Media Meditation #8: Racism in Modern Media

Oprah Racism Clip

Racism can partially be blamed on the media and the image it has created for the minorities other then white people. The video above with Oprah is shocking to see kids picking out the black doll as the "bad doll" without much hesitation. The black person is always shown as being a drug dealer, mess-up, or just bad person in general. Our book Media Society book talks about race created stereotypes. The media is what creates these stereotypes and after we are exposed to them for a while they start altering what we believe.

We teach our kids to be racist at a young age, this is evident through children's cartoons. The clip below shows Popey attacking a Japanese ship. We expose kids to these ideas and images at a young age, this is how racism is created. The kids then grow up thinking that it is alright to discriminate against other races. The other video below shows a number of cartoons being racist specifically toward African-Americans. If we expose kids to these ideas at a young age what kind of adults do we expect them to grow into? Obviously they will consider the white race superior therefore being racist. Other races are portrait as evil and inferior.

Racism in Children's Cartoons Video

Racism Cartoons

Media Meditation #7: Body Image

Body Image
Modern media has created an unrealistic image for both men and women. We tend to see these beautiful people on television and when we compare ourselves we tend to pick out our imperfections. A hyper reality has been created where everybody is beautiful and slim, but really the average person is much bigger then the average person in hollywood. There are always ads on television that want to incourage us to loose weight, why is this? The weight-loss industry makes a lot of money in this country, and that is more important to these rich elite then peoples image of themselves. Media once again is the cause behind the mass public being insecure with their body image because it doesn't conform with what media potraits as being beautiful. The Dove ad below is a great PSA that shows what a women really looks like before she is prepped for a photo shoot. Virtually everything about her is changed with makeup so that when the transformation is complete one cannot even recognize her as the same woman.

Dove Evolution
Media influence on Womans Image

Old Spice Man Commercial

I also saw this commercial the other day and it made me think of this media meditation. The image for men being rough, tough, and beastly is created by media through ads such as this one. The average man is nothing like this, yet the media has created this super rough, violent image for men, it is just as unrealistic as the image created for women.

Media Meditation #6: New World Order

CFR MEDIA CONTROL
This video starts off by giving you a background of how the modern mass media was created. In 1917 JP Morgan hired 12 high ranking news managers to determine the most influential newspapers in the US in order to establish how many news organizations it would take to control the daily press of the United States. They found that if you control the 25 leading papers you could control the general source of information people refer to. From here on editors were hired to make sure everything being printed was keeping with the new policy. This video reveals that these men want to have one world government controlled by them. They are able to do this because they are so wealthy they can control each countries economy system as well as the world as a whole. Americas weathies typhoons, and government elite are some of the members of CFR (council on foreign Relations) which is an organization that is the ruling establishment in the United States. As these companies merge they become more and more powerful controlling virtually everything we know. This video draws close ties to Neil Postman in that you cannot trust everything you see on television because of the consorship. It alos makes close connections to Feed in that it reveales this master plan of having the world run by corporations. These men are so rich and powerful at this point that they have more say in what happens then the president himself. These men own the media and have used its power to persuade people into beleieving them.

Rockefeller
This video is interesting because it shows the power on man David Rocefeller actually has in our government. Not only does he have dirrect tie to politics and politicians but he is also the chairmen for The Council of The Americas, The Americas Society, The Forum of the Americas, The Institute for International Economics, and The Trilateral Commision. This not only makes him a very wealthy man in our contry but also one that is in charge of policies, ect.


Aaron Russo
He was a good friend of the Rocefeller family who ended the relationship after finding out what the Rocefeller family has planned for the future. This video talks about how the family wants to create one world order with one currency. The Rocefeller family is behind the lies of today as well as behind the federal reserve and other things that have happened in our society. They ultimately want to implant everybody with chips, but everything must come in stages. This is a dirrect connection with Feed as these microchips become a nessecity to life. We have seen the early stages of this plan develop, therefore leaving no doubt in my mind that this is happening.

