I definitely think it is an issue in our society today. I agree with this week's blog discussion by palee_v. I believe the lack of censorship in our society does cause harm, especially to young people. When we think about 1950's and earlier we think of modesty, conservatism, polite relations between people, and respect for others. Today, whenever we see a movie it will include lots of sex, violence, drugs, and lack of respect for one's parents or the elderly. I get shocked of what might be shown on cable television, sometimes it is embarrassing to watch some of the programs with my parents in the same room.
I do not proclaim total 100% censorship, I just believe that it should be harder for people (especially teenagers and kids) to access provocative programming. But now there is a different question that comes to mind, what exactly should be censored? Should we sensor sex or violence or both? And finally the most important question in my mind, who does the censoring? As a society whom do we allow such power of censorship...
Furthermore, I believe that clothing styles portrayed on television should be changed. I feel this way because with each year that I get older I see more "nudity while clothed." Women do not have much of respect for their bodies today, or so it seems. People that dress conservative are proclaimed as nerds or geeks. I do not think this is right. Once again, what we watch influences our styles of clothing, thinking, and behaving. Therefore, I believe greater censorship would benefit our society.
Wednesday, February 23, 2011
Thursday, February 17, 2011
Medical Fanatics: Who Do You Trust for Online Health Information?
Medical Fanatics: Who Do You Trust for Online Health Information?: " While surfing the internet, do you find yourself second-guessing the validity of the articles that you read or just simply take it at ..."
Americans are so super busy, between careers, childcare, marriages, relationships and whatnot. But make no mistake, most of the time its running around in circular motions. We find it verry difficult to simply relax and enjoy some "me-time". I would like to suggest that we re-prioritze
and learn to use this time more contructively. For example, some soul-searching may be in order to discover our "true" likes and dislikes, making goals for the future and spending quality time with our loved ones. However, we feel an overwhelming need to be entertained. Perhaps, we waste a so much time, seeking outside distractions, that we miss the opportunity to discover what's really important in our day-to-day-lives.
and learn to use this time more contructively. For example, some soul-searching may be in order to discover our "true" likes and dislikes, making goals for the future and spending quality time with our loved ones. However, we feel an overwhelming need to be entertained. Perhaps, we waste a so much time, seeking outside distractions, that we miss the opportunity to discover what's really important in our day-to-day-lives.
Tuesday, February 15, 2011
Lack of Censorship
In our last class discussion, we talked about some important problems surrounding our topic. One main problem we believe that is very important was the lack of censorship in what we see on television or in movies. What is censorship? "Censorship is the suppression of words, images, or ideas that are "offensive" (American Civil Liberties Union, n.d., para. 1). Children are the ones who are watching television the most these days so with the lack of censorship kids are being exposed to violence and other unsuitable acts that are being shown. Although television was introduced in the 1920s, it did not become popular with everybody until the 1950s. As watching television whether it was a show or a movie became more common in the homes of people, questions came up about who and how the content shown should be regulated. The FCC (Federal Communications Commission) had the authority to regulate what can be shown on television. The FCC was established by Franklin Roosevelt.
I feel that today there is not enough censorship when it comes to extremely violent and explicit content that we see on television. Back than before television became popular children even adults would be doing something else besides sitting down in the living room in front of a television set. In today’s society everybody is watching television. I believe that it is especially the younger kids that are doing it the most. If there is not enough censorship think about what the kids are watching while the parents are not around. When I am sitting down watching television all I see are shows that have a lot of content about sex, crimes, killings, and drugs. Even the cartoon shows kids love to watch for example, Family Guy is not suitable for the young children. When kids are young they have great imaginations, what they see on television will most likely influence them.
I do not think that it is just television that lacks censorship either. Think about what is being shown on the internet. Almost everybody here in America has access to the internet somehow.
Here are some interesting articles you make look into.
http://socyberty.com/issues/media-censorship-and-youth/
http://www.bgsu.edu/departments/tcom/faculty/ha/tcom103fall2004/gp6/
http://www.aclu.org/free-speech/what-censorship
I feel that today there is not enough censorship when it comes to extremely violent and explicit content that we see on television. Back than before television became popular children even adults would be doing something else besides sitting down in the living room in front of a television set. In today’s society everybody is watching television. I believe that it is especially the younger kids that are doing it the most. If there is not enough censorship think about what the kids are watching while the parents are not around. When I am sitting down watching television all I see are shows that have a lot of content about sex, crimes, killings, and drugs. Even the cartoon shows kids love to watch for example, Family Guy is not suitable for the young children. When kids are young they have great imaginations, what they see on television will most likely influence them.
