Chicks and Cliques December 8, 2008

As the last blog assignment to my Journalism 201 class, we have been instructed to analyze how a certain person or group of people is portrayed within the media. I chose to analyze a movie entitled “Mean Girls.” To qualify my analysis, I will be writing in the way that Bonnie Dow (1996) qualified her argument in the book “Prime-Time Feminism: Television, Media Culture, and the Women’s Movement Since 1970.” While you read this argument, I must inform you that I am neither declaring that my view is the only nor the best way to interpret this text. Also, I am not making a claim about how you will interpret the text, but rather that I invite you to reconsider your own evaluations of the text in light of my argument about it.

I firmly believe that “Mean Girls” incorrectly depicts the social dynamics of American public high schools. The comedic movie does this by portraying stereotypical characters and segregating them into cliques.

From the nerds to the popular crowd, this movie shows high school as a place of manipulation, judgment, and cruel harassment. The movie magnifies these ideals that exist in American public high schools in an entertaining way. In the movie, all students segregate themselves into cliques. One of the clearest examples of this is a scene in the movie about where to sit at lunch. Where one sits at lunch is crucial to the social status of that student and determines what kind of person that student is.

I think that this segregation is alright as long as viewers know that not all public high schools are this black and white, and as long as they know knowing that this movie should just be intended for a laugh. Segregation among certain groups does in fact happen in high school but not to this degree in my experience. Sociologically, people are more prone to categorize themselves with what they are familiar with, but I do not believe they do it to the degree the movie illustrates.

Some viewers may say that this type of segregation does exist to this degree and brings the result of many terrible incidents such as the Columbine shooting. In response to that, I would have to disagree. I think that the segregation of cliques, although it may exist, is not the reason for such terrible instances. I believe that the cruel harassment that goes on within public high schools is the reason. When a student feels bullied, that is when things get out of hand. And in the movie, this is clearly demonstrated; however, my argument resides in the segregation of cliques exclusively.

All in all, I conclude that “Mean Girls” is not a good model to portray what a typical American public high school is. It is an extreme exaggeration that magnifies the social dynamics within the walls of education.

 

 

References

Dow, B. (1996). Prime-time feminism: television, media culture, and the women’s movements since 1970. Philadelphia: University Press.

 

Michaels, L., & Waters, M. (2001). Mean Girls [Motion picture]. United States: Paramount Pictures.

Censoring the Sorcerer November 18, 2008

     The Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling has been the one of most censored book series of the 1990’s and continues to be a highly debated issue today. Since its release in 1997, the Harry Potter series has become a worldwide epidemic for children of all ages. Unfortunately, some of the parents of these children have attempted or succeeded in banning these fictional books from the library shelves. 

The American Library Association, or ALA, defines the attempted censorship of book like the Harry Potter series as any attempt to “remove or restrict materials, based upon the objections of a person or group.” Overwhelming, the Harry Potter series fits into such a category. J.K. Rowling’s books have been chart toppers for four years in a row: 1999, 2000, 2001, and 2002. And it came in second in 2003 before it finally started to drop off the list. And in addition to her books, J.K. Rowling as an author has made it to the fourth highest censored writer to date.

So why are these fictional tales under such hard scrutiny? The main reason, or particular group, is some of Christian society. Their main problem with the Harry Potter series has to do with the witchcraft and morality contained within the stories. Some say that the Harry Potter Books promote a religion called Wicca and argue that these books violate the separation of church and state.

In my opinion, I do not think that the Harry Potter books should been censored outright. Although I am not an entirely religious person, I do understand that parenting styles are different for everyone and that includes religion. Reading the Harry Potter books aloud to children should only be under permission of all parents with children in the class.

As far as the library shelves are concerned, I think that the Harry Potter series should be available to children who wish to read. The Harry Potter books were the reason why I grew to love reading so much and now I’ve grown to like other genres of literature. I think that J.K. Rowling does an excellent job of crafting a fictional world that encourages us to explore new ideas and helps escape our reality into the magic of Harry Potter. All in all, Harry Potter may be censored far and wide, but I hope that most parents and academic authorities understand the enchanting enjoyment that the Harry Potter books bring to children everywhere.

Contraceptive Commodity November 11, 2008

     In class last Thursday, we were lectured on how many mainstream reporters prefer to play the role as a “storyteller” as opposed to playing the role as “custodian of fact” on health and science coverage. For our assignment we were instructed to analyze a health or science article from an online mainstream newspaper. Our discussion is to include topics involving credibility of quotes, our satisfaction of the article, and whether the story seemed sensationalized or not.

