Reality Television in Actuality

THESIS: Reality television is a solely profit-driven spectacle that exploits its subjects by promoting itself as "reality" when it is, in fact, fictional.

Gender is a Spectrum

When reading and discussing Caster Semenya in class, I honestly felt sad and bothered that our society reacted to this successful female runner in such a negative way.  Caster is a woman who may not look typically "feminine," but defines herself as a woman and is stated as female on her birth certificate.  The fact that when Caster, and her friends and family, stated that she was born (and remains) female, was not enough for the media and in turn Olympic officials.  I was very bothered while reading the article because this successful, strong, woman was not only being patronized for her looks (and success) but also publicly humiliated by having to endure monitored bathroom trips and countless tests.

When discussing this topic in class, the question arose whether we thought that gender was black and white or rather a spectrum.  I fully believe that gender (and sexuality for that matter) is a spectrum and not something that can just be viewed as black and white.  Looking at gender as percentages, I totally believe that someone can be 50% male and 50% female.  The fact that people MUST be categorized as either male or female shows a large flaw in our society and something that we should not be proud of.  Nature was not designed for men and women to be so gender specific, but rather simply what they want to be.

Part of the focus on this black and white type of gender comes straight from the extreme homophobia found in our society (typically found more prominently in men).  The media portrays any type of man who shows any type of femininity as either a wussy or a homosexual.  In turn, any woman who appears strong (with muscles or her brain) or has "manly" features, is titled as a "dyke" or lesbian.  The simple fact that these people in the media are portraying real people in the world that are looked at with these same labels and titles by the average person.  When our gender and sexuality can be looked at as a spectrum, instead of simply black and white, maybe then our society will become less obsessed with what people are and more interested in who people are.

Future Vegetarian?

Today in class was the beginning of the two-part installment of "Food Inc."  I have never seen a documentary like this before because quite frankly, I didn't want to know.  I am an extremely sensitive person and I recognize that.  Watching this film was eye opening even as someone who isn't completely oblivious, but has never seen this kind of behind-the-scenes footage.

Upon leaving class today I simply felt sad.  Not only did I not want to eat meat ever again, but I didn't want to eat anything!  The fact that literally everything we put into our stomachs is modified and "enhanced" is so incredibly disgusting and disturbing that it makes my stomach hurt.  When making myself lunch, I looked at the back of my wheat pasta box and literally did not recognize a single one of the 5 ingredients.  They were all big words that I honestly had never seen (or noticed) before.  And this was just in pasta!  I know that the animal treatment is definitely jarring, but for me what was almost equally jarring was the fact that everything from tomatoes and lettuce (things that I like to eat because I do view them as healthy)  are not quite as healthy as I'd like to imagine.

I have seen footage of these kinds of animal factories before, but none quite as graphic as what we saw today.  Seeing all the dead chickens, the chickens who were too heavy to hold up their own bodies, the cows being held by a single leg upside down, and absolutely the most disgusting point, the man who had his HAND INSIDE THE COWS STOMACH was very saddening and made me feel like such an incredibly guilty party for simply being a consumer.  

Upon leaving class I started thinking about what I could do to change this cycle.  Quite honestly, trying to be positive is pretty difficult.  As a college student, I am living on limited funds, which does not allow me to purchase as healthy of food as I would like.  On top of this, I genuinely LIKE meat!  But thinking about where my meat comes from and how it is cooked together and mashed from thousands of cows makes me want to drop it all.  Or at least stop eating the meat discussed in this movie, until I can afford to pay for meat where I know exactly where it comes from and how the animals are being treated.  I think I will seriously consider changing my lifestyle and look at all the options available.  I plan on simply taking it day by day, meal by meal, and try to put the best possible products necessary into my body.

War: The Game

The article entitled "Have You Played the War on Terror?"  by Roger Stahl certainly opened my eyes to some facts that I not only didn't know, but had never even considered before.  As disgusted as I am with some information that I read, I certainly am impressed by other statistics considering the militainment of objects like toys, Hollywood talent, and academics.

War-themed games have always been something that I knew had existed.  In high school there were plenty of students who played these games and I too have played a few in a couple of instances.  During an outside carnival type endorsement for the Army, there was a fun helicopter simulator that was the hit of the party.  Every student was free to ride this ride (which was a helicopter that successfully completed a vague mission), climb a rock wall, and get their very own dog tag.  Looking back on this experience 4 years ago, it is clear to  me that the students at my school, including myself, were simply being poached on by Army recruiters.

