Internet is bad for me

The internet has affect me in both good and bad.  How the internet has affected me in a bad way is that I am constantly finding myself on Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram and even online shopping.  The first thing I do when I get home is check my social media and I find it very distracting when I am doing homework; there will be times where I do not want to do something so I turn to the internet to distract me.  This causes me to not finish homework or it takes me longer to get something done.  The internet has affected me in a good way because it helps me when doing an assignment that I need research for.  I can also go to the internet to find something that I need answered or to look up a word.  I can honestly say that the internet affects me more in a bad way than a good way just because the only time it helps me is if I need something but other than that I only use the internet to check social media or shop.  If I did not have internet, I think I would be fine for maybe a day but after that, I would probably go nuts because I can admit that I need the internet to entertain me since I do not watch television all that much.

Real or Fluff?

With the ABC news video that we watched, I think that the news report about the 85 year old man that was kidnapped while in North Korea site seeing is “fluff” because he was the second guy to be kidnapped.  I feel like that there are more American people that visit North Korea, so why did they not get kidnapped?  I mean, I could be wrong about how many American’s visit North Korea but there was barley any information about the situation.  The ABC News did not show any other interviews shown.  The news cast did not seem too concerned about this story and had little information.

The story that was being covered by ABC News I thought that was real news was when they were talking about how hospital bills are out of control and that the reason they are is because the people who cannot pay for them are picked up from other people who can.  I feel like this is a huge story and has a lot of truth behind it because it seems to be affecting a lot of people’s lives.  It said that hospitals are charging people fifteen dollars for a pill that they bought for only three cents.  That is outrageous!  They also had people come forward with their own personal issues with the bills they receive from hospitals.  Yeah, insurance helps but it can only help so much and yet it still leaves people having to pay huge amounts of money that will take years to pay off.  This story seems to be a very important issue that most people can relate to and I feel like the ABC News cast is concerned and willing to keep up on it because they say that they will and ask for people to send in their story about the issue.

Generation

When I think about what film can define a generation, I think about the recently released movie Bad Grandpa because it seems to grab the attention of young adults.  It also relates to the Millennial generation because if you Youtube funny videos, most of them would show young adults participating in them.  When young adults see the Jackass movies, most of them can say that they have tried at least one of the things shown in the movie just because it can be dangerous and fun. I think that young adults tend to be attracted to more dangerous things and that is way they love the Jackass cast and movies.  It also can show that even when being an adult, you do not always grow up and for me, it seems that not many young adults want to grow up. 

I have a couple of friends from high school that after we watched the first Jackass movie, they wanted to try and attempt some of the stunts that were in the movie because it was fun, dangerous, and a story to tell.  To me, I feel that most young adults tend to use Jackass to get ideas to make things more interesting and fun but they tend to be attracted to dangerous things as well.  Many young adults will do anything to impress friends or girls and so they do crazy stunts like the ones on Jackass to impress and individual because if you accomplish the dangerous stunt, then everyone is amazed and thinks that your awesome.  This could also go into fitting in with the crowd when some young adults have a hard time doing this, then they tend to do certain things just to fit in whether it could harm them or not. 

Reality TV

When Klosterman says that people are starting to act like the archetypes they see on TV he means that a lot of people are using reality TV people as their role models.  I can agree with this because when Jersey Shore was playing, that Halloween everyone was Snooki and obsessed with the people.  I can even say that I was obsessed with the show and at one point wished that I could be part of it because it seemed so cool and fun.  Having reality TV shows, connects people together by their personality, so if someone is watching the Real World and sees that they have the same personality as someone on the show and then they tend to connect with that person and start doing the same things.  Quite a few people I know get a lot of their ideas or styles from reality TV shows because they are attracted to it.  Also, another big part where I think that Reality TV connects with people is by what is going on.  They seem to be having the time of their lives on the show and nothing to worry about and so then people wish that that was them so they do not have to worry about their real world. 

I can say that I think Klosterman's idea of how people act like archetypes on TV is very strong because for some people that may be a dream of theirs to just have nothing to worry about and go out and have fun every night.  But with digital editing being used constantly, I do not think people realize that scenes are being made into an entirely different situation then it originally was.  This may cause issues because people  are not aware of this and think that everything is how it is on the show.  I know that I did not really think about digital editing being done on reality TV shows until it was brought up in class because when I hear about a reality TV show, I just assume that that is how everything happened. I think that whether Klosterman's idea is strong or not just depends on the person because everyone has their own opinion on things.

Accidental Racist

I am not quite sure how I feel about this song.  It has a good meaning but everyone has their own opinion and I think that that is why there has been issues with the song.  A lot of people are really sensitive about the past and think that it should not be forgotten, they assume that the song means that they should forget about the past and worry about now.  I do not think that the song is telling us to forget about the past but it is telling us to not let the past affect us today.

