#18: Free Choice in the Realm of Media

I find it interesting how lately new pieces of media continually overshadow one another, and things that were sources of massive controversy say three weeks to a month ago have become yesterday's news, so to speak.  For example, the NFL hasn't touched on the issue of domestic violence pretty much since it happened, save for two short PSAs which only air during football broadcasts and on the NFL network.  I think if this period had been less taxing on the media world, the NFL would still be in the hotseat, and there would have been action from the commissioner, more publicity about the trials of Adrian Peterson and Ray Rice, and more publicity about that 49ers player who was under investigation by the NFL.  It seems that in the public eye, police abuse and past abuse overshadows domestic abuse if it is fresh, which is fair enough, but I still maintain that the issue regarding the NFL could have been a much bigger deal than it was played up as, which I guess says a lot about us.  We can only care about something for so long, and then it gets thrown out and replaced with the next 'big thing', which at the moment is police use of force, which even though it is an american issue still headlines all over the place in Canada.

#17: GTA/Iggy/Eminem/Cosby

I think this last little period of time has stirred the most controversy than there has been in quite some time.  From a few months ago when the ISIS twitter feed began its attack on social media to the numerous police incidents resulting in riots in the USA, then the Jian Gomeshi case, and now Bill Cosby's history is coming to the surface again.At this point in time, I think the general public has worked themselves into a very riot-y, protest-y kind of mood, and Cosby has to be very careful about everything he says, does, or comments which may become public.  His appearance in London coming up now could actually have a big effect on many things, especially where his career is concerned.  Watching that documentary on the Dixie Chicks, this is beginning to look very familiar.  Cosby now has a public appearance, for which tickets have been purchased, but a PR blunder has resulted in a wave of hate towards him.  Will his career be completely be driven into the ground like the Dixie Chicks'?  Probably not, because I think it has been recently shown that popular culture values support for the military over a clean sexual abuse history.  

#12: Media Constructs Reality

I think the most important way media constructs reality is through manipulating the way we see each other.  The media affects the way we see each other by creating and reinforcing stereotypes.  In this class, already we have discussed gender and race-based stereotypes, and this is just the tip of the iceberg.  We also view violence and sexuality different that we have in the past, and this is partly simply due to the evolution of our society, but the  spike in media consumption certainly has a lot to due with it also.  As we discussed, people right now feel like there are in danger of violence more than ever before, but in actuality crime rate has dropped.  This is simply because the media highlights violence almost more than anything else.  Gender stereotypes are constantly being reinforced.  Just look at the way men and women are portrayed differently in Nikki Minaj's latest hit (hint- the only male figure in that video is Drake).    

#11: "Seahaven is the Way the World is Supposed to Be

I completely disagree with Christof's statement here.  First of all, there exists no more biased a statement than this one.  Christof is defending his livelihood.  The proposition of him saying anything other than this on the topic is the same as a chef saying that food isn't important.  In my opinion, Seahaven is the opposite of the way the world is supposed to be.  It is a diluted and controlled environment, where people essentially trade in individuality for an extreme and highly unnecessary level of security.  Seahaven is not a community so much as it ids a miniature society, which has its own culture and rules, and is frankly as dull as a way of life could be.  I think that the way the world is supposed to be could be modeled in many parts of Canada, in which people for the most part live in harmony, where violence is low but people share debates and have clashing opinions and difference in personality.  The prospect of Seahaven is almost like a counterculture, where the risks of life are eliminated and in their place exists a forced and fake peace.

#10: Spoof Commercial

The commercial we made was a spoof off of the classic Axe body spray commercial.  Much like the honest trailer we watched about the Walking Dead later in the semester, we played off of the classic codes and conventions that Axe actually uses.  We then took those codes, overeggagerated every component of it, and extrapolated the message to an extreme extent.  Through the subtitles we also spoofed on the nature of the corporate scene in that nothing anymore can be come without a disclaimer or else a lawsuit.  Of course a body spray wouldn't turn anyone into an eagle, but the consumeristic society we live inherently accepts everything as reality unless the "dramatization" is literally spelled out to them.  In short, we made laughable the extreme nature these men's fragrance commercials display, and how ridiculous the messages really are.

#9: Nikki Minaj's Anaconda- the Line

In my opinion this music video was probably over the line, but to be honest it is not necessarily the worst music video available for viewing on Youtube.  Some scenes, specifically towards the end when the video featured Drake are provocative, and downright inappropriate, but it could certainly be worse.  However, I think most of the controversy comes from the fact that not only was this a multi-million hit video, it was from one of the largest icons we have in the music industry, who is predominantly a role model for young girls.  Most of the worst videos for sexual content are released by artists not so main stream, or who have a more mature following, and usually (unless they are Lady Gaga), they are not released at the peak of said artist's career.  I think that as a society, we worry when one of the world's largest role models behaves in this way, as it undeniably will influence people of both genders in the way they socially interact, expectations, etc.  In the long run, simply based on the targeted viewing audience, this video is over the line, but the fact that it crosses the line is somewhat irrelevant.  This was a calculated move by Nikki Minaj, and having the highest viewership online in recent history, nobody can un-see anything, we just have to deal with it.

