Wes Anderson,
Jess Cooney,
Cassandra Eiler,
Casie Haflich,
Alison Kwolek &
Christina Sears
An informative PSA about the monetization of the pink ribbon:
Showing posts with label jesscooney. Show all posts
Showing posts with label jesscooney. Show all posts
Tuesday, April 22, 2014
Wednesday, April 16, 2014
"Poor" TV is Not So Poor
During our class discussion and also the article we read for class, some people may have been led to believe that the stars of the shows like Duck Dynasty and Honey Boo Boo are poor in real life.
False.
Duck Commander, the family owned company that "Duck Dynasty" was created around, was founded in 1972. That's surely before the creation of it's TV show. According to this article, the first year Phil Robertson was in production he made $8,000. Over the next few years, he made almost $500,000. That doesn't seem poor then or now, considering the business only continued to flourish, even before the A&E TV show.
Alana Thompson, other wise known as Honey Boo Boo, is a slightly different story but still has resources. In the beginning of this video, from the TLC original "Toddlers & Tiaras", we see Mama June and family messing around and throwing household paper products, then you realize "woah, that's a stock pile!" At approximately 0:45 seconds, we notice a mattress on the floor, no box spring, no furniture. However the house is covered in trophies and ribbons. Curious. If you know anything else about extreme couponing, or even just based on this clip of Mama June on "Extreme Couponing", we could believe that Mama June coupons to save money for Alana's dresses. The average toddler pageant dress runs between $50-$150, not including costumes for the "talent" portion.
On the contrary to Honey Boo Boo and Duck Dynasty we have "Porter Ridge". A group of people, friends & neighbors really, who live just outside of Bloomington, IN, who own struggling businesses. In this article, we read about Porter Ridge, two "simple" men who's business' were dying. These guys really did do the show for the money. The article even states "Watson dreamed up new hope for the duo, plus quite a few friends in rural Owen County, by pitching a reality series to the makers of cable-TV sensation “Duck Dynasty.”"
It infuriates me to know that some people make TV shows on these networks that make fun of the poverty they may or may not be in. The real poverty in this system could be those who are so desperate, they are willing to make fun of them selves, or be made fun of by networks and viewers just to save their lifestyles.
False.
Duck Commander, the family owned company that "Duck Dynasty" was created around, was founded in 1972. That's surely before the creation of it's TV show. According to this article, the first year Phil Robertson was in production he made $8,000. Over the next few years, he made almost $500,000. That doesn't seem poor then or now, considering the business only continued to flourish, even before the A&E TV show.
Alana Thompson, other wise known as Honey Boo Boo, is a slightly different story but still has resources. In the beginning of this video, from the TLC original "Toddlers & Tiaras", we see Mama June and family messing around and throwing household paper products, then you realize "woah, that's a stock pile!" At approximately 0:45 seconds, we notice a mattress on the floor, no box spring, no furniture. However the house is covered in trophies and ribbons. Curious. If you know anything else about extreme couponing, or even just based on this clip of Mama June on "Extreme Couponing", we could believe that Mama June coupons to save money for Alana's dresses. The average toddler pageant dress runs between $50-$150, not including costumes for the "talent" portion.
On the contrary to Honey Boo Boo and Duck Dynasty we have "Porter Ridge". A group of people, friends & neighbors really, who live just outside of Bloomington, IN, who own struggling businesses. In this article, we read about Porter Ridge, two "simple" men who's business' were dying. These guys really did do the show for the money. The article even states "Watson dreamed up new hope for the duo, plus quite a few friends in rural Owen County, by pitching a reality series to the makers of cable-TV sensation “Duck Dynasty.”"
It infuriates me to know that some people make TV shows on these networks that make fun of the poverty they may or may not be in. The real poverty in this system could be those who are so desperate, they are willing to make fun of them selves, or be made fun of by networks and viewers just to save their lifestyles.
Thursday, April 10, 2014
So you're not into zombies, huh?
