I currently don't have tv because I'm too cheap (or really poor actually) to pay for cable. It's been over a year now that I haven't had it, and I even gave my tv away to a friend. I've gotten really used to it and it really doesn't bother me UNLESS....I discover a new show that I really like and really want to follow. I usually catch different shows at my friends' houses but rarely take interest in any of them. However I recently saw the show Parenthood. It's really good. And now that I'm into the plot I have to find excuses to go over my friends' houses to watch their tv. It's sad.
Anyway one of the reasons that I like the show is because it's fairly realistic. It's funny and sometimes predictable but it has great characters that confront interesting issues . One of the couples in the show is a control freak lawyer mom, and her husband is a stay at home dad for their daughter. I love that this this type of couple is being portrayed on tv. I think it does a lot for the progression and normalization of women in the workplace. So far the couple's status hasn't been confronted aloud- however it is made clear that the working mom struggles to balance her time between being a mom and her job. She also has feelings of guilt when she works a lot. But Parenthood shows the dad as a "rockstar dad" who really enjoys going to playgroups, and making all the meals for the family. I can't recall any other show that does this (but then again, I don't have tv so I miss a lot). But either way I think it's a refreshing choice of characters, and can't wait to see where the show goes.
Wednesday, April 7, 2010
Thursday, April 1, 2010
Product Placement
I recently read an article in The Washington Post about product placement. The article talks about the evolution of product placement to a new term- "brand integration". Rather than advertising companies placing their products into shows and movies by editing after filming, advertisers are more recently meeting with story writers for product placement while movies are still in the story board stage. This change to brand integration can be seen in some films when a product is literally written into the plot of a movie or show. Advertisers argue that the characters must get hungry at some point- so why not have them go to a McDonald's, or "insert restaurant or brand here".
When a company pays for its appearance in a film, they will often pay up to hundreds of thousands of dollars. While I know that movies are increasingly expensive to produce, it is highly annoying as a viewer to have to watch essentially a string of ads for already well known products. I might be able to deal with some advertisements, but the trend of brand integration is an example of advertising becoming more direct, and in your face, and confrontational. In addition, I don't see the issue of more and more severe advertising slowing. I think the puplic shouldn't have to deal with so much of their time being occupied with companies vying for their attention and money- especially if we are already paying to see a film in a theatre.
Brand integration is a trend that puts content control in the hands of advertisers, rather than the origonally intended creative producers of a movie. I definitely don't want to watch a film that is driven by advertisements, however this is a tricky issue since so many creative projects might not be able to get off the ground without their funding.
When a company pays for its appearance in a film, they will often pay up to hundreds of thousands of dollars. While I know that movies are increasingly expensive to produce, it is highly annoying as a viewer to have to watch essentially a string of ads for already well known products. I might be able to deal with some advertisements, but the trend of brand integration is an example of advertising becoming more direct, and in your face, and confrontational. In addition, I don't see the issue of more and more severe advertising slowing. I think the puplic shouldn't have to deal with so much of their time being occupied with companies vying for their attention and money- especially if we are already paying to see a film in a theatre.
Brand integration is a trend that puts content control in the hands of advertisers, rather than the origonally intended creative producers of a movie. I definitely don't want to watch a film that is driven by advertisements, however this is a tricky issue since so many creative projects might not be able to get off the ground without their funding.
Thursday, March 4, 2010
Political Smakcdown
Two weeks ago I read an article in the Washington Post announcing Linda McMahon's bid to run for a senate seat in Connecticut, replacing Chris Dodd. I wasn't that interested until we recently watched the WWE video in class, featuring her family and the industry that she represents. Linda McMahon is the CEO of WWE (world wrestling entertainment) and wife of Vince McMahon, the chief producer and promoter. I was pretty appalled while watching the video in class at how many blatantly wrong messages the wwe promotes. And I'm sort of surprised that Linda McMahon, the woman who biult this business and is at the forefront of its procedures could stand a chance in a political arena.
John Story, a cultural studies author believes that "those who attain the power in a culture are those who are the most aggressive and wealthy". He believes that if you aggressively fight to get your message out, and you have the financial backing, anyone can attain power, reguardless of the value of their message. I think this might be a prime exapmle of that. Simply because Linda McMahon has the wealth to run for office (she has promised to spend $50 million of her own money for her bid for senate), that gives her the ability to get her message out.
