eReader Children as Consumers

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Like Sonia this article also stood out to me. While reading this I thought why can’t adults learn to teach their kids to ask questions about what is going on on TV. I want to know why can’t the older generation explain the message that the commercials are trying to give and correct the minds of the youth and tell them that we don’t agree with this advertisement. As I got further into this article the author did mention that they do believe in educating children to understand the purpose of context of marketing so that they can interpret commercial communications. I think this is also the target for (AML). I hope that in the next few years to come media literacy is being taught more in schools because children in America are watching the most commercials. Another part that surprised me while reading was  that there is still ways to get around the codes that they enforce on television commercials. Like in the UK they banned junk food ads that are aimed to children under the age of 16 however commercials can still be played during family shows so there still is a way for children to be watching these commercials. Reading this article was hard because we know what the problem is and for now it still hasn’t been fixed. 

Media Phobia

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Adults started to wonder if media negatively influenced their children? they also thought technology was a distraction from their school work. Do you guys think this is the biggest issue in this chapter? apparently people thought the reason why their children lacked social skills and weren’t meeting their childhood requirements was blamed on media. Even though this is an issue its not the Biggest issue. A few factors of media phobia spoke out to me, and even broke my heart a little. I will point out a few.

The biggest crisis American children face today is poverty. The rate of poverty in America has now a rate of two or three times higher than other industrialized nations. Most of these children are under the age of 18 years old, I could not believe this is happening right now. I always knew this was an issue but never knew it was this extreme.

915 children were killed in 2010, by their parents, I could not even express my feelings towards these actions. My only question is why ? why would parents do such things. this fact was also in the poverty section. I Could not believe some parents and also teachers would kill children.

overall, this chapter was a great way of learning new things of media and pop culture.

The Heart Attack Grill…NOT for Children!

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Recently, I watched a news clip about a restaurant in Las Vegas called “Heart Attack Grill”. Although I had heard about this restaurant a few years ago, I was surprised to see that it still currently going strong. On the website wwww.heartattackgrill.com, one finds a menu of 8,000 calorie burgers and French fries fried in lard, among other monstrosities such as full butterfat milkshakes. Additionally, customers weighing in over 350 pounds eat for free. The waitstaff are dressed up as nurses and “spank” you at the end of the meal if you do not finish your meal. Although I realize that the “concept” is supposed to be all in fun, the reality is that the sensationalism of this restaurant, the free food for obese patrons, and the cartoon-y brand-imaging of this establishment, all in the ends seem to glorify unhealthy eating choices. Since customers are REALLY being fed the funny items on the menu (even for free) and are rewarded for finishing (customer gets a glory-lap seated in a wheelchair) and for being morbidly obese, there is no realistic learning about cardiac health or anything else from this example. If a customer does not finish his/her meal, punishment is administered, reinforcing overeating.

My initial reaction was that this would NOT be an establishment that should be around, especially if children are allowed to eat there! Not only are there terrible food choices, but no real no vegetarian options. In fact, there is a “Vegan” menu but it consists of a pack of cigarettes. To confirm that this place would be bad for a child, I found a Yelp posting stating:” You can get paddled by your waitress which was happening right next to us. We saw a little child get egged on by his family to get paddled and he screamed an agony.” I suppose this means that in addition to being offered poor food choices, a child could be bullied for not finishing the meal?

With faster lifestyles, cheaper fast food options and bad role modelling, it’s no wonder children have been given permission by example in today’s society. I was interested in finding out what the American Heart Association had to say concerning pediatrics and cardiovascular health so I went to their website at http://circ.ahajournals.org/content/110/15/2266.full. The fact that American children are experiencing increases in childhood obesity brings alarm to me. In fact on looking for the statistics, I found that obesity among children has more than doubled and in adolescents, has quadrupled in the past 30 years! (Ogden, 2012). For children, this means that they are more likely to experience high cholesterol, pre-diabetes, high blood pressure, low self-esteem, sleep apnea, bone and joint problems and more…conditions that are not usually associated with pediatric health, but in adults (Hayman, 2015). Pediatric cardiac health is detrimentally being affected, a fact supported by autopsy studies that show positive associations between established risk factors from childhood obesity and the presence and extent of atherosclerotic lesions in the aorta and coronary arteries of children (Berenson, Srinivasan, Bao, Newman, Tracy, 1998).

