even when the primary artist is female, the women are forced into subordinate and degrading roles. In film and television, the same often occurs. Darn that Eve.

Ad Biz in General

Advertising has become the source of a lot of disappointment to me lately. For instance, I thought I wanted to be a copywriter for a living. Last semester, after several classes gave me a more realistic and sour taste in my mouth, I decided that I no longer wanted to go into this field. Then, this semester, I have struggled to maintain interest in my ad assignments, as advertising, to me has become nothing more than peddling things to people that either don't have the money or the use for whatever is being advertised. This class has left me perhaps less disillusioned and more aware.

Gay Vague Advertising

Gay vague advertising was one of the most interesting subjects we discussed. It amazed me the amount of things that could be interpreted as gay vague upon closer inspection. Images that I certainly would not have looked twice at, took on more meaning, and it got me thinking. What else is put out there for consumption that goes mostly undetected. If this isn't on my radar, what else am I taking in but not understanding?

First day of class.

I remember the first day of class when someone said that they thought it was idealistic to accept everyone, or at least try to. We were talking about acceptance and tolerance, and part of me agreed with that statement. However, upon closer thought, I don't think it is all that idealistic. As is the case with many things, the only person you can control is yourself. If enough of us made an effort, things just might start to look different.

Bamboozled

I keep thinking about that movie. I have always heard the title, but I had never seen it, or known what it was about. I think the most interesting, and perhaps most ironic thing about the movie, is that a person from the discriminated against race was the one who created the show. However intentional, it was moving. The most moving scene to me was when one of the performers began to have second thoughts as he put on the burned cork makeup. That will stick with me.

Coding

It was interesting to read Fisk's take on coding in media.  Interestingly, these observations did not come as a surprise to me.  I, like many, have always noticed that the villain is less physically attractive than the hero, and the music always goes from a major chord to a minor chord when the villain makes himself known.  One of the observations I found most interesting was the observation that many journalists use a harsh close-up shot when they are waiting for the answer to a tough question.  Funny enough, he and many journalists frown upon this practice, though Barbara Walters does this in interviews more than almost anyone I've watched on TV.

Music Videos

Last class period's videos were very interesting. I think that as a culture, we examine these images one at a time.  Their effect, when put together is very different, however.  When you see all the images of the scantily clad women degrading themselves all in one place, it starts to look more alarming than it does when you see the videos one at a time, as part of your day.

Stereotypes in Video Games

It seems that no matter where you go, stereotypes exist.  In video games, men are portrayed as the macho hero.  They are the ones to save the day, to right the wrong.  The women, meanwhile, run around with large breasts and tiny waistlines.  They are rarely the hero, and they are usually just eye candy.  Stereotypes are very prevalent in video games.

Advertising

I am looking foward to the coming weeks, as the class moves toward discussion of sex in advertising. Sex in advertising is an interesting occurrence. Sex is in advertising in order to attract attention. However, with so much sex in advertising, I wonder if any attention is paid at all anymore.

Vocabulary Test Readings

I just finished reading the text for the vocabulary test. Some of the examples of pornographic advertising were a shock to me. I found the Gucci ad, which I won't describe in detail, particularly shocking. Reading this book reawakened me to the images I see and dismiss on a daily basis. It's amazing the things advertisers get away with, rather, that we let them get away with. We look at the ads, judge them, and then go buy what the ads were there to sell. We should vote with our pocket books, and not buy the goods whose ads objectify and degrade women. This is the only way anything will be done to change these images.

Disabilities

Disability stereotypes are everywhere. Many times, people with physical disabilities are assumed to have mental disabilities as well. Additionally, I feel that the news media, particularly locally, have a horrible tendancy to turn every disabled person into a pity figure. They are people, not just patients. You never hear about disabled people who successfully run their own business or take their kids to school every day. You only hear about the downtrodden, lowly disabled person, whose life is reduced to a wheelchair and their disease. Local news media are the main culprits in perpetuating these stereotypes.

Jena, LA

The news coverage of Jena, LA is interesting to me. There are two such different sides of the story, and it seems that with each passing day, something new is learned regarding the events leading up to and following the beating, arrests, and protests. I feel that in some cases, the media coverage is far too lenient on the six young men. It seems to me that if you engage in a group beating, you should be prosecuted, even if the student that was beaten was able to go to an event following the beating. Rather than use the victim's actions as a defense, why not just celebrate the fact that the six young men did not succeed in killing him. Prosecuting violent criminals should not be made into a race issue in order to lessen or eliminate their punishment.

First Week Entry

I get my news from news websites on a pretty unpredictable basis. If I hear something of interest, I'll go to CNN or WFAA for more information. I usually just read the front page of the WFAA website, and I never read the paper version of the newspaper. I intentionally seek out news coverage less than an hour each week. I think that the media handles race issues in an acceptable manner. I feel that the media almost tries too hard, though, to be politically correct and not shed too harsh a light on any one race to the point that the news is skewed. As for disabilities, I feel that the same is done. It's patronizing, some of the news stories local media covers regarding the disabled. Issues of sexuality are very taboo in much of today's media.