Last week we were so privileged to have Dr. Eric King Watts come to class and present. If you're like me, whey you saw he was into zombies, you probably rolled your eyes and sighed. I don't dig the zombie thing now, but what I do dig is the afro-carribean zombie history and culture. That just blows my mind.
I was first interested in the zombie history a few years back when I was sitting at home with my dad watching TV. My dad and I like to watch the "nonsense" shows, or the ones that seem a little crazy and out there. This show was all about underground religions around the world. It touched on VooDoo and Zombie Religion. I was so caught up in how these people think you can make a zombie.
Here is a link to one clip, but this might not have been from the exact video I watched. This clip talks about how VooDoo is a religion in Haiti, not just an "evil".
The show also talked about how there is this concoction that you can give the person you want to be a zombie. Whether this is actually the case or it is psychological placebo we won't know, but nonetheless, this is crazy to me and it just fascinates me beyond belief. I could sit for hours and watch the many Youtube videos out about Haitian Zombie VooDoo, but that's just because I like to learn about things I can't understand.
Just as Dr. Watts eluded to, there's more to the zombie culture than The Walking Dead or other current zombie narratives, it is a lifestyle to some people, and not in the joking manner Americans might call The Walking Dead a lifestyle.
I was first interested in the zombie history a few years back when I was sitting at home with my dad watching TV. My dad and I like to watch the "nonsense" shows, or the ones that seem a little crazy and out there. This show was all about underground religions around the world. It touched on VooDoo and Zombie Religion. I was so caught up in how these people think you can make a zombie.
Here is a link to one clip, but this might not have been from the exact video I watched. This clip talks about how VooDoo is a religion in Haiti, not just an "evil".
The show also talked about how there is this concoction that you can give the person you want to be a zombie. Whether this is actually the case or it is psychological placebo we won't know, but nonetheless, this is crazy to me and it just fascinates me beyond belief. I could sit for hours and watch the many Youtube videos out about Haitian Zombie VooDoo, but that's just because I like to learn about things I can't understand.
Just as Dr. Watts eluded to, there's more to the zombie culture than The Walking Dead or other current zombie narratives, it is a lifestyle to some people, and not in the joking manner Americans might call The Walking Dead a lifestyle.
Thursday, March 27, 2014
Third Wave Feminism
Feminism. By definition feminism is: the doctrine advocating social, political, and all other rights of women equal to those of men, or an organized movement for the attainment of such rights for women.
In class, we already declared that it's not just about being a female much like the definition points out, but we also talked about how men can be feminists and that doesn't mean that they are "girlie" or not masculine.
After our classroom discussion and the readings on Tuesday, I realized feminism isn't "radical" and "crazy". Yes, you have those over the top feminists, the stereotypical ones portrayed in shows like Portlandia and in the movies.
In class, we already declared that it's not just about being a female much like the definition points out, but we also talked about how men can be feminists and that doesn't mean that they are "girlie" or not masculine.
After our classroom discussion and the readings on Tuesday, I realized feminism isn't "radical" and "crazy". Yes, you have those over the top feminists, the stereotypical ones portrayed in shows like Portlandia and in the movies.
Before Tuesday's class I didn't know there were more kinds of feminists besides that. I was naive in thinking they all were the same. The articles we read for class talked about a new wave of feminists. A type of "third wave" feminist, a woman who can wear high heels but also be a business professional.
There is no actual definition but author Sarah Banet-Weiser states that, "Third Wave feminism (or sometimes "girlie feminism") embraces the commercial media visibility and enthusiastically celebrates the power that comes with it.... Third Wave feminists politics are not only fundamentally different than Second Wave feminist politics, but because of the embrace of media visibility and the commercial world, as also more representative for a new generation of women."
I'm not saying that we have to take her word as the solid truth, because there is no solid definition, but this is a good base. Third Wave feminism is something I think my generation is wholeheartedly embracing and I know I look forward to changing the way the world views women, before I just didn't consider that feminism.
Food Culture & Social Media
This blog post is directed at how we are using social media to constantly share what we're eating. Whether it's a Pinterest board about what food we want to make, and Instagram image of our most recent meal or even a Tumblr gif about food, sometimes we share too much.
