Women in the Media

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EfElbe4kvNw

Kayla Ginsbach
Abbie Guthrie
Zach Hughes
Jordan Jenkins
Luke Martin
Jessica Poore

Zombies

After Dr. Watts presentation in class on Tuesday, I started to think a lot about this Zombification that he talked about. According to Watts, this zombie culture became very popular in the post 9/11 era. He said that no one ever though people could hijack planes and run them into buildings, so they fear that somehow, someway a virus could exist that could create zombies. He believes that people know viruses exist, and they don't know what kind of epidemic will be next, so zombies seem believable.

He also talked a lot about the Walking Dead and how some characters attempt to keep democracy and their abilities to take risks. After watching the show I truly don't think our society could exist how it does now in a zombie apocalypse. There is no way society would in any way resemble what it is now, when there are zombies rolling around trying to eat people. I think the majority of the leaders who are smart would be more like the Governor than Rick. That's the only way people could survive.

Honestly though, there is no chance of a zombie apocalypse ever happening. I understand the obsession because a show like the Walking Dead is really entertaining, but people who find those zombies, and that situation realistic are bizarre to me. There is a fine line between being entertained by something that fake, and preparing for something like that to actually happen.

Princess/ Superhero Culture

We spoke in detail the other day about how this superhero and princess culture is affecting the young generation. We talked about how people grow up feeling entitled because they see these princesses with certain items, and think they deserve them. We also discussed how young men grow up thinking they aren't allowed to show emotion, and be physically strong because they see these superheroes.

I buy part of the argument, but I also think the main determinant of how a child will turn out is his or her parents. I watched all sorts of terrible movies, and was a huge brat when I was a kid, but my parents did a good job humbling me and making sure I was in tune with reality. I don't believe a kid will turn out horrible just by admiring these types of figures, and I sometimes believe they can be good role models. I think they have some good lessons that if kids grasp, they can turn out to be really great.

However, as I mentioned, I buy part of the argument. I do think some kids will feel entitled if they are immersed in these cultures without guidance from parents. If the parents make the kid feel entitled as much as the princess culture does then I believe that is when you see the problem.

In conclusion, I don't think this princess/superhero culture is as bad as people make it out to be. Obviously, some people truly feel entitle, but I believe the majority realize that is not the way this world works.

Who's at fault?

We have talked a lot about the effects war has on popular culture, and video games on our citizens. I'm sure we've all seen the studies and reports on how video games are making our kids violent. We even watched the video from the Army Experience Center, which showed the kids screaming at the TVs. 

As someone who played video games, and who grew up with three brothers, video games do make us more violent. I was never to the point where I thought about doing some catastrophic, but I did get angry with my parents and brothers easier when I would lose/die in my video game. I find it funny, now, how seriously I used to take my video games, because they were supposed to be for fun. 

I would argue that the fault does not lie in the video game creators nor the children. Video game creators are getting paid to provide entertain for people. Our society has allowed them to have a job where making violent video games is OK, and if I were getting paid to make them, I wouldn't feel bad at all. I also don't think the responsibility lies in the children. They're just doing what their parents have taught them.

I think all responsibility lies within how the parents raise the child. If they raise them to realize what reality is, then no video game will alter that. I don't blame parents for providing the video games for these kids. In my personal experiences, kids who are sheltered turn out to make more mistakes, or be more socially insecure than kids who had a well-rounded childhood. Yes, that mean's watching whatever they want on TV, so they are exposed to the world. It also means playing whatever video games they want to. They will someday be exposed to all of this, so they shouldn't be sheltered from it when they are younger. 

Hipsters and Coolhunters

As we learned in class on Thursday, hipsters are considered people who are posers. They are people without much individualism, rather they follow the trends when they become popular. People hate hipster, but aren't we all a little bit hipster. Using only those two sentences to define a hipster, I'd like to argue that we are all, or have been at one point in time, a hipster.

At some point in each of our lives, we have followed a trend because it is popular. It doesn't matter what group you consider yourself a part of, we have all followed a trend at one point in our lives. If you haven't, then you've probably only done that to spite everyone else and you're being a little hipster by thinking everything everyone else is doing is dumb.

Also, if you still aren't convinced that you've been a hipster at some point in your life, then where did you find your style? Everyone has someone they look up to, someone they think is really cool, and I think a lot of times people dress and act like those people in their lives.

Another thing we talked about on Thursday were "coolhunters" and the art of being cool. Coolhunters are people who work for corporations and businesses, and they go out and find someone wearing something unique that they think is cool, so they can mass produce it and make money off someone's individuality.

That sucks for people who are trying to be unique, but it's very smart of corporations to do because there are so many people trying to be cool that it obviously works.

My parasocial relationship with THE Jennifer Lawrence

As the we've discussed in class, and the blogs below mine explain, a parasocial relationship is a one-sided relationship, where one party knows a great deal about the other, but the other does not. The relationship is based on a bond of intimacy, which is created when a viewer begins to feel he or she really knows the celebrity or character even though the celebrity does not know the viewer.

With that being said, I for sure have this type of relationship with Jennifer Lawrence and/or Katniss Everdeen. As I'm writing this, I am talking to my roommate about how I know that Jennifer Lawrence hasn't let Hollywood change her. For example, I am determined that she is always herself, and doesn't believe in dieting unless it is for a role. I have no clue how she grew up, or if Hollywood changed her, but I just really like her personality in front of the press, so I tell myself these things.

The bond of intimacy grows through realism and privacy. Realism deals with how believable the actress or character and their encounters are perceived to be, while privacy has to do with viewers getting to know the characters personally as they watch them privately in the comfort of their own homes.

I think my bond of intimacy grows with Jennifer more so with realism because I really think her interactions with the media and her interviews are very believable as to the person she actually is, even though we have never held an actual conversation. As far as privacy, that definition seems really creepy, and I have never seen Jennifer in the comfort of her own home, so I'll just avoid that for this blog.