Last Word

How do I feel about using blogs? It certainly saves paper and is a lot easier to start and stop at different times of the day. I'll be honest, at first I was slightly skeptical as I had some major malfunctions with this Web site. Towards the middle of the class, however, I grew to be a fan of the blogging. I think it's interesting to see what other classmates are learning and how they interpret things differently from me. It's also nice to have other people comment on your blogs that share the same feeling you had about an assignment. The way in which technology is gradually creeping into classrooms everywhere, I think this class is a predictor of what younger generations can expect from college courses in the future. We are going to be media professionals sooner than later and we'll have to keep up with the most recent and tech-savvy sites that are out there, otherwise we'll get left behind. Overall, I think the blogging has been a great experience and I wouldn't mind if more professors integrated it into their classes.

I have learned so much from this class. A classmate and I were talking about this after last week's class. It's so interesting that in the class we were able to basically interpret everything for ourselves. It never felt like the hum-drum classes where you sit and watch Power Points for 2 hours, then every few weeks you're tested on those slides. I felt like this class was more of a growing experience for each individual and we were allowed to voice our opinions on an issue dealing with race, gender and the media. I know that by taking this class I've become more aware of the diversity that I will face in the workplace. I think I'm prepared, with my "tool box," to work with people different than me. I think I'll be able to understand where other people are coming from that are different than me. Probably the most important idea that I'll take away from the class into the media field is white privilege. The fact that I even know that exists now makes me more sensitive, no.. that's not the word, more.. aware of what's going on in my surroundings. The massive amounts of group work have also taught me how to be more patient and assertive, as needed. Because we weren't able to choose our own groups, we had to practice what we were being taught about diversity. I know that my group was a collaboration of a mixture of people. We all do things differently, but we were able to complete tasks.. which is a crucial skill in the workplace.

Here is a funny clip from The Office on "Diversity Day".. this can be a "what not to do" example: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-j7wr-wsmcI

I've said this before in previous blogs, but it's one idea that I think should be enforced. We've actually had a class discussion about this topic also. I think this type of class should be mandatory for every student trying to become a working professional. The fact that our college offers us this class as an elective is great. But, it's just that.. an elective. It fulfills a requirement that can be interchanged with other classes that are offered. It would be a wonderful thing for atleast every college to offer a class dealing with race and gender issues in society, not just solely in media. The people who have the opportunity to take this class, we are the ones with the advantage in the work place. We have become aware of all of the issues and we're prepared to deal with them. Also, by publicly discussing the topics in class has also given us an advantage to actually hear other people's viewpoints, causing us to realize that our opinion or view is not the only one that matters. In fact, other's do think differently. THE END.!

Hip-Hop Media Assignment

Five hip-hop songs:

1. Talib Kweli - Get By http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=77zxCAfVeD8
2. K'naan - Bang Bang http://www.myspace.com/knaanmusic
3. The Sugar Hill Gang -Rapper's Delight http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4-MEL84yXh0&feature=PlayList&p=9D7A571FDE15B1F5&index=0&playnext=1
4. DNOAX - They See Revolution http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MPP1spyK-_
5. Jin tha MC - Asian Freestyle 2 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sumQYehhSqY

Five hip-hop videos:

1. Run DMC - It's like that http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KoQb8vb4blA
- The entire video shows people break dancing. There isn't even a shot of Run DMC in the video.
2. DJ Kool - Let me clear my throat http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yqfCluBH3qY
- The focus is pretty much all about partying. It seems like the video is staged at a live show.
3. Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five - The Message http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BN9-K0aZXRg
- The focus was party, flashy '80's clothes and dancing to the music.
4. Fatback Band - Do the bus stop http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PeeOPR8bxac
- Dancing was a main focus, also the musical instruments were more prevalent.
5. LL Cool J - I need love http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ECTv2J-S07g
- This video was more like a movie, with characters and a scene. Fashion seemed to a theme.

Two radio stations that broadcast hip-hop: 103.5 and 104.9

Hip-Hop advertising:





Influence of hip-hop in the media:

The first thing that popped into my head was the creation of UrbanDictionary.com. The fact that it exists displays how much hip-hop has become a part of the mainstream media. There is actually an online dictionary for you to look up these words because they are used so frequently. I picked a few words as examples that can be clearly defined for you on this Web site... shiznit, baller, cholo, the list goes on and on. Literally. The influence of hip hop on the media can be found anywhere. Shoot, I saw Lil' Wayne on CBS in an interview with Katie Couric.

