Kardashians

After watching the very first episode of Keeping Up with the Kardashians on Tuesday, I've realized how much these celebrities have evolved into what they are today. I believe that some of the members of this family are celebrities. Bruce was an Olympic athlete, which I think constitutes him to be an achieved celebrity. Kim I believe is a celebrity as well... regardless of what others say. I think this because clearly she is not a celetoid... because she has been in the media for a long time now. I would say she is an attributed celebrity because of her sex tape scandal, but she has become an achieved celebrity today through all her modeling, television shows, and publicity. The little sisters, Kendall and Kylie, I believe are ascribed celebrities but are becoming achieved celebrities. They were born from already famous parents who decided to keep them in the media, whereas many celebrities, such as Michael Jackson, try to keep their children away from the media. Now these girls are becoming very successful models. The Kardashian's and the Jenner's I believe are celebrities, whether they were born into it, worked for it, or did something that made them famous. After watching the first episode in class, I believe they continue to achieve their fame through small quirks that make them stick out in the media, such as Kim's sex tape or Kourtney's $5000 extensions. These quirks are things that entertain the viewers because not everyone has the ability to buy million dollar rings, drive fancy range rovers, or are born with large behinds like Kim.

fan fiction

Ive never been a big fan of fan fiction. After viewing some Twilight fan sites, I thought about why people spend their time making and adding to fan sites. I knew a girl once that was obsessed with the Jonas brothers. She followed them all around the midwest... basically stalking them for the years that they were really popular. When we first saw her Facebook, I was really confused as to why she had multiple pictures with the Jonas brothers. I thought she just spend a lot of time on photoshop... But then she told me that she basically went to every concert, every public appearance, and followed them on twitter and various fan sites to see where they would be on any specific day. It seemed very stalkerish to me. I personally would never put this much effort in to meeting a celebrity. I think its too much. In class when we were having our discussion on how much is too much when it comes to fan fiction, I automatically thought of this girl. I think its okay to create fan sites or blogs and be a really big fan of a group, artist, or movie. I used to think that it was freaky and obsessive. But I think its good for someone to have a passion for a group, novel, or movie. When the girl told me that her run-ins with the Jonas brothers became so frequent that they actually started recognizing her, I was a little creeped out. But now I think its cool that all her effort in meeting them paid off. I guess fan fiction sites are beneficial for people in many ways aside from just blogging about the topic or buying merchandise on the site.

King of Queens

Today many of our TV shows are based upon the ideology of the working class. However, these shows depict the working class male character as a lazy, immature, buffoon. The show King of Queens is a perfect example of this. Doug works as a delivery driver while his wife, Carrie, who works at a  law firm as a secretary. The show makes Doug look very immature and dumb while his wife is the successful educated one who makes all the decisions. This portrayal of class is underrepresented in our society today because many of these shows are giving viewers a false idea of what the working class is really like. Not everyone in the working class leads these lifestyles like on the King of Queens or the Simpsons. Shows like the Brady Bunch, which is considered middle class, shows the father working at a good job with a wife who is a stay at home mother. These types of shows are seen far too often in our media today. This change from middle to working class happened because of the increased popularity of VCR's, cable, and the internet. This gave producers the time to create something better and therefore came up with these new shows involving the working class. These TV shows show that producers, who are apart of the middle class, are blindsided by the blue collar lifestyle and are willing to create any image that will be a success and make them money regardless if it is true or false.

beauty in advertisements

Jean Kilbourne said that we see over 3000 advertisements each day. We are bombarded by advertisements wherever we go; on the bus, in movie theaters, grocery stores, etc. The pictures in these advertisements generate an ideal female beauty that all women should have. In reality, no one really looks like they do on the cover of a magazine. Pictures are edited for hours, being touched up over and over again until it is perfect. I was shocked when Kilbourne said that many times photographs are pieced together from pictures of four different people; one person’s body, another person’s eyes, another person’s hair, etc. It shows that our society goes to great lengths to be seen as perfect and portray this perfect image as normalcy, or what we should look like. These images are not real, just like the Dove Campaign video explains to us. Though there are many women that strive for this perfect image that is seen in advertisements.