With have both white and black race being a part of the song, it is showing people that even the past cannot stop two people from coming together and trying to make a point.  I can understand why some people take offense to this song but it also has more deep meaning then they realize I think. 

Dear Mr. White Man, I wish you understood
What the world is really like when you’re livin’ in the hood
Just because my pants are saggin’ doesn’t mean I’m up to no good
You should try to get to know me, I really wish you would
Now my chains are gold but I’m still misunderstood
I wasn’t there when Sherman’s March turned the south into firewood
I want you to get paid but be a slave I never could
Feel like a new fangled Django, dodgin’ invisible white hoods
So when I see that white cowboy hat, I’m thinkin’ it’s not all good
I guess we’re both guilty of judgin’ the cover not the book
I’d love to buy you a beer, conversate and clear the air
But I see that red flag and I think you wish I wasn’t here

This is probably my favorite part of the song because since there has been a lot of racial issues with African American's.  By this one part it kind of gives a back round to many African American's but then tat the end it shoes that he can forgive all the race issues and get to know a white man.

Bootleg Culture

A really good example of intertextuality is when someone plagiarizes someone else’s work as their own.  You see more people doing this instead of doing the work themselves.  I think that most people take this seriously within schools and if someone is caught doing it them they get a punishment and for college you can even get kicked out.  This seems to almost be as common as people bootlegging movies or making mash ups as their own. 

A second example of intertextuality is when people copy movies onto DVD’s when they are not yet out on DVD (bootlegging).  I know multiple people who do this and they make these bootleg DVD’s and sell them to people for profit.  I do not see many people doing this as much but I know there are quite a few people who do this to make easy money.

Fake Love is Everywhere

The discussion about “This is Emo” really interested me because it made me realize how television really comes off as showing the “perfect relationship.”  When television and movies have couples, they make them seem like there is no fighting, everyone is happy, or there are no problems.  In reality, every couple fights, you’re not always going to be happy, and there will be problems.  This makes it hard for men and women to find the right guy or girl because they want the relationship that they see on television or in the movies.  Because of this, we have such high standards for what we want in a significant other that when we o become involved with someone that we are not happy or disappointed because it is not what we expected or it is not what he saw it to be. 

It is hard to find the perfect someone because no one is perfect.  There are high expectations for what people look for in a partner because of this thing called “fake love” which is what we see on television and in movies.  Television and movies make dating and marriage look so easy and perfect that we get disappointed when we actually do get involved and it is not what someone was hoping.  Finding a significant other has become so much more challenging for both men and women due to the television and movie influence of fake love.

Violence is in Our Culture

 Violence is very common with boys in our culture.  Violence is defined by using men as the main point and always showing men getting bigger and stronger.  This makes boys think that they need to be bigger and stronger to be more masculine to be a man.  Also, a lot of men are used in movies as being the more violent ones toward anyone or anything and this shows boys that this is what a man does and how they should act.  When in reality it is not how a man has to act but chooses to act.  It is hard for a boy to go around and not see men who are dominate; having a visual of how to act, has a big influence on a young boy because a lot of people learn by watching I think.

I can see this role as positive and negative because if someone sees a man being violent toward someone who is harming them, then it shows a boy how to protect themselves and not let someone harm them.  I can see this being negative in a way that television shows it because if boys get a lot of their information on how to be masculine from television, then it might show it in a wrong way.  Television shows make men look like the bad guys but in a boys mind, it might make them seem like the "badass" guy.

APA relates to my ideas because they say that the violence on television has an effect on children's mental health.  Therefore, saying that by children watching violence on television that it will cause them to become more violent.  I believe that this is true to a point.  Children learn from watching and yes, if a child is interested in violence, then they may be more likely to be violent and since the violent scenes on television are performed mostly by men, then younger boys look up to that.  My ideas also kind of relate to ACLU because I do not think that violence should be blocked from television because if children do not see it on television, they will most likely see it in the real word.  I strongly believe that a child is able to watch violence on television and not become violent; it also depends on how a parent(s) react to situations.

I grew up watching violence on television and never did anything extremely violent like what television shows.  I also was told when I was younger that being mean or violent was not nice and that it was the wrong thing to do.  My parents told me what was right and wrong instead of not saying anything to me.  I think that since there is so much violence on television that parents need to remind their children the right and wrong things to do to help them realize that you cannot do the things that they see on television.

Football High

The video Football High talks a lot about how so many players are getting head injuries due to the aggressiveness of players.  In today's culture, it is common to see players bulk up; they work out and practice hard.  You usually see players that weigh 200 pounds or more.  The video also talks about how schools still have their teams practice in weather over 100 degrees because there is no regulations saying that they cannot do this.  Practicing in weather over 100 degrees can cause  a lot of problems with the players, like heat stroke.  The main point I think that the video tries to get across is that as a football player, it is likely that you will have brain trauma from how hard teams play.  These head injuries can be long term and can even cause death in some people. 