My mother's choice of music as a youngin':

Rock N' Roll - The Rolling Stones
Classic Rock - The Beatles
Roots Rock - Eric Clapton

Reflection:

Obviously, fashion is definitly influenced by hip-hop artisits. From all of the videos that I watched for this assignment, fashion was key. From crazy, flashy '80's get up to LL Cool J's sweet sweat suit, they certainly set the trends in that particular niche of the population. However, I had never been exposed to old school hip-hop before and I'll go ahead and say that I think the way "hip-hop" is portrayed currently is not what the originators intended. I think it's fair to say that a lot of performers use deragatory language and promote unmoral practices; however I am still a listener so I'm not complaining. I'm just trying to make the point that hip hop has made these practices more mainstream in the media, thus making it more societally acceptable. I think some hip hop artists are comparable to, say Elvis back in the day, in the sense that they are able to promote a product for a company and have tremendous success. Maybe it's just me, but the first thing that pops into my head when I hear the word hip hop is "Regulators! Mount up! It was a clear black night, a clear white moon, Warren G was on the streets, trying to consume, Some skirts for the eve, so I can get some funk....." What a classic.

Is it in the pictures?

Blog assignment & Reflection 5

1) 2009 University of Oklahoma Visitor Guide, magazine.
- The advertisements included in the visitor guide were generally aimed at college students who are considering attending OU. There is an ad for the OU IT store on campus. The only black student is a black man dressed in a collared shirt sitting next to a group of white men all dressed the same. There are no other ethnicities portrayed on the page besides all white people.

2) Glamour, magazine.
- The cover is of an attactive white female. Throughout the publication, there are various ads for the Candie's brand. The white woman in the middle of the picture with roller skates on is the first thing you see. As you look in the background, you can see that she is accomapanied by one hispanic friend and one African American friend. Their faces are less noticable and almost blurry-like.

3) The Bachelor, television.
- As I was watching re-runs online, the only African American woman that was included as a bachelorette was a woman that had straight hair, light skin and had all the traits of a white woman.

4) Ebony, magazine.
- The majority of ads in this magazine featured African American men and women. The majority of the women portrayed didn't look like the typical black woman. They all had straight hair and lighter skin. Hispanic women were the other race in these ads.

5) Better Homes and Gardens, magazine.
-Throughout the entire 21 pages of this magazine, I only came across one ad with an African American person in it. This magazine is typically aimed at families and no minority families are in the ads. The one ad that had a black person in it is of an African American child for ADHD. He is in a baseball uniform with other white players surrounding him.

6) Church's Chicken, commerical.
-The commercial showed all African American women employees with all white female customers.

7) Lucky, magazine.
- An ad for Lucky Brand Jeans was a collage of different people's faces. Only around the edges, surround the rest of the faces, were the colored faces. They basically made up a border for the white faces. As if to minimize the appearance of the minority faces.

8) People, magazine.
-A CoverGirl ad with Halle Berry. Light-skinned, white-featured African American woman selling make-up.

9) NCAA basketball events, television.
-I was paying close attention to all of the African American cheerleaders. All seemed to have straight, white-like hair.

10) Project Runway, television.
-The African American and Asian models that have on the show all have white features.


Reflection--

The short paragraph from Coltrane was very enlightening to me in regards to the way media essentially sells things. Things that make up our economy, everyone's economy. The first thing ad that popped into my head, and subsequently one that I found in a magazine, was the Halle Berry ad for CoverGirl. I can only imagine how young African American girls were shaped after being exposed to that ad. Halle Berry has everything "white" that you could imagine, she's just got darker skin than a white woman. Not only was the ad telling you that the image of a beautiful African American woman is light-skinned, but is also drilled into women's heads that they must wear make-up in order to be beautiful.

Another ad, the ad that I found in Better Homes and Gardens of the young black boy. Throughout the ENTIRE magazine, and believe me I flipped through every page hoping that I wasn't actually coming to this realization, there was only ONE advertisement with a black person in it. I wouldn't have included the ad into this assignment if it weren't for this... the young black boy was wearing a baseball uniform with the matching hat. This portrayed to me that A) yes, this magazine is willing to put ONE ad with a black person in it but 2) the black kid had to be portrayed as an "all American boy" (as any white kid may be portrayed)" You all might take it another way, but that's the way the ad translated in my head.

