Journal #17

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Journal #17:

Q= For the past five weeks, we’ve studied how language perpetuates ideology and hegemony throughout the world via mass communication. Specifically, we’ve looked at how language is used to construct norms in relationship to gender, and now race. Let’s transition the conversation now to look at how language is used to resist, deny, or reconstruct the status quo. For this journal, offer examples that are either modern or historical, in which language has been used to challenge ideological norms.

A= Language is, in my opinion, the most powerful thing in this whole world because you can do so much with it. Express your love for someone, help out others that are in need of help, and standing for what you believe in that's right. A very famous example of how language can be used to resist was started by Claudette Colvin. Colvin used her beliefs and words to express the problem of racial problems towards those with 'colored' skin. In our society today, many women and men take a part of the Women's march to express the rights that women deserve because of their equality. The attendees of these events use their words to resist and deny the amount of segregation putting placed on females because of there "gender".

Journal #16

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Journal #16:

We’ve become such a narcissistic, “me-first” society that common courtesies have gone right out the door – with a moral fiber that’s barely a thread. And while I’m hardly a religious zealot, I do think a large part of the problem is the secularization of our culture at the hands of the allegedly tolerant and compassionate “progressives.” We’ve taken God out of our schools and poke

fun at religion; we devalue human life by condoning abortion and branding anyone who stands up for the unborn a woman-hating Neanderthal. Two-parent households are considered an anachronism; a woman who stays home with the kids instead of getting a job and relegating child rearing to day care is deemed lazy. We all but legalize a drug, marijuana, that takes away ambition and drive, and we attack anyone who’s successful and wealthy – regardless of how hard they work, or how many sacrifices they’ve made in life to get where they’re at. Government has become not an enabler of the private sector, but it’s a misguided Robin Hood, at the expense of personal responsibility – and personal values.

                                                             ---Stephen Arnold

Articulate the central claim that Arnold makes and discuss the ways in which you agree or disagree with his position. Support your argument by providing reasons and examples from your own experiences, observations, or readings.

A= Arnold's central claim is on how we truly have changed our looks on wrongs to right. We under look at the fact that these problems that are considered as "normal" in our society are present, but we somehow accept it. Not because of how we are, but because of what our focus is primarily on. While what can be called as entertainment on Television distracts us, there are children being abused, mothers being mentally and physically hurt, and way more problems in this world. I too can be considered as a hypocrite because I too not think of this while I live on with my life, but that doesn't mean I'll continue forgetting these problems. Thanks to the exposure of this article to me, I will always have that in the back of my mind. Exposure is the start of anything and everything, so in order to truly express these issues out to the public, there must be many conversations about this subject. The quote by Stephen Arnold truly captivates the ideas of its purpose.

Journal #15

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Journal #15:

This week we discussed the poem “We Wear the Mask” by Paul Laurence Dunbar. For this journal, explore your mask. What does it say? What does it hide? Who built it?

A= I would say that I have a pretty "ehh" mask. I always have been pressured by my parents (especially my mom) that I have to be tougher because that's the only way that I will have a chance to make it in life and to achieve what I want. This has developed over a long time because I have always been scared to look bad to others. When I was younger, in my old elementary I was called 'gay' because I wasn't interested into many of the things the other boys liked. This made me have to act more manly and get into sports heavily. I truly love sports and it's maybe my favorite things in the world, but I forcefully pushed myself into learning it because I was scared of getting those comments like that (at the time, now I don't care since I know I'm not). My mask would say "normal" because I have also received many people saying that I'm weird but it truly is hard to not "act" weird because one thing that truly makes me happy is to make others laugh at either my jokes or stupidity. I don't really hide from anything anymore because I have many lovely people around me to shape me who I am (for the better) and I am truly blessed to be me.  (:

Journal #14

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Journal #14:

  Q=Before Washington journalism turned into blood sport, and politics turned into an exercise in serial lying, there was a fairly firm understanding by the press that personal failings were none of the public's business unless misbehavior affected the performance of one’s abilities to perform public duties. No more. Yet there is a national longing to return to the good old days when political news was more about issues and policies and less about private lives."

Explain the significance of the writer's claims that this new style of journalism has turned politics into a "blood sport . . .and an exercise in serial lying." Using logical reasons and specific examples, discuss whether you agree or disagree with the author's claims about journalism.

 A=  The writer's claim is really one that must be spread out everywhere because it is truly important. I agree with his/her claim because many people today can answer to name all of the Kardashians but not many people could answer who is the 12th president. This can be very crucial because this suggests that what can be called as "entertainment" is covering the realities and truths of this world. Because of how today's world runs with technology, many present candidates that were running for the presidency used this to expose the other's secrets to ruin each other's reputation. In my opinion, the runner's should use the advantage to explain the many ways they can help our country and how they can solve may of the worlds problems, if they can. In my personal life, I saw a certain episode of Jimmy Kimmel "Lie Witness News" and in there, they asked questions to random civilians about pop culture and political questions. As expected, many people answered the political question all wrong, but they answered all the questions about pop culture right.

 

Journal #13

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Journal #13:
 
Q=The media is too concentrated. Too few people own too much. There’s really five companies that control 90 percent of what we read, see, and hear. It’s not healthy.

                               

                                     ---Ted Turner (American Media Mogul, Founder of CNN)

 

Explain Turner’s argument, then discuss the extent to which you agree or disagree. Support your argument with examples from your readings, observations, or experiences.

 

A= In his quote, Turner explains about his beliefs on how it is not right and should be taken to consideration that 90% of the things we are exposed to believe in, in reality, are owned by 5 companies.  In my personal opinion, I do understand the problem of this because of the amount of bias we will see, depends on the owner of the company, so I believe that we should make a more diverse system to accommodate all of our interests. We, the viewers, are very selective when it comes to things that help shape our opinions, so for that reason we should be more thoughtful for maybe shift away from the whole idea of having only 5 companies show and tell us what they believe. In my personal life, those who are leading in society tries to expose the viewers with a selection of their services so they can make us believe that there truly is more of a selection than there really is. I'm not going to say that I 100% knew about this the whole time, but I will know now that Ted Turner has reveled his truths to me. Since exposure is big in this world, this can be the way to solve this issue.