These issues are presented with the video using a couple of school examples.  One example is Shiloh High School in Arkansas.  One of Shiloh's football players got heat stroke during practice and was hospitalized and then was released after a certain amount of time.  Also, Garrett Harper who is from Shiloh, has had multiple concussions and still played.  After you get one concussion, the second one is suppose to be worse; even a football players helmet cannot protect the brain from getting damage.  A second example given about heat stroke is Tyler Davenport who is from Lamar High School; he had heat stroke during practice and ended up dying from the damage done to his organs. 

There are over 60,000 head trauma injuries every year due to football and this can cause STE.  With how much football players bulk up it equals more force when hitting an opponent.  The whole point of the game is to see who can get who to leave the field first.  There are also more children playing football than any other sport; and that is the more higher rating for head trauma waiting to happen.

I think that football is a very aggressive sport because my dad played football his whole life and has had over 15 surgeries and they are all football related injuries.  My brother has also had multiple concussions and a major sprain to his foot from playing football and not baseball or basketball.  I always here about football injuries over any other sport injury.  There has to be some way to make football a more safer sport to play so that the percentage of head injuries can be lowered. 

Fake Love

Klosterman talks a lot about fake love in his reading This is Emo.  Fake love is when a person sees a relationship or couple on the media and all of a sudden have these expectations that that is how they want their own relationship to be like.  In reality there is no "perfect relationship" like everyone sees on the media.  People have very high expectations for how they want their own relationship that they cannot ever be satisfied because when they have a relationship it is not what they wanted or what it is like on the media that they have seen.  This causes a lot of problems for couples because if you want your own relationship to be like what you see on television, well you may be disappointed because television and reality are totally different.

An example of fake love is the movie the Last Song.  In this movie a girl and guy meet and the girl pretty much plays hard to get.  The guy keeps trying to impress the girl and then they finally hang out and have a good time.  Something happens between them and the girl wants nothing to do with the guy; the guy keeps chasing after the girl until he gets her back.  In reality I feel like not many guys would try as hard as the guy did in the movie just to get a girl (I could be wrong).  It is most girls dreams to have a guy chase after them when something bad happens between them and I think that this is a good little example of fake love.

 



Selling Sex Within Ads

This ad is a shoe ad for American Apparel.  The uses a women in the first image on her knees as a guy puts his foot to her butt as she is lifting up her dress.  The second image is of both a man and women; the women is standing in front of the man and he is lifting up her dress.  I think that Jean Kilbourne would object to a couple of things in these images.  One of the things that I believe she would object to is how there is no faces in any of the two images and that it is mainly the lower half of the women and mans body.  Another thing that I think she would object to is how the women is lifting her dress up so that the man's foot can go underneath the dress.   Same with the second image on how the women is letting the man do what he wants by lifting up her dress as he has a hand on her thigh and she is standing there like nothing is happening.

The Importance of Happiness

The importance that sexiness has in our culture is that people should feel sexy no matter how they look.  Media is a big example about how people feel because on commercials they tend to use these women that are pencil thin and gorgeous but do not realized that that is not how everyone looks.  Dove is a good example for a commercial that has a bigger picture than others because they do not use only pencil thin women; they use all sorts of women and even women of different ethnicities.  In today’s society I think that it is very hard for women to feel sexy because of all the entertainment we have and what people see on the television.

It is very important that people feel sexy with how they look because not everyone can look the same.  People need that reassurance that they are sexy; in today’s society, I also think that it is common for young teenagers to harm themselves because they cannot look like the person on television or someone they know.  This to me is a huge issue and that’s why it is very important for people in our culture to know that they are sexy no matter what their appearance may be.

Popular Culture is something that people are engaged in everyday.  For me, everyday I am engaged in watching television, eating food, going on the internet, hanging out with my friends, texting, dealing with clothes, shopping for shoes, and watching movies.  All these things make me happy because it is something that I enjoy doing.  Popular Culture and happiness are linked in way that the things we are doing everyday tend to make us happy right then or later on.  In Popular Culture class we talked about how we can do something everyday but one day it can make you happy and then the next day or next week it does not faze you.  I love food and it is something that I am always engaged in doing everyday; food makes me happy at the moment that I am eating it but after I am done I always question why I ate that or why I had so much of it.  It especially sucks because knowing that my roommate is on a "points diet" I cannot enjoy eating food because she is over there eating something healthy everyday and I am over here eating cookie dough that I loved eating before I started living her (not saying it is her fault).

I am the type of person that likes to buy shoes and I try to wear a pair of shoes everyday that goes with my outfit.  Since I deal with shoes everyday,  I tend to buy a lot of them when I do not need them.  When I buy shoes I get so excited, admire them, make sure that they are always clean, and pick outfits out that will match with my shoes.  Usually about after a month of owning my new pair of shoes, they just do not interest me anymore and then I do not wear them as much and then that causes me to go and buy another pair; the cycle repeats itself over and over again.