If you take, for example, the Dallas Cowboy cheerleaders you will notice something. I'm only able to pick out seven African American cheerleaders. This gets hard becuase if you were able to zoom in on this picture, it's hard to distinguish a few of them. They all portray the "white standard of beauty," none of them stand out in their diverse ways. I just thought this was interesting.

After this assignment, I will no longer be able to flip through a magazine or watch a television commerical without realizing how much products and services are directed at white people and how the standard of white beauty is drilled into our minds unconsciously.

Local News Tracking

Extra Credit Assignment--

By tracking seven news broadcasts, I'd like to say that I was completely shocked by my findings, but I think they just reinforced what I had previously assumed would be the outcome.

First of all, I would like to point out that out of 21 crime stories that I tracked during the A segments, I had less than five that were led-in or reported by an African American reporter. I've grown up in Oklahoma my entire life and watched local news pertaining to the Oklahoma City-metro area. I was unaware to what extent minority groups are underrepresented in the delivery of news through our local media.

Another finding, most of the news stories that I tracked showed a suspect in a mug shot or a still-picture. It did not matter what race the suspect was, a picture was generally shown. I did notice that white males, another comment coming soon about this, were shown more frequently in video (of them walking into the jail, being hauled off to jail, etc. ) as opposed to other races. The second comment about white males, they were most prominently shown in crimes that were of high status. Black and Hispanic males were portrayed in literally every aspect of crime in the 21 crime stories I tracked.

During my tracking, I came across very few crime stories that had to deal with women. I don't know if this is because women are less likely to commit crimes versus men, but it's something I noticed. Ironically, one of the last days I was tracking stories, there was a broadly publicized criminal incident involving a woman. An African American female had robbed four metro banks and was eventually identified and taken into custody. I found it interesting that this was such a popular story, because it had 1) a catchy news element 2) the fact that the suspect had yet to be caught and 3) she was a woman! Definitely a story that all three local news channels were broadcasting because it was so rare.

Here's the video of her arrest (it's around the five minute mark):



I really liked this assignment because it made me pay attention to how people of different races were being portrayed, how neighborhoods were shown, etc. I had never really paid attention to things like that while watching a local broadcast. But, now that I have.. I will never look at local news again without paying attention to the little things.

News & the Media

Blog assignment & reflection 3

1. The news and agenda is ultimately decided by the governement. The government sets the rules which in turn are followed by media outlets. By allowing a select number of media outlets to monopolize over smaller interests allows for the setting of the agenda. These outlets then get to choose what news is "newsworthy" and what news is "not newsworthy." The FCC, in particular, is responsible for what is chosen to be broadcast to the public.

2) We need media that are specifically directed to people of color because they are greatly misrepresented and underrepresented in mainstream media. When was the last time you heard of a black NPR being broadcasted that dealt with African American neighborhoods, issues and politics? Positive, intellectual stories of the minority are often overlooked. When asked, "aren't the interests of people of color the interests of everyone?," I would like to say yes. Unfortuantely, I don't think our society has this parallel perspective that we should all care about one another's interests. As Melody Spann Cooper explained, her radio broadcast is solely to inform and educated of urban issues in Chicago (the only one of its kind). The other urban radio stations, which are not owned by African Americans, are there to entertain. As if African Americans don't need to have a venue to discuss matters important to them.

3) The war was essentially reported as a script, with certain reporters already determined to be picked for questions by the White House. The questions being asked during the first press conference after 9/11 didn't get to the nitty gritty and vaguely discussed what the American people were about to face. The idea of fear was put into our faces from both the media and the government. We were then implanted with the idea that patriotism was our major weapon, that we were willing to do anything to get the country (or specific people of that country) that was responsible for the most devistating massacre on our soil. As the video explained, this was the perfect opportunity for our government to go after Saddam Hussein and the media was the perfect platform to initiate this task.

4) It's interesting, and disturbing, to know that the media picks and chooses what we hear about our country, or broadly--our world. As Bill Moyers asks, why was it not publicized that 100,000 people in 11 MAJOR cities gathered together to protest the occupation of Iraq? I certainly don't recall hearing of these protests, which is shocking. Is it because the media is lined up with governmental interests? I think so.

5) To say that the media wasn't beneficial to the Civil Rights Movement, I believe, would be incorrect. If the media was to not cover this movement at all, how was the American public to know of the situations being faced by African Americans? Sure, they were aware of what was going on around them, but some may have not. Now, did the media pick and choose what they showed? Yes. The media could and should have been more objective by showing all of the dimensions of the movement.

