COMM 322 Final on Online Dating

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xQcaVcV5eL8&feature=youtu.be

Group:

Jeffrey Williams
Jessie Jordan
Eli Ralston
Max Ramsey
Jen Zarate

End of class reflection.

I think we need to remember that ultimately whoever makes a piece of text (whether a television network or magazine publisher or whatever else) is ultimately making it to sell (assuming it is for profit). These people create things they know will sell to us. They have marketers and researchers to make sure they know exactly what people want and how to sell it. We, as Americans want to represent different people in the media like homosexuals and people of different cultures for example. We want a change to happen and we want every different individual represented and shown correctly. We have gotten what we want! There are so many shows now that are trying to branch out and represent! Shows like Modern family, Orange is the new black, Downton Abbey, Skins, Pretty Little Liars, Glee, True Blood, 30 Rock, are just a few of the shows who represent members of the LGBT community in their programs. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_situation_comedies_with_LGBT_characters) That link shows lists of movies and shows that represent those values in their shows at least once. There have also been many shows and texts recently that have represented minorities and families of lower class and women in different roles and not traditional roles. These are just a few of the things that have been changing in the media today. I think that those are all commendable things. Yet, somehow we are not happy still? I agree that we should always strive to be better and push for change. However, I would like to play devil's advocate here for a bit and analyze our discussions on such texts in class. It seems that we still have much negative to say about these shows because even while representing these individuals, sometimes the texts don't represent them "properly." Maybe Modern Family doesn't exactly get it spot-on what being a middle class family actually is, but really who cares? They are showing a family that is different from the traditional nuclear family and if shows did not allow for a little fantasy and differentiation from reality, why would we watch them? I wouldn't want to watch something that is just realistic people doing completely normal things and having a normal amount of money for a lower-middle class because that is what I am already! The deviation from reality is what keeps it interesting. Sure, Honey Boo Boo is embarrassing but obviously the network did their job of selling it because the show is hugely popular. This is because most people watch it simply because they are entertained by it. Yes, shows and texts send political messages, but sometimes they are just for entertainment and fantasy! If it is not completely accurate, should we be at all surprised? And yes, we write zombie movies and shows and obsess over zombies. And maybe that is because we are afraid of the end of the world. So what? Ultimately, media texts are meant to be creative and marketable. They are meant to make money and no matter how much we don't want to admit we like some texts, we do. It is human nature to be entertained by things that are differing from our reality.

Don't get me wrong, I definitely agree media should make more progress in representing more accurately all types of people but I think we should still understand that media is ultimately for entertainment and constantly complaining makes it no longer entertaining. If we constantly criticize and analyze everything that is actually getting better, we will never be happy!

Food

I was discussing this culture of food we talked about in class with my boyfriend because I know he is a total food nerd and I wanted to hear his point of view on the matter. I began by talking about how we were discussing in class that the pressure for cheaper food created lower salary jobs which created more people who could only afford cheaper food and it becomes a terrible cycle downward. We continued discussing how it is a shame how bad it has gotten. When some families pull into McDonald's every night, you know you have a problem. We can now go into Walmart and purchase like a ten gallon container of cheese puffs and five two liters of pop if we wanted to. I'm not denying how awesome cheese puffs and pop are or anything, I am just saying that is gross. Food is a major aspect of every culture, but now it seems like we are respecting ourselves and our food less and less. Eating meals often becomes an extra chore that takes up too much time. So stuffing a hamburger in your face while driving down the interstate has become the norm and standard for nourishing yourself before a big day. Let me just say, I am guilty of all of these things I am discussing but if you really step back and look... we can be so disgusting! In France, meals and food are pretty much some of the most important topics when considering French culture. The French most often eat as a family every single night. A large and complicated meal is planned as a way for the family to come together at night and catch up after the long day. If you are invited into a French person's home for dinner, that is them saying you are accepted by their family and officially a close enough friend. Basically in France, sharing a meal is a symbol of togetherness and family. That is so beautiful. In America, if we eat as a family most often it is in front of the TV. That is great, don't get me wrong because sometimes I just want to watch TV while eating and not talk to my family. But, because of this emphasis on cheap and fast food, we don't spend as much time with our families.

http://www.cfs.purdue.edu/CFF/documents/promoting_meals/spellsuccessfactsheet.pdf