You can tell many people, especially women, take time to make them self look pretty before heading out the door in the morning. I remember in high school when girls would wear sweat pants, tie their hair up, and not put any makeup on at all. It was not frowned upon or seen as “grungy”. Today, my little sister who is in high school, rarely ever wears sweat pants, gets up every morning to straighten her hair, and looks very put together for school. There is so much pressure to look beautiful, be perfect, and carry these ideal female beauty qualities. Although many other women do not feel they have to get all dolled up for class, these ideas of beauty seen in advertisements are still being though about subconsciously. I find myself falling into this trap of the ideal female beauty because although I do not feel it is necessary to wear my nicest clothing to school, the idea of having a thin body, looking clean, and other beauty aspects run through my mind regularly, like Kilbourne had mentioned in her speech. 

critical thinking in Americas Next Top Model

A show that I enjoy watching a lot is Americas Next Top Model. The cycle that is currently on the air is about a group of Americans and British girls competing with each other to become the next top model. Although there are girls in the show that consider themselves plus sized models, many of these girls fit the stereotype of being tall, skinny, and beautiful. Their self image is very important to them. I remember a few years back hearing Tyra Banks say after Danielle, a black female, won the competition that she “didn’t want another black bitch” to win. She tries to change the way the girls act on the show, teaching them to be critical thinkers like bell hooks talked about in her video. Since many cultures are not taught to think critically and are only taught what they necessarily need to know, it is important for people who may be less fortunate to learn how to think critically and ultimately make changes in their life for the better. Tyra teaches the girls that regardless of their size, color, or ethnicity, they have to take responsibility for themselves and think about more than just themselves and money.

racism, ethnicity, and real estate

Racism and stereotyping have been issues within our society forever. Although the amount of racism in our society has decreased within the past few decades, it still exists in many parts of our world today. Stereotyping plays a big role in racism and in general by itself. An example of stereotyping and racism against ethnicity was brought to my attention recently amongst my family members. My grandparents have gotten to the age where living on their own is no longer sensible. They moved into an assisted living home and since then their condo has been on the market. With the real estate market not doing so well, their condo has not been looked at by too many people, except this one couple. My grandparents are 100% German and strict Catholics. But that is not very obvious just by looking at them. A couple that came to look at their condo walked in, took a look around, and the first thing they said was, "we love this condo... but the people that own it are German Catholics. and we will not buy a condo from those type of people". They made that assumption from the various German artifacts and religious crosses around the condo. My grandparents, who are 95 years old and have seen and been apart of much stereotyping and racism in their day, were really upset when they heard what this couple had said about their home. The fact that just because they did not want to move in because my grandparents are German and Catholic was shocking to me. My relatives suggested taking out some of the items that made this couple come to the conclusion that my grandparents are German and Catholic. But my dad said he would not do this because my grandparents are not ashamed of who they are and of their beliefs. These artifacts should not hinder someones decision to buy a home, let alone voice such negative ethnic comments to the home owners instead of just keeping their thoughts to themselves. This just shows that many people today who may not seem stereotypical or racist may deep down have thoughts that hinder them from making decisions because of other peoples race, ethnicity, or their perceived stereotype.

white chicks

After talking about stereotyping in class I was trying to think of a good movie that has racial stereotyping that is done in a humorous way. White Chicks is a movie about two black CIA agents who go undercover and pretend to be rich white females. They take on a job to protect the two rich white girls in the Hamptons from these guys who are trying to kidnap them. They think that by dressing as them that they will be able to catch the kidnappers the next time they try to attack. There are many examples of stereotyping throughout this movie, especially with the rich white female stereotype. But there are also many stereotypes of black people in the movie as well. One example of the rich white female stereotype was in the beginning of the film when the "girls" were checking in to their hotel. When they got to the counter to check in one of them knocked over a display on the counter with "her" breasts. After this happened she said, "I'm sorry! They're new!" putting emphasis on her fake breasts. Another stereotype seen in this movie that associates with black people was when one of the "girls" was braiding one of their friend's hair. After she finished, the friend looked at her and said, "I think you might have been black in a previous life" because of her ability to braid hair. Stereotyping is seen a lot in films, TV shows, and many other places within the media. I personally think movies like White Chicks where people are mocking others through stereotypes is sometimes funny and enjoyable to watch.

