Which Role Will I Take On?

After taking this course there are several things that I have definately become more aware of in my everyday life. The role that I choose to take on is one of change. There's a quote that I once read that said: be the change you want to see in the world. I feel as though that this quote says alot to someone. After taking this cluster, I have realized that in our daily lives we can do something different, make some sort of change that is going to have an overall impact on the way our society works. Everyone knows that our society can be a cruel cruel place but by making these changes, even if they are small, things can slowly begin to change for the better. There is so much more that I need to learn myself about the world. But I realize now that you need to be more tolerant of people and their differences. Everyone has an opinion. Everyone has a voice and people should be able to use that voice for the better. I never really thought much into the "pictures in our heads" before this class. Now I feel strongly and I am definately more aware of those "pictures" that I have in my head. I realize now that I am in both the dominant and subordinate groups of society. I feel as though now that I havent taken this class I will start to stand up for some of those issues that have been discussed in class. I will now be able to give my opinion with confidence behind it. So like I said earlier, you are the change that needs to happen in your life. If you're not willing to change then how is anyone else supposed to.

In Public Opinion, Walter Lippmann proposes that we need to have professionals (a “specialized class”) that would collect and analyze data and present the conclusions to the decision makers. The decision makers would then take decisions and use the “art of persuasion” to inform the public about the decisions and circumstances surrounding them. Lippmann feels that the control of public opinion is a means to controlling public behavior. He also has very dark views that do not offer much hope for the future on democracy.
The strong views of Lippmann suggest that he would be a very strong supporter of the agenda setting theory. This theory states that the mass-news media have a large influence on audiences by their choice of what stories to consider newsworthy and how much prominence and space to give them. Lippmann feels as though that the media or a higher power similar to the media decides what we think. He feels as though they are the ones that develop the pictures in our heads.
On the other hand, John Dewy is more positive about democracy and public participation. He does not see the media as the higher power that influences what we think. His focus is on communication. Dewey believes that we should all participate in the discussion of these decisions that are being made for us. Lippmann feels as though we should let a “specialized class” make these decisions while we just sit back and wait for the result. Dewey seems to be more of a believer in the gratification theory. This theory is concerned with how people use media to satisfy their needs. People tend to see out the media that satisfies their need, they choose what they want to see or read.
For me personally, I am more of a believer of Dewey and the gratification theory. I feel as though people do seek out what is going to satisfy them. Although the media does have a lot of control over things we read or watch, we are still the ones who are in power of what specifically we want to read or watch. The media competes for our attention but is ourselves that are able to give them that attention. I do feel that it is important to study Walter Lippmann’s views because they are valuable and he does make some very important points. Lippmann has helped me to form an opinion on this subject.

Documentary Time...

Come see "Believing Without Seeing" produced by LEJJ.
When: Thursday, May 3rd
Where: McKelvey Campus Center (Mueller Theater)
Time: 12:45 to 2:00 p.m.
Witness the inspirational and uplifting story of a fellow Westminster student:)

(this event is free and open to the public)

What is TV really exposing us to?

For this assignment I watched a night of primetime television and learned quickly that the reality that TV is exposing us to is one that is not realistic at all. The first show I watched was Dancing with the Stars. Now I personally feel as though that this show is an attempt to sort of be like American Idol but on a different level. The stars that they find for this show are usually no longer popular anymore in the mainstream media. The second show I watched was an episode of the new Bachelor. For some reason I find this show so addicting although in the back of my mind I am saying that this show is not realistic at all. I mean, come on, can you really find the one you’re going to marry in a reality show. These women are put in this “fantasy” that when they come back to reality, is it really going to work out? Both of these shows combined took up the time slot of 8-11 p.m.
By taking a night to watch primetime television, it was easy to see that our world is controlled a lot by reality television. Reality TV has taken over much of regular television both in the daytime and at night also. Whenever you turn a TV on you can most likely be able to find some sort of reality TV program that is playing. Look at what MTV has become now. They used to be a station that only played music videos and things connected to music. Now the station is predominately reality TV shows and rarely ever any music.
The reality that we are exposed to on television is not an accurate depiction of the actual reality that we face in our lives. I mean, how many people do you know that are dancing with a star or finding the one that they want to marry on a television show? Our society has become fixated on the “reality” that is presented to us on these programs. So many people these days base their lives on the things that they see on TV, such as hairstyles and clothes. When most of the time these realities are not an accurate representation of our reality but rather ones of fantasy. For example, the Bachelor shows these girls going on lavish and fantasy like dates when in real life we all know that is not how it usually is on a date with a guy.
Baudrillard’s theory states that “the line between what is real and what the media dictates to us breaks down creating a hyper real world where it becomes difficult to distinguish between real and unreal”. Essentially, illusion has become reality. In watching a night of primetime television, it is clear to me that the situations or experiences in these TV programs are that of a hyper reality that our society believes is real. Society needs to realize that we cannot keep using the “realities” that we see on TV programs to base our lives off of.