6) All of these videos were very interesting because I a) was unaware of the "behind the scenes" media and governmental coverage of post 9/11 and b) I was completely blind to the fact that our government has such a large effect on the coverage of certain minority groups. The FCC, for one, needs to change their limiations on how many stations one business can own, allowing for smaller entities to target other audiences. I was also very shocked that we, as a society, are so shaped in our conceptions of what the media is telling us and how it's sometimes orchestrated by the one entity that we should have full trust in--our government. Wouldn't our world be so much more colorful if social and political issues were being openly discussed among every racial group via the mainstream media?

Gender & Race Stereotypes

Blog Assignment 2 & Daily Reflection 4--

02-23-09 - 10:30 am.
NAS 1013, Dr. Kim Roppolo
Classroom experience
Racial stereotypes.
Class discussion about team mascots.
http://www.aistm.org/1indexpage.htm

02-23-09 - 10 pm.
My apartment - Norman
Film
The Stepford Wives
Gender stereotypes.
The entire movie.

02-24-09 - 7:15 pm.
Television-Cable, Fox
American Idol - Grand Theft Auto IV commerical
Gender stereotype.
Objectification of women.
Camera follows woman's rear around without showing her face.

02-24-09 - 9:30 pm.
Personal Conversation with a group of male friends
Joe's Taverna
Racial stereotypes.
Assumptions of a group of people that walked in based on their skin color.

02-25-09 - 3 pm ( from DVR)
Television-Cable, Bravo
The Real Housewives of Orange County
Gender stereotypes of women.
Money obsessed, housewives.

2-25-09 - 11 pm.
Television-Cable, Fox
Family Guy
Racial stereotype.
"Asian reporter" Trisha Takinowa.

2-26-09 - 4:30 pm.
Class discussion
NAS 3453, Dr. Robert Fields
Dale Hale Tower
Racial sterotypes.
General stereotypes associated with Native Americans.

2-26-09 - 7 pm.
Internet - Website
www.glade.com
Gender stereotypes.
Every dot you click shows a different woman, no man is on the page.

2-27-09 - 10 am.
Film
Sex in the City
Gender stereotypes.
Depicting Samantha Jones as "easy."

2-27-09 - 3 pm.
Film
My apartment - Norman
Save the Last Dance
Gender and racial stereotypes.
Only white girl in a poor African American school. All African Americans are good dancers.





I had always known that stereotyping in media existed from other classes, but once I had to sit down and write down every incident I came across I was shocked. Literally, in the majority of commercials, television shows and songs there is a stereotype. I'm sure I could have written down 20 just for the ones I've encountered today. By being so exposed to these stereotypes ALL the time, it's now wonder that these stereotypes are then carried into our society and practiced. One thing, in particular, that surprised me was how many commercials are directed at women. EVERY product dealing with things around the house that I saw portrayed a woman cleaning, etc. This is extremely different than what I experienced growing up as both my mother and father had an equal part in the cleaning and cooking. This only verifies the outlook many men, and perhaps some women also, have on the "American family" and the "American dream."

It was shocking to me how many gender and racial stereotypes I encounter each day through my friends and classmates. Before this assignment, or maybe even before my indulgence into this class, I was completely unaware of how many offensive things my friends say. Now, I'm not saying that my friends are bad people, I just think we're all a little oblivious to some of the things we say in normal day-to-day conversations and social interactions. At one point while hanging out with my friends, I told them about the assignment (so they didn't think I was turning into "that" girl in the corner writing down every conversation they were having). They were shocked themselves when I showed them the list that I had compiled while watching about 2 hours of television at my apartment. They didn't have in depth discussions about these people that they saw on various programs, they just made little remarks that were offensive. These personal encounters only exposed me to more about our society and how we stereotype others based on the color of skin, sexual orientation and gender without even realizing that what we're saying is potentially offensive to other people.