romance

Sometimes during the week when I have nothing to do and I'm just flipping through channels I'll come across shows like The Young and the Restless or Days of our Lives. One time I was curious so I decided to watch an episode of The Young and the Restless. It followed the typical drama filled soap opera plot where there is a conflict between the characters and once that conflict is about to be resolves a new conflict will pop up. This plot style is something that Janice Radway would say is typical for romance. These types of plots are what viewers, especially women, want to see when watching romantic films or reading romance novels. Women who are mothers are able to get their fix on romance novels through satisfaction that their significant other may not be able to give them. These shows, novels, and movies are all teaching viewers that the happily ever after ending is what everyone will experience in their life. However this is not how our reality really is. Radway explains that in reality women are just as able to provide for themselves in our society as men are and women do not need a man to be happy. Romance novels show that while women are forming new ideas on gender roles, romance novels are still giving them the wrong idea on romance in reality. I enjoyed reading this article because I am a big fan of romance novels and movies. I thought it was eye opening for me to see that even though I knew romance novels are sugar coating what romance is like in real life, it showed how the romance industry has become so successful from making stories based upon a happily ever after plot that not every woman wants.

orientalism

After listening to Edward Said talk about Orientalism I have been thinking a lot about framing and the different stereotypes that have been constructed for different ethnic and racial groups. It brought me back to a time in high school when my German teacher told us a story about something that had happened to her when she was young. Sara is full German. She was born and raised speaking German and only started learning English when she hit the age of 5. In middle school she would tell everyone that her goal in life was to become a German teacher. Many people would tell her that her dreams of becoming an educator were great. But in 7th grade when she told her teacher of her dream to one day become a German teacher she was given a negative response. Her teacher told her that becoming a German teacher was a horrible idea and that all Germans were bad people. Sara was confused, but it was only until her teacher told her that she was Jewish and that her relatives were killed by Nazi's that Sara started to understand. Her teacher said that all German people are bad people because of Hitler and all the Nazi's that killed all the innocent Jewish people. Sara was confused because she was not alive during this time period and had nothing to do with the Holocaust. She was being targeted by her teacher because of her German heritage. She apologized to her teacher on behalf of all Germans and was really hurt by the fact that her teacher thought all German people were bad people, even in today's society, for what happened years ago. Her teacher was appreciative of her apology, but she said that her mindset on German people would never go away because of what they did to her family. Today, this is how many people on our society view the middle east because of 9/11 and the war. In class my group questioned if America and the middle east will ever be able to live in peace and coexist with one another. A really good point was brought up that said certain generations will probably never fully be able to have peace with countries that they have had wars or violence with. While our generations might not have peace with the middle east, our children may not have peace with another country that they have violence with. Because of wars and violence, I think that a country will always have a preconceived notion for other countries based on their relationship during different time periods.

politics

I've never really been interested in the topic of politics up until a year or two ago. It seems like every time it gets brought up with my friends a big argument breaks out. My parents are also not very talkative about politics so I guess I've just grown up this way. Since I was not as informed or interested in politics,  I believed that voting for a particular party is not fair especially since most of the time I didn't know much about the candidates. Most of my friends who are Democrats would tell me to just vote Democrat because of all their beliefs. I never went with it because I knew that it was totally bias. Within the last year I've become more interested in the government and politics ever since one of my friends said, "so you don't care about the decisions being made in the country you live in that ultimately affect you and your life?" It opened my eyes to the fact that we really should care about the decisions the government is making because it affects us. After talking about Dewey and Lippmann in class, I realized that i am partially in favor of John Deweys way of governing and also Walter Lippmann. Dewey says that we should educate ourselves and that the people need to govern. It makes sense because I don't think 1% of the population should be making all the decisions for our country. But I also see it in Lippmann's way where he says that there are experts out there who do this for a living. They are educated enough to make the decisions in the best interest for our country. So the way I see it, yes I believe that we should educate ourselves on the matter, but there are many people like myself that go uneducated about the government policy making and try to make decisions based on what they think they know. I think that if the 99% of the population was as educated as those experts that Lippmann thinks should be making all the decisions, then those people should be more active in the government with decision making. I think it would be a good middle compromise to both of these arguments.