In her tv ads McMahon boasts that she isn't going to accept campaign donations as if she is being noble in doing so. Howver she has millions of dollars! She doesn't need a penny. If she really wanted to "change washington" maybe she would use the exact same amount of money for her campaign that her compeditors have on their budgets, putting everyone on an equal playing field.
Watching some of her campaign ads on you tube, I actually agree with many of her views. I know these ads are meant to attract and make you want to agree, however when reading her policy proposals I found my political views often aligning with hers. She is also a good business woman and has become massively successful. However even given all of that, I couldn't ever imagine myself being able to vote for her because of the WWE industry that she represents. She contributes to and profits from an industry that promotes many of the values and behaviors that I would want a senate candidate to create programs to prevent. It will be interesting to see how Conneticut public responds. I think the public's response may be a good signifier of how much power money can buy. Here is McMahon's campaign ad, and the second vidoe is a parody of the first- kind of funny.
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John Story, a cultural studies author believes that "those who attain the power in a culture are those who are the most aggressive and wealthy". He believes that if you aggressively fight to get your message out, and you have the financial backing, anyone can attain power, reguardless of the value of their message. I think this might be a prime exapmle of that. Simply because Linda McMahon has the wealth to run for office (she has promised to spend $50 million of her own money for her bid for senate), that gives her the ability to get her message out.
In her tv ads McMahon boasts that she isn't going to accept campaign donations as if she is being noble in doing so. Howver she has millions of dollars! She doesn't need a penny. If she really wanted to "change washington" maybe she would use the exact same amount of money for her campaign that her compeditors have on their budgets, putting everyone on an equal playing field.
Watching some of her campaign ads on you tube, I actually agree with many of her views. I know these ads are meant to attract and make you want to agree, however when reading her policy proposals I found my political views often aligning with hers. She is also a good business woman and has become massively successful. However even given all of that, I couldn't ever imagine myself being able to vote for her because of the WWE industry that she represents. She contributes to and profits from an industry that promotes many of the values and behaviors that I would want a senate candidate to create programs to prevent. It will be interesting to see how Conneticut public responds. I think the public's response may be a good signifier of how much power money can buy. Here is McMahon's campaign ad, and the second vidoe is a parody of the first- kind of funny.
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Tuesday, February 23, 2010
The Olympics
Reading Leah's blog about the winter olympics reminded me of something I've observed while watching the games this season.
I love the Olympics. I always look forward to them and think its fun to watch athletes show off their performances which they've been working towards almost their entire lives. It is entertainging and also inspiring to see them compete.
This year, like Leah I watched the mens figure skating competitions and was really entertained by some of the costumes. They are so theatrical and attention grabbing, and often add a lot to the performance. In particular, the Johnny Weir had some of the most attention grabbing costumes. Many of the men's skating costumes are feminine, and Wier's was over the top consisting of tassels and jewels. It was so highy ornamented and I really liked it. I think that's his style and he definitely flaunted it. It fit perfectly with his skating routing- dramatic, with lots of attitude.
While I expected he would get some criticism from olympic viewers, I was dissapointed to hear that he was strongly and inappropriately criticized by some Canadian sportscasters. While figure skating doesn't get much respect from many sports commentators, I would still expect an Olympian being one of the best in the world to be held in high regard by sports broadcasters.
During coverage of the men's figure skating competition last week, Mailhot, a sports broadcaster asked his co-host if he thought that Weir, who came in sixth, lost points because of his costume — a low-cut, pink-and-black outfit with ruffles — and his body language. His co-host replied that Weir was setting a "bad example" for other male skaters. "They'll think all the boys who skate will end up like him," he said.
The pair also wisecracked that Weir should undergo gender testing and should compete in women's events.
There is no reason or place for these comments in the olympics in the media, and it's dissapointing that the comments were heard by many fans. No one really knows if Weir is gay or not, and it doesn't matter. He's a well known hard working athlete that deserves to be judged soley on his efforts.
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I love the Olympics. I always look forward to them and think its fun to watch athletes show off their performances which they've been working towards almost their entire lives. It is entertainging and also inspiring to see them compete.
