Killing Us Softly

"Killing Us Softly" is a documentary presentation of gender representation in the media by Jean Kilbourne. Although this topic is generally discussed to death, this documentary is so well done. Kilbourne discusses the objectification of both men and women in the media through very specific advertisements she finds on television and in magazines. Her approach is unique because she shows exactly how advertising depicts constant power struggles in society.She does this by showing how womens bodies are literally portrayed as objects, and how society reacts to and interprets these messages. This objectification contributes to violence towards women because men begin to view women as objects and not human beings. Not only does Kilbourne talk about objectification, but she also talks of the gender roles in society of both men and women. She explains how advertisements contribute to how both men and women are supposed to be presented in society. Men are put in this macho strong image. When men don't live up to this image they are criticized and insulted by being compared to women ( being called a pussy, bitch etc). Kilbourne shows how women are constantly depicted as submissive and meek. We see constant images of women with their mouths covered in some way, or being always dominated by the make role in some way. Even when the women is in front in advertising, if there is a male in the picture he will have control in some way. She also shows how this control is reflected in race and class. The white women is constantly overshadowing a black women or black male.
Some of the images Kilbourne shows are very shocking, even though if you saw them in a magazine you wouldn't have thought twice about it. She pin points very obvious clues to how the media displays gender and race, and how in return we respond and conform to it.

Media Hegemonies

For this project, my group and I planned to map out a celebrity and determine what they own and their net worth. We decided to map out the Olson twins net worth because they are the richest teenagers in the world.
The twins are co-presidents of their own company and their merchandise includes:
Dolls, books, school supplies, videos (both straight to video and feature presentation, make up, hair accessories, CD players, music CD's, games, electronics, bedding, clothes, etc.

*40 million dollars worth of copies from direct-a-video-titles

*1400 sq. feet in every Wal-Mart is dedicated space to their products

*Co-presidents of Dual Star Entertainment Group (their own company)

*They will begin to branch overseas to Britain, Mexico, France, Germany and Japan to sell products there as well.

We realized after getting as much information as we could, that there just wasn't enough. So even though we were trying so hard to be creative, we decided that we might as well map out Time Warner as well.
We were astonished to learn of all the companies that Time Warner owns. Some of their companies include:

Atlanta Braves, Atlanta Hawks, 82.4% of CNN, live from the situation room, Larry King live, Anderson Cooper, TBS, TNT, The Cartoon Network, Warner Brothers, Court TV, animation 25% of A&E, licensing for Loonie Toons, digital boxes owned by, local news channels, new line cinema corp. time, Turner Home Entertainment, Braves Clubhouse, People, sports illustrated, essence, southern living, cooking Light, parenting magazine, mad magazine, popular science, AOL, alliance with Google, Movie phone, Map Quest. NASCAR, PGA, 50% of DC comics, 50% of America’s Talking, Oxmoor House publishing, Sunset Books, Little, Brown and Company, Time-Life Books, Warner Books, 50% of Central Comedy, Warner Brothers Television, Asia Week, The Warner Brothers Stores, 50% of Bravo, Baby talk Magazine, Warner Brothers motion pictures and the Six Flags Amusement parks.

- In 2000 Time Warner receives 40% of revenues from outside the U.S

- It has the second largest book publishing business in the world

- One of the largest music businesses, with nearly 60% of revenues from outside the U.S.

- A library of over 6000 films and 25 000 television programs, books music, and thousands of cartoons.

It was really fascinating, and kinda scary, to see how many businesses one corporation could own. It proves how easily our news and information can be distorted, especially if one company owns hundreds of different mediums and news companies.

Hazen, Dan, and Julie Winokur. We the Media. New York: The New York Press, 1997.

Life Decisions International- Press Room. Life Decisions International. Retrieved October 19, 2007. http://fightpp.org/show.cfm?page=press&action=display&ID=129

Worthless, Valueless Money.

