Module 2 Reflection
As a society we have a hard time envisioning the endless possibilities and believing change is possible. Especially when it comes to our school system. People have to work together in order for change to occur. Parents can have a voice when it comes to their children’s education. In the book Volatile Knowing there is an example of parents and school faculty members holding meetings together. They talk about issues that need to be addressed rather than “little backstage room” addressing it. This gives me hope for the future since I do not have children yet. I think we are on the right path for tomorrow. It is obvious that there is a “pyramid that is divided into a series of hierarchical rows” when it comes to the pecking order of social classes and how they relate to the school system.
I believe that children need to be protected from media. All adults have a lifetime of constructing media messages and therefore should be able to deconstruct them at the simplest level. We all have an obligation to protect our children’s trusting disposition. The ideology behind the Barnyard is male dominance. I’m surprised that no one caught on to the main character Otis having a female body with a male voice. Not one of us saw this! This shows how blinded we are to the smurf theory and how predominant it is in the World. Is this how we want to raise our children? I also wonder if we were all blinded to the Barnyard because we all grew up with too much media? With “Product placement and embedded advertising”, (Common Sense Media, 2014) we think we wanted a product because of a craving sensation but it was because we saw it in a TV show, ad, etc. There are too many harmful statistics about how many hours of media children of all ages watch every day. Should we start actively doing something about it? On this same topic there is more than enough information to understand that too much media in unhealthy for children. Sternheimer says that there is no link between TV watching and ADHD. Am I the only one that had a hard time reading chapter four because of a difference of opinion? I am not saying that 100% of children will get ADHD from watching TV but it is unmistakable that children’s creativity is stunted as a result.
Sometimes you have to find humor in order to get through life. This is the stance I take when it comes to women’s age and their not being as wanted anymore. Maybe I am turning a blind eye or being too optimistic. Obviously the “smurf theory” is real, there is no denying this. I choose to power through life, work as hard as needed, and ignore the negative things that could hold me back. There is always a line when enough is enough. I am also extremely thankful to our grandmothers who fought for equality in women’s rights. Without them we would not be where we are today making 40 cents on every dollar that a white man makes. (there was a little sarcasm behind that last sentence)
Stereotyping in films is still a problem. Maids are hispanic women, criminals are African American, women are always in the kitchen, etc. Cortés says labels are inevitable but they can have their downsides. They can be used as a slur or in an offensive manner. This thought goes beyond Hollywood and into people’s homes. The people who watch the movies and TV are brainwashed into having almost all these expectations from races. On the other side after reading Gross’s ideological writing it was clear to me that he had an over the top liberal and pessimistic view of the World. It is my opinion that we as a society have come farther than white or black, male or female. Everyone in their journey through life has a hard time for one reason or another. Saying that life is hardest on gay people is a stretch. I personally know people from high school that are heroin addicts, none of them are gay. Their lives are horribly hard and I am sad to say will be short lived. Most of these people were born into privileged families, and they are straight and white. You never know what life is going to hand you. Aren’t we all doing the best we can?
Media and bullying hit a nerve in me. I have a zero tolerance outlook on bullying. There are two ways of looking at this topic. One: facebook, twitter, snapchat, instagram, all news channels, TV programs are all avenues that bullies can use to hurt people. Two: these mediums can promote no bullying beliefs and highlight people like Ellen Degeneres, as role models. Since media is not going anywhere I believe we have to go with number two and fly high with it!
