Welcome to Bedrock

Alright, so I like the rest of you found the readings for this week a little bland and a bit on the boring side. However, I am one of those individuals who don’t really mind playing video games. I am not a big fan of the computer games so much, however one which I do enjoy is Roller Coaster Tycoon. Yeah that may sound completely retarded but it is really not a bad game…start your own theme park, complete objectives, maintain it financially…Irregardless, I like it Aside from that, the only other games I really play on the computer are solitaire, hearts, and mah jong. Hardly what you would call interactive gaming.

Next onto the gaming console. I can remember playing the original Nintendo with my brother. Mario all the way. And of course the ever famour Duck Hunt. That game was awesome, you had the good ole over sized red gun. It was amazing and provided my brother and I with hours of entertainment when we were little. Then came the Super Nintendo. Along with this came Donkey Kong, the better graphics of Super Mario. Again, all good games. The next gaming console we owned in my house was the Play Station. Along with this came my next favourite game…Spyro. I do not know what it was with this game but I could play it for hours. I was fascinated by it. Now, we never owned a Game Cube or Sega. Next we owned an X-Box. Along with this came Halo. Again, I can play Halo, mind you only in small doses. Now there was a while there when ever I would go out drinking with friends, they would end up playing Halo as a drinking game. That got a little brutal I will admit (my all time favourite drinking game on X-Box would be Fusion Frenzy). I can remember when they introduced X-Box Live. This was truly interactive. I would watch my brother play games and literally talk to someone from all over through his little headset that plugged right into his controller. It was crazy. Now they have come out with the Wii and X-Box 360, all which have “better graphics than the rest.”

I can understand how gaming would allow people to fill in the countless minutes that may be left void and with nothing else to do. However, I could never be an obsessive gamer. Become totally consumed by it. I don’t know how people do it. I mean I have enough issues straining my eyes in front of my computer studying and writing papers, I couldn’t imagine doing it constantly, non-stop. It would be nice to have the time lol…

So I found the readings for this week fairly interesting. The article on Friends’ Joey and Chandler I found particularly interesting, partly because I am a huge fan of friends and I think everyone has asked themselves once upon a time, or at least questioned the “friendship” between the two of them. I personally do not think there is anything wrong with guys who are close friends such as Joey and Chandler. However, I also realize that some men find this sort of attachment uncomfortable. Is this because of the society we live in? Is it looked down upon for men to have guy friends who may be considered “too close?” I know personally I hang out with guys (I find it so much easier than hanging out with girls) and the topic of friendship has been raised on numerous occasions. Unless my friends are drunk or have not seen in eachother in a LONG TIME!!! they will hug. Otherwise, it is the congratulatory hand shake or the good ole pat on the back, punch in the arm, you name it. But they are not comfortable getting to close. Why? I would imagine they do not want to be portrayed as “gay.” Because of course we all know that men can’t get too close to other men without being gay…PUHLEASE!!! What a load of rubbish. It’s garbage and though this may not be the case in all situations, I am willing to bet that it is in some.

Along the lines of sexuality and men I ask the question of the well known “locker-room.” Why is it gay to slap some guys ass outside of the locker room or off the field yet perfectly fine to do it on the field and in the locker room? I mean no disrespect to anyone but the idea of sexuality can be rather confusing especially in the society we live in today.

Next on the topic of conversation would include the idea of women being portrayed as the “poor little house-wife” or the sex object. I mean come on people, we’ve all seen it. The models on deal or no deal, the bowflex models, so many of the women on TV are merely used for the good ole saying “Sex Sells!” I wonder why, what is the fascination with the tight ass and big boobs…OMG what an idiot…how could I ask such a question. If I see some hot guy on TV I’m bound to buy that product….seriously come on. Again…WHAT A JOKE! It honestly makes me sick the amount of advertisements you see walking down the street or in the mall…If only people knew the magic behind photo-imaging techniques…However, as I am sure is mentioned in numerous other posts, Dove is turning the tables on how “beauty” is portrayed on TV. They now push that beauty is only skin deep and I agree that this is something that should be taken into account by all advertising companies. I believe Dove is on to something, however, how long can it last?

