Moving forward with the times

Today’s class discussion was abouscore ways society and media has changed over the years. I found this discussion interesting because it is very true that we as a society have come a long way when it comes to minorities, laws, media, etc. In my eyes though, it does beg the question, how much further can or will we come? Then on the other hand, you can’t help but question is it possible to reverse the so called “penjulum” that our professor was speaking about today.

Is it possible for society someday to make a complete one eighty and go back to the times of segregation, racism and prejudice?! It is a scary thought if you really consider how and why something like that would happen.

In my opinion, it is completely possible for segregation to make a comeback in society. If not segregation, mass hate against certain races. Although we have come extremely far as a society I believe if a large amount of a certain race were to lash out or cause trouble such as what occurred in the LA riots, that particular group would be looked down upon as a whole.

As far as going further as a society, I think media will become mostly electronic. I believe electronics such as smartphones and the Internet will eliminate media sources such as news print, etc.

Racism, prejudice and all things in between

Today in class we watched a clip for the movie American History X. It was the part where Derek is making a speech to his followers about how corrupt American is becoming due to how many illegal immigrants we let into this country and how many jobs they take away from hard working Americans each day. Immediately following his speech Derek and his followers attack a local grocery store and it’s employees because of the many Hispanics they’ve recently hired.

American History X touches upon many issues of racism we still face today. Although I have seen this movie before, watching a clip from it today reminded me how much I had been affected by it in the past. The issues which the main character Derek focuses on are the way minorities are in a sense ruining America, and how they have no respect for the law, authority, etc.

Although Derek made many valid points during his multiple speeches throughout the movie, I can’t help but wonder… If this is the way he view minorities, how can he possibly view himself? He not only preaches about how destruction of communities in wrong, but also how equality for Americans is what’s most important. Despite his persuasive speeches,née does not practice what he preaches. He and his followers constantly destroy their communities property, ransacking many businesses throughout the movie, while killing a few people as well.

In my opinion, it clearly shows Derek and people like him clearly have unamerican values although the preach about what’s important for America. It is an oxymoron at its finest.

Because America is supposed to be the land of the free, open to all people, and all men are created equal, Derek exemplifies many truly unamerican characteristics.

Protesting for a cause

Recently, one of the most onstories local news stories we have faced here in LA is the protesting occurring by an organized group called Occupy LA. This group has been camping out at locally downtown Los Angeles park in order to fight back against the government, demanding democracy instead of corporatocracy. Although Occupy LA has been relatively peaceful and calm, most people wonder if the protests are really necessary.

In my opinion, I am against the protests. Not only is it unclear what their real motive is, but they are also vregarding multiple laws regarding curfews for staying overnight in public areas. I do admire that they have avoided turning this into an overly violent riot such as the watts riots which occurred years ago. I truly feel though, that the real reason they a protesting has gone forgotten. They are now viewed as nuisances instead of people standing up for a cause. Perhaps, if they protest at the park until the curfew time, go home and regroup, then come back the next day more people would be able to takethem seriously instead of as a group of people that the police are struggling to take control of.

On the other hand, I can see the viewpoint of the protesters. I’m sure they don’t want to give the police any time to plan out their next move, which may be the reason they are staying in this position. I am all for standing up for what you believe in, but where do we draw the line between standing up for a cause and doing wrong to get there?

 

How far is TOO far?

Recently, a video was posted to YouTube showing a disturbing scene of campus police pepper spraying protesters at UC Davis. The unsightly video demonstrated an authorities abuse of power. Although abuses of power happen more often than they should, his demonstration clearly showed a peaceful protest on campus immediately following campus police pepper spraying their backs, as well as their fronts. It makes us question the motive of authoritarian figures such as police. In my opinion, this demonstration was not only wrong, but devastating to think for even a moment that people we are supposed to put our trust in to “serve and protect” are committing acts even worse than simple protesters.

Thumbs up or down for new season of Two & A Half Men

As we all know the well-liked show Two the media made us all aware of the Charlie Sheen/producers of Two and a Half Men drama which occured earlier this year when Charlia Sheen was fired from the show indefinetely. For a good amount of time we all wondered who, if anyone, would be able to fill the shoes of the women loving, alcohol drinking Charlie. Recently, the announcement was made that Ashton Kutcher would become the newest member of the cast.

Most of us wondered how the show would go over with Charlie as a part of the team… Some doubted the success of the show while others believe Ashton would fill Charlie’s shoes nicely. This past week the brand new season aired, with the first show ending with a dissapointing total number of views. Being a viewer and fan of the show I personally was not anxious for Kutchers appearance on the new season. I had it in my mind that the show just would not be the same without Charlies character… And in my personal opinion I ended up being right.