Grey's Anatomy!!

My favorite t.v. show right now and has been for a while is Grey's Anatomy. I think alot of other people, girls in particular, would agree that this is a good show. The show originally was on on Sunday nights right after Desperate Housewives. This season the show moved to the Thursday night line-up at 9 pm. Since the move, the show has not suffered at all in ratings since the move. This goes to show that Grey's Anatomy has a group of loyal fans that will watch the show no matter what day and time it is on. Grey's is now up against CSI which airs on CBS during the 9 o'clock time slot also. It seems as though thus far that Grey's Anatomy is not having trouble competing agains CSI. The Nielsen Media Research website shows that for the week of March 19th, Grey's Anatomy was in third place behind the two nights of American Idol that is aired on FOX on Tuesday and Wednesday. Grey's has a 14.4 rating for this week. This means a household rating is the estimate of the size of a tv audience relative to that total universe, expressed as a percentage. As of September 26, 2005, there are an estimated 110.2 million television households in the U.S. A single national household ratings point represents 1% or 1,102,000 households. Grey's 14.4 rating is not too far behind American Idol's two ratings of 17.4 and 16.1. Grey's showed that it had 22.304 viewers for the week of March 19th. The viewers are measured in millions and includes all persons over the age of two. American Idol had viewers of 29.961 and 27.081. This means that Grey's Anatomy had roughly 22,304,000 viewers on Thursday night. The Zap2It website shows that ABC has been able to win the ratings war on Thursdays for the most part. Grey's Anatomy has been ruling the 9 o'clock spot pretty convincingly. So I guess it's safe to say that Grey's Anatomy has the ability to do well whether its on a Sunday night or a Thursday night. This show has loyal enough viewers that have given it the ability to stay atop of the ratings. For more information on Grey's Anatomy...go to ABC's website.

North Country

North Country is the name of Academy Award-nominated film directed by Niki Caro and released in 2005. This film is a dramatic story starring Charlize Theron, Josey Aimes, as a female worker at a mining company. The film is based on the case Jenson v. Eveleth Taconite Co. brought by Lois Jenson, although Theron’s name in the movie is Josey Aimes. Many of the other characters in the movie are consolidations of several real-life characters
What Josey Aimes wants is a decent job so she can put food on the table and take care of her kids after she leaves her abusive husband. Instead she gets threatened, insulted, belittled, attacked and called dirty names. Ultimately, Josey ends up getting sexually harassed. Josey’s boss tells her to “take it like a man” but instead she takes it like a human being. In the end this all leads to a class-action lawsuit against her employer for failing to protect her and other female employees. North Country is a story of a woman who broke the gender barrier laboring in hazardous Minnesota iron mines. She also breaks legal ground with the nation’s first class-action sexual harassment lawsuit.
This film is an emotionally charged look into the life of a woman who is just trying to provide the best life she can for her children but in turn receives harsh treatment. North Country leaves the viewer continually wanting to see more into Josey Aimes’ life. Caro does an excellent job of telling the real-life story of Lois Jenson. North Country tells an emotionally potent story told with great dignity. This film gets an A+ rating for its ability to tell such a gripping story while keeping the audience’s attention.