This year, like Leah I watched the mens figure skating competitions and was really entertained by some of the costumes. They are so theatrical and attention grabbing, and often add a lot to the performance. In particular, the Johnny Weir had some of the most attention grabbing costumes. Many of the men's skating costumes are feminine, and Wier's was over the top consisting of tassels and jewels. It was so highy ornamented and I really liked it. I think that's his style and he definitely flaunted it. It fit perfectly with his skating routing- dramatic, with lots of attitude.
While I expected he would get some criticism from olympic viewers, I was dissapointed to hear that he was strongly and inappropriately criticized by some Canadian sportscasters. While figure skating doesn't get much respect from many sports commentators, I would still expect an Olympian being one of the best in the world to be held in high regard by sports broadcasters.
During coverage of the men's figure skating competition last week, Mailhot, a sports broadcaster asked his co-host if he thought that Weir, who came in sixth, lost points because of his costume — a low-cut, pink-and-black outfit with ruffles — and his body language. His co-host replied that Weir was setting a "bad example" for other male skaters. "They'll think all the boys who skate will end up like him," he said.
The pair also wisecracked that Weir should undergo gender testing and should compete in women's events.
There is no reason or place for these comments in the olympics in the media, and it's dissapointing that the comments were heard by many fans. No one really knows if Weir is gay or not, and it doesn't matter. He's a well known hard working athlete that deserves to be judged soley on his efforts.
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Saturday, February 20, 2010
Idiocracy
One of my favorite movies is Idiocracy (2006). The movie tells the stroy of two ordinary people who are taken into a top secret military hibernation expremint that goes awry, and awaken 500 years in the future. They discover that the world has degenerated into a dystopia, where advertising commercialism and cultural anti-intellectualism take over. There is a uniformly stupid human society who have no individual responsibility or care of consequences.
The film shows the future population with a president who is a former wwf wrestler, all stores are massive cosco warehouses, everyone drinks only sugary sports drinks- no water, the judicial system is completely off kilter, and the more articulate one speaks the more they are ridiculed for being "gay". The movie is really funny, however since I've seen it I frequently notice many strikingly clear links between our culture and the future portrayed in the film.
One similarity that I recently saw was concerning advertising methods. In Idiocracy, commercialism rules the minds of the population. In addition, there is no creativity in the advertising schemes of companies for their products, and they completely dumb down their adds. One vending machine in the movie says "get your super big ass nachos here!" I was reminded of this trend when I recently saw a commercial for Nicorette anti-smoking gum. Here is the link.
Seriously? A suckometer? I just think that this is a good example of an advertising agency completely underestimating the minds of viewers. Despite the plethora of reasons one has to quit smoking, I realize that it can still be a tough sell due to its addictive nature. But there are so many convincing reasons out there to encourage people to quit, and also so many people who already know they would like to quit and are looking for a trustowrthy product that can help them do that. If I were one of them I wouldn't choose Nicorette because "quitting sucks" without it. I would appreciate something a little more convincing and informative such as Nicorette success rates. Or maybe something more encouraging that would get me more motivated to quit.
I know that there are a myriad of witty, informative and creative ads in the media. When I see them I am reminded that the most talented advertisers respect their viewers and seek to earn their business through their respect. Howver when I see dumbed down adds such as Nicorette's, I wonder if this trend of unimaginitive advertising will result in an Idiocracy-like environment for us in our future.
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The film shows the future population with a president who is a former wwf wrestler, all stores are massive cosco warehouses, everyone drinks only sugary sports drinks- no water, the judicial system is completely off kilter, and the more articulate one speaks the more they are ridiculed for being "gay". The movie is really funny, however since I've seen it I frequently notice many strikingly clear links between our culture and the future portrayed in the film.
One similarity that I recently saw was concerning advertising methods. In Idiocracy, commercialism rules the minds of the population. In addition, there is no creativity in the advertising schemes of companies for their products, and they completely dumb down their adds. One vending machine in the movie says "get your super big ass nachos here!" I was reminded of this trend when I recently saw a commercial for Nicorette anti-smoking gum. Here is the link.
Seriously? A suckometer? I just think that this is a good example of an advertising agency completely underestimating the minds of viewers. Despite the plethora of reasons one has to quit smoking, I realize that it can still be a tough sell due to its addictive nature. But there are so many convincing reasons out there to encourage people to quit, and also so many people who already know they would like to quit and are looking for a trustowrthy product that can help them do that. If I were one of them I wouldn't choose Nicorette because "quitting sucks" without it. I would appreciate something a little more convincing and informative such as Nicorette success rates. Or maybe something more encouraging that would get me more motivated to quit.