As my boyfriend an I continued the discussion, we were thinking, isn't it obvious that this food culture is affecting way more than food? I think that goes without being said, but this negative food culture is finding its way into the core of our families. It is affecting the way we operate and affecting the closeness. I did a little extra research because I was curious exactly HOW this is affecting America and I found some interesting statistics and an interesting graph (above). That is how little we spend on our food! I know we are in a recession and I surely can't spend more on food, but its is a little revealing as to where our country places the importance. The graph under that shows how often we spend eating away from home. It would seem that if the amount of time we eat out is increasing, the amount we spend on food would be too, however it seems to not be the case. A recent study done by Purdue University offers a clever acronym to represent all of the benefits that eating healthy family members provides children. I posted the link below the last picture. The acronym they offer is "SUCCESS" S= smarter children, U= unlikely to smoke, drink, or take drugs, C= courteous and conversational, C= connected to family, E= eating better, S= sharing food and conversation at meals, S= strengthens family! They, then go on to list statistics and facts backing up each one of these premises. I thought this was interesting even though most of these things are common sense, it is good to have some statistics to show what eating well balanced meals as a family can do for it. So, when we all grow up someday and maybe have families, let's strive to feed our families better and eat together. If we have family meals we will be healthier, stronger families, and hopefully produce better and more respectful and healthy children!

The greatest freak out ever.

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCLDe6oX_ekNqmWzdJQXSmSw
The above video is called "the greatest freak out ever." This video is not alone, however. It is actually a whole series and if you have a while, I would recommend clicking the above link to his channel on YouTube and watching some. I binge watched all of them because of the pure amazement I have at these individuals. However, while watching them I began thinking about why this boy feels he needs to post these videos on Youtube. The videos were funny at first but then as I began to watch more and more, I became concerned about him. I began to think, this kid must not have ANYONE to vent to! If I had a brother like this, and parents who just seemingly nurtured this bad attitude and if I lived in this poor family situation (assuming this is all legit) I would be embarrassed to post videos of my dysfunctional life! Then I realized he is the product of our generation. This kid posts these videos because he has no other outlet. Social networking is part of our lives naturally these days but it seems to me that this kid is suffering from a lack of social gratification and way to express these frustrations he goes through in everyday life. So, like many, he has chosen a mediated outlet. This individual may be struggling from loneliness, so he expresses things through his YouTube channel to find others similar to him or reach out to find friends. According to Stephen Marche's article "Is Facebook making us lonely?" (May 1, 2012) "According to a major study by a leading scholar onf the subject, roughly 20 percent of Americans - about 60 million people - are unhappy with their lives because of loneliness. Acroos the Western world, physicians and nurses have begun to speak openly of an epidemic of loneliness." Marche then goes on to quote Burke as saying "people whose friends write to them semi-publicly on Facebook experience decreases in loneliness." I awould apply this to the situation of the kid above. I would say that by him posting the videos on YouTube, it allows him to get people to respond to him and it, in turn, creates less loneliness. I mean, we can only assume this guy is super lonely. His brother is obviously not fun to hang out with at all. It also seems like his parents are barely involved with anything. This guy has every reason to want to reach out on social media. Loneliness has actually been found to alter the DNA of chronically lonely older humans, according to the article. (Marche, 2011) So this guy was probably going through a tough time. But, he must be careful because we know that if you only establish these weak ties that come through social media, you could begin to lack strong ties and good relationships. If you watch these, I hope you enjoy... hopefully someone else can blog about it!

Bridezillas: Part 2!