“Our survival as a species is dependent upon minimizing the threat from advertising and the commercial culture that has spawned it.” This quote was taken from Sut Jhally’s article “Advertising at the Edge of the Apocalypse.” I particularly liked his section under “There is no such thing as society” where he discusses that happiness is through consumerism. But with us being a society dominated by commercial messages that pushes the message of consumerism leading to happiness, asking the question what is society should really not be that hard to answer. I disagree with Margaret Thatchers statement that there is then no such thing as society only individuals and their families! I think that though consumerism may play a big part in peoples lives, we can still define ourselves as a society. As for the comments made at the very end of this article, I do not think that the market seriously can damage us as a species. We ourselves are responsible for the damage we do to our species, however this is an entirely seperate arguement.

The next article I wish to look at and perhaps in more detail would be “All of Your Insecurities Wrapped Up in a Thirty Second Spot.” In this article, I disagree with the subliminal message comment. I do not think that subliminal messages have anything to do with it, not only that but as I read in another post that made a very good point Dr. Vokey at the Univerisity of Lethbridge has stated that though subliminal messages may sound cool and interesting there is no research to prove their effectiveness on individuals. I do however agree with the comment made that there is a standard of beauty created today that truly is unattainable. It may seem impossible to attain the “perfect looks” portrayed in advertisements. Whats sad is that many young men and women will turn to eating disorders to look like a model because not only are they portrayed beautiful but they are portrayed that way and how they get that way is never mentioned. It is as if they wake up that way and that is how they stay. It does more harm to young people than good.

Just a side story but the comment made to me by my mother came as a surprise. I am currently in my home town right now, yes on a Wednesday, however the story behind that is that I had come home the weekend prior to visit and well came down with food poisoning on saturday night which just so happened to last straight through till 5:30 sunday morning. I honestly felt like dying. Sunday I was bed ridden all day and money I went to the doctor who prescreibed me medication that I founf out last night after being rushed to the hospital that I just so happened to exhibit one of the rare side effects. So needless to say the trip home has been the trip from hell and am still no closer to heading back to the good ole windy city until I can go a full 24hours without something going wrong. However, to the point of my story, the last 2 days I have eaten nothing but a couple buns, some rice, and chicken broth. Anywho, my mom actually made the comment to me, “Wow, who needs to go on a diet, you apparently just need to get food poisoning or the flu.” I donno if this can really relate to the media in some way and this is nothing against my mother b/c I love her to pieces and when she said it, she said it in a joking way…All I’m trying to say is I guess that that type of attitude is not very uncommon, which is why we have people who develop eating disorders. I mean, why go on a diet when you can eat all the foods you love and just get rid of them afterwards. Well, I apologize for my rant and bibble-babble lol. I hope everyone had a good weekend and will see you all next week. Take Care.

I don’t know about any of you out there but I know that after a stressful day, listening to the right song can make it all go away. There are songs for everything…every mood, every occasion. From the head banging rock to the “my dog died and my girlfriend left me” country (this is by no means saying anything against country music for I am a HUGE country fan…but let’s not lie to ourselves). So after the readings I couldn’t really think of anything to blog about so I figured I would share with you some people that I know who are in bands or producing. One of my class mates from elementary school has his own band and some of there songs are posted on myspace. I swear it must run in the family because his brother runs something that is called Propagate studios. I also dated someone who was the drummer in a band him and his brother started up called Skinny Women. I must admit, they weren’t that bad. Hmm, I think thats about as far as my social “connections” run to.

I am not very “music oriented,” I’ll admit. However, I can also admit that without it I don’t know what I would do. It would make the 4 hour car rides home longer than they already seem. The walks to school would not be the same without the songs on my iPod. Truth be told, I do not like one specific type of music. I am a fan of a variety of music…but I am not one of those people who can leave my TV on Muchmusic and go about my business…I need something a little more stimulating than that…Until next time.