#14: One Music Video that is Over (or close) to the Line

I think that Green Day's "Kill the DJ" is most definitely over the line, with regards to violence, profanity, and general controversial nature.  Although the video itself is not brutal for graphic images, the video does include the band's bass player giving the camera the finger, as well as people making out in a club, a violent fight between two women during which one of them had a glass bottle broken over them, and the conclusion, during which blood ran down the face of nearly everyone in the club.  The lyrical content is what really stands out.  The lyrics themselves contain 18 swear words (that's an average of like one every ten seconds), all of which are the "f" word.  While that is offensive to some people, it is mostly the content, which gives the listener not one but two ways to kill the DJ: you could "shoot the f**r down" or "hold him underwater till the m********r drowns".  There are also two sets of religiously charged lyrics: "Sodom and Gomorrah in the century of thrills" and "In the holiest of holes,  onward Christian soldiers filled with jive and mind control".  Finally, as if that weren't enough, there is also a reference to drug use: "a pocket full of pills".  All in all, the song promotes violence, drug use, profanity, and you could go so far as to say anti-religious messages.  I think this together certainly qualifies as "over the line".

#8: Media and Domestic Violence

Lately, domestic violence has been all over the media, specifically due to the issues surrounding the NFL.  Personally, I feel that the NFL has not taken appropriate response, especially concerning the Ray Rice issue.  Having seen the video, I think the general opinion of the NFL as an organization has gone down, because now to what lengths the NFL will go to cover things up for a star player.  I was very surprised that, so soon after the Ray Rice issue, the NFL would consent to let a 49ers player play after he too was charged with domestic violence.  I think that this really brings to the forefront the first principle of Media: that it all exists to make money.  The NFL seeks to make monetary gains, and knows that the game revolves around its stars.  Thus without the stars, they make less money.  Now we are seeing the NFL repeatedly make excuses to continue letting its players play, regardless of the ethics of its decision.  In short, I think that we often do not see the NFL for what it is, a corporation, and the media nightmare that has descended upon the league has revealed its motives and reasoning which have proven questionable at best.

#5: Kids and Money

I thought that this video truly highlights the difference between this generation and generations past.  The type of consumerism displayed by kids as young as twelve was reminiscent of a filthy rich business mogul, with the glaring difference being that the money is not theirs, nor within their parents' budget.  The first few minutes of the video were quite shocking to me, as it showed how little these kids seemed to know about money, and how out-of-whack their priorities were.  Honestly, most of these kids would rather buy a seventieth pair of shoes than let their own parents afford to live a comfortable life!  I was rather surprised by the social culture that everyone seemed to be treating as viable.  Every single one of those kids, whether they were richey-rich or extremely poor, mentioned something to the effect of: "You know that everyone is looking at you and judging how much your clothes are worth".  They are essentially living in a world where the idea of being rich is so desired that they have this need for random people to see them as wealthy, regardless of their actual situation in life.  As I see it, this is a social culture has never really been seen before, and will have implications if these kids continue their irrational spending into their own adult lives.

#6:Favourite Commercial and Why

While I am almost certain I will never own a Ford F 150 with or without eco-boost, I think this commercial, and the other similar ones, are some of the best out there. In my opinion, it is easily better than anything Chevrolet or Ram or whomever has ever put out.  The primary reason these commercials stand out to me is because they are different.  Almost all truck commercials are kind of the same, a bunch of shots of the truck driving through worksites covered in mud while a man with a deep voice rambles on about chrome.  The use of animation, coupled with the sarcastic and comical voice over make this commercial appealing.  Lastly, the point being made is hard to ignore.  The commercial blatantly tells viewers that this is the best truck in the world, and has been for over 30 years.  In short, the layout of the commercial makes it appealing and the dialogue hammers home the message.  

#4: Best Ads of 2013

I think the most effective ad of 2013 was the Smart ForTwo offroad ad.  In this case, the product was one that many people find unappealing, and society has clearly deemed to be wimpy or for the large part undesirable.  There is a large portion of the population who would not drive a Smart Car if you paid them.  Where many similar companies with glaring faults act as if those faults don't exist, the Smart company used there own shortcomings to highlight the fact that while comically small, the vehicle also outdoes every other car ever made in maneuverability and fuel consumption.  To viewers, it appears as though the Smart company owns its identity, and would rather insult themselves than pretend to be something they're not.  Meanwhile the ad also brilliantly highlights the positives about the product, without sounding unrealistic or cocky.  

#3: The ALS Ice Bucket Challenge

I support the ALS ice bucket challenge wholeheartedly.  While many people question the "purpose" of the challenge, I think it is quite clear: to raise money for ALS.  People often say that they shouldn't be using a gimmick like that to raise money, but without the ice bucket challenge, I guarantee that most people wouldn't know much, if anything, about the disease.  In short, I think that most of the protests against the ice bucket challenge  are just people looking for a reason to hate the mainstream.

#2: Favourite Media Personality

My favourite media personality at the moment, though he is neither a good role model nor "hip", would be Ozzy Osbourne.  Although it is clear many of his life choices were ummm.. the wrong ones, I have to admire someone who can laugh in the face of what are often outrageous accusations and protests against his music.  The best thing about him, in my opinion, is that he doesn't care at all what anybody, including the media itself, thinks about him.  He's had his fair share of bad press, and unless you count a lifetime of substance abuse, has had almost no reaction, and hasn't let it affect his music.

#1: Media is...

Media is our way of sharing things, many of which are trivial, on a larger scale than ever was possible.  It can have shocking repercussions if in the wrong hands but simultaneously can be an incredible mode of communication, and a viable form of entertainment.