#GETREAL

Oprah and the American Dream

In the Ellen lecture, we learned a lot about TV personalities that do not necessarily fit the mold of what is "normal" in this country. We talked about Ellen, how she is a member of the LGBTQ community, and how her ratings and viewers changed when she left the closet.

One person that we did not discuss (if my memory serves me correctly) is Oprah. Oprah is by no means the definiton of what America views as "normal", so why is she the powerhouse that she is? She's African-American, she's a woman, and she's unmarried. This sounds, to me, like the least likely person to be such a famous and respected person, so how was she able to do it?

I think it comes down to the American dream. Oprah grew up in the racist south, and was molested and abused as a child. She started from the lowest point and was able to WORK to get her way to the top. Because this was her story, I believe that her mostly white, Christian, married audience respected her for her differences. She did something that they could understand, even though she herself is a little different. She is an extremely eloquent speaker and has a lot of wisdom, also, so this too helped her.

Oprah's case is an interesting one, especially if the timing of her rise to fame is considered. Oprah became the star that she is in the 80s, I believe. Whenever it was, shoulder pads were still VERY MUCH a thing, so it had to have been a while ago. This is a time that was even less accepting of differences than today, so the fact that she was able to succeed as she did is especially powerful.

Oprah is obviously one of the biggest names in the media today. She had a lot working against her as she tried to become the powerful woman that she ultimately did, and I applaud her for it. In the cases of both Ellen and Oprah, being successful despite differences from the "norm" is possible, but in both cases the stars had to work extremely hard for it. Until this is not the case, our country has a lot of growing left to do.

Honey Boo Boo is my anti-drug

Today's lecture about Honey Boo Boo was mind-shattering for me. I entered the classroom a man with a hero, and her name was Alana. However, after today's lecture, I left a man feeling more grimy than Mama June's forklift foot. 

There is something about the Boo Boo family that I just can't get enough of. Coming from a working class family of people with senses of humor that are not always the... classiest, I feel like I actually connect to Alana's family. There is something endearing about them -- though they might be a little low-brow, they are loving and kind. I appreciate this.

However, they are also hilarious. In lecture I began to wonder if it is WHAT THEY DO that I find so funny, or if it is the PEOPLE themselves. This ties into the article because I ask if I am laughing with them, or laughing at them. Sadly, I believe that the second option is commonly the case.

The Thompson family is the definition of many negative stereotypes. I believe that this is their downfall, as they are made out to be a sort of conglomeration of bad traits -- so much so that almost every viewer can find something at which they can turn up their nose. The Thompsons are Southern (June and Sugar Bear were married in camo...), they're overweight (sketti?), they're poor (or so they're made out to be), and they're uneducated ("beautimous" is a stable of their vocabulary). All of these traits combine and make the family a textbook case for bad American stereotypes. Even if you are the average fat, uneducated, poor viewer, you still have a chance to look at the family and say "well, at least I'm not from the South." This is what makes the show so tragic. The family is made out to be all of these excessively negative things, when in actuality they are a family just trying to survive and have some fun in the world. TLC has capitalized on their flaws, and while I look up to Honey Boo Boo in some aspects, there are also aspects that I pity her for: this is the tragedy of the TLC television show.

Sassy Gay Stereotype Goes Shopping, Claims "It was FIERCE."

As a young, openly gay man growing up in Indiana, I've faced a lot of struggles. Now, I haven't had nearly as bad an upbringing as some of my LGBTQ peers and I am very thankful for this, but no one can deny that there is a lot of work that needs to be done before homosexuality is completely accepted in the heteronormative world we live in. I believe that the start of this momentum will come from pop culture.

There has been a huge move  in the direction of LGBTQ transparency in culture. From The New Normal (may it RIP) to Glee, gay characters are out there. The question is, however, whether or not they are TOO out there.

So, I love shopping. Don't get me wrong, but I am also a fraternity brother who watches the Olympics for more than just figure skating (although figure skating is the best) and does NOT use the word fierce. Why am I pointing all of these things out? Because these are the things that the media says I should do.

The New Normal  was a great show that lasted only one season. The show followed a gay couple who were looking to adopt a baby and stumbled upon a woman who offered to become a surrogate. It followed them through to their baby's birth before coming to an early end due to low ratings (#heteronormativeproblems).

