Module 4 Dugan & Sternheimer

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This week only just begun and it already feels like it’s about to end! Starting on Wednesday definitely threw me off my game this week but thankfully there isn’t as much material to cover.

After reading the Sternheimer text this week, I feel different.  Chapter 6 concentrated on sexualized images and reality.   One of the opening paragraphs mentioned how the world was shocked and appalled when Miley Cyrus went from being innocent Hannah Montana to being a shaved-head girl hanging from a ‘wrecking ball’.  I’m about the same age as her so it didn’t effect me the same way it probably effected kids younger than me.  For me, it was a big change but I was also going through a change from child to almost-adult.  Sternheimer talked a great deal about promiscuity and how we see kids as being promiscuous and more sexually active than ever before in recent history.  However, it is said that kids today are LESS sexually active than in the past, and certainly less sexually active than adults!  In fact, it is mentioned several times that adults are more likely to engage in risky sexual activity such as not using a condom or contracting an STD.  At the same time, reading that African American males are so much more likely to have sex before the age of 13 and are also more likely to carry and contract STD’s, I can’t help but feel like we need to focus on them more.

The biggest question I have after reading this chapter is why do we feel the need to concentrate all our efforts on protecting and shielding our teenagers when they are not the age group with the most issues.  Instead, shouldn’t we focus on telling adults to be more careful when meeting people and engaging in sexual activity?  Shouldn’t adults be the ones we talk to about STD’s?  Schools 30 years ago weren’t talking in depth about STD’s so aren’t those the people in need of the education?  I think, based on my own experience and the reading, that we focus on teens so they don’t end up like the adults today.  We are hoping to change what they grow up in to but I think the only way we can affect who they become is by being better examples.  Kids watch what we do and if we conduct ourselves appropriately then so will they.

Professor Dugan talks about culture and how it defines, divides, and unites us.  Culture is learned behavior and shared experiences that make up our lives.  Now having said that, it can be assumed that promiscuity is a part of our culture.  It can be seen that over time, the shows on television have changed and so has society.  Is there a relationship?  Is TV the one changing us or are we making TV change?  I would argue that our culture is asking for the type of shows on television.  We may not realize it isn’t healthy for us or maybe we just don’t care.  After all, binge watching Netflix is commonly referred to as a guilty pleasure and the word ‘binge’ itself has a negative connotation.  The first video on culture talks about storytellers.  Storytelling is how we learned about history and culture in the past.  Today, the storyteller is commonly the television.  Therefore, we are relying on mass media to tell us how to act and live our lives.  Does anyone else see a problem with this?

Chapter 8 of the Sternheimer text focused on image, obesity and eating disorders.  I learned that the fashion industry is being cracked down on for using models with eating disorders.  I think that makes sense because the kids (and adults) viewing these ads want to be as pretty as the model in the ad.  Unfortunately, it isn’t being taught (by schools or by parents) that those ads have been photo shopped to the max and the girl in the photo by that time doesn’t even exist.  I took issue with the idea that television causes obesity.  I believe the message should instead be something along the lines of “if you don’t get outside or get your body moving and you’re eating all that crappy junk food, you’re going to gain weight”.  I think rather than blaming television exclusively, we need to focus on alternatives.  How about, “Johnny if you want to watch your TV show then you need to go outside and play for a few hours first”.  It’s a sad reality when kids have to be told to go play in the fresh air but I think it’s what we need to do.

I also take particular issue that we don’t hear more about adult obesity.  The ones that get the attention for being obese are extremely overweight whereas I do not.  I am not in great shape and I need to work on my weight but because my body fits in a normal sized seat, people don’t generally worry about my health.  I wish commercials and ads focused more on my generation.  As a mom, I spend a lot of time worrying about my daughter’s lunches and making sure she eats her meat and carbs because she is currently under weight.  However, I don’t give myself the same attention because the media doesn’t focus on me.  I believe that if a parents eating habits are healthy then the child’s will be too.

Overall, this goes back to culture and what we are teaching people to do.  I don’t think that the media is responsible for our bad behavior but I do think they have the ability to help educate so if we can get better and more accurate information in the media, the future might look brighter.  This can also relate to symbiosis and Professor Dugan’s video because as he says, one company owns many media outlets which means that conglomerates don’t need to employ as many people or write as many stories because they can use the same story in many different formats, decreasing the amount of work necessary to produce content.  If the media were controlled by many different companies, we may end up with different or thought-provoking information every so often.