I was able to understand how the cultivation of images affects representation and individual perspectives of different ethnic groups and women. I'm going to use commercials as I discuss this, only because this is where I, personally, viewed the majority of stereotypes during this assignment. As I stated above, I was surprised by just how many commercials there are devoted to targeting women. They essentially say to someone watching that the role of the woman is to cook, clean and take care of children (this can range from doing the laundry with a specific detergent to buying the most flexible and fragrant trash bags to owning that minivan with the self-opening side door.) It's no wonder why these stereotypes are still very prevalent in our society today, maybe not as much as they were 4 or 5 decades ago, but they still exist. The only thing I noticed in regards to race in commercials is that white people were generally the majority. For example, I saw a toothpaste commercial where 5 dentists were recommending or not recommending it. Four out of the 5 dentists were white, leaving one African American dentist at the end of the table. He was the last to have an opinion and he was the only dentist that didn't recommend the toothpaste. Now, this might be irrelevant but I just found it odd that the "odd man out" was the African American man that was going against the grain of the other dentists. Ironic, or intended?

The Idea of "Privilege."

Blog Assignment 1 & Personal Reflection 3

Blog Assignment 1--
Before watching the Tim Wise video it's safe to say that I had never really thought about the idea of privilege. I didn't know the term existed and I certainly wasn't aware that it was an "issue" in our society.

The idea of privilege seems so broad to me right now, my brain is still trying to digest the information. I agree, and now realize, that privilege is prevalent in our society. I don't think it's right, fair, all of the other synonyms that sum up that feeling. I think it's a perfect example of how our society still needs to be tweaked, changed, molded to treat everyone equal. But, regardless.. call me a pessimist if you must, I think there will always be people with that "ol' boy" attitude and world view.

When thinking of the question: How does the media utilize privilege in media representation, the first thing that automatically pops into my head is television shows. I can only recall one show that I've seen that depicts an "upper-class, rich, black family" and that should would be the one, the only Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. And while I think of this, it makes sense in my head of privilege. We don't think anything of a television show based on an "upper-class, rich, white family." We see this as a norm, nothing special. That to me, is an example of privilege.

It's hard to know how received privileges since I've never been on the other side, so I read another classmates blog who is on the other side, so here are a few:

(Disclaimer: I am a Native American person and a member of the Muscogee Creek Nation. However, I do not look native, at all. So I have never had to deal with people treating me differently because of my skin color.)

• I can't recall a time I was blatantly ignored in a store. Often I become annoyed at how many times I'm asked "Can I help you look for something?"
• I don't have to wonder if someone is basing my actions on the color of my skin.
  
• I don't have people asking me "what is it like to ___" (fill in a question).
• My friends don't have to be careful about what they say around me in fear that they might offend me, thus I know them for who they really are.
• People don't have to change the way they talk to me when they approach me.
• I don't have to think about how other people are treated better than me in society.
• I don't have to defend stereotypes about my race.
  
• I am never the only person of my race in a room.
  

Hands down, I strongly believe that society believes in the one drop rule. I don't think that someone who is clearly African American could tell someone that they weren't black, that just wouldn't make sense. I don't think if you were to act black, but you were really white, that you would be presumed as black. Your character may resemble that of a "typical African American" that you have perceived in your mind, but you are still white.

Personal Reflection 3--
I think the reflection question this week totally encompasses the purpose of this class. The responsibility of knowledge is one of our greatest responsibilities as adults. As we get older we learn more about the "world" that we are all inhabitants of. Not only the geography of the world, but how it works, how society works, etc.

The Tim Wise video is a great example of one of those "aha" moments when you realize you've just experienced a grown up experience. As I wrote earlier, I had no idea about the idea of privilege before being exposed to it through the video. I was oblivious that it existed but it made me think and it became evident after I was aware of it.

Through obtaining new knowledge, we must think about how this enlightenment shapes us and the people around us. We then should change our behavior based on our awareness. To know that privilege is alive and kickin' in society makes me think about how people are treated. It then makes me want to become a better person and, although I am only one person on this Earth, I somehow feel that I am decreasing contribution to "privilege."

It is our responsibility to continue to change and mold the society we wish to live in. Without some of the great leaders of our country having this mindset, who knows what we would live in today. I believe that there are many people out there that will never have the opportunity or the desire to open up their eyes about things they don't know about, and I feel sorry for those people.

I hope that from this class I will be able to gain more knowledge of things that as of 4:42 p.m. on this Friday afternoon I am completely oblivious to.

On a side note, I found this to be entertaining. I Googled privilege, here is their definition:
http://www.google.com/search?client=firefox-a&rls=org.mozilla%3Aen-US%3Aofficial&channel=s&hl=en&q=define%3A+privilege&btnG=Google+Search

And... here is Urbandictionary's definition:
http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=privilege