#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".