When it comes to social media, I'm pretty sure we all have that one friend who posts everything. Now, we all have the power to unfollow or block that person but then we might hurt their feelings, so we never do and we get bombarded with posts. These post may not bother most of us, but I think it's time that we exam how much food we stereotypically are putting on our own social media.
I once found this picture that jokingly explains which social media you should use to do what.
But seriously, doesn't that sum it up? If you aren't guilty of using social media that way, then I bet you know someone who is. Personally, that picture is pretty accurate of my social media usage about two-thirds of the time. The other third of the time I spend on social media is actually researching and trying to learn more about my field or network.
Next time you sit down to have a fancy dinner, or your favorite meal, maybe you should think twice before bombarding your followers with pictures. Especially if you're a regular to food pictures. My rule is that the meal has to be extra special and something I would want to remember, not just any ol' meal.
When it comes to social media, I'm pretty sure we all have that one friend who posts everything. Now, we all have the power to unfollow or block that person but then we might hurt their feelings, so we never do and we get bombarded with posts. These post may not bother most of us, but I think it's time that we exam how much food we stereotypically are putting on our own social media.
I once found this picture that jokingly explains which social media you should use to do what.
But seriously, doesn't that sum it up? If you aren't guilty of using social media that way, then I bet you know someone who is. Personally, that picture is pretty accurate of my social media usage about two-thirds of the time. The other third of the time I spend on social media is actually researching and trying to learn more about my field or network.
Next time you sit down to have a fancy dinner, or your favorite meal, maybe you should think twice before bombarding your followers with pictures. Especially if you're a regular to food pictures. My rule is that the meal has to be extra special and something I would want to remember, not just any ol' meal.
Thursday, February 27, 2014
Social Media & Parasocial Relationships
Let's just say it was a rough start to the semester, that's why this blog post comes like 6 weeks late.
The longer this class evolves, the more I find myself heavily rethinking what I though I already knew. At the beginning of this class I felt that I was very different than most of the class from taking the right selfies to parasocial relationships to even my views on various class topics. Well, that's kind of true. There are definitely times in class (during unit four) when I was like, "wow, do people really do that" and "do people really go out of their way that much to be *this* person on social media?"
During that unit I really began to reevaluate my usage of social media. I looked at the number of followers I had on Twttier: 133 (at the time). That was right on par with the article "Social Networking Sites & Our Lives".
When people in class admitted to having upwards of 600 friends, I just think "How?" How can anyone have that many friends? While I am an introvert, 600 just seems physically impossible, but I also only friend people I actually know. And I used the ever popular system of unfriending about once a year.
Now that we are very much so out of unit four, I find myself being slightly more critical of what I post or how I use social media; however, my strict approach of professionaism, beneficial not superficial, yet simultaneouly me is what I'm pursuing. I see the game that 322 is trying to play. It isn't working, but maybe that's because I wasn't your average social media consumer.
The longer this class evolves, the more I find myself heavily rethinking what I though I already knew. At the beginning of this class I felt that I was very different than most of the class from taking the right selfies to parasocial relationships to even my views on various class topics. Well, that's kind of true. There are definitely times in class (during unit four) when I was like, "wow, do people really do that" and "do people really go out of their way that much to be *this* person on social media?"
During that unit I really began to reevaluate my usage of social media. I looked at the number of followers I had on Twttier: 133 (at the time). That was right on par with the article "Social Networking Sites & Our Lives".
When people in class admitted to having upwards of 600 friends, I just think "How?" How can anyone have that many friends? While I am an introvert, 600 just seems physically impossible, but I also only friend people I actually know. And I used the ever popular system of unfriending about once a year.
Now that we are very much so out of unit four, I find myself being slightly more critical of what I post or how I use social media; however, my strict approach of professionaism, beneficial not superficial, yet simultaneouly me is what I'm pursuing. I see the game that 322 is trying to play. It isn't working, but maybe that's because I wasn't your average social media consumer.
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