the real housewives

My roommate has an obsession with the Real Housewives series on Bravo. I've watched a couple episodes with her, along with Mob Wives. To me, they were all the same. The women in the shows all gossiped and argued the whole time. Some families were having problems. And of course they all were on the wealthy side. All in all, it was the same plot for most of the shows. I've noticed that through a Marxist analysis reality TV will always be influencing us in some way or another. Whether we think a show is trashy or classy, the ruling class will always have the upper hand. So why does my roommate constantly watch these Real Housewives shows? Because she gets to see into the lives of these wealthy women which isn't the life that she nor many other people lead. Its based on our wants versus our needs in society. I think everyone would love to be a millionaire if they could. To be honest, I watch a lot of reality TV. Shows like Teen Mom, Jersey Shore, and The Challenge on MTV are all shows I watch pretty much every week. But i also watch a lot of shows that are not considered reality TV, such as Greys Anatomy, Revenge, and the CSI's. I think its interesting that reality TV shows came about because they were cheaper to make and they were able to pay the actors less. I had a random thought during class discussion questioning the idea that since reality TV is so cheap and has been so successful if one day all we will be watching is reality television. I know this will probably never happen. But the idea of it makes me bummed to know how obsessed our society has become with reality TV and the idea of always wanting more of what the upper class has.

let's be realistic...

Today in class we watched four different rap music videos. I was in the group that analyzed "Racks" by YC. Before class I had only heard of the song from my sister, and never actually listened to it. After listening to the song I realized that it’s more than just the rapper saying "racks" 500 times; it is about materialism. Money, cars, women and other things listed in the song are materials that YC portrays as things everyone should have. This ideology that YC is representing is not something that everyone can afford. Not everyone can have racks on racks on racks of money or nice expensive cars. The song Corners by Common was more realistic. It explained Commons life growing up in Chicago with different struggles that came his way. This ideology, the meaning that defines or explains the world, shows that life brings struggles and hardship. But like Common, this song shows that anyone can make a name for them self and become someone famous if they work hard, no matter where they come from. I’ve realized after watching these videos that I need to start listening to songs and not just saying, "oh this was a great song!” Instead I should try to understand the message the artists are trying to give. Just like the song Countdown by Beyonce. Actually interpreting the lyrics instead of just listening to them made me realize how creative the song really is.

over glamorized tv shows

I personally think that these days reality shows are becoming more glamorous than they should be. Shows on MTV like Teen Mom, Jersey Shore, and Ridiculousness are given so much attention from us viewers. But why? Teen Mom has become over glamorized within the past few seasons. I started watching the series when it was just 16 and Pregnant. Back then, the show was about how the girls accidentally got pregnant and it showed their struggles with becoming a teen mom. In every episode the different moms would reiterate how hard it is giving up their teen years and what they would have done differently if they hadn’t become a mother. Teen Mom shows the mothers taking care of the children and how much work it is for them to take care of a child and be a teenager. I still watch the show today and I know that it has changed drastically. All one of the teen moms likes to do is smoke pot, hang out with her boyfriend, and argue with her mom. She never helps take care of her son and leaves all the responsibility on her mother while she is out partying with her friends or smoking marijuana. Although this is not the purpose of the show, I believe that since the viewers are so used to seeing her get into arguments and basically screw up her life, it is what we expect to see. In previews for tonight’s episode it shows her getting into a physical argument with one of her friends. These are the types of things we expect to see coming from her, which I think is sad because ultimately this show is suppose to be about her relationship with her son and being a teen mom.

I also do not understand the purpose to the show Ridiculousness. I personally think it is disgusting and I cannot watch it. It’s basically like America’s Funniest Home Videos except the clips are only of people injuring themselves. Why does our society enjoy watching people get hurt? From teen mom fights to people sending in videos injuring themselves, I think our society is becoming a little too obsessed with reality TV shows and soaking up the bad in other peoples’ lives.

Fame

In class we discussed fame and what we think makes something or someone famous. I believe a person who is well known through the mass media is considered famous in some way, good or bad. I thought Andy Warhol's quote about everyone having their 15 minutes of fame at some point in their life is true. A person I thought of right away that has had her 15 minutes of fame within the past year is Rebecca Black. She recorded one song, posted it on youtube, and it became famous rather quickly. The song got across through social networking sites such as Twitter and Facebook where you were always reminded on Fridays that it was Friday. The song was popular within many age groups, whether they thought it was good or bad. But I think it only stuck around for a few months... if that. I believe that Rebecca Black's 15 minutes of fame has ended because unlike Britney Spears or Madonna, nothing else that Rebecca Black has produced has been as successful. She made some money, won an award, but now I believe her 15 minutes of fame has ended. I believe that everyone will have their 15 minutes of fame... at some point in their life.