Although the Heart Attack Grill glorifies themselves and act tongue and cheek about their establishment, regular known customers have died. Sadly their chief spokesperson, a 575-pound, 29 year old male, passed away last year. This restaurant may have a “fun”, comical image, but if a regular customer that is obese regularly eats there and dies at 29 years old, how do we explain to the next generation that that’s ok, just laugh and eat there anyway? Unfortunately, restaurants such as the Heart Attack Grill are not helping our future generation to stay healthy, only providing yet another horrible choice to the young generation. I would rather see a restaurant make more efforts to glorify healthy choices and show the next generation options that directly affect cardiac health positively, and show them that their hearts will say thank you with a long, healthy life. On a last note, the waitstaff dress up as nurses…that makes me even more sad and concerned, as it pollutes the sincere desire of real nurses to educate and care for patients’ health.

References:

Berenson GS, Srinivasan SR, Bao W, Newman WP III, Tracy RE (1998). Association between multiple cardiovascular risk factors and atherosclerosis in children and young adults. The Bogalusa Heart Study. N Engl J Med. 1998; 338: 1650–1656.

Castillo, S. (2014, August 9). Heart Attack Grill Killed 2 People, But Owner Says ‘Business Is Good’ . http://www.medicaldaily.com/jon-basso-owner-heart-attack-grill-comes-bad-his-high-calorie-burgers-new-showtime-series-297394.

CDC (2015, August 27). Childhood Obesity Facts. http://www.cdc.gov/healthyschools/obesity/facts.htm.

Hayman, L. (2015). A Statement for Health and Education Professionals and Child Health Advocates From the Committee on Atherosclerosis, Hypertension, and Obesity in Youth (AHOY) of the Council on Cardiovascular Disease in the Young, American Heart Association. http://circ.ahajournals.org/content/110/15/2266.full

Ogden C. (2012). Prevalence of childhood and adult obesity in the United States, 2011-2012. Journal of the American Medical Association 2014;311(8):806-814.

Blog 3. Social Issues

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Hey everyone, so here are some important social issues that I feel quite passionately about. First, sexual harassment and gender equality is a very important social issue that needs to be corrected. I also think the LGBTQ community and their cause is another important social issue, and I believe the hate against their opposition (mainly religious) is a social issue that needs to be focused on as well.

Sexual harassment can occur every day, whether it is in class, dorm rooms, parties and bars, or just walking down the street. I honestly believe it is even strong in college. Many people, guys especially, come to college with the only intention of having sex with as many women as possible. I have seen guys resort to our more brutish and almost animal-like instincts here. Some gentlemen constantly rate and berate women and see them only as a pair of legs and want what is in between them, when there is actually so much more of course especially at college. What I have seen happen is women become so defensive, that it hard to approach someone even on an academic level or as friends. This causes gender discrimination against men as well, like a common thought that “All men are pigs”. In class, some professors may treat people different based on their gender. I have constantly seen male professors pay more attention to women then men. Gender equality obviously goes both ways and requires both men and women to work together to fix issues with gender and sexual harassment.

Another important social issue is the discrimination towards the LGBTQ community. The world is changing quickly, and no matter a person’s religion or sexual preference, LGBTQ people should be accepted. I am not saying a religious person should accept a gay person’s beliefs, but the person should be accepted for who he/she/transgender is. Discrimination of any sort is negative.

On the flip side of this issue, with the changing times many religious people are being discriminated against because they are religious. People should be able to believe in whatever they want to, and they should not be berated for their beliefs. Many people who support the LGBTQ or are part of the LGBTQ community instantly cast hate upon religious people because they do not accept the LGBTQ communities beliefs. Like I previously stated, discrimination of any sort is negative and not healthy socially to any community. People fear what they do not understand, and this completely goes both way for the LGBTQ community and the people who oppose their lifestyle. I believe the hate against religious people for the way they feel about the LGBTQ community is an important social issue that is not focused on as much. My two best friends are gay, but I also have religious friends and am slightly religious myself so I feel like I have seen and heard both sides of the story.

