Media
Media Literarcy
Media literacy is a new way of education. It’s a proper approach in education for our generation and future generations. More people download books on their computers or tablets rather than buying paper copies at book stores. A lot of small book stores are out of business. Tablets are sold even in book stores. A lot of schools cooperate with technology nowadays even though it can be distracting for students at times. Some schools give out ipads or laptops to their students for education use. Computer labs become renewed often because technology is keep advancing. Some educators are against using media in education, but education should advance just like how technology advance as the world around us evolves. We should be able to take advantage of technology and cooperate good aspects into education world to better ourselves and prepare for future generation. Even though we refuse to advance, our future generation will adopt to new way of learning at some point. Media literacy gives our wider perspective. We become more skilled in using technology which helps us to think critically. The concept of learning didn’t change, but the way of learning changed and will be changing constantly. It’s hard to adopt new ways because it’s very different than the way we’ve been learning, but as we adopt, we see discover good aspects rather than bad aspects. Television, radio, phones, and computers are regarded as distractions. Our parents and older people think it’s only harming our brains, but really it’s only a new way of living for us.
Social Justice Reflection
Discrimination against African American is still a big issue in America. A lot of progress has been done, but we still lose many African Americans due to hate crime. It’s something that’s happening everyday, but something we tend to ignore. It’s an uncomfortable matter that not many people want to touch. The more we ignore, more the problem will grow. I state my belief how we should become more comfortable talking about this issue. Running away from what’s wrong will not make it right. Banning conversation about it will increase more troubles. Banned information only increases curiosity. Most importantly, we need to educate each other about it. I don’t think people are born haters or racist. A lot of it depends on their environment. If they grew up in a racist household, they will most likely grow up racist. I remember in APUS History class, there’s a famous picture of a white woman glaring a black woman. The white woman is furious about the fact that they have to go to same college. The picture is still viral and used often. Decades later, the white woman contacted the black woman once she glared at. She apologized for her behavior. Mentality of people changed a lot. It changed for the better. People are much for accepting. I believe changes will continue to happen in the future. More people will act against the discrimination. It’s so much easier to show support because social media is very reachable. You can update such captions like #blacklivesmatter to share your support. Nowadays, online movement has more power than actual physical march. It’s much more efficient and doesn’t take much time to be a part of the movement. You can easily log in to your social media account and simply hashtag rather than actually taking some time off to join the march. Old fashioned way always works, but it’s time to follow the trend and incorporate social media more. Social media isn’t just a playground for teenagers anymore. It’s where business is being established. It’s where movement starts and ends. It’s the main source of changes that can effect our daily lives.
Super Bowl 2016 Commercial
Snickers, in its 2016 Super Bowl commercial, Willem Defoe recreated Marilyn Monroe’s famous scene of The Seven Year Itch. Willem Defoe acts cranky because he’s hungry so, the movie director gives him Snickers then he turns into real Marilyn Monroe and acts very amiable. The message of this commercial is that you’re not yourself when you’re hungry. The tone of this advertisement is very humorous and while it’s very relatable to everyone, they specifically target people who are old enough to know the iconic star of 1950s.
Prole Entry
Part1: I can relate this passage to our society all around the world, especially in communism societies. It’s a human nature that people want to keep power to themselves, but history proved us that dictatorship doesn’t work well within human society. When one has all the authority, the other side challenge the authority, but here’s a question. When do they know they should rebel? What if they don’t even realize that the power is one sided? This passage is answering these questions. They won’t rebel because people in power won’t let them recognize the problem. They will distract them and let them continue with their daily life. We can see this in North Korean society. The government distract their people by forcing them to pledge their faith and love for the government. The authority educates them at such young age that all they need and should want is government and nothing else matters. The government make sure they don’t do anything that’s out of their daily routine. Every day is the same. If you attempt to do something that’s out of ordinary, you will be eliminated. Just like how you will be eliminated in Osiana. In Osiana, marrying out of love is prohibited. In North Korea, marrying out of love isn’t prohibited by law, but you don’t see anyone who marry someone way below them or higher than them within the society. Everyone stays where they are supposed to be. North Korea and China prohibits certain type of contents on the internet and TV to keep proles from certain informations so, they don’t think too much. When proles are starting to think and become educated, they will rebel. Proles outnumber the authority. North Korea and China limit their proles to the extreme and it’s quiet obvious. The whole world knows what they are doing. That doesn’t mean other countries don’t control their proles. Other democratic countries do it unknowingly and proles don’t even realize that they are being controlled by the government. Our TV, internet, and media provide variety of entertainment and joy in our especially proles life after a long day at work. All we want to do after a long day is watch TV at home and laugh it off before we go to bed. This is exactly what the government want while they are making some major decisions in their senate chamber playing political games with each other and the president. Proles are watching soap operas and trying to figure out who cheated on who on the show. Nobody’s telling them to watch the TV, but we are conditioned to do so because it’s entertaining. It’s easy. It won’t make us think after a long day we had. We are conditioned to ignore hard and sensitive issues. How many of us watch news everyday and think about our nation’s security and international security. We are used to ignore it and just move on with our ordinary lives, but there are some exceptions. Some proles who care and really think about the issue climb up the ladder and become those in power, but rest of proles are still manipulated by the media and all the drama on TV rather than expending their thoughts.