     For my assignment, I chose an article from the New York Times that is an issue for most college students: Birth control. “Weighing the Health Benefits of Birth Control”, an article written by Leslie Berger looks at birth control from many angles. Although this article was published on the 1st of August of this year, the issues contained within the article have been talked about since the dawning of contraception in the 1960’s. The article in summary discusses what health benefits may come from using different forms of birth control, but also goes so far as to warning consumers about drawbacks about birth control.

     Although I feel that I have been taught to slightly distrust mainstream media, it is my belief that this article was not sensationalized. Even though the New York Times is a mainstream newspaper, I believe that Leslie Berger did a decent job of playing the role as “custodian of fact.” The main reason I say this is not entirely because I believe Leslie Berger to be a fair reporter. My reasoning is due more to the fact that I believe birth control is hard to sensationalize in the context that this article was to give both sides of an argument, not to sell a product.

     Consumer satisfaction is a high priority to newspapers because otherwise, who would spend money in order to buy a newspaper? Unfortunately for me, this article raised many questions that I have as a concerned consumer. Berger’s article quickly jumps between all variations of birth control without much depth. Overall, I recommend this article to someone who wants a quick overview, but not for a person who wants an in depth analysis on different brands or even methods of birth control.

     As a reporter, Berger did an adequate job. Her claim is that human behavior and economics are the primary reasons why women do not practice birth control. Her claim at first glance seems credible due to the many sources that sound professional, such as a quote from the Food and Drug Administration. Upon further investigation, I was relieved to find that her sources were, in fact, credible.

     In the end, I still have skepticism for mainstream media, but Leslie Berger’s article, “Weighing the Health Benefits of Birth Control” gets the “thumbs up” from me. Her story is not sensationalized and although I may have many questions for further research, her quotes are credible. Perhaps there is some hope for mainstream media after all.

Kooky Cookies November 4, 2008

A plateful of cookies with a tall glass of milk has always been a childhood favorite of mine, until now. Until now, warm cookies would warm up any rainy day. Unfortunately today is not yesterday. Today, advertisements wipe away that innocence. Instead advertisements mold children into consumerists. These advertisements can be found on televisions, billboards, magazines, and many other mediums. For today, I am expressing my opinion on online branded communities, especially on cookies.

As research, I zeroed in on Nabisco’s Double Stuf Oreo Cookie brand. In short description, Double Stuf Oreo’s advertisement involved a game of basketball. The basketball league is called the Double Stuf Racing League or DSRL for short. You choose one character, called a “yooble” and race to collect different icons in order to win. The icons label, T, L, or D stand for the following: Twist, Lick, or Dunk. These icons are placed in the big Double Stuf cookie. If you are the first to collect six icons of each category, your “yooble” wins!

This site was very engaging, but the game had little to almost no affect toward my want of a Nabisco cookie. In fact, it makes me not want to go out and eat Double Stuf Oreo cookies. The problem is that I consciously know that this game is just a disguise for an advertisement. To me, these games seem too expensive for what seems like the little outcome of product buyers. I have no data to back that information up other than my own predictive thoughts.  All in all, I may have enjoyed the game, but I do not feel that this game can produce a large profit.

To an uninformed child, however, this game is fun and interactive. And the makers of such a game try to entice children to buy their product. Even just getting the name out about a game increases its chance of getting the product sold. So despite my lack of enthusiasm for online branded communities, it may prove itself useful. The cost of creating such an advertisement versus the amount of money brought in from the advertisement is the ultimate decider of whether or not games, such as the Double Stuf Racing League are helpful.

In the end, these games can be entertaining, but lack any skill to consciously persuade me to buy a product. I hope the same goes for younger populations of people, but it probably does not. Perhaps we should all just grab a plate of cookies to chew it over. Or maybe not.

Project Pregnancy October 30, 2008

 As the latest assignment to my entry-level journalism class, we were required to create a blog post about a type of medium that could send undesirable messages. Growing up, the term ‘undesirable messages’ seemed to loom around every corner and was present in everything I did. Today, I still hear parents rant about what ‘messages’ are being stamped upon young adolescents. So for my argument, I plan to express my opinion on sexual drives and music videos.

Based on secondary research I conducted, I believe that music videos not only increase children’s sexual drives, but that music videos are not promoting sexually healthy behaviors. In addition, I strongly believe that this exposure to unhealthy sex practices has and will continue to increase pregnancy amongst young females. 