Thank you for reading, and I can’t wait to see what social issues my classmates bring to class.

 

-Ryland

EQUALITY

 

 

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Impeachment: Contextualizing a Primary Document

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Constituent letter fixed**This is an example of how one can contextualize a primary source document using “soft research” skills. It is not authorized for reuse by anyone, under any condition, except with the expressed consent of Sean Kelly, Professor of Political Science, California State University Channel Islands.***

On November 6, 1973 Charles Withuhn of Chico, California, wrote to Harold T. “Bizz” Johnson to express his opinion about the potential impeachment of then-President Richard Nixon. Earlier in 1973 evidence began to mount that President Nixon was involved in a plan aimed at collecting information on his political enemies. The conspiracy and the aftermath that followed is known as Watergate.

In Mr. Withuhn’s opinion, the time had come to remove the president from office using Congress’s power of impeachment. Section 4 of the Constitution provides that “The President, Vice President and all civil Officers of the United States, shall be removed from Office on Impeachment for, and Conviction of, Treason, Bribery, or other High crimes and Misdemeanors.” Article 1, Section 2 provides the House with the power to impeach the president—that is, to promulgate a bill of particular justifications for removal of the president—which is approved by a simple majority in the House. The Senate can remove the president with a two-thirds majority of Senators (Article 1, Section 3).

Mr. Withuhn argues that the Congress, up to this point, has not exercised its full constitutional powers. “Congress has not realized its power in my lifetime.” In his view “…Congress has the responsibility to limit the President or history must indite [sic] Congress as an excessory [sic] to a desperate man.” He seems to be arguing that if Congress fails to remove the president they are culpable for Nixon’s illegal actions.

One wonders what might have motivated Mr. Withuhn to send a letter to Bizz Johnson. Three weeks prior to this letter it was discovered that Nixon recorded all conversations and telephone calls in the Oval Office. These tapes were powerful evidence and Nixon refused to turn them over. About two weeks prior to this letter, Richard Nixon fired Archibald Cox, a special prosecutor who was assigned to investigate the events surrounding Watergate. This became known as the “Saturday Night Massacre” as several of Nixon’s aids refused to carry out the order to fire Cox and were fired themsleves. Robert Bork, who would later be nominated to the Supreme Court—a nomination defeated in the Senate—was the White House aid who ultimately carried out Nixon’s order.

While the writer does not mention these events, it is likely that these events are reflected in his general feeling that the presidency requires “complete honesty and openness without which there can be no public confidence.” Withuhn does suggest that Bizz, as a member of Congress, has a responsibility to reflect the wishes of his constituents. “As a registered voter of Chico, I ask you to speak up now, loud enough for all to hear, that at least some of the people you represent demand the impeachment of the President now.”

Formal articles of impeachment were never brought forward against President Nixon. As the House moved toward approving articles of impeachment in August 1974, President Nixon resigned. This document is a reflection of the strong feelings that many Americans had about the events surrounding Watergate. Never in our history has a president been removed from office by Congress. But at the time, Mr. Withuhn was willing to push Bizz Johnson toward that action. In his words, the removal of Nixon was “the only remaining way to restore pride in our government…”

 

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The Lecture: A Cultural Construction of Privilege?

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It’s been quite awhile since I’ve read an article that has inspired me to write a post on a Sunday afternoon. But today, I saw a link to an article in my Nuzzel feed titled “Is the lecture unfair?” and it piqued my interest. This recent article from the New York Times discusses findings from recent studies that show how lectures privilege students who come from privileged backgrounds. The author, Annie Murphy Paul, explains, 

“…a growing body of evidence suggests that the lecture is not generic or neutral, but a specific cultural form that favors some people while discriminating against others, including women, minorities and low-income and first-generation college students. This is not a matter of instructor bias; it is the lecture format itself — when used on its own without other instructional supports — that offers unfair advantages to an already privileged population.” 