Reading "Cultural Jamming: Hacking, Slashing and Sniping the Empire of Signs" made me realize people don't care about "real" things anymore. It seems that work, power and money are the only things that hold any substance or value in our culture, and the saddest part about this is that when we die, those are the only things that don't mean anything. But television blinds us into thinking that these things are so important, so vital. When in reality, what is money, really? Humans made up money, its paper for God sakes; and if you really think about it, money doesn't even exist. "Money" whizzes through electric wires, through our debit and credit cards... we don't even have to see it or touch it, and yet it runs our lives. And because of this imaginary thing we are beginning to loose ties to our family values. We loose touch with what reality is. We live to work. Live to make money. Is that the purpose of why we're here? Were we created so that we could wonder around in a money hungry daze? But this is what the media tells us is important. Success to the media is wealth and fortune, the media glamorizes the rich and spits on the poor. Having money equals power.
I realize this is not what the article was about per say, but this article made me realize how much value we put into meaningless things. It also made me realize how much the media controls our lives. Popular culture tells us what is right and what is "normal" and we begin to depend our lives on things that don't actually exist just because that is how our culture evolved and thats what the media deems as important. We need this paper that we call currency for everything. We need it to live. But the only reason it holds any value at all is because humans pretend that it does. We have the resources we need right here, made for us by the earth and yet we are too greedy to divide it fairly, we need "money" to control everything we were given for free. Really it's a shame. I not talking about communism, but when cavemen roamed the earth we didn't need money because everyone took what was theres. They could get anything they needed to live by their animal instincts. But now we can't do anything without money, if you left a human being out in the wilderness with absolutely no tools, they would be screwed. They wouldn't know how to live.
Really it comes down to us wasting our lives trying to obtain money. I find that so funny because in the end, when your lying on your death bed, would you rather be surrounded by people who actually give a shit, or by your worthless valueless money?

Culture Jamming: Hacking, Slashing and Sniping in the Empire of Signs

"We believe we live in the 'age of information,' that there has been an information 'explosion,' an information 'revolution.' While in a certain narrow sense this is the case, in many important ways just the opposite is true. We also live at a moment of deep ignorance, when vital knowledge that humans have always possessed about who we are and where we live seems beyond our reach. An Unenlightenment. An age of missing information."

After reading the Article "Cultural Jamming: Hacking, Slashing and Sniping the Empire of Signs" I felt rather sad. It was upsetting to think how true this article was. Television is taking over our minds. Now a days everyone, adults and children alike would rather flick on the television then open a book. Children don't go outside to play anymore, they stay in and hypnotize themselves in virtual realities, so much so I wonder if we even distinguish between what is real and what is a game anymore. It is shocking that there are people in North America who can't read, and don't even want to. "Theres nothing you can't get from a book that you cant get from a television faster," I stole this line from Danny DeVito's character in the movie "Matilda" because it is so true. This is how we think. No one cares about books anymore. No one ever reads, and why would we when it is far easier to flick on a television and let the information pour in. We glorify ourselves in having all this information, we are so smart and have come such a long way, but why then are their still people in our society who can't even read? Why think for ourselves when we can just flick on a television and get someone else to do it for us? Maybe, this is exactly what the media wants us to think. So many people would rather have someone else make an opinion for them, then to formulate one for themselves. Soon the government won't have to worry about us speaking out against them because we will be to damn lazy and brainwashed to think of anything for ourselves. We will just go with the flow pretending everything is just fine. This may be a bit extreme but in a certain light its true. Some people don't even have common sense anymore, because we have all been taught to memorize and regurgitate. In high school our tests consisted of remember what someone else said, and then spill it back onto the paper; and if we can get every word exactly right we get an A. You don't even have to know what the information means, as long as you can just repeat it back you still look smart and your rewarded greatly for it.
I think the media has the power to control how we think because they have the power to control what information the public is allowed to know. We take so much pride in thinking that we have freedom of speech and freedom of information, but how much do we really have access too, how much does the media really tell us, and how much of it is manipulated and fabricated before we are allowed to view it? We get so brainwashed by what we see that we hardly ever ask questions about it anymore. We are starting to believe everything we hear and even more of what we see without question. We take everything at face value without using any judgment of our own. This is a scary thought because once we stop asking questions, we stop having power over what we believe and even worse, we allow others to think for us. I think thats why so many people don't vote. we have subsided. We are actually stepping down and letting other people make choices for us. By not voting we are literally allowing other people to speak on our behalf. We are saying, "Here, take my voice. I don't care how this country is ran. I totally trust in you to do a good job, but even if you don't, It's okay, its not like I really have an opinion anyways." Its quite disgusting really.
Here I've gone on about how horrible and soul sucking the media is, but to tell the truth, its our own fault we subside to all the images we see. I think to some degree we do have the ability to question what we see. We are allowed to ask questions and disagree. America needs to learn to turn off the television and I don't know... read a book? We need to learn to be aware of what we are taking in and be more sensitive viewers.