Crash

The film, Crash, is an Academy Award-winning drama directed by Paul Haggis and stars several well-known actors. The film attempts to explore racism and social tensions in Los Angeles. The film depicts several characters living in Los Angeles during a 36-hour period. Each of the characters lives are intertwined through events such as car accidents, shootings and carjacking. Most of the characters in the film are racially prejudiced in some way and are forced to examine their own prejudices through conflicts they encounter. It is a dramatic story of a DA and his wife, an African American film director and his wife, a Persian Storeowner, an African American detective, a Mexican locksmith, two African American carjackers, and a Korean couple. The film shows how each of their experiences impacts one another.
The movie begins with the scene of a car crash and flashes back to the characters’ lives on the previous day. Throughout the movie, the characters crash into each other through different situations. Many of the characters are misjudged because of their racial or ethnic background. Because of this, the characters are forced to examine the prejudices they face in everyday life.
One example in the movie of prejudice is when the Persian storeowner, Farhad, is robbed and vandalized because people assume that he is Arab. Earlier it is shown that Farhad purchases a gun to protect his store-the only thing his family has. The storeowner not only receives prejudice but also gives off prejudices to the Mexican locksmith. This is just one example of the several incidences that occurs in the film.
The main theme of this movie is clearly racism. The movie demonstrates that each of us are influenced by the stereotypes we hold. Haggis does an excellent job of creating many twists throughout the movie that keeps the viewer wanting more while maintaining a realistic feel to the film. Crash keeps the viewer’s attention. The viewer gets consumed with the heart-wrenching tales of the characters. Crash is very deserving of its three Academy Awards for Best Picture, Best Original Screenplay and Best Editing of 2005. This film is worthy of an A+ rating for it’s easy to follow yet complex story line of interesting characters that make you want to keep watching.

"Big Dreams-Small Screen"

The documentary “Big Dreams-Small Screen” is an educational look into the history of television. Most people are not aware of who actually invented the television. Philo T. Farnsworth was the man noted for the invention of the television, although most people did not give him credit for this. This documentary explores the life and the struggles Philo T. Farnsworth went through in his effort to create the first television. The documentary goes into how the invention of the television was stolen from Farnsworth from a big name corporation, RCA. RCA, at the time, was a huge corporation that was not willing to accept that a small town nobody had invented the television. RCA was willing to beg, borrow or steal (as the documentary explained) in order to assure their claim to notoriety, which was the invention of the television. In order to make this happen, RCA needed to build a television before Farnsworth did. An RCA official, David Sarnoff and Russian scientist, Vladimir Zworykin raced against time and Farnsworth to build a television. The battle between Farnsworth and RCA would go on for years. Throughout this time, the documentary takes a look into Farnsworth’s personal life with his wife. They go on to interview several people who were closely related to Farnsworth. Eventually, Farnsworth finished and debuted to viewers his creation. Farnsworth didn’t get the recognition and RCA wouldn’t stop in its efforts because they wanted to be acknowledged for producing the television.
Throughout the years and countless long court battles, Farnsworth finally won the rights to the television. During this time, his health had declined over the years. He became involved in alcoholism as an escape from his struggles. RCA never stopped fighting for the power. Farnsworth became the little man endlessly fighting against the big man, RCA. Farnsworth’s victory would be short lived due to a ban that was put on commercial television by the government. His patent would run out and the rights for television production would become public.
This documentary is a good look into a small town nobody who had a vision that could change the world but he was only fourteen years old. Philo T. Farnsworth is a forgotten piece of a history that most people are unaware of. “Big Dreams-Small Screen” is an exceptional look into this piece of history. Throughout the documentary, several people are interviewed and quoted on Farnsworth’s misfortune. Philo T. Farnsworth was robbed of his vision that he had that could change the world. He never was able to reap the benefits of his intelligence. The documentary does a good job in thoroughly explaining the details of the story of little man verse big man. “Big Dreams-Small Screen” opens up your eyes to the same little man verse big man situations that still occur even in today’s society. This documentary was able to give me an insight into a piece of history that I had never been conscious of. Currently, there is a memorial for Farnsworth in his home state of Utah.