Some of the information presented in Stahl's article was extremely interesting and has before now has gone by completely unnoticed.  When discussing the amazing amount of money that has gone into militainment, including "Hollywood talent, academics, toymakers, and game industry insiders to assist the military."  Stahl goes further in saying how all of these different businesses have assisted in the militainment of America and have created exponentially larger future recruitment opportunities.

Perhaps the most absolutely disgusting and disturbing subject discussed in Stahl's article was the description of how violence in these games that are endorsed by the Army are not honest depictions of the real violence that occurs in dangerous situations.  It infuriates me thinking that when a soldier gets shot in these video games, he simply disappears with nothing more but a wisp of red.  In a society where we see violence literally everywhere we go, from television, to movies, to music, to plays, it is infuriating to think there is a video game that is attempting to depict the most realistic war experience possible (including real news stories depicted in cartoon form).

The fact that the Army is attempting to hide the most difficult, violent, piece of war is absolutely terrible.  The militainment in America has assisted creating a recruitment process that emphasizes only the positives of joining the Army while completely ignoring the most difficult and life changing aspect of being in a war.  The fact that those who are being recruited are completely oblivious to the fact of what citizens are being fed is completely being amplified and reduced and quite frankly do not even care is one of the most troubling thought of all.

It's cool to be uncool

In today's class and for the reading, Frank discussed how there is an obvious dichotomy between what we know as mainstream culture and what is counter culture.  In class, it was brought up that mainstream culture causes us to seek a counter culture, which then turns back into mainstream culture which then turns into a vicious cycle of what is to be known as mainstream cool and uncool.

The class discussion forced me contemplate in and outside of class what exactly it means to be a part of the mainstream or counter culture.  It seems as though the current style of our society is that mainstream culture relies on everyone feeling as though they are apart of an individualized, unique, group that rebels against "the man."  When thinking about things that seem to be "cool" and in style right now, images of hipsters in horn-rimmed glasses, girls in frumpy clothing knitting beside a cat, and nerdy chic come into mind.  I am sure that these individuals are not doing these things to be mainstream, but rather because it places them in an elitist group within the counter culture, or they just simply enjoy the style (the difference between which can be easily spotted).

When leaving class today, I giggled to myself as I saw so many students walking around campus in their skinny jeans, Toms, and edgy haircuts.  Until reading this article and thinking critically about what it means to be mainstream, I never noticed these students were anything out of the ordinary from what I generally see throughout my day.  However today it seemed that nearly everyone was doing their part to "stick it to the man" by wearing their own indie style of clothing or seemingly not caring what others thought.

In an age where it's hip to be square, these people are simply feeding into the mainstream culture and more importantly the corporations who are capitalizing on these articles of clothing and style.  These people who are trying to define themselves as unique and undefined are the people that are creating this mainstream culture that is to be "hipsters."  Already we are seeing these kinds of styles in all different department stores for all different ages.  It will only be a matter of time before mothers will be seen wearing "Bobs" and skinny jeans, when in which the fad of being a "hipster" will decline again back into something uncool. 

Addicted to Facebook, or the Feeling?

Upon reading "Pinterest, Tumblr and the Trouble with 'Curation'"  by Carina Chocano, I began thinking critically not about how much time I spend doing seemingly pointless activities such as social networking, but why.  Chocano states in her article: "This is, I think, what these sites evoke:  the feeling of being addicted to longing for something; specifically being addicted to the feeling that something is missing or incomplete."  This seemingly simple sentence could go by without a single thought to another reader, but this statement caused me to assess my feelings towards how it is possible for me to spend hours on social networking sites such as Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest.  I could not agree more with what Chocano is stating in this quote.  The feeling that something is missing is something that I am used to throughout my entire day, as I am constantly working on completing my "To-do" list.  When this list is completed, I feel as though I still need something to do.  Whether that be to watch a movie or to be on my computer social networking.  It is almost a comfort to feel the need of just creating a "To-do" list of pointless things to work on, such as being sure I check my Facebook, then Twitter, then Pinterest to pass the time.

This has made me think that the addiction, for me, is not truly about what service the network is providing, but rather keeping my mind busy with something that I feel as though I need to do.  I certainly enjoy reading Tweets from celebrities and pinning things on Pinterest that I find interesting, but when really thinking about it, I think that what I really enjoy is keeping busy.  I enjoy feeling as though I am still doing productive things even if they are not in the slightest bit productive.  I believe these social networking sites assist people like me to keep busy and keep away that feeling of incompleteness that comes with simply sitting on the couch with nothing to do.