Obama vs. Clinton

I think that Obama/Clinton debate is a very interesting situation. I personally don't want either for President, not because of race or gender, I just have different views than them. But for the black population, especially for black women, this is a very big happening. I watched a video of Oprah speaking at one of Obama's campaign rallies. She said that Martin Luther King just had to imagine the "dream" while this generation gets to vote the dream into office.
On the other hand, the more I think about it, maybe this isn't such a big voting dilemma...or it shouldn't be such a dilemma. Because, after all gender and race shouldn't be the reason we like some one or put them above someone else. I think the way that the media is making SUCH a big deal about all this is really just reinforcing the thoughts about how gender and race are a big deal.

Table Talk

I watched the table talk interview with the three black women. I thought it was very interesting. I had never heard some of those statistics. Stats including:
* 7 of every 10 black kids are raised by one parent (normally the mom),
* 50 years ago 26,000 black women were married to while men - today that number is 117,000
* 50 years ago 20% of black women were not and had not been married - today it is 45% - this double the number of while women

I think that the last stat is possibly because it might be more accepted in the black culture that white culture to be an unwed mother or just to not be married.

I thought that the women were very sincere in their answers and I enjoyed hearing from them. The main topic was that black women are achieving great things while black men are lagging behind, and that this trend negatively effects the new generation.
They ended by saying that they tell their own children that they can do anything no matter what anyone else says.

Hip Hop

I thought the article by Tara Parker-Pope was interesting. But I disagree with her on the point that sexually explicit lyrics didn't encourage sexual behavior that much. I do agree that peer pressure has a lot to do with it, but I think that the music helps to encourage that behavior in the groups which then effects the individuals of that group. I don't know if that made sense - Let me say it another way - Yes, peer pressure is what gets teens to have sex, but the hip hop music effects the way the group as a whole acts and thinks about sex.

My Project

I was thinking about doing a compare/contrast study in the full-page ads in a men's magazine and a women's magazine. I will pick the top magazine in a top poll from each gender. I think that it is strange the way that women's magazines have somewhat similar ads even though it is aimed at woman and not men. I think that this might be interesting. Does this sound good? Any suggestions?

Music Videos :(

I don't watch music videos much...so I don't really ever think of them. But watching that show in class the other day was very enlightening and the guy talking made it pretty funny. It's sick to see some of that stuff. What's even worse is that while we just turn our head in disgust, others (perhaps young, impressionable kids) look to those videos as lifestyles that they would like to have. The way that women are depicted is not only demeaning and disrespectful...it's just down right not reality. Like a girl in class mentioned, some of those guys are out-of-shape and ugly but yet have these beautiful women dancing around them. I laughed out loud when the man talking in that show was describing the women of the "music video world" saying things like ***they just party all the time...on the beach, on a boat, having pillow fights, or just at a bar- how they are always looking for a guy to have sex with...and it didn't matter what guy, just a guy - how they just like to hang around these guys wearing almost nothing.*** Apparently these girls have no goals of their own and no brains as well. The crappy part is that I don't know many girls like that....all the girls I know well have goals for their lives, respect for themselves and would NEVER do what those girls do. It also made me sad to hear that normally those women don't even get paid for being in the videos. To me, it just shows what our society has come to. Presenting themselves as a brainless piece of flesh just so some horny guys can lust after them and possibly get them into bed, so that they can brag to their girlfriends who are into the same kind of life as them and it makes them feel good about themselves. I know I'm ranting, I'm really not trying to say bad things about the people themselves (guys or girls)....I'm just really upset at what a desensitized culture we live in. If these images are always being thrown at someone everyday, they start to stick. That's how stereotypes stick. If you always hear that black folks steal, you start to look at them that way. Or that blonde's are dumb...you assume they are. Well, since everywhere we look, women are in shape, wearing little to nothing, eager to please, second to man's wishes, smart but not too smart, concerned with their appearance, will jump into bed without even being asked, and many more....that's how they start to be viewed...and sadly some of the time, that who they start to become (like the girls will to dance in the music videos for free).

Heineken DraftKeg Commerical

I feel two ways about this commercial. First, I do see the that it is sexist. It's this perfect woman...type...thing....dancing, smiling, and serving beer out of her very self! Then, she becomes three and dances some more. Not really how girls want to be viewed or what they want to be compared to. On the other hand, I don't nessecarily think that it is the "most sexist beer commercial ever made". There has been PLENTY others that are more sexist in the tone, clothes, models and what they're doing. I also think that it was kinda artsy and neat looking. Now I'm not saying that I want to call all my friends in to watch it or anything, but I do feel that's it's less offensive than most beer commercials. Maybe one reason is that this girl isn't real looking, so it's okay that she's perfect measurements and serving beer with a smile....she's not real. While other commercials sport these perfect, scanty clad girls being perfect and entertaining the guys around them... so it's easier for real girls to compare themselves with those girls and get offended.