The Bluest Eye

The Bluest Eye is written by Toni Morrison, the first African American woman to receive the Nobel Prize in Literature. Morrison presents this novel in a very authentic and compelling way to her audience. This book was selected for Oprah’s Book Club and has a powerful lesson that is taught to the reader. Issues of white supremacy and race are the most prevalent throughout the story. The Bluest Eye is set in Lorain, Ohio in 1941 where the main character is that of an 11 year-old black girl named Pecola Breedlove. The Breedlove family is portrayed as ugly and Pecola receives the most disgust because of her ugliness.
Pecola is a young girl who fantasizes of having blue eyes because to her they are symbolic of American white beauty. She is captivated by the child star, Shirley Temple whom is the definition of this American beauty that is talked about throughout the book. Pecola is convinced that if she were to have these blue eyes that people would ultimately love her and not consider her to be “ugly”.
Claudia, Pecola’s best friend, is the opposite to that of Pecola’s beliefs. She despises the idea of this American white beauty. Claudia cannot seem to understand why Pecola longs to have these blue eyes. Everyone tells Claudia of this beauty, but she can’t find or understand this novelty of beauty. Throughout the book Claudia searches for these answers.
Pecola throughout the book is shown as yearning to be the opposite of what she is. This is only because she is continually spat upon, ridiculed, and ultimately raped and impregnated by her own father. Pecola is subjected to several aspects of ugliness and in the end becomes the scapegoat of not only her family but also the community, in order to make them feel beautiful.
The entire book is a real tragedy that was very difficult to read at times. Morrison writes this book in a captivating way that it was also hard to put down. The point of view all throughout the story is passed along from character to character with Morrison being the unifying voice throughout. Morrison ends the book not like most traditional stories are concluded. It was refreshing to read something that seemed to be very close to Morrison and left me, the reader, thinking about the several issues that are presented in the book.

What is a documentary??

In my opinion, I feel as though a documentary can be a very complex thing. In my own words I think the definition of a documentary is a story of someone or something where their goal is to try to expose reality in some sort of way. The primary goal of a documentary is to “document” reality through the use of film, media, or another type of media. I can recall only watching a couple of documentaries before. Some I have watched on TV. while others at the movies. I have watched such documentaries as Super Size Me, the Blair Witch Project, Bowling for Columbine, and Fahrenheit 9/11. These examples are each very good and popular examples of a documentary. So what is it that defines a documentary? As I previously stated, a documentary exposes reality through telling a story. Our definition of a documentary is limited by the scopes of our reality. The pictures in our head help to develop more complexly what a documentary is. If a person were to watch documentaries made by one person, their view or definition of a documentary would be different than from someone who has watched a variety of ones. These people would probably assume that a documentary is a movie that tries to shed light on controversial or political issues. On the other hand, others whom have only seen documentaries such as Super Size Me might consider documentaries to be a film about someone doing something completely outrageous and un-necessary.

When talking about reality shows on television, I think that most of us have all seen or have our favorite reality shows that you watch. I know for me and especially my roommate, we love the reality shows that are on networks such as MTV. Most of us have seen shows like Survivor, The Real World, Laguna Beach, and The Amazing Race. Now could reality shows be considered a documentary? In my opinion, if the show is unscripted then it can fit into my definition of documentary. But all of us know that most of the reality shows on t.v. can be staged and definitely scripted. For the reality shows that I watch, which are mostly on MTV, those are definitely not considered documentaries. I personally am a big fan of reality shows but they are definitely not considered documentaries. I think that reality TV. is in its own category of entertainment.