Derry, Mark. "Culture Jamming: Hacking, Slashing and Sniping in the Empire of Signs."October,12 2007. http://www.levity.com/makrdery/culturjam.html.

Skinny Legs and All

So for the past few years I've been pretty obsessed with author Tom Robbins. His one book, "Skinny Legs and All," would have to be one of my favorites! I really wouldn't know how to explain this book to anyone who hasn't read it so I will gladly post a book review with my comments in between. however, no book review will ever give this book justice. It's just that good!!

"The action revolves around Ellen Cherry Charles and Boomer Petway, newlyweds en route from Seattle to the art scene of New York City in an Airstream turkey. Unfortunately, art doesn't bode well for the couple, and wedded bliss soon becomes a wedded mess. Boomer runs off to Jerusalem, where he can weld to his heart's content, while Ellen Cherry takes up waitressing at Isaac and Ishmael's, a restaurant owned by an Arab and a Jew" (Rambles.net). although does in 3rd person, we see the narrative from mostly Ellen Cherry's point of view. She is the artist but throughout we see how she is constantly restricted and unable to fulfill her love of painting. Then Boomer gets signed in an art show even though he doesn't try to be an artist at all. This is heart breaking for Ellen and the readers sympathize with her. But we also see how all of Boomers art reflects his love for Ellen Cherry (Awww so cute!!)

"But the fun doesn't stop there. Events begin to escalate when a pock-faced Virginian evangelist, intent on rebuilding the Third Temple and ushering in the Second Coming (even if he has to do it by himself), comes to town, and a young Middle-Eastern nursing student named Salome bumps and grinds to the mind-altering Dance of the Seven Veils. In fact, New York City may become more of a war zone than the Holy City itself.
Skinny Legs and All moves through the events of the novel chronologically, occasionally moving to detail different parts of the same journey as seen through the eyes of the different characters. These sections are divided into chapters, in a sense, labeled as "the First Veil," "the Second Veil" and so forth. At the end of each section, Robbins details what will happen to humanity when each of these veils drop -- and the changes that must accompany each unveiling.
Robbins moves adeptly through these layers, effortlessly peeling away the veils of politics, religion, money, sex, marriage and art....What Robbins attempts (successfully, I might add) with Skinny Legs and all is an illustration of the turmoil in the Middle East, all without leaving the soil of contemporary America. Equally disarming, provocative and laugh-out-loud funny, Tom Robbins proves once again that he knows what is important and isn't afraid to point it out" (Rambles.net).

You can see how I relate this book to media. Tom covers issues from war and politics and money to sex, love and art. In so many of his books, Robbins slaps you in the face with such important issues and really makes you think. His books are kinda hard to read, so I plan on rereading the ones I have read. but I also want to read all of his books.