To base my claims, I have researched many articles that provide further proof that music videos increase children’s sexual drives. One article by Glenn Cummins (2007), established that sexual behaviors can be found in most music videos. Their observation included: “75% of music videos have sexual behaviors with an average of 4.78 sexual acts per video.” This magnitude of images of sexual acts must have some effect on its audience. A different study by Zhang, Miller, and Harrison (2008) experimented with undergraduates to determine the relationship of sexual music videos and unprotected sex. The result was clear: more students had a more permissive attitude to unsafe sex.  Participating in unprotected sex increases the risk of pregnancy, as evident in a study by Thompson and Pingree (1990). Participants of this study watched a video about pregnancy. The test-givers concluded that females reflected upon their own experiences in the duration of the movie while males were indifferent.

By conducting research, we can determine whether media really does have an impact on our society. Some people consider celebrities to be role models. The Media-Dependency Theory, by Ball-Rokeach and De Fleur in 1976 explains that dependent viewers are more likely to change values. If the media contains many sexual images, then according to this theory, the practice of unprotected sex will continue to blossom. 

One may argue that there are other factors that influence children and teens of all ages. I agree with that. Of course there are other factors, but music videos are not helping prevent pregnancy. In fact, it’s the complete opposite; they portray unprotected sex as something ‘normal’.

 

Now my little voice may not be heard by many, but this issue is still important. Teen pregnancies are a huge problem. Between all the money that comes with a baby and striving for an education, the implications of having a child are severe. On a global scale, another baby can be considered as another consumer to this modern day world.  Overpopulation and global warming are already a problem without adding to it. The influences of sexual music videos are of large proportions, and I’m not just talking about the size of the belly on a soon-to-be mother.

References:

Cummings, G. (2007) Selling Music with Sex: The Content and Effects of Sex in Music Videos on Viewer Enjoyment. Retrived from

http://0-web.ebscohost.com.janus.uoregon.edu/ehost/detail?vid=17&hid=120&sid=e554de98-a51b-4a86-8b7d-99199b2dd703%40sessionmgr102&bdata=JmxvZ2lucGFnZT1sb2dpbi5hc3Amc2l0ZT1laG9zdC1saXZlJnNjb3BlPXNpdGU%3d#db=ufh&AN=27926843

Zhang, Y, Miller, L, & Harrison, L. (2008). The Relationship Between Exposure to Sexual Music Videos and Young Adults’ Sexual Attitudes. Retrived from

http://0-web.ebscohost.com.janus.uoregon.edu/ehost/detail?vid=17&hid=120&sid=e554de98-a51b-4a86-8b7d-99199b2dd703%40sessionmgr102&bdata=JmxvZ2lucGFnZT1sb2dpbi5hc3Amc2l0ZT1laG9zdC1saXZlJnNjb3BlPXNpdGU%3d

Thompson, M & Pingree, S. (1990). Long-term Norms and Cognitive Structures as Shapers of Television Viewer Activity. Retrieved from

 http://www.eric.ed.gov/ERICWebPortal/custom/portlets/recordDetails/detailmini.jsp?_nfpb=true&_&ERICExtSearch_SearchValue_0=EJ434712&ERICExtSearch_SearchType_0=no&accno=EJ434712

 

 

 

A Mouthful of Media October 21, 2008

Going into the fourth week of my journalism class, we have learned about the differences between alternative media and mainstream news sources. For this blog, I am required to monitor one from each category and compare them. My choice was to monitor the New Internationalist and TIME magazine via online. While monitoring these sources, it was easy to connect the ideas from class to the news sources. As a lover of food, it was even easier for me to analogize the different news coverage as sandwiches.

Growing up as a fairly liberal youngster, I always enjoyed alternative choices to mainstream trends. And as such, I connect my favorite hummus bagel sandwich as the alternative news source, the New Internationalist. The New Internationalist bluntly states its mission across their web page: “The people, the ideas, the action in the fight for global justice.” Similarly, the New Internationalist is composed of issues that impact people across the globe. My favorite article that I have read thus far features the negative impacts of plastic usage. This information was given to me through simple bullet points. Most of the New Internationalist is comprised of facts that is unbiased or given opinions by a whole plethora of people with different backgrounds.  This sandwich’s first priority is not about taste, but rather nutrients to give its consumer the bulk of energy for life and knowledge.

In comparison to my hummus sandwich, the mainstream side of new sources can be represented as a simple peanut butter and jelly sandwich. I monitored the TIMES online magazine and found articles of scandals, economic disasters, and problems that only relate to upper class Americans and Europeans. Don’t get me wrong, I do love a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, but only when the sandwich is prepared correctly. The TIME magazine does throw out some good articles, but I only find them important because they pertain to my life.  TIME magazine has, of course, put a priority to speak about the election, but is it really necessary to rant on about the gossip of Sarah Palin? There is much more impactful news out there. Sometimes it is easy to revel in these scandals, but that is not true learning, just entertainment. It’s that kind of entertainment that puts cash into the pocketbooks of the journalist at TIME and puts a bad aftertaste in my mouth. The peanut butter and jelly sandwich may be the popular choice, but it’s not my preference.