I know that there are a myriad of witty, informative and creative ads in the media. When I see them I am reminded that the most talented advertisers respect their viewers and seek to earn their business through their respect. Howver when I see dumbed down adds such as Nicorette's, I wonder if this trend of unimaginitive advertising will result in an Idiocracy-like environment for us in our future.
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Tuesday, February 16, 2010
Mexican Made not quite so Easy
I recently told my boyfriend that I was thingking of posting my blog on how there is a major underrepresentation of latin americans in the media as compared to their actual representation in the population. His response was "they have their own channel!- what more do you want? It's true that they have several of their own channels as outlets for intertainment, and I'm glad they exist. However in my mind, this still shows a lack of integration of latin americans in american culture. Latin Americans make up 15% of the US population, and that is suppost to tripple by the year 2050. I currently go to school with and work with Latin Americans everyday. They make up an essential part of America's population and work force. There are some signs of more integration in the media that I think are signs of progression for Latin Americans. Recently while watching the Food Network I saw a commercial for a new show called "Mexican Made Easy". The host is Marcella Vallidolid. She prepares authentic mexican food in a simple manner. While many of her recipies are sometimes "Americanized" I think her show and her attitude are a great symbol of the progression of Latinos in the media. Here is the commercial featuring her show.
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Tuesday, February 2, 2010
Diaries of the Departed
Recently I've been watching "The Bachelor" on abc. Yes, I know- please don't judge. It started with me criticizing my roommates for watching such thoughtless and mind numbing tv, to me getting completely wrapped up in this dramatic, absurd, and probably scripted "reality" tv show. Hopefully you might be able to relate to my brief addiction to "crack tv"- it can be hard to resist. So anyway, now that I'm obligated every Monday night at 8:00 for the next few weeks- (until the final rose ceremony!) I wanted to comment on an interesting, and sad aspect of this show. True the show itself is unfortunate, however I've begun to look at it as a study in sociology. The basic premise of the show is well- a bachelor- Jake, a handsome pilot who himself was a reject from a former season of "The Bachelorette". There are initially 25 women. The first night- before any one really gets to know each other, 10 are booted off by Jake based on first impressions alone. The remainder are left vying for his attention through a series of group dates and one on one dates. Each episode ends in a painfully suspenseful overdone rose ceremony (intense closeups, long pauses, stressful music) where some women receive a rose and are allowed to stay and compete. Others do not, meaning they are not the "right fit" for the bachelor, and they are ushered to a limo out of the bachelor mansion.
The women who have to go through this painful rejection on tv are then interviewed afterwards, and asked what they think they did wrong, why it didn't work out, etc. In the background you can sometimes hear the chosen women clinking their glasses of champagne and laughing. I am always so amazed at the reactions of the rejected women. About 7 out of 10 women in some way blame themselves. They say things like "well, I should have been more assertive" or "no wonder I'm still single." Many of the women are well educated, driven, and hold competitive jobs. One is working on her PhD. True, there are also swimsuit models, and cheerleader types, but I don't think that should be indicative of their self esteem. One girl noted that "this always seems to happen to me". The interviews contain so much self confidence bashing. It hard to believe that those feeling can exist within them because they're reacting to a man that they've never met. While there are much more rational reactions to the rejections such as "thank you for letting me go- you did me a favor" or "he's not the only guy in the world", even those reactions seem sort of mild compared to what I might have thought, or what I would imagine myself saying in that situation (don't worry I'm not signing up anytime soon).
In juxtaposing the male version of this show "The Bachelorette", the diaries of the departed include men booted off saying things like "well she doesn't deserve me" or "she doesn't know what she's missing" They are mostly undaunted and self-assured that she made the right decision. They convey a confidence that shows they are just ready to move on to the next thing. They just get over it and don't over analyze their character "downfalls". After all to be kicked off on the first night may be embarrassing, but it's a simple probability that I don't think you can avoid or take too personally.