I do not think that it is just television that lacks censorship either. Think about what is being shown on the internet. Almost everybody here in America has access to the internet somehow.
Here are some interesting articles you make look into.
http://socyberty.com/issues/media-censorship-and-youth/
http://www.bgsu.edu/departments/tcom/faculty/ha/tcom103fall2004/gp6/
http://www.aclu.org/free-speech/what-censorship
Monday, February 7, 2011
Symbolism and Entertainment.
From a previous class discussion I realized that I needed to further my research on reality; and what it means to escape the reality. I would like to explore this topic first prior to talking about symbolism. I believe it is important to discuss these elements of entertainment because being aware of any nuances may make it easier to figure out underlying meanings in movies, commercials, and media in general.
What is reality? Reality means facts of existence; other synonyms of reality include: being, actuality, absoluteness, truth http://thesaurus.com/browse/reality. At first glance, the definition of reality does not sound very fun; it seems to convey feelings of heaviness and burden. For example, the reality most students have to face is the lack of money and rest. People tend to use the term "reality" when talking about something unpleasant; for example, the reality of sex discrimination or the reality of racism. Nevertheless, I believe that "reality" is actually a positive word and many people tend to use it negatively. Now, for the sake of better understanding it is important to evaluate antonyms of the word "reality." Antonyms include: belief, fantasy, hypothesis, imagination, theory http://thesaurus.com/browse/reality. All antonyms of the word "reality" seem to suggest creativity and fun. People love to fantasize about their dreams and goals; also people love to use imagination and create theories about various topics that are of interest to them.
After defining the term "reality," I would like to examine the meaning of the word "escape." What does it mean to escape? Escape means to break away from; other synonyms of the word include: avoid, bail out, depart, disappear. Antonyms of "escape" include: capture, remain, stay http://thesaurus.com/browse/escape. So, after defining the important terms it is possible to put them together. To escape the reality means to break away from facts of existence; or (if using synonyms) to avoid the truth. I believe it is very tempting for human beings to use this method to deal with stress. Many people turn to entertainment (such as Internet, movies, and other media) to relax and feel better. What about video games, is this the ultimate way of escaping the reality?
The concept of reality brings about a different question. What about symbolism? What does symbolism mean and is it a part of reality? A symbol is something that represents something else; by association or by resemblance. For example, language is a system of spoken and written symbols by which we communicate. In a context of writing, symbolism represents a deeper meaning than the words themselves. (Willis, 1996-2011, p.1). Furthermore, according to Willis, "This kind of extension of meaning can transform the written word into a very powerful instrument" (Willis, 1996-2011, p.1, para. 1).
If symbolism has the power to transform a certain meaning of a word into a powerful instrument of suggestion; how does it affect the media and entertainment? According to Bakony, Edward, symbolism used by film makers can serve as a bridge between feeling and thought. Also what people read and learn through a symbol varies with what they bring to it's meaning. The filmmakers try to use universal symbolism; but in a film it can be very subtle that the audience my be unaware of its existence. Furthermore, a symbol arises when an image is surrounded by a complex of conscious and unconscious associations; it's impact depends on its cultural context (Bakony, 1974, p.1).
I think that the meaning of symbolism does depend on a cultural context. For example, interracial marriages play a big role in suggestive symbolism. This issue can be questioned in couple of ways. How popular is interracial marriage in films? Do people embrace or reject an idea of interracial marriage? When we see an Arabic man with a Caucasian woman who has to wear the traditional clothing to suit his culture, how do we react ( for example the movie, "Not Without My Daughter)? When we see an African-American man with a Caucasian woman, how do we react? I think this is an example of subtle symbolism that filmmakers use in some of their productions.
A good link for further research:
http://www.eric.ed.gov/ERICWebPortal/search/detailmini.jsp?_nfpb=true&_&ERICExtSearch_SearchValue_0=ED096715&ERICExtSearch_SearchType_0=no&accno=ED096715
References
Bakony, Edward. (1974). "Symbolism in the Feature Film." Retrieved from http://www.eric.ed.gov
Willis, Bill. (1996-2011). Symbolism. Retrieved from http://www.worsleyschool.net/socialarts/symbolism/page.html
What is reality? Reality means facts of existence; other synonyms of reality include: being, actuality, absoluteness, truth http://thesaurus.com/browse/reality. At first glance, the definition of reality does not sound very fun; it seems to convey feelings of heaviness and burden. For example, the reality most students have to face is the lack of money and rest. People tend to use the term "reality" when talking about something unpleasant; for example, the reality of sex discrimination or the reality of racism. Nevertheless, I believe that "reality" is actually a positive word and many people tend to use it negatively. Now, for the sake of better understanding it is important to evaluate antonyms of the word "reality." Antonyms include: belief, fantasy, hypothesis, imagination, theory http://thesaurus.com/browse/reality. All antonyms of the word "reality" seem to suggest creativity and fun. People love to fantasize about their dreams and goals; also people love to use imagination and create theories about various topics that are of interest to them.