For this course, a documentary should be defined as a part of reality in someone or something’s world that is exposed to an audience. Documentaries usually focus on telling a person’s story that will have an impact or lesson to the viewers. For a documentary to be credible, it should include people, facts, and evidence to support the views they are exposing. The evidence of the story that is being told should be presented in a clear and thoughtful way. Any facts or evidence presented in a documentary should be credible and apply to the story being told. Most documentaries apply to minority/majority relations. Documentaries usually also have a narrator that helps the audience to focus on the direction of the story. There are all documentaries which we watched in class that also fit my definition of a documentary (A Class Divided).
While doing research on documentaries I found several opinions on documentaries. The opinion that I found to be the best definition of what a documentary is was from Michael Moore. This was in an interview where a reporter was asking him if Fahrenheit 9/11 was a documentary and here was his response:

"Of course it's a documentary, it's a non-fiction film, it's a documentary," emphasized Michael Moore, during a conference call with a group of journalists earlier this week. "Documentaries by their very nature are supposed to have a point of view. The word has also been used over the years -- from 'NBC White Paper' to any of a number of forms of documentary. My form of doc is an op-ed piece. It presents my opinion that's based on fact. I am trying to present a view of the last three-and-a-half years that I don't feel has been presented to the American public."

All in all I think that several people have their own definitions of a documentary and what exactly it can be. My hope is that this semester when we are asked to co-produce a documentary that we are able to convey and apply our definitions a documentary through the story we tell.

My Definition of Stereotype...

The quote from Lippman’s book that I think best describes the definition of a stereotype is on page 57 of the book Public Opinion. “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.” I think that this means that stereotypes are the result of our need to selectively perceive our environment. They help us to understand and structure the complex world around us. To me it seems as though stereotypes are also dictated by the things that we are seen, told, or experience in our daily lives. Most of us look at a certain type of person and because of the way we were brought up by our parents or by other things that have been told about that certain type of person, we automatically look at that person and a stereotype comes to mind. Stereotypes, I feel can be either a negative or positive, because they are generalized views of a person or thing. For example, most people have stereotypical views of athletes. While some people may think that athletes are really strong leaders and probably dedicated people because of their sport, others may think negatively of an athlete such as a meathead or being too ‘manly’. People's views about people and things can differ drastically depending on what it is that they see as a stereotype.

The Story Behind Time Warner...

The media that I previously picked as my favorite is the internet. Since the internet can be pretty broad I narrowed it down to AOL instant messenger since I am frequently on that part of the internet. AOL instant messenger is a part of the Time Warner internet department. As we read in Chapter 2 of the Hanson text, America Online (AOL) merged with Time Warner in 2000. Many were concerned about the market power that this merger could bring to the table but the U.S. Federal Trade Commission approved the merger. The merger made Time Warner the largest media company in the United States. In 2003, the corporation changed its name from AOL Time Warner back to Time Warner. This merger with Time Warner doesn’t specifically influence me in that I usually ignore any of the pop up ads that come up on the computer. Even when I am searching on the internet I tend to ignore any of the pop up ads or the ads that are running along the top or sides of the page. The merger with Time Warner could be influential in that Time Warner would then be able to have its ads pop up on any of the America Online web pages.

This idea is an example of synergy. The text defines synergy as the combined strength of two items is greater than the sum of their individual strengths. In the media business, synergy means that a combined company can offer more value, cost savings, or strength than the two companies would separately. Time Warner definitely fits this definition in that their merger with AOL allowed them to become the largest media company. The combined efforts of both of these companies have offered more power for this company as a whole.

The Pictures in Our Head...

I think that everyone has a limited reality to start off with. The media that we engage in definately alters the pictures our head that we have. Most of us for the most part engage in a certain type of media more than others. This as a result limits the reality that we live in. By only using a certain media more than others we are limiting ourselves to the possibilities of different pictures being produced in our minds. A lot of us do not engage in a media that shows us the happenings of around the world. Maybe the usage of more media such as newspapers, the news, or even books could aid us in broadening our reality. I think that if I, myself, engaged in using these types of media more then I could be more aware of things that are happening around me that I don’t realize are going on. Sometimes i feel like Westminster can be a bubble. That most of us get caught up in this little bubble we have here and we don’t seem to realize what is really going on around us outside of this bubble.

It is also importatn to look at the messages that are being sent to us by the media. The gatekeepers of these messages have the power to influence you. These gatekeepers can determine the bias or influence that a message can have that you are recieving. It is important to try to not let these gatekeepers alter the true meaning of the message that is being sent to you.