It’s Saturday night and a friend and myself have decided to go to Bridge to Terabithia at the Galaxy theatre in the mall. I figured to get the WHOLE experience I would show up about half an hour early, so at 6:30. I met up with my friend and in no time at all we had our tickets. There were no long line ups or busy hustling crowds. An advantage to going early I suppose. I have learned from previous moving going experience, especially at this theatre, that it is best to eat something before you go or to grab some cheap snacks from Mac’s. I know I’m not the only one… So having eaten something before I left, we still stood in line at the concession stand debating about whether or not we would eventually want something to eat. After ogling over the prices, because as mentioned earlier it’s not cheap, we both decided that we will survive the hour and a half and decided to go into the theatre and await the movie. Unlike Russell Smith’s “heated herds” rushing to get into the theatre, there were only 2 or 3 people ahead of us. After being told we would be in theatre 8, we walked in and discussed where we wanted to sit. We didn’t want to sit too low because then when the movie starts you have to kind of tilt your head back so we decided on somewhere in the middle. Now is when the true experience really begins…

We were sitting in the theatre for about 15 minutes when the “pre-advertisements” came onto the big screen. These ads were mainly for the concession using both the “sights and sounds” to their advantage. The loud fizz of the just poured cola was bellowing out over the massive sound system along with the popping of popcorn. I noticed however that there were a few people who did get up during these advertisements. When we had first arrived in the theatre, we were both somewhat disappointed at the amount of people there (she knew I was going to this movie for a project), but at about the 7:00 the theatre all of a sudden exploded and people came pouring in (could this have been what Russell Smith was talking about). However, perhaps for these individuals they would rather put themselves through the massive line-ups than be subjected to the “massive advertisements.” Of course, throughout the shuffle of everyone finding seats, you do get the occasional brush of a coat against your head or the kick to the back of the seat, however, how could we expect anything less. For me it is no different than sitting in the middle of an aisle in one of the university classrooms. But as long as people understand its an accident, I do not see the problem.

Ahhh, the dimming of the lights. This is where the experience truly begins to get exciting. However before we begin the movie we are subjected to 15 more minutes of advertisements. These ones being for upcoming features. I don’t mind these, I tend to get really excited when I see good movie previews. I then cannot wait for them to come out. During these advertisements, everyone tends to quite down but you still get the occasional whisperer (myself included).  I take this time to just kind of browse the audience and see who all has shown up. I didn’t realize the amount of people that actually walked in at 7 but there had to have been quite a few because the theatre was pretty packed. There were all age ranges though not very many who were extremely little (this movie warned that it may frighten little children). One thing that baffled me was the amount of people who had their cell phones out, texting. Though, I am assuming they were on silent so I’m not going to complain because it didn’t disturb me at all.

Now the movie. Aside from the crinkling of the odd bag, it was rather silent. Everyone seemed captivated. The Bridge to Terabithia was not a bad movie at all. It is definitely one I would recommend. It is mainly two children’s imaginations to create a world where both of them can go to, Terabithia. It is truly a kid’s fantasy movie and if these types of movies pique your interests, then this is one movie you should definitely go and see. Throughout the movie, there were gasps coming from the crowd and even wiping of the eyes (there is one sad part). It is amazing to look around during these points in the movie because, though it’s dark, you can see the facial expressions from the light off the movie. It feels like, or at least looks like, everyone somewhat displays the same facial expressions and attitudes at certain parts of the film. Everyone is captivated by the movie itself.

After the movie was finished, my friend and I decided to stay put in our seats and just kind of watch people leave (though to some this may have been creepy), however we were not the only ones to do it. There were about 8-10 people who were still sitting in their seats when we had decided to get up and leave. Whether they were watching the credits or waiting for the crowd to die down, I’m sure it was a bit of both. One other added bonus of waiting around towards the end was that we missed the rush that comes with everyone piling out of the theatre. But I must admit, I don’t think I have truly ever had an absolutely terrible movie going experience. For Russell Smith, there were so many things he could have done differently. Go early, leave later and just not bother with the concession. And, in regards to everyone else eating and being “hunched over their cartons,” observe but do not judge. He talks down about the theatre and the people in it and references them to pigs. If he is THAT against movie going, why go? For now…

 So Wednesday nights video was packed full of information. I have heard of Noam Chomsky in my Sociology of Youth class and actually it was this video which was mentioned…except that instead of looking at the video in terms of strictly media, we looked at the video in terms of the effect media has on youth (advertisements, etc). Much of the information however I think that on some level we were all aware of. The fact that it was mentioned that the media demonstrates ways to marginalize and control society does not really come as any kind of shock to me. People are so easily influenced by what they see on the news, and as has been said before in my posts, the news is not commonly contested. Which leads me to my next point from the movie…that the media shapes the opinions and information that actually comes through to the viewers. I personally think that there is really little to do with the interest of those who view media (aside from it being informative) but that it has more to do with what will benefit the bigger corporations…which again was brought up in the video and I believe was termed “agenda setting media.”