Some of his other books include:

Still Life With Woodpecker
Jitterbug Perfume
Another Roadside Attraction
Fierce Invalids Home Hot Climates
Half Asleep In Frog Pajamas
Even Cowgirls Get the Blues



Clark, M Audrey. Rambles, a Cultural Art Magazine. 10 October 2007. http://www.rambles.net/robbins_skinny.html

Education and Television

Today in class we started talking a little bit about education and television. Lipton said that children shows, such as sesame street, doesn't teach children anything accept how to watch television. I have to say that I completely disagree with him. Now I agree that babies can't learn anything from televison because they cannot yet comprehend words, but the stimulation, such as colours and sounds and watching other beings interact, help to activate a infant's mind. On one level I agree that very young babies do not directly learn anything from television, but theres no denying that sounds and lights help to stimulate the mind. On the other hand, slightly older children, say toddlers between the ages of one and three learn by repetition. Shows like sesame street repeat words, numbers and letters over and over again. Once children recognize these words they can follow a long. Hearing the words over and over and repeating them with the television helps them to learn and remember. Also seeing number and letters being used in a social setting helps children to understand what they mean. Now I don't in anyway believe that a television can substitute as a teacher, but television can definitely help in allowing children to practice and remember words that they are beginning to recognize. I think Lipton was right in the sense that television can't teach a child directly, but when he or she is first becoming accustomed to things such as letters, shapes, numbers and words television helps them to remember by repeating what they know and displaying it clearly and simply for them to remember.

Understnading Comics The Invisible Art

I absolutely loved this book. Scott McCloud uses comics as a medium in addressing such topics as semiotics and art. He captures ideas that seemed familiar but I had never fully grasped. For instance, he talks about how obsessed human begins are with themselves, that we see out image in nearly everything; and its true! Human beings see a face in objects such as light sockets, or cars. I remember when I was little I would look at cars as they passed by and determine whether they were male or female cars based on the shape of their headlights, and the shape of the hood. So when I read this in Understanding topics, it was interesting how McCloud explained that human beings focus on specific details in order to strip that image to its essential meaning. McCloud explains, through realistic art and abstract cartoon art, how human beings decipher a message. A realistic drawing of a face can only be interpreted as a certain face, where two dots and a line, :|, can be interpreted into anyones face. I found many of McClouds concepts so interesting because he was so accurate in describing something obvious, yet, I have not taken the time to think about. I found myself agreeing with everything he said, and realized how sensitive we really are to symbols and pictures, and because he explained his ideas in a comic book he was able to use images and symbols to relate words to pictures.
I love the way McCloud described art. He says that art is anything that human beings do that do not cater to their essential needs; survival and reproduction. Also, he explains how art has transformed our culture. Because of its "independence from our evolution-bred instincts, art is the way we assert our identities as individuals and break out of the narrow roles nature cast us in." Art provides exercise for both the body and mind, art provides an emotional outlet, and has provided us survival as human beings. From art we evolved, coming up with new and great ideas to improve and simplify our existence. The creation and discovery of language, tools, or the wheel, evolved into products of today such as washer machines, watches, glasses and so on. These objects may not seem like art per say, but man has created them. McCloud shows how our actions lead to new discoveries, and how this is interpreted as art.

I love how the book was presented. McClouds ideas translate into one another, and flow with ease. Each idea was the offspring of the idea before. He covered so many aspects of art and culture that I couldn't possibly reflect on all the ideas. After reading this book I have a whole new perspective on how I interpret art, and why I interpret images and symbols the way I do.

Post-Secondary: Right or Privilege

So in class today I accidentally got pulled into a debate about whether or not a post-secondary education was a right or a privilege. I simply asked what Mark Lipton meant when he said that Post-secondary was a right. Instead of a straight forward answer I cleared the way for a full on debate.
His arguments were that if you were not smart enough, did not have good enough grades, or could not afford, then you could not go to post-secondary, no questions asked. I understand why one would think this, but then wouldn't food and water be a privilege? Which is true I suppose