I think that most people easily believe what they are told by gatekeepers in the media. It is important for people to not give into what is told to them because most of the time there is more to the story than what is being told. The stereotypes in our heads and past experiences allow us to navigate the media and the world. It is up to us to determine what we choose to believe or not believe.

My Favorite Media

I’d have to say that my favorite media for me would be the internet. I say this because on the internet you are able to do a million and one things all together at once. You can talk to your friends or family on AIM while checking your email and looking at your favorite websites. I feel that the internet is a great source of information. While the internet doesnt always provide the most accurate information it also has some very legitimate ones too. I usually don’t have alot of time to watch t.v. or the news so I use the internet to keep up with what is going on in the world.

If the internet was taken away from me I probably wouldn’t be very happy at first but I’m sure that I would adjust to it by finding another source to get information. At one point in my life I was able to survive without the internet so I’m sure that I could adjust back to that but it would definately be more difficult. I would most miss how easy it is for me to access what it is that I want to see. For now I’m glad that internet is available for me to use as a type of communication.

Media Checklist

1. I use the phone off and on all day. I would say that I call my mom the most frequently.
2. Last year I went to speaker that came to talk about spinal injuries and being an athlete.
3. I use IM daily throughout the day. I talk to my sister and my friend shaun probably the most often
4. I use email a couple times a week. I mainly use email for anything that deals with the college, for example emailing a professor or my coach.
5. The last time I paid to listen to music was this past summer when I went to the Dave Matthews Concert in Pittsburgh.
6. The most recent thing I have watched on t.v. was a football game. I watched it because I enjoy it.
7. The last time I recorded a movie ortelevision program was a couple of weeks ago. I taped Grey's Anatomy because at the time I had swim practice and was going to miss it.
8. The most recent movie that I watched for fun was Little Miss Sunshine on DVD. I didnt really like it as much as I thought I was going to.
9. The type of radio station I last listened to was Titan Radio, it was on in the bathroom.
10. The most recent book I have read for me was called The Tenth Circle. I read it on the way to and from California over Christmas break.
11. The last time I read a newspaper was last week in the morning. I usually ready the USA Today every morning at breakfast before going to class. I like to read it to keep up on the recent events in the news.
12. The last magazine I read was Cosmopolitan. I read it when I was in California on the plane.
13. I honestly cannot recall the last time I wrote a letter and sent it.
14. The college's homepage is a web site that I visit frequently. I tend to check my email a couple times a day because it seems as though I constantly get emails. This college likes to senda anything important through emails.
15. I do have a facebook account and now most recently a blog account for this class. I have the facebook account cause I think it's a good way of networking your friends.

Media Checklist

1. I use the phone off and on all day. I would say that I call my mom the most frequently.
2. Last year I went to speaker that came to talk about spinal injuries and being an athlete.
3. I use IM daily throughout the day. I talk to my sister and my friend shaun probably the most often
4. I use email a couple times a week. I mainly use email for anything that deals with the college, for example emailing a professor or my coach.
5. The last time I paid to listen to music was this past summer when I went to the Dave Matthews Concert in Pittsburgh.
6. The most recent thing I have watched on t.v. was a football game. I watched it because I enjoy it.
7. The last time I recorded a movie ortelevision program was a couple of weeks ago. I taped Grey's Anatomy because at the time I had swim practice and was going to miss it.
8. The most recent movie that I watched for fun was Little Miss Sunshine on DVD. I didnt really like it as much as I thought I was going to.
9. The type of radio station I last listened to was Titan Radio, it was on in the bathroom.
10. The most recent book I have read for me was called The Tenth Circle. I read it on the way to and from California over Christmas break.
11. The last time I read a newspaper was last week in the morning. I usually ready the USA Today every morning at breakfast before going to class. I like to read it to keep up on the recent events in the news.
12. The last magazine I read was Cosmopolitan. I read it when I was in California on the plane.
13. I honestly cannot recall the last time I wrote a letter and sent it.
14. The college's homepage is a web site that I visit frequently. I tend to check my email a couple times a day because it seems as though I constantly get emails. This college likes to senda anything important through emails.
15. I do have a facebook account and now most recently a blog account for this class. I have the facebook account cause I think it's a good way of networking your friends.