Election Night 2012- Media Mayhem

Link to video.

Sports and Politics

Simon Hoying

Blog 5

There are two things that you never bring up when in a conversation with a random stranger. One is the topic of religion, and the second is the heated debate that goes and and hand with it...Politics. The quickest way to lose a friend, and lose speaking terms, is to have a political argument. There is no consensus when it comes to politics. So how do professional sports, that generally are quite political, keep themselves from such a controversy. Sports are super political, mostly because of the people who run them. These multimillion dollar organizations are owned by businessmen. Were talking about the filthy rich kind. The kind that have connections to those in Washington. With this dependance on those who make the bills and legislature that makes their business easier, they will gladly push on their values to others. For example, take the instance when the Pittsburgh steelers won their most recent super bowl. During the celebration the owner of the team personally thanked the then newly elected president Obama for being such an inspiration. This is a moment that was on the field, and directly after the game. This is a case where the usually subtle politics, took a back seat to a blatant endorsement. And politicians know that sports are an easy way to our ears. That’s why so may seem to take interest in it. When Obama was first elected, of all the promises he could make, he promised to reform the college football playoff system. This obvious pandering is done by every politician. Heck, before he was president, George W Bush was the owner of the Texas Rangers, and not to mention that now before every super bowl we seem to have a presidential address. So what keeps us from being fed up? It's our loyalty to our team. They know that as much as you despise political pandering, you love your favorite team more. No matter how much you push us, we will still show up and buy the product they put on the field. No matter what other spectacle they may try to push in our faces.

Ron Swanson...The face of media masculinity.

Simon Hoying

Blog 4

The True Face of Media Driven Masculinity

The media always tries to project ways that men are supposed to act. When you're watching TV there always seems to be a code of which the men have to act to be truly looked at as manly. Many times these actions are very superficial, and don't represent actual men, but we as the viewers really eat it up when they act super gruff and manly. So who is the king of this superficial masculinity, who in the spotlight outshines everyone else when it comes to being that shining beacon of body hair and foul man stench? Just for the fun of it I would like to answer this question. According to our recent lecture, Tupac is the manliest of them all, but I beg to differ. Tupac's image only contains half of what it take to be manly on TV. He has the animalistic side, but lacks the suave subtleties of someone such as the Dos Equis Most interesting man in the world. Tupac can physically intimidate you, but he can't buy you your favorite flowers, and treat you to a nice dinner. I think there is only one man who can take the cake when it comes to being masculine in the media. One who rises above the rest in what it takes to woo the ladies and build a wooden canoe with his bare hands. That man, is Ron F***ing Swanson off of the TV show Park and Recreation on NBC. He as all the qualities it takes to be a man in today's media society. He's emotionally distant when it comes to his coworkers, not even taking the time to learn a majority of their names. Emotional detachment is key when it comes to fulfilling his gender code. He speaks little, but when he does, it's always something profound. An anchor for all who know him, keeping them from falling into the clutches of stupidity. He also has a way with women. Even with his emotional detachment he respects them and treats them kindly. Furthermore, he doesn't like Canada, perceiving them as unmanly, and not worth his attention. Also, he is a skilled woodworker, and his ability to use his hand separates him from lesser men. He lives alone, has substantial amounts of buried gold, and above all has a mustache that would make even the toughest of individuals quake before his masculine might. He is the ruler of his domain, his own man, no one tells him what to do. He is Ron Swanson, and according to Hollywood, the ideal man for any situation.