Part2: People are generally nosy. People love to talk. Ms Hicks said something about an article she read that there’s a guy who scientifically calculated how long it will take until a secret is revealed. People gossip and talk about other business of other people no matter how much they try not to do it. Especially celebrities suffer from this issue, but also they are aware that being famous comes with certain price. People in our generation, even if we don’t scroll through political and world news section on our electric devices, they always scroll through entertainment section at least once a day. They seem to know everything that’s going on in Hollywood. People are immune to something easy to read, comfortable, and simple. Nobody wants to read about how upcoming election will change political climate in the US. Instead, they go on TMZ after a long day in school or work. They read about how celebrities are expecting a baby and which celebrity bought a new house. We’re so used to something that’s irrelevant to our lives that doesn’t make us think about real problems we have and our world has. One vote can change the future of the US, but we tend to think it’s just one vote. Think about how many people will think that in the US. Just by thinking like that we’re proles. TMZ exaggerate how Amber Rose is living in a 4million Valley Estate. People rather read and discuss about that rather than talk about what will happen to this country if so and so candidate is elected. Amber Rose living in a 4 million estate won’t change anyone’s life except her own life which is very much irrelevant to our daily lives, but us caring for who will run this country will change our lives. Because president will make small and big decisions that will affect our daily lives in some ways. We need to learn to balance between what’s purely for entertainment and what’s important to know in our lives. It’s okay to seek for some entertainment. You have a lot to deal with daily, but it’s not okay to purely rely on entertainment itself. We need to force ourselves to know what’s going around the world. Even though it sounds very irrelevant to ourselves, it’s not. We all live in a same world. Even though it’s a big world. It’s all interconnected so, knowing what’s happening around the world will only benefit ourselves. Yes, it will be hard and confusing at times. It will make us feel uneasy. There will be some stuff you wish you didn’t know. In 1984, Winston wouldn’t even know that the government is corrupt if he hadn’t pay attention. We need to start paying attention. No matter how uncomfortable and uneasy it can be. Even though there’re more proles they couldn’t rebel against the government if they don’t care what’s going on around the world.
Revolution
Nat Turner’s Rebellion occurred in the summer of 1831 in Southampton, Virginia. He was a slave who believed that he was chosen to lead this rebellion against whites. He was “a literate and deeply religious slave inspired by prophetic visions”(Atlantic). He encouraged other slaves to raise up against their white masters. He was known to be rather educated compared to other black slaves at that time. At night, he gathered his group of rebels and killed about 60 white men, women, and children. They recruited more slaves to join the revolution as they went. They were able to recruit free blacks. Unfair treatment of blacks made them turn away from white people. They enslaved blacks and treated them like animals. Blacks were fad up with harsh treatment. Families were often torn apart because slave exchange was common. White plantation owners often exchanged slaves because it demanded hard labor. It was common for slaves to die because white owners didn’t care about well beings. They just bought another one if a slave dies. They didn’t care that they were tearing apart families. They cared more about their profit and plantation. This movement became so powerful because Turner really united them. He really connected with others in religious and educated way. He was literate and smart enough to pull this up. He was able to organize a big group of rebels which isn’t an easy task. It’s hard to lead a group of slaves who aren’t educated and quiet wild. The fact that he knew what to do give people the trust that they have a shot at this rebellion and it turned out quiet successful because they were able to eliminate about 60 white people and it taught them a lesson that they have a voice and whites should really be careful with them. They put their guards up. As they were murdering more and more white people, more slaves and even freed blacks joined them because they saw that it was effective. White people were afraid and for the first time blacks were recognized. They wanted to be part of the movement. Of course, not many rebellion has a happy ending. Nat Turner was caught eventually. He was executed soon. Before he was executed, he published “Nat Turner’s Confession”. About 16 rebels were executed along with Nat Turner. Even though they were caught and executed, it inspired a lot of enslaved blacks in the South. I can relate this rebellion to 1984. Winston already feels that their government is wrong, but so far he didn’t take any actions for it. He didn’t rebel. Technically, he’s already a criminal because he’s committing a thought crime. Nat Turner and Winston are exactly the same except that Nat Turner actually decide to start a revolution while Winston is just thinking how wrong the government is. He was actually be able to let others know that they have voice.”The legislature made it illegal for slaves to preach, to be “insolent” to white people, to carry a gun, to hunt in the woods, to cohabitate with a free black or white person, to own any type of livestock(9.1).” Even though regulation on blacks were strong and regulation became stronger.
