Sex & Violence & The Media Gods

My second paper that I am writing for class is all about sex, violence, and the media gods that create it. This topic is of particular interest to me because I am going into the field of the media. I do not want to be associated with sexual violence in the ads or public relations events that I produce therefore, learning about places you find sexual violence is a way for me to ensure that I stay away from these avenues in the future.

For me rap music is a huge media god for sexual violence. It is basically rappers verbalizing sex and violence. They are referring to women as objects and how you can "use them and abuse them." Just listen to some verses... "I got 99 Problems and a Bitch ain't one"... "I like big butts and I cannot lie." Those are just a couple but they go to all extremes. The problem with rap music is that all of its messages are hidden underneath the catchy beat. As a result society gets too distracted with the song's tune that they do not listen to the lyrics to actually realize what the song is saying.

We have all been there... dancing to a good rap/hip-hop song and then as we are dancing and singing along we realize what we are actually singing. And we stop for a second and go wow! that is a horrible thing to say... however, we keep going because we want to keep dancing...

Freak's Rights

After reading Christine's post about Phreeque.com it made me start to think about the "freak's rights."  As I have said before what defines a freak?  Just because you are born a certain way does not mean you should be treated inhumanely.  It is not your fault you are born with no legs, or born attached to your sister.  Therefore, why should you have to suffer.

Christine talks about how hard it was for the two twins that were attached to get married to their loved ones legally.  Why is this?  They were still two different people.  Just because no one could separate them does not mean that they should not be allowed to marry the one they love.  This is why I hate society?  People do not ever look outside of the box.  We just believe that what is normal is the way to go but who says that the ones' who are normal are not freaks.  Everyone deserves the same rights no matter what the circumstance is.  These "freaks" are people and under the constitution all people are granted equal rights.  

What is normal?

The movie Freaks makes me question what is normal?  In my opinion no one is normal everyone is different or a "freak" in their own way.  For example if you take Cleo on the outside she looks like a beautiful young woman and then when we see how she poisons Hanz we immediately see her transform into a freak.  Ultimately when she is turned into a peacock she is now a FREAK.  Also when you take Hercules he like Cleo seemed normal however, when the "freaks" rebelled on him and he was stabbed he was on the ground and brought down to their level.

The difference between the freaks the movie was originally about is that on the outside they look almost "monster-like" and they scare others away... this is why they are considered freaks.  Cleo and Hercules look normal on the outside but under their skin they are freaks because of their actions.  This proves that no one is normal... everyone has a little freak in them.

The movie proves that stereotyping is a negative thing and it hurts other's mentalities because it puts them on a much lower level then they deserve to be on.  The movie makes a great point and I found it very interesting to watch! :)

"Freaks" The Movie....

Today in class we started the movie Freaks.  The movie is quite weird.  I have not ever seen anything like it before.  For this reason I am not sure what to think of it yet.  The main characters that stand out in my mind are the two small adults... Freida and Hanz.  The two are very interesting.  I feel bad for Freida because Hanz is obsesed with Cleo and she does not like him and only uses him for his money.  Whereas Freida loves him for who he is... which is what we are supposed to love someone for righttttt?

Anyways the movie is very dark and I am very unsure what the point of it is.  It is evident that they treat women like dirt in the film.  We see this with the twins.  One of their husband's is always yelling at them and telling her that she cannot tell him what to do.  This is upsetting but what many women go through.  In my opinion men act this way because they see it in the media in cases like this movie showing it.  Therefore, men feel it is okay to take part in.

The media controls us.  It is all around us... we are forced to see it, hear it, and be part of it.  Our society will never be the same since the media is always forcing us to change our views... it is quite sad.

Is there really a cure?

After today's discussion in class in regards to the story "Welcome to Cancerland" by: Barbara Ehrenreich, about if drug companies really do know cures of diseases such as Cancer and AIDS but they just do not disclose them because they would lose money.  I have always wondered this.  Especially living so close to Phizer, many of my friend's parents work on developing Cancer drugs and we always wonder that if they did find a cure how many of their parents would be out of work.  We always question... with all of the time they spend trying to develop new drugs they must have found a cure by now right????? 

Some people might think this is a ridiculous thing to think but I would not put it past big drug companies like Phizer.  Who would control them enough to tell them to not disclose their findings?  No one is above them and companies like them are so rich they will do anything to make more money... not lose it.  It makes me really question the ethics and morals they have.  This topic really interests me and I would consider doing more research on it in the future.

Also in regards to the story I do agree with Ms. Ehrenreich all of the products made for Breast Cancer research are really just a distraction from the whole issue at heart.  It is such a publicity scan that it is sickening.

Is being redundant bad????

After reading Kit's post about Jean Kilbourne's essay "Two Way a Woman Can Get Hurt," she made me question if her essay was too redundant?  Kit claims that she thinks Kilbourne talks way too much about the same thing and that it would have been much more effective if she would have just said it in a more concise way.  However, I feel this was the most effective way Kilbourne could get her point across.  She repeated so much, so her ideas would be ingrained in your mind.  Sure, at some points it sounded like a complete rant but this is how she is.  She is a very one-minded being.  However, she is open to other opinions.

Last semester, in my Mass Media class we watched a video of her talking about the same topic.  She is actually extremely hilarious.  I feel that just reading this piece gave many people in the class a negative view of her because she seems very one-minded and repeats herself too much.  But to me I think she is just being herself.  She wants to prove a point and she feels this is the best way to do it.  I believe she is right and now going into the advertising, public relations field myself I feel I must look at this situation and consider how I can change it.  Especially since I am a woman myself.  I do not want women to be perceived as a "thing" in the media for the rest of my life (like women are viewed now) ... this is why I am going to do something to change it.

Women in Advertising...

After reading Jean Kilbourne's essay "Two Ways a Woman Can Get Hurt," I am unable to look at an advertisement the same way.  The essay in particular interested me because I am going into that field of advertising.  It is neat to look at someone's perspective into this world of marketing and give their take on the negatives.  I never really thought about it before; women really are perceived as a thing in advertising.  This is unfortunate because for this reason it gives advertising such a bad reputation.  

Our discussion in class today made me realize that for women these ads are negative but for a man to view them they do not find them to be bad.  They do not look at them the same way.  I find this to be very interesting.  Is it because us women can associate with each other and know what each other is going through?  Is it our maternal nature that bonds us?  Or is it something else?  Sure, in some cases Kilbourne might be going to the extreme for example the girl with the cherry dress advertisement; but I do think she has a point.  Women are viewed negatively due to the media, what are we going to do to change that?