Okay, so I know I already wrote a blog about Bridezillas... but I think it deserves two blogs. Bridezillas is a very interesting show. Because, on one hand, I would recommend people watch Bridezillas because it makes you feel better about yourself, for one, and it also can show you how NOT to be and how NOT to raise your future daughter. But, at the same time, it is also an extremely negative thing that this show went on for so long. Sure, it is fascinating to watch the show to see that such people actually exist and see what you should not be like and not raise your children to be. However, shouldn't we already know not to act like that? Furthermore, as human beings shouldn't we be just completely embarrassed to be even of the same species as Bridezillas (if they are not their own species already...)? Since when has this attitude become promotable and actually widely consumed and enjoyed by people? Since when is having this attitude acceptable? The issue with this is that Bridezillas is representing very serious situations and essentially promoting the poor (to say the least) attitude of these women. These girls are making so much money because they have bad attitudes! Some girls may see this and think "I can be famous for being a brat." Why wouldn't they think that? It is, unfortunately, true. Bridezillas get exactly what they want. They get fame, they get fortune, without ever having to work for it or change their negative attitude in any way. So, on one side, the show is good for those who are able to take it with a grain of salt and be ashamed and motivated to change the culture and the future, but on the other hand, the show is doing this by showering Bridezillas with fame and money. So, this is a win-lose situation. But, another thing to think about is the fact that it wouldn't be a win situation at all had the culture come to such a point where it is rewarded to have a Bridezillas personality. We shouldn't have to watch a show representing terrible people who actually exist to know how not to be. This show is a result of the emergence of the selfish, capitalistic ways enstilled in young people resulting from the princess culture discussed in my previous blog. The article "Is Trash TV Bad For Women? A Producer's Defense of Celebreality" offers a quote that I believe goes perfectly with this. "Of course, for the women of reality TV, "anything" follows a particular script, and as long as shimmying, spitting, and slapping will make you famous, volunteers will abound." These Bridezillas see that they can be famous for being terrible brats so they take any opportunity they can get. So, to conclude, on one hand people may see a benefit in the show Bridezillas because they see that this is a way that you should strive not to be and in turn may want to change how things are. People may enjoy it for pure entertainment's sake or just to feel better about themselves. But on the other hand, Bridezillas is also detrimental to many girls who see that they can get famous for acting in such a way and who strive to emulate such actions to get attention. Also, it is negative because it is only promoting such a bad behavior by rewarding those with the worst behavior with money and fame. So, I can see the harm and benefit of this trash TV text.
We cannot analyze this text without giving notice to the not-so-subtle perpetuation of negative gender stereotypes. Women, should we not be utterly outraged at such a stereotypical and blatantly sexist representation of these women? Bridezillas focuses on selfish, bratty women who want everything and will step on anyone to get anything they want. This is commended and created by the negative princess culture, and perpetuated by these shows. Furthermore men should definitely be outraged if not more outraged than the women. The men in this show do not catch a break from this negative gender stereotyping in the least. Men in this show are portrayed as spineless morons who blindly give these women anything they want and only feed their negative behaviors. The men in the show never seem to end up happy and never stand up for themselves. We should all be embarrassed of this and see that the media is representing us all to be mindless capitalistic robots who will do anything for fame and fortune and who will watch anything fed to them. So, after much deliberation, I have come to the conclusion that Bridezillas is bad and should be made fun of.

Bridezillas

If you've ever seen Bridezillas, you know what I'm talking about when I refer to the narcissistic, spoiled, and self-entitled behaviors exemplified by the women on this show. Specifically the women. This sheer and disgusting display is yet somehow an attractive and addictive show and stays popular on TV. But, the question I constantly ask myself if I decide to let myself indulge and watch the show, is how do people get like this? Are these women enabled by their parents to act like this? Yes. Are they a product of the marketing of princess culture? This question may need some analysis before I am able to answer that question fully. I will start by specifying, the women who are on Bridezillas are on the show by their own choice. If you have seen the show you may ask yourself why anyone would submit themselves to such embarrassment and want to be seen acting like they do. Most of the time, I watch this show to make myself feel better about my life. These women are so selfish that in every episode the big "surprise" and "suspense" of the show is that they almost don't make it to the altar. But, as most stories go, of course these women get everything they ever wanted and live "happily ever after." Often, the Bridezillas are so blind to anything but their "royalty" that they don't even care that they are often way overspending. The point is, these girls are so consumed that they don't even see that. These girls are a product of being spoiled and told that they deserve to be spoiled and beautiful all the time, especially for their weddings. Their parents told them they were special and deserved everything they ever want, and in turn these parents created a monster. Not a princess, a Bridezilla. Every episode that I have seen, the Bridezilla makes sure to fully explain exactly what she deserves and makes sure her family knows that they are at her disposal to dote on her every whim. At the expense of everyone around her, including her future spouse, these women will do anything to get everything they feel that they deserve. What is this abomination?! Bridezillas are the definition of princess culture gone wrong. Firstly, I do not believe that every girl is negatively affected by princess culture and I do not believe that a girl wanting to wear pink and play like a princess is inherently wrong. I do, however, believe that this princess culture, compared with bad parenting, combined with an overall bad person make a Bridezilla. Joanne Laucius (1/11) discusses a similar show Princesses in his article. This show depicts women who are "princesses" but are in fact bankrupt or in bad monetary situations because of their excessive spending and investment into the princess culture. The princess culture has so negative an effect on these women on Bridezillas that they actually feel proud of this behavior. So proud, in fact, that they want to be on TV for this! We cannot allow this to continue. I believe that the princess culture is not bad, in itself, like I stated before, but when combined with the media telling girls they can and must be pretty all the time, they deserve to get everything they ever wanted and they should be in control of their lives, this turns into a snowball effect. The girls begin as young princesses and turn into capitalistic, overspending, self-entitled maniacs. If you have not watched the show, I would recommend it. This is something that I believe people should watch to get an idea of what you should NOT do. I believe although watching these shows seems to enable these bad attitudes, I think it does i fact benefit us to watch this show because we can see what we should not be. If we have the right lens when watching this show, it can benefit us and help us to raise our girls without this princess culture and the negative influence on their future personalities.