"Atlantic Revolutions." Black Founders: The Free Black Community in the Early Republic. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 Oct. 2014.
"9.1 Nat Turner's Rebellion." Nat Turner's Rebellion. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 Apr. 2016.
Politifact
DONALD TRUMP
— PolitiFact National
When and Where?
Thursday, March 3rd, 2016 in a GOP debate hosted by Fox in Detroit
What’s the whole story?
Donald Trump called for being tough on the families of terrorists, not just the terrorists themselves. he resurrected a claim he has made before — that the wives of the 9/11 terrorists knew what was going to happen and fled the United States to Saudi Arabia just before the attacks.
What should you know before you form your own opinion?
Does terrorists really inform their families? Do the families even know their families members are terrorists? Is it fair to assume that the families know?
My thoughts overall
It’s not fair to assume family member of terrorists knew what was going on. Because many terrorists are restricted and under control. Some join terrorists group without informing their families.
TED CRUZ
"Poll after poll after poll shows me beating Hillary."
When and Where?
Thursday, April 7th, 2016 in an interview on CNN
What’s the whole story?
On RealClearPolitics.com and found that the Texas senator is off. He only won one survey last month. a Fox News poll where Cruz scores 3 percentage points higher than Clinton. They were tied in the latest McClatchy/Marist poll and in a CNN/ORC poll.
What should you know before you form your own opinion?
Cruz kept appealing that he's the only one who can beat Hilary even though Donald Trump rank higher in poll. His ambition took him too far.
My thoughts overall
I think he should've stopped at I'm the only one who can beat Hillary rather than lying about the poll result.
HILLARY CLINTON
Says Bernie Sanders "has been largely a very reliable supporter of the NRA."
When and Where?
Thursday, April 14th, 2016 in the Democratic debate in New York
What’s the whole story?
When Bernie attacked her on her connection with Wall Street, she attacked him back. She said how he has connection with NRA.
What should you know before you form your own opinion?
We should know why she did it. She was attacked by Bernie Sander who was attracting many young voters. She felt threatened.
My thoughts overall
I think it was wrong of her to say that because it's mostly wrong. He doesn't have connection with NRA. He doesn't really support them either. She should've came up with other tactics.
Entry 7
I think of media literacy as a quick way to analyze our society at the beginning of this semester. I realized that there’s more depth into it. As I semester went on, I realized media still has the same old value , but with more advanced technology. I thought of media as such a light subject that can be disregarded. I thought of it as a playground for teenagers. I realized that media actually has more power and influence. I see that older generations are using media to express themselves as well rather criticizing the millennial generation. I also see that media can be biased and accurate as well. There’re so many criticism about media being wrong, but we don’t realize that even paper books and radio can deliver us wrong and biased information as well. We just have to constantly educate ourselves to not be blindfolded other others. I still believe media can be distracting at times, but I think we’re still adjusting. We’ve been around paper books for thousands of years. The idea of technology and media is still fairly new. The millennial generation is the only generation that grew up with the advance of technology. This class is different from other language art classes in many ways. For entire our high school career, we’ve been exposed to memorizing vocabulary words, taking tests based on what you read, and remember what’s your teacher tell you to remember. We didn’t take a single test in this class instead we wrote essays and had discussions which I personally preferred. I think we should go over how to write formal essays because I know a lot of people in our class struggled with it. I personally struggled with the citation page because I have tendency to be very careless. Other than that, it’s been a bliss.
Entry 8
We are so used to technology to the point where face to face conversations are uncommon. It’s a big problem for all of us, especially for younger generations. In Ea’s video, we see a people looking at their phone while eating dinner. It shows how awkward and insensitive we’ve became. We would rather look at our phones rather than talking to the person who’s sitting in front of us. We care about how many hearts, likes, and shares we get, but not about other’s feelings. We need to become more sensitive towards others. We need to learn to put down technology at the dinner table, dates, and special days. I’m sure everyone wonders sometimes “how do I have 900 Facebook friends, but there’s not a single person I want to call or meet up with?”. This is the point where we start putting our electronics away and really hang out with people and have face to face conversations. Sure, it will be awkward and weird,but we can’t forget that that’s what we’ve been doing. With all these new apps, it’s easy to be addicted. People suffer from muscle pain for fingers because they text too much. I’m writing this reflection using my Mac. Technology comes handy, but we can’t be addicted to it. Sometimes, we need some throwbacks. Not TBTs. We need old fashioned ways. On lazy Sundays, instead of lurking on social media, you should go out without your electronics. Go on a date or have some quality family. Learn to find fun without technology. Writing essays has been easy with technology and I personally love using technology for educational purposes, but I do feel like we use it too much. More often than we should. It’s good to use technology, but sometimes we should just grab a paper book and read like we’re in 1900s. We should learn to appreciate the moment. We miss a lot because we are on our phones.