Media Meditation #5: VIOLENCE IN MEDIA

TV VIOLENCE

This media meditation is about the influence of violence in media. The video shows how media in the 60’s and 70’s did not show direct violence. Even series such as spider man were entertaining without showing violence. Today’s programs rely on violence in order to entertain the audience. The problem is that many of these violent shows are targeted at an audience that is not mature enough to understand the difference between television and reality. Over half the programming today has some sort of violence, however most the programs dont show consiqences behind the violence. It goes along the lines of television creating a hyper-reality where the whole story is not shown and the violence is glorified. Kids tend to imitate what they see on television, that’s the danger behind violent programming. As the video states below by the age of eighteen a child will have seen over 200,000 acts of violence. This influences our perception of violence, as it is considered masculine, cool, and acceptable. Really though you cannot do what you see in the movies because its against the law, not to mention wrong. The 2nd video below shows the influence that media could have on a kid if the parent doesn't teach them the difference between TV and reality. Besides controlling what kids watch is so easy with DVR systems that allow parents to choose what kids can watch.

How TV Affects Children

PSA Challenging TV Violence

Media Meditation #4

McCain Rap Video

This is a rap video I found about John McCain. The minute I heard the chorus it reminded me of the medias role in politics. At the very beginning of the video the limbic brains is instantly targeted by the music. In addition this video uses repetition and scapegoating in order to persuade the audience McCain is the center of our problems. One can relate this video to our class because the chorus says the media is McCain’s base. This brings up the question of censorship because the media avoids bringing up issues that can hurt the politicians image. The media in this case is not selling a product but rather an image or personality. Our media and society book talks about this in Chapter Three. One can also relate this video to Neil Postmans Amusing Ourselves To Death because this is a serious issue that is being down-played. This is the way media is presented to us in this hyper-reality. Serious events are not given the attention they require to adequately be processed by the human mind. Nothing on television really effects you therefore its almost the same mind state as watching a movie, and even after something dramatic is presented, a humorous commercial targeting the limbic brain follows. These videos use the same concepts targeting the limbic brain only the videos posted here are user generated content speaking up against "the man" on the only mass medium that is shared with the public, the internet.

Television Drug of The Nation Video

Media Meditation #3: Entertainment To Distract

VIDEO
I found this great video that talks about how all mass media is really entertainment to distract us from national issues. It reinforces many points made in neil Postmans Amusing Ourselves to Death. The video talks about how since the government has subsadized schools, the quality of education has been steadily declining compared to other countries. Schools that are funded by the government therefore the government has a direct say in what is thought in schools. We are not thought to question the media, therefore a generation has developed that does not know anything other then they are told. This is because less then 15% of people read newspapers, and less then 3% read books. Everything we come to know as the truth is what we learn from the tube. They use entertainment to keep the human mind occupied so that "you don't get in the way of important people by doing too much thinking." (Jordan Maxwell)

A great example of a story that was never publicized was The Great American Union merging Canada Mexico and the US much like Europe. The government claims no treaty was signed but many people believe that it is a conspiracy. According to this video they are currently creating the new currency called the "Amero." However, if this is true shoun't we have the right to know about these events . This video claims this is censored from us because its controlled by the mass media who created the European Union and the African Union. This would benifit the coorporate conglomorates in that is closes boarders and allows them to market to a larger public. They are esentially trying to build a world government. This would benifit the coorportae conglomorates in that their messages could then reach everybody and their profit margin would grow tremendously. The media will continue to decieve us because the people on top want to continue maing money and do not realize the effects their influence is having on the rest of the world. When we ask controversial questions they are simply filtered out through one of the mass medias filters.

At the end of the video a direct connection with Feed is present. This movement to bring the entire world under one government has been in place for 60 years. The last and final step when the time is right is to embed microchips in peoples heads containing all their information, music, finances, ect. This would essentially transform our world to that found in Feed.