Women are Funny...To Those who Bother to Watch

Simon Hoying

Blog 3

Women are Funny...To Those who Bother to Watch

“Make em laugh” that's all you need to know if you want to become a comedian. If you are no longer funny, then people no longer want to watch you. Just ask Adam Sandler or Will Ferrell. Everyone has their own type of humor they enjoy. Your younger audiences may go for the raunchy style that you would find in a Judd Apatow film. While older may like the smarter comedy you would find on a show like The Office. But there seems to be a stereotype among many out there that women, no matter what form of comedy they use, are not funny. After we discussed it at length in class I realize the arguments made on both sides, but I feel that we are missing one key component of the argument. It should not be to answer the question of weather or not woman are funny, but instead to answer the question why people watch men comedians more than woman’s comedians. Clearly there are women can just be as funny as men. What I think that we overlook is who the majority of people who consume comedy are. Men are the main consumers of the this mainstream type of comedy that makes Hollywood so much money. I feel like so many more people like male comics since that's what they are used to seeing. People don't like change, just look at the two most popular comedy’s on television right now. Two and a Half Men, and The Big Bang theory. Both of them have predominately male casts, with the females used as nothing more than sex objects, and every joke for them plays off of that. Men are a safe bet in the audiences eyes. People don't want to have to over-think their comedy, and most of all they want to feel safe. How little do people want to think when they watch TV? Take the big bang theory, every single joke plays off the fact they are nerds. It's what people are used to seeing, and what they feel safe seeing. Just like men being comidians. Women are funny, but unfortunately they don't bring ratings.

The Case of Castor

Simon Hoying

Blog 2

Sex and Gender: The case of Castor

We all have different ways to define people. Labels given because that person has a certain gift or talent that they can do better than anyone else. Many times the labels that we are given should be embraced and loved. It's what defines us from everyone else, it's what makes us who we are, and not just some homogenous blob. Our differences help us shine and stand out. So weather it's the ability to be able to lead, or to be able to throw a small white ball over 90 miles per hour, it's what defines everyone of us from each other. Of all the things that define us though, sex and gender may be the most talked about and controversial of all. These questions are raised in the case of Castor Semenya and weather or not she should be allowed to run girls track. First off is the question of gender. If Castor defines herself as feminine, then that is her choice. The question of gender ultimately is for the person to decide, and no one should force a person to think or act a certain way. But it's when it comes to the question sex, that is where I draw the line. From a sex standpoint Castor is both male and female. After some digging I found that castor was born with both male and female organs along with 3 times more the amount of testosterone than a regular woman. If a man is found with excess testosterone in a male sport, they suspend him. And if a woman has excess testosterone it gives her an unfair advantage in athletics competition. Castor can say she is a female, but physically she can run faster and jump higher than any other woman. If Lebron James defined himself as feminine, do you think they would let him in the WNBA, of course not. The reason she can run faster is because she has the added strength of male hormones. She should not be allowed to run. If you ban a women for taking testosterone, you need to ban her too. When it comes down to it, athletically she imbalances the field of fair play.

I'm a Pretty Princess...and I will never go away!

Simon Hoying

Blog 1

Who's a Pretty Princess?

At a young age many of us already were making aspirations of what job we wanted when we grew up. Boys always wanted to be firefighters or astronauts, or those that really had lofty goals, professional sports players. Girls on the other hand all seemed to want to be one thing, princesses. Not that they wanted to be actual Austrian royalty or anything, they just wanted to be treated like a princess. Pampered and loved until they pop, which may not sound like a bad thing. Unfortunately the princess culture has a way of taking a hold of girls, and not letting go even into womanhood. A problem that I believe will never go away, and that's the main point I want to make in this entry. I believe this for two reasons. One, because I frankly don't think that we want the princess culture to end, and second because of the medias influence on us. Take for example all the Disney princesses. This idea is feed to a kid at young age, and only continues to grow as they age. In hard times we find solace in the things from our childhood. So we will never get rid of that feel. You can also say that the idea infantilization could come into to play. Woman at times love to go back to their childhood, hence the princesses culture is deeply rooted since even adults won't change. Then you have to attribute the media to the staying power of the princess culture. Not just Disney, but one of my favorite shows Parks and Rec had an example of the princess culture. It was the Halloween episode and the main characters daughters both dresses as princesses, and so did her! I thought it summed up the idea of the princess culture perfectly. It's something embedded in our culture and it will never go away.