To draw a conclusion from this, I just can't help but notice this exhibit of female self blame as a common tendency. I also think about all of the female viewers watching this prime time popular show and possibly digesting these reactions as normal. While many viewers are so much more intelligent than the shows they watch (hopefully!) ideas and behaviors seen in the media can seemingly, subconsciously slip through a viewers filter of what they first think is ridiculous, but eventually may register as possibly normal and can encourage similar thinking patterns.
I know I might not be giving enough credit to most of the population, which includes many empowered females who wouldn't be phased by a rejection like this, or probably wouldn't have the foolish idea to sign up for this show in the first place. However this show does get great ratings, and it's in it's 14th season. And a show that the American public allows to remain popular is certainly entering the minds of, and possibly influencing thousands of viewers. Just the toleration of this show and its continuance to fourteen seasons is a statement.
Now that this topic of feminine self-blame is magnified in my mind I have been noticing similar patterns in other shows and also in real life talking to friends and co-workers. Self doubt and vulnerability is such a common occurrence in many women's minds. Possibly much of this is due to the behavior's enforcement in the media showing it as a common norm. Maybe it is due to a fear of failure. Women do have slightly less likelihoods of becoming successful statistically and therefore maybe they over analyze flaws in themselves in order to avoid making the same mistake twice. Either way, the media I think, is perpetuating the practice just by exhibiting it- which can't be helping our stats.
While self introspection is good, a positive and confidence exuding attitude will help win the race. I hope to see more women on The Bachelor saying things like "I can do better than him".
The women who have to go through this painful rejection on tv are then interviewed afterwards, and asked what they think they did wrong, why it didn't work out, etc. In the background you can sometimes hear the chosen women clinking their glasses of champagne and laughing. I am always so amazed at the reactions of the rejected women. About 7 out of 10 women in some way blame themselves. They say things like "well, I should have been more assertive" or "no wonder I'm still single." Many of the women are well educated, driven, and hold competitive jobs. One is working on her PhD. True, there are also swimsuit models, and cheerleader types, but I don't think that should be indicative of their self esteem. One girl noted that "this always seems to happen to me". The interviews contain so much self confidence bashing. It hard to believe that those feeling can exist within them because they're reacting to a man that they've never met. While there are much more rational reactions to the rejections such as "thank you for letting me go- you did me a favor" or "he's not the only guy in the world", even those reactions seem sort of mild compared to what I might have thought, or what I would imagine myself saying in that situation (don't worry I'm not signing up anytime soon).
In juxtaposing the male version of this show "The Bachelorette", the diaries of the departed include men booted off saying things like "well she doesn't deserve me" or "she doesn't know what she's missing" They are mostly undaunted and self-assured that she made the right decision. They convey a confidence that shows they are just ready to move on to the next thing. They just get over it and don't over analyze their character "downfalls". After all to be kicked off on the first night may be embarrassing, but it's a simple probability that I don't think you can avoid or take too personally.
To draw a conclusion from this, I just can't help but notice this exhibit of female self blame as a common tendency. I also think about all of the female viewers watching this prime time popular show and possibly digesting these reactions as normal. While many viewers are so much more intelligent than the shows they watch (hopefully!) ideas and behaviors seen in the media can seemingly, subconsciously slip through a viewers filter of what they first think is ridiculous, but eventually may register as possibly normal and can encourage similar thinking patterns.
I know I might not be giving enough credit to most of the population, which includes many empowered females who wouldn't be phased by a rejection like this, or probably wouldn't have the foolish idea to sign up for this show in the first place. However this show does get great ratings, and it's in it's 14th season. And a show that the American public allows to remain popular is certainly entering the minds of, and possibly influencing thousands of viewers. Just the toleration of this show and its continuance to fourteen seasons is a statement.
Now that this topic of feminine self-blame is magnified in my mind I have been noticing similar patterns in other shows and also in real life talking to friends and co-workers. Self doubt and vulnerability is such a common occurrence in many women's minds. Possibly much of this is due to the behavior's enforcement in the media showing it as a common norm. Maybe it is due to a fear of failure. Women do have slightly less likelihoods of becoming successful statistically and therefore maybe they over analyze flaws in themselves in order to avoid making the same mistake twice. Either way, the media I think, is perpetuating the practice just by exhibiting it- which can't be helping our stats.
While self introspection is good, a positive and confidence exuding attitude will help win the race. I hope to see more women on The Bachelor saying things like "I can do better than him".
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