The show portrayed gay culture in two ways: represented in the two main characters. Bryan, the "mom dad" was the more stereotypical "gay". He spent too much money on expensive clothes, he was needy and emotional, and was sassy as hell. Normally, I'd have a problem with this portayal, but Bryan was juxtaposed by his husband David, who was a sporty, doctor, boy scout with mostly male friends. While the show did offer two extremes, aka stereotypes, it was one of the first shows that showed a spectrum that gay men can fit into. It allowed me to see myself somewhere in the middle: something that, to my knowledge, had not been done before. It showed me that it is alright to hit the mall with my girls, then go hang out with my fraternity brothers and sit down to watch the NCAA finals. While the show was not perfect (especially when it comes to stagnant gender roles in relationships), I believe that it was a step in the right direction away from heteronormativity.

In opposition to this portrayal of gay culture sits Glee. With two of its main characters being a gay couple, Glee offers role models to many young homosexuals, especially those trying to survive what prove to be the toughest 4 years of many young gays' lives: High school. Glee  has the potential to be huge for the gay community, but there was actually an episode of the show that faced the two men against each other in a "Diva off". They discuss hair products, fight about interior design, and EVEN get drunk and make out with their girlfriends.  Glee has done nothing for the gay community beyond teaching young gay men that if you do not fit this rainbow-colored mold, you aren't gay enough, or are too gay. Glee is responsible for helping to establish the sassy, gay stereotype that seems to be present in every current TV show and movie; the same scarf-wearing, man-purse toting gay that I have lived in the shadow of since the moment I left the closet.

To get to where gay culture needs to be, gay people need to be portrayed as ACTUAL PEOPLE, with ACTUAL PERSONALITIES. We are not all the same, and the minute that the media stops portraying us as so is the minute that we can actually start our journey towards complete acceptance.

ROLLER COASTER CRASHES INTO GROUND, MANY DEATHS REPORTED. lol wut?

The other day I was perusing Facebook and something stuck out at me. It was a post that read:

"Breaking news - FOX - Roller coaster crash at major theme park. Many casualties are reported. Crash was due to car sliding off of track at second hill. At least 21 deaths were reported on impact. Passengers in first 8 cars all pronounced dead at the scene, all other riders in critical condition. Crash was caught on security camera and has been released, will not air on major news channels due to graphic content. See it here: (followed by a link)."

At first I was all like "OMG that's crazy!" but then I realized that it actually was crazy. Like, bad crazy.

Today's lecture, about social media news compared to mainstream news ties in nicely to what I now believe to have been a spam post that probably would have given my computer some nasty virus if I had clicked on it. First of all, said spammers obviously knew something about social media news. The idea of graphic content being available only through social media news is based on fact -- mainstream media has content laws and has to practice some censorship due to the audience that may be watching. High five, spammers.

In the end, I'm just glad I didn't decide to click the link. High five, me.

On the topic of social media news vs. mainstream news, I agree Jordan when he says that the best way to get news is through a combination of social media and mainstream sources. These days, on Facebook especially, users are inundated with fake news aimed solely at getting you to press that share button. However, because of corporate sponsors, mainstream news is usually either extremely embellished or watered-down to either appease viewers or to bring new viewers in. Jordan is right. High five, Jordan.

The Instagram Illusion & The Elephant in the Room

I am a social media junkie. My 'drug of choice' is twitter, but I dabble in all of the major social media sites. Recently, Instagram has risen to a close second in ranking.

Today in class we talked about whether or not people are fake about what we post on instagram, making up experiences and glorifying our lives to a point where it is vastly different from the lives we actually lead.

This reminded me of one picture in particular that I posted in my past. To this day, it is my most "liked" picture on the gram. Now, I am a zoology major (with a comm studies minor) so I have been blessed to do a lot of work with exotic animals. This makes for some pretty cool pictures, but the coolest was definitely taken when I job shadowed at the Louisville Zoo with the two elephants they had there.

While this sounds amazing, on this particular job shadow I didn't do anything more than stand in a hallway watching the workers do their jobs with a rake in my hand. Exciting? Not really. However, right before I left I asked the keepers if I could get a picture with one of the elephants named Mickey. They agreed, and Mickey and I snapped a glorious pic, me standing next to her leg petting her shoulder. The pic was immediately posted on ALL social media sites. The caption read "What an amazing day working with the elephants at the Louisville Zoo!" Did I actually "work with" the elephants? No. The most exciting part of the "work" was cutting sweet potatoes for their dinner. However, because of Instagram and other social media, I was able to present my day spent there as such an amazing, exciting experience.

Did I fake the experience of working with the elephants? No. Did I embellish? Definitely. I don't personally feel like I lied to my followers.

Ok so maybe I did lie, but it was harmless. I really liked when someone in the class said that social media allowed people to visualize and present their ideal selves: this is what this picture was for me. Maybe I didn't get to physically work with the elephants that day, but one day, I hope I can make that statement without embellishing the truth. This is how I choose to view the presenting self on social media: a visualization of the ideal self.