Black being Back

It was very interesting to read Pepper Millers article. I also read the readers comment section and found that equally interesting. I completely understand why some say that race should hardly ever be mentioned because skin color is only skin deep and why does it matter. On the other hand, I agree with what a man commented (a black guy in fact) that it's fine to use someones race because it helps when trying to communicate a past memory or describe someone by using dominant traits.
Also, ANY feature used to describe someone can be put to a negative slant. If you say the word "blond" in a certain way, it may sound like your saying a girl is stupid or shallow. Or if you say, "you know, the guy that always wears the same shirt" someone might take that as that he is dirty or poor or has bad fashion taste. When really, they are just describing physical traits. There is a difference in how the words are said. When said in a certain way with a certain attitude behind it, it could be including racial prejudices. But said just as a word, a physical trait, it just means that physical trait. People just pick the most dominant traits to help get to the point faster. It's just in how you say it.
Also, I know that the kind of places I grew up, there weren't many black people intermixing with us. So, when there was one in the group, their color stood out, even if their personality fix in perfect and it was no big deal them being different. When describing them, all you had to say was their color and the other person knew who I was talking about immediately. Some might call it the easy way out, but I disagree.
Also , one person's comment on Pepper's wall got me thinking. If someone uses another person's race as a insult toward them, they need to look deeper to find something better to offend with. On the contrary, if your offended by someone calling you a color (the color you actually are), the maybe they need to get more secure in their own skin. I'm not saying this to sound bratty, because I know that white people and black people face racism in very different ways, and I'm not claiming to know what it feels like to have someone not like you simply for your skin color. But, if someone called me a "white girl" I wouldn't be bothered because that's what I am....I'm a female and my skin in pale. Or even if they went so far to try to insult me by saying "she's just a dumb cracker", I would be shocked by their bold rudeness, but I wouldn't be offended, because it would be apparent that they had problems of their own and also, I know that I'm not dumb and I'm confident in that fact.

Jumping to Conclusions

I enjoyed reading the column by Jacquielynn Floyd for The Dallas Morning News. And I fully agree with her. We, as people, want to make a big story even bigger. We want to assume the worst. We want it to make sense in some way. If there is some crazy ex-boyfriend or a conspiracy behind a crime, we feel safer because we fell that it couldn't happen to us because we don't know any of those crazy people. I think a big problem of this though, is that when the "boring" truth is found out, it seems lame and we forget about it.....even though the crime was still horrible and the victims family is still tremendously suffering.

Dove v. Axe

I was amazed when I found out that Dove and Axe were owned by the same company. I wasn't surprised though, because that's just how our culture is.....put on a clean, pure face for one crowd and a dirty, sexy one for the other crowd...whatever gets you the most business. I also think that it's pretty slimy to have "commercials" on the internet that are too bad for t.v. - creeps me out. I think that it's good to know who owns what, just makes you informed of their true motives and let's you decide who you want to support by buying their products.

Asa Coon Report

When I read the report about these shootings, I expected to be shocked at how they used race because of what was said in class. But honestly, I think it was justified. The report didn't even mention his race until 21 sections down and didn't mention his cloths until 12 sections down. I do this was appropriate because they were trying to get the point across that he stood out and that he looked very different from everyone else. The fact that he went to a school where 85% of the students are black and he's white, also the kind of cloths he wears, paints a clear picture of the situation. Maybe he felt discrimination being a minority and that played into him finally losing it. All to say, I didn't feel like they used race in an inappropriate way.

Jena 6

About the Jena 6 coverage......I have read and seen both sides of the story. I am against racism and all for equality, but I must say I think that the black community supporting Jena 6 has it wrong. Some talk about supporting there "brothers" and just looking out for some "kids". I'm all for supporting each other, but make sure you're supporting a worthy cause. I read a readers opinion on the DallasNews site that I really agreed with. The reader states that while all these folks are organizing marches they should be trying to figure out there is so many one parent homes and crime. This case is not about "White" and "Black" but rather "Right" and "Wrong". Anyone, even whom they call "kids" are responsible for their own actions. If they feel that they dealt with them "too harshly" they should imagine for a moment that these cruelties were directed at their own children. On the video clip of the rally, it showed two of the Jena 6 walk up on stage, receiving loud cheers from the crowd. How ironic. Two people who were once the instigators of a violent crime are now the victims because a big bad court full of white racists punished them for ALMOST KILLING A MAN! Have they forgotten that point? Is that just not important enough to remember?

Disabled People in the Press

I really got a lot out of the Society of Professional Journalist article on covering disability issues. It made me see clearly that disabled people are not covered much and when they are, it's a big woop-la story about them "overcoming the odds". I never thought how that would be insulting to get praise for doing something that for you, is everyday life. It would be like someone clapping and cheering me on as I brush my teeth in the morning. It's just life for me....as well as for them. I only know one disabled person. He is truly amazing and I admire him so much. He doesn't have arms and has a fake leg. He goes to school, drives a car, and has tons of friends. No one can tell him that he can't do something because of his disability. I agree with the part about able-bodied people fearing that one day they may be crippled and so they fear it. For me, I don't think that the media has really shaped my view of people with disabilities. I didn't watch t.v. that much growing up and my parents always taught me to view and treat people the same.

My News Habbits

I don't have a t.v. at this time - in the past, that was my primary way of getting news. Now I get it off the internet. I really don't have much time, so I normally kinda cheat and get the big news from my husband (who reads and watches EVERYTHING that he can!). But if it's a story that I have a lot of interest in, then I'll get it on-line. I really don't have a set amount of time I spend getting news, like I said earlier, I'm very busy and have little to no free time. As of my assumptions of what I view as far as media goes, as far back as I can remember, I've been skeptic of what they say. I take it with a grain of salt because I know that the truth gets twisted all the time. My parents taught me well, and I've grown up knowing that everyone is equal no matter who says different. I see that minorities seem to be showed in a darker light verses whites and that a lot of times, the women shown in the media are pretty. Even though I know what they're doing by twisting the truth, I still know what I believe.