Montoge on Media Influence

The Internet Effects On Society

Did You Know - effects the internet has had on society

THE INTERNET
-has created global demographics
-allows anybody to communicate to anyone else
-celebrates amature culture (creativity)

The Internet has revolutionized the way we communicate. Prior to the invention of the net broadcasting was a one way street. The advertisers did not know who was receiving their message. However, the Internet has made it so that advertisers can target specific demographics. The Internet on a more positive note gives everybody a voice, in that anybody can communicate their thoughts and ideas to anyone else, this is really how the internet transformed the way we communicate. Every other modern mass medium is controlled by one of the few corporate conglomerates. Currently there are debates about selling the Internet to a few major companies. This would mean the FCC would not control the Internet and load speeds for corporate websites would be much quicker then sites that host user generated content. This is a direct conflict with freedom of speech because these companies would give priority to their messages. If the corporate conglomerates purchase the rights to govern the Internet, they will literally be our only source for news. Reading Neil Postman this semester helped me understand the effect and history of mass mediums. The internet is in currently changing our world much like Postman suggested it would change. The fact that the internet has so many global users allowed it to create global demographics that did not exist, this has connected the world.

The other thing they are working on is developing software that can detect copyright issues and automatically delete the content. However, if someone is using the content as influence to create something new, is that not an original idea. Besides, user generated content is created out of passion and not to make money. This is why our creativity is being choked by the corporate world. I now realize that the ordinary citizen don't follow the law in the eyes of the government. A lot of user-generated content is considered a violation of copyright laws due to it being inspired by something already made. However, if your not making money off this content then should it be? Besides its not an exact copy of the predecessor but rater an inspiration that has created something new.

What we must realize is the power the Internet gives us. On a more positive note this is a video on how web 2.0 can allow us to see the world through someone else's eyes.

Apple Advertisement - shows how the internet is changing the world

Disney Effects On Society

Disney Effects On Society

I found this interesting video discussing media created gender roles. The video talks about how Disney has created gender roles through "ideal" images.

The female role is made out to be the domestic wife and caregiver. She is suppose to be the wife, mother, and homemaker. The feminine role is shown as being passive, naive, delicate, and emotional. Intelligence amongst women is not portrait in the media. In addition the cartoons always feature a thin, seductive and sexual female role. This creates a body image that is then considered the norm by society, when it truly is not.

The male role is to be the independent, courageous protector of his family. Disney movies emphasize violence and strength in male figures. Therefore, males are suppose to be fearless and dominant. However, not every guy is going to be violent or even strong.

Kids are exposed to these gender stereotypes at a very young age through Disney cartoons as well as other television shows. This image sticks with us and as we grow older we learn to conform by the norms of society.

Our textbook Media and Society touches on mostly all of these aspects shown in the video. In Chapter 6 on page 213 for example the author talks about traditional female roles being the mother, the homemaker, and a sexual object. The Disney video is proof of how early kids are exposed to gender stereotypes. The book brings up a good point which is that the media industry employs mostly men. Women account for 16% of executive producers, 24% of producers, 14% of writers, 11% of directors, and 19% of editors. These are tiny portions of the industry. Perhaps that is why women are portrait in this incorrect manner.

Gender Roles - Interviews with Kids

I also found this other video showing how young kids are when they have already developed gender role stereotypes. The girl answering that girls have long hair, or the boy saying men are stronger are examples of gender role stereotypes understood by 2-3 year olds. I find it amazing that at their young age they are already conforming with the norms our media has created for society.

Private Corporations Profit From The Occupation Of Palestine

- The Gaza Strip is the most densely populated places on earth
- 1.5 million people living within 140 square miles
- It's the largest open air prison in the world

- Israel controls 90% of land around The Gaza Strip
- Import export controlled by Israel so that they can’t go anywhere else

- Palestine people built over 1000 tunnels to smuggle flour, milk, cheese, cigarettes, computers, livestock, and any other essentials

- This is fueled by corporate interests in making money through supplying rebuilding materials, weapons, checkpoints, roads

-The United States is the primary source for weaponry and funding for Israel. They have supplied F-16 fighter planes,Apache Helicopters, tanks, and tactical missiles.

-The 7 days article talks about how the United States supplied the white phosphorous which was used against civilians and a UN base making it a war crime.

- it’s the business of war ( too profitable to stop it )

Gaza 2009: We Will Never Forget


Who Profits:
Boycott Israel

List of companies