I think I learned a lot this week so far.  I was happy to learn that kids are waiting longer to have sex and when they do have sex, there are less resulting unplanned pregnancies.

Thank you!

 

Jessica Zarate Blog 3 Takeaways

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Currently, one major issue my children and I are faced with in our home is technology usage. It is not necessarily the exposure to technology but more how they choose to use technology. Often more times than not my children are attracted to violent, games, movie and other forms of media. As a parent, altogether avoiding “violent popular culture” is incredibly difficult. Not only are 7,9, and 11 year old exposed to violent content on television, theaters, as well as especially video games. It is very hard to eliminate exposure to violence when it is all around us. the According to Sternheimer (2013), “Because Americans spend so much time, energy, and money focusing on violent popular culture, ironically we fail to understand violence itself. If violence is really the issue of importance here, we should start by studying violence” (p. 103). In chapter five, Sternheimer goes on to discuss how crime and violence has gone down in the last two decades, as media begins to expand within the United States. She also makes a valid point in stating “It is important to consider the context of violence in media to understand how people of all ages make sense of violence in media, their communities, our nation, and the world” (104). In my opinion, this quote in simpler terms means for individuals to consider the source. Something my father whom is 61 years old and grew up in a different era might perceive something as more violent than I would. When studying the video games my children play and are exposed to, I am shocked to see the graphic content in those games. On game for example is “Grand Theft Auto”. To my son, the violence, cussing, and crude content is not shocking at all to him; whereas, my father and I myself are appalled and shocked so see images that that in a video games. One of the terms used in the text is “emotionally immune” and I would say this term applies to my children and other young children who are constantly being exposed to these types of games and shows. I would also agree with the text where Sternheimer (2013) states, “Of course, witnessing violence in person has a different meaning that mediated violence. Ironically, critics of media violence seem to have problems distinguishing between in-person violence and media violence” (125). (That game was given away to an adult friend by the way) As a parent, with all of the gadgets today, I have to be 100% on top of my children in what they are looking at online and with the games they are playing. I have been naive in the past, and they have pulled the wool over me in more than one instance. For these reasons, I am looking at things from a protectionist’s standpoint. It is my job to limit their exposure to media and content I find inappropriate for their age whether they like it or not. The chapter then goes on to state that people seem to think that child violence is on the rise when “the reality is that adults commit most crime, but a much smaller percentage of these stories make the news” (107). I would agree that the media focuses on stories that will gain attention and sell more newspapers and magazines. Which story would you as the audience be more interested in reading, “14 year Old Boy Murders His Siblings”, or “Man of Los Angeles Burglarizes and Murders”. I believe that the first headline would automatically draw more attention and therefore gain the popularity in the media. Sternheimer (2013) also goes on to state, “Violence may be an act committed by an individual, but violence is also a sociological, not just an individual phenomenon, one that is related to patterns of persistently high unemployment, limited educational opportunities, and geographic isolation from more stable communities” (108). Chapter five has plenty of great statistical information but overall in my opinion, children in the classroom as well as at home do not possess the skills at younger ages to be trusted whole heartily with technology.
According to the NCCP, “Being a child in a low-income or poor family does not happen by chance. Parental education and employment, race/ethnicity, and other factors are associated with children experiencing economic insecurity” (Jones, Ekono, & Skinner 2015). Their research supports the idea that the amount of children living in low income families is on the rise and has jumped from 39% to 44% from 2007 to 2013. The great thing about media, is the capability to shine light on major issues such as these. Child poverty is a huge deal. There is no reason why children in America should go to bed hungry. ty. The media can be put to good use and shine light on major issues such as these. Websites such as these can show statistics to educate Americans and facilitate change in society. People can create website and use their media knowledge for good use, but listing local resources and organizations people can turn to for support and assistance. YouTube is also a great source for bringing attention to real life issues. For example, in an additional resource retrieved from YouTube 60 Minutes visited homeless families and interviewed the parents and the children. They asked a group of children what it feels like to go to bed hungry. The children were very honest in describing their hunger pains and feelings. One quote from the video that stood out to me was (20011) “Homeless kids tiptoe in the world of insecurity, hoping to be invisible” (9:45). A person might see this video and find ways in their own capacity to make a difference in their community. This is a great example of how media can be used for the positive.