The lack of Sheen’s character created a dull vibe for me coming from theshow. Though I enjoyed the way that Kutcher’s character was introduced, I believe he was trying a bit too hard to be the new and improved Charlie… It was unsuccessful in my opinion.

I believe the producers of Two and a Half Men would have done better if they had went with the original assumed replacement for Charlie, which would have been John Stamos. I believe Stamos would have delivered a good character preformance in relations to Charlies former character. I also did not enjoy the way they killed off his character. It was quick and almost not very well thought out. To me, Two and a Half Men will last only a few more episodes if I’m judging from the first episode of the season.

Shame to say that considering it is a very beloved and enjoyed show.

Music for the soul

With the variety of genres, artists, songs, and beats becoming established in this day and age, its difficult to find one song out of millions that speaks beyond its lyrics. All About You by Classified does just that.

This hip hop song incorporates real life struggles with the will we should all have to better ourselves each day. It speaks about love that is lost, financial difficulties, alchohol troubles, etc, but what I believe all listeners should take out of this truly beautiful song is the message to overcome all struggles life throws at you and enjoy each day as it comes.

The chorus sung by Chad Hatcher reads: “It’s all about YOU. Every morning when you wake before the first step that you take just think its all what you make it, and you’ll make it through…” Brilliant beyond words. The chorus re-enforces the famous saying “life is about 10 percent what happens to me and 90 percent how I react to it”. Though there are many lyrical songs today that speak to the public about a variety of subjects, its nearly impossible not to be touched by the wisdom in which Classified brings from the recording studio to our ears when we hear this song.

The song continues to show us that life is much more than material objects and the emphasis we, as humans, place on them. It also speaks about how WE should define the way our lives should be lived, not others around us or the glamourized perceptions which television portrays life to be. I mean, lets face it…how many of us turn to our peers, television, etc in order to find ourselves, or to figure out our worth? I’m guessing one too many of us!

Despite the many ingenius lines, by far my favorite lyrics of the song are these, spoken by Classified himself: “Some of the most successful people on this planet, will kill themselves for somebody else’s like they really couldnt manage. Then we got bums, alcoholics on the streets, with no stress, no where to rest, no where to dress, no where to sleep. And they say fuck my morals. I’m drinkin’ away my sorrows. I’m livin’ life and I’m happy, I ain’t thinking about tomorrow.”

…..words to think about without a doubt.

Begs the questions…who really ARE the happiest people on this planet? Are they those who appear to have it all, or those who may not have much but make each day the best they can?

Teen Mom hits and misses

Teen Mom 2….

Four teen girls dealing with the trials and triumphs of being young mothers. The show, airing on MTV, has brought about alot of controversy as many viewers wonder whether it glamourizes teen motherhood, making it seem much easier than it typically is in the real world.

Though Teen Mom is considered a reality show, many question how “real” the show actually is. As a viewer of the show myself, my opinions have become torn between whether it glamourizes teen motherhood or whether is makes viewers very aware of the everyday issues which come along with having a child at a young age.

I believe its a toss up when it comes to what type of message the show sends to its audience. When asking my mom how she felt about the show she responded with a disgusted look on her face, stating that the show was a huge waste of time. In all honesty, I disagree with this statement. When watching Teen Mom and following the lives of these four girls, I see many real life issues which a variety of people go through whether it be marraige, adoption, parent drama, friend drama, boyfriend drama…etc. Teen Mom not only shows the difficulties of having a child young, but also virtually all typical issues our youth deals with on a daily basis.

One curiosity I do have regarding the show is how staged it actually is. While doing more research I’ve learned that the four teen girl stars of the show are currently making 60,000 to 65,000 per season. Money like that can persuade many people to do many things, raising the question…how much truth is there to the actions/statements/drama/etc on the show? Knowing the amount of money they are each being paid to be apart of the show, we as viewers cannot help but wonder if they are being influenced to portray themselves or their lives a certain way in order for the show to have certain ratings.

Either way, the fact of the matter is that Teen Mom producers have been ingenius enough to base a show off of the many typical issues which teens go through and can relate to. The majority of they’re audience are young girls who are completely engaged in trying to figure out how Farrah(Teen Mom character) is going to deal with her issues with her mom, or how Macy’s(Teen Mom character) relationship with her new boyfriend is going to work out. Most of the young girl viewers are unconcerned with whether it is staged or not, but rather interested in what will happen in the next episode that they will be able to say “Hey, thats happened to me too!” 

So is Teen Mom a hit or miss?! I guess the ratings can answer that one for itself! HIT from all angles.