After defining the term "reality," I would like to examine the meaning of the word "escape." What does it mean to escape? Escape means to break away from; other synonyms of the word include: avoid, bail out, depart, disappear. Antonyms of "escape" include: capture, remain, stay http://thesaurus.com/browse/escape. So, after defining the important terms it is possible to put them together. To escape the reality means to break away from facts of existence; or (if using synonyms) to avoid the truth. I believe it is very tempting for human beings to use this method to deal with stress. Many people turn to entertainment (such as Internet, movies, and other media) to relax and feel better. What about video games, is this the ultimate way of escaping the reality?
The concept of reality brings about a different question. What about symbolism? What does symbolism mean and is it a part of reality? A symbol is something that represents something else; by association or by resemblance. For example, language is a system of spoken and written symbols by which we communicate. In a context of writing, symbolism represents a deeper meaning than the words themselves. (Willis, 1996-2011, p.1). Furthermore, according to Willis, "This kind of extension of meaning can transform the written word into a very powerful instrument" (Willis, 1996-2011, p.1, para. 1).
If symbolism has the power to transform a certain meaning of a word into a powerful instrument of suggestion; how does it affect the media and entertainment? According to Bakony, Edward, symbolism used by film makers can serve as a bridge between feeling and thought. Also what people read and learn through a symbol varies with what they bring to it's meaning. The filmmakers try to use universal symbolism; but in a film it can be very subtle that the audience my be unaware of its existence. Furthermore, a symbol arises when an image is surrounded by a complex of conscious and unconscious associations; it's impact depends on its cultural context (Bakony, 1974, p.1).
I think that the meaning of symbolism does depend on a cultural context. For example, interracial marriages play a big role in suggestive symbolism. This issue can be questioned in couple of ways. How popular is interracial marriage in films? Do people embrace or reject an idea of interracial marriage? When we see an Arabic man with a Caucasian woman who has to wear the traditional clothing to suit his culture, how do we react ( for example the movie, "Not Without My Daughter)? When we see an African-American man with a Caucasian woman, how do we react? I think this is an example of subtle symbolism that filmmakers use in some of their productions.
A good link for further research:
http://www.eric.ed.gov/ERICWebPortal/search/detailmini.jsp?_nfpb=true&_&ERICExtSearch_SearchValue_0=ED096715&ERICExtSearch_SearchType_0=no&accno=ED096715
References
Bakony, Edward. (1974). "Symbolism in the Feature Film." Retrieved from http://www.eric.ed.gov
Willis, Bill. (1996-2011). Symbolism. Retrieved from http://www.worsleyschool.net/socialarts/symbolism/page.html
Sunday, February 6, 2011
Thank you for your opinions
Thank you for your opinions. One phrase that really grabbed my attention was " Entertainment changes our mood, and can be a form of escaping the real world even if is just for a couple of minutes or hours," (thipolito88). I think it is very true. Personally I have a favorite show that I like to watch when I am tired and want to "escape from the real world."
However, do you think it is mentally healthy for us to escape the real world via media? Does it make things worse for some people. I often find myself wandering if there is another way to deal with stress in life.
Do some people take it too far and start imitating their favorite characters? An example would be a vampire movie, the Twilight. According to the news this movie provoked teenagers to try to imitate vampires and actually start biting each other to show affection; some bite to actually draw blood here is a good link to the news article http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/twilight-movie-effect-teens-biting-vampire-fascination/story?id=11122324
Do you think some people, especially teenagers, take it too far when loosing themselves in the world of their favorite movies and characters?
However, do you think it is mentally healthy for us to escape the real world via media? Does it make things worse for some people. I often find myself wandering if there is another way to deal with stress in life.
Do some people take it too far and start imitating their favorite characters? An example would be a vampire movie, the Twilight. According to the news this movie provoked teenagers to try to imitate vampires and actually start biting each other to show affection; some bite to actually draw blood here is a good link to the news article http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/twilight-movie-effect-teens-biting-vampire-fascination/story?id=11122324
Do you think some people, especially teenagers, take it too far when loosing themselves in the world of their favorite movies and characters?
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