The idea that lectures create a biased learning environment that privileges certain students is not surprising to me — and it may not be surprising to you either. If you are familiar with my work, you’ve likely read other posts where I examine this notion. However, to see studies that excavate the lecture as a method of teaching that reinforces social inequities is worthy of discussion. The article reminded me of a video presentation I made back in 2011 titled “Expanding the Funnel,” which connected the flipped classroom model (a form of active learning) as a strategy for increasing degree attainment rates in community colleges (which saw an enrollment explosion in 2010-11, the time of the U.S. economic downturn). 

Community colleges have an open access policy, which means everyone one is welcome. They are the gateway to higher education in the United States and, as such, community college students are the most diverse group of learners in higher education. It is not uncommon for a single community college class to include students from multiple generations, ethnic minorities, first generation college students, ESL learners, students with cognitive differences (dyslexia, dysgraphia, etc.), and students with physical disabilities. This diversity creates a powerful, fertile soil for students to learn from each others’ experiences. However, not all instructors use active-learning strategies in their classes and, as such, the learning environments that students confront while in college are not as inclusive as the open-access mission of CCs.  Often, when I’ve discussed this topic with my peers, I’ve heard professors note that active learning does students who wish to transfer to a 4-year a “disservice,” because it doesn’t provide them with the skills needed to excel in the lecture environment.

Let’s keep this conversation going. It’s time to start examining the broader, social implications of pedagogy on degree attainment in higher education. All students are capable of learning and obtaining a college degree. Let’s support all of them.

Finally, we must not cast blame on faculty. We need to support faculty to understand how the way they teach a class impacts the percentage of students who experience deep learning.  Active learning is one step towards a more inclusive classroom.

Contemporary Issues Affecting College Students

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This week in my Digital Citizenship class we are discussing social issues and why they should be considered to be of importance to college students. I personally had little interest in political issues until my senior year of high school when the 2008 Presidential candidates commanded attention in my Government class. Five issues that stand out to me in particular are racism, LGBT rights, the increasing cost of education, abortion, and rape culture.

  1. Racism – This issue has persisted for generations and shows little sign of being resolved any time soon. Here in the United States, personal prejudices against a race are merely the tip of the iceberg. Institutional racism (patterns of societal practices that favor one group over another on the basis of race) is a huge barrier for people of color that affects them as early as pre-school according to several studies, including this one reported by NPR. College students, especially those of color, should know about this because it is a sad reality that some students have unfair advantages over others and that the playing field is not even.
  2. LGBT rights – Similar to racism, discrimination and prejudice against these groups will not be eliminated in the near future by any means. College students encounter LGBT students on a daily basis. The college campus is a renowned place for exposing students to people of all walks of life. On a larger scale, the LGBT movement is a striking parallel to the Civil Rights Movement of the 1950s and ’60s. We are presented with groups of people that, in the simplest of terms, want to enjoy the rights granted to them by their country’s Constitution, rights that others take for granted.
  3. Increasing Cost of Education – Perhaps the most relatable issue on the list for college students, the price of an education has essentially tripled over the past 40 years. Students are having to take out more loans and are graduating with crushing debt. If these trends continue, the cost of an education will seem to outweigh the benefits. To some students, it already does. In the event that we have generations of students that are no longer considering higher education, there would be a huge detriment to our country on several levels.
  4. Abortion – The college environment has long been a place for young people to explore romantic and sexual possibilities, oftentimes with little regard to potential consequences. thus, abortion is an extremely important issue for students that will find themselves or someone that they care about, facing the reality of an unplanned pregnancy. The laws that are in place regarding abortion are challenged on a constant basis. Students should be aware of the status of proposed changes and how those changes will affect policy in the event that they find themselves in a situation where abortion is considered.
  5. Rape Culture – An issue that is garnering more and more attention, particularly in association with colleges and universities, is rape culture. As stated before, college students are inclined to engage in sexual relationships, but research has shown that many of them, male and female alike, cannot properly consent or obtain consent from their partners because they simply don’t understand the concept. Institutions are becoming more proactive about combating this lack of knowledge by providing education to their students and investigating claims under laws including, but not limited to, Title IX. I personally, now that I have been educated on EXACTLY what consent is and isn’t, correct others when I come across conversations on the topic, and hopefully others will as well.