Another aspect of the video that interested me was the statistics that were given that I was able to write down (not the massive list that scrolled the screen, though reading those were interesting as well). The fact that there are 2 “targets” in regards to the consent being manufactured according to Chomsky: The political class, which is comprised of 20% of the population and includes those that are educated, articulate and participate in social life. The second is the remaining 80% that follow orders and are required not to think (these “targets” are the ones that pay the cost)

One last thought that I wish to leave everyone with is the idea brought up in the movie of “irrational attitudes submission to authority.” Chomsky brought this up in when discussing sports teams and why it is that ppl “cheer for the home team.” Is it possible that we as individuals display this submission to authority and hence possibly be why the news or “big” media is not contested? I hope everyone has a good break…see you all next Wednesday…Take care.

I really enjoyed last weeks class. I thought the documentary was hilarious. Not necessarily in a bad way mind you. It was different. And different is not always a bad thing. Getting out a little bit early was also a perk too. Mind you the weather was gross. Paul’s showing of the Seinfeld episode ”Festivus for the Rest of Us” may not have been that far off (weather wise). It sure felt like chrismas…now only if we could have that weather in December instead of February. 

The news is everywhere. It is on the TV’s so that we can tune in when were not busy, it is also in print so that we can snag one on the go, we can get the news sent to our email so that we can view it on the go. I mean literally everywhere. I found the readings for this week on the news very dry. However one part which was particularly interesting was that, in relation to the discussion last week on TV and how many of the programs shown are from the US, it was interesting to find out that many of Canada’s first newspapers were actually American newspapers or publishers that resettled themselves in Canada. I don’t get it? How is it that we as an advancing nation can not even do our own newspaper without first getting it from the states?

Arguing the news is something else that I find interesting. How many of us actually argue what we see on the news? I know I don’t. I listen intently as they fill me in on all the most recent updates but I have to wonder, and like was brought up in the article by Russ Kick, how much of the news is one sided? I mean in all honesty watching news stories we very seldom get to hear two sides to a story. Although with some of the political issues we may get to hear debated and opinions among civilians but do we really get that for the other stories? Personally, I think not.

Before closing this off, I want to mention one peeve of mine in regards to the news. I absolutely can not stand how say at 5:00 you tune into Global to watch the news. There’s a commercial break so I will flip to CTV and honestly hear the EXACT SAME THING, mind you it is worded different , that I heard on Global. I mean I know that it can probably not be helped but it does tend to get very annoying….Until next time.

Well I finished reading chapter 5 on Television and wow…Again I think with this reading though it was interesting, I was particularly interested in some of the stats that were mentioned…like the fact that 98% of all homes have at least 1 TV and quite a few even have 2 (I’m guilty). I couldn’t believe yet it seems totally plausible. Now I do try and support Canadian Broadcast, as blogged about earlier I am a very big fan of Corner Gas (small town Saskatchewan girl right here). Some of them however, I can honestly not get myself into….Candadian Idol for example. I think that show is brutal…One thing that I have also noticed about Canadian television, or at least newer programs, is that much of it takes after American programming. (Canadian Idol being a perfect example…even down to the judges). I think there should be originality to Candian programming.

Another example that I could think of would be Discovery Channel. I’m pretty sure that is a Canadian Broadcast (anyone correct me if i’m wrong) and a majority of shows shown on that channel I believe are American (again going by the shows that I have watched anyone feel free to correct me on this) but if you look at the point behind it, and this was mentioned in the text, is that Canadian broadcast lack Canadian programming. I mean out of the top 20 shows rated in English Canada, only 3 were actually Canadian shows…what is that saying to us?

I know a friend that with his tax refund he went and bought himself a 52″ Plasma High Definition TV. It’s crazy the picture quality, everything. Again the issue comes up that everything we know is advancing so fast…They talk in chapter 5 about the merging of the two media (TV and the Web). I think in a way it is beginning to happen. I say this because we can hook our computers up through our TV all you need are the cords and the right TV. Who’s to say that we couldn’t merge both these media to form one “super system.” I mean we are already able to download shows onto our computers why not take it one step further? I’m sure we will….we always do….