Friday, November 21, 2008

I know Now


I know now, like I kinda knew before why people aspire to be celebrities, and give them such glory. It's because they are the select elite in our country, where everyone knows their name. Who at some point in their life doesn't want to be well-known? I bet it feels good to feel individualized in a sea of billions.

Friday, November 14, 2008

A Never-ending Conversation

Every now and then I will probably say something about celebrity media and how terrible it is. I could talk forever (though I'm not) about how persuasive and manipulative this type of media is. It can control your life and consume your daily conversations. I know, because I have been subjected to it and a witness of it. It is now considered normal and even conversation-friendly to bring up an event related to a celebrity. To me, it's just scary.

So Last Century

The discussion of the Stephen Lewis column led me to write this post. Hundreds of years ago, African Americans were brought to America and bought and sold to wealthy white men. Hundreds of years later, even though America is filled with hundreds of races and ethnicities, the country is still known for its binary racism of black and white. It's a very ignorant perspective. And most of these perspectives and notions are stemmed from media. Because the media chooses to represent the problems only among the those two races, those are the only racial conflicts that mass society will likely see. It doesn't even have to be conflict. Until recently, other races such as Korean, Japanese, Chinese, Latin American, and Central American people weren't really represented in our media world, even though they exist and are just as much present as Blacks and Whites. And it all comes back to binary racism. Hopefully, with our new President-elect, Barack Obama, America will overcome this obstacle of the races.

On a Lighter Note...

Not all media and its content is malevolent. Some media content allows people to know how to check for certain cancers, how to eat healthier, and suggestions for everyday exercise. Good media can keep people informed to live healthy lives.

Monday, November 3, 2008

That's right.

Even when it comes to basic living, media plays a role in our lives. Although social norms play a large part in what's culturally acceptable, media makes those things popular. When I say basic living, I mean what stereo to buy, what stove to purchase, what exercise video to use. Advertising and media not only persuade people to spend their money, but where to spend their money. Consequently, the media is our nation's biggest trendsetter.