All in all, they are all still just sandwiches. They may be composed of different things, have dissimilar textures, or give your body different nutrients, but they are still sandwiches. I think that everyone should have a healthy balance of both as long as they know how to decipher the moldy from the ripe. The New Internationalist is my preference because it provides universal news that impacts all human beings.  Corporate news, like TIME magazine gives news, but pushes the gossip in order to maximize profits. To me, that is distasteful.  Don’t let me be your taste buds, go on and take your own bite.

Reporting the Reporters October 14, 2008

I believe my professor deemed it necessary to get us “young adults” in her class not only involved in current affairs, but also learn how to draw out the important facts of different news coverage. So for our assignment this week, we were to observe a news program with coverage about the United States presidential election for one hour each day for three days and identify the different roles reporters play according to the book “The Press Effect” by Kathleen Hall Jamieson and Paul Waldman. I have based my international argument on Toulmin’s model and chose to monitor the BBC World Radio Station for the days of October 11th, 12th, and 13th.

As an overall summary of the 3 days, I drew the conclusion that BBC World Radio Station does a fair and adequate job of playing the “press as custodian” role. Upon reviewing the broadcast, my trained ears caught hold of the slight “left-wing” bias that flew by.

As a general rule, reporters should strive to become the “press as custodian” role, but as imperfect humans, a bias is impossible to avoid. BBC World Radio Station played the role as the “press as storyteller”.  By bringing all attention upon the many mistakes of Senator McCain, the British reporters were able to point fingers without an in depth analysis of both presidential candidates. Claire Bolderson, as the key noted newscaster, was directing the traffic of the masses toward the economic downfall brought by current President George Bush and how it generally relates to all Republicans. News should be about both sides of the argument, not pointing fingers in one direction.

Perhaps I am judging too harshly, but then again as a career it should be every journalists goal to get as close to perfection as possible. Kathleen Hall Jamieson and Paul Waldman describe this perfection as the “press custodian of fact” role.  That definition describes that reporters should help the public make sense of completing political arguments by handing out necessary information, providing a thorough analysis of both positive and negative points, explaining vocabulary, and dishing out past evidence to help bring about probable future outcomes.

The “custodian of fact” role is the most important role for the media to play because it will allow news consumers to not be washed by the tide of misguided reporters.  It will enable the masses to draw their own conclusions.  News reporters are to report the facts without bias as much as possible.  BBC World Radio Station did a worthy job of playing the “custodian of fact” role, even with their slight bias.  We are only human after all.

A Keystroke Into The Technological World October 10, 2008

A Picture of Myself

Salutations! My name is Alyssa Jernigan, residing as a student for my first year at the University of Oregon. Currently I have not declared a major, but have a passion for things that include, but are not limited to international affairs, analyzing about how communities work and interact, or anything that involves thinking from a global perspective. I also am a very active person physically, mentally, and spiritually. In order to stay active in all three categories I continuously practice. I participate in many sports, especially running. Mentally, I challenge myself daily through school and find pleasure in any puzzle or riddle. My spiritual side is harder to explain, but by learning different cultures and practices I find many ways to nurture my inner self. As a whole, I love to experience new adventures in order to develop new talents.

This is my first blog entry and a testament to stepping into new talents as I venture to find my voice in this sea of the technological age. This blog is a required assignment for my J201: Mass Media and Society class taught by Tiffany Derville. At first I was skeptical about writing a blog out to the open public and almost thought about transferring classes. On the first day of class I had my journalism book already purchased and had even read the first chapter. I felt prepared and glad to ease into a class that would be filled with lectures and vocabulary memorization. This class, however, was different.

This class would require me to create a blog that would strip me of my security blanket and put my usually timid voice out into the open. Typically I have no problem expressing my opinion to friends or even to one individual person I do not know, but to speak out to a crowd of millions, many of which are completely apathetic to my blog is nothing short of intimidating.

So why am I still in this class if I could be more comfortable somewhere else? The answer to that is simple.  In order to grow, one must get out of their comfort zone. If I may crumple and fall, I must get up again. Continuously attempting at something different, no matter how many failed efforts, is still the pursuance of evolving. And I wish to evolve as much as possible in my life.

So now here I am typing my hopeful and perhaps to some, naive first blog entry. Joining the band wagon along with countless others and finding my way through the internet world. I hope that you, dear reader, have the patience to continue reading my posts as I experiment and strive to thrive. Thank you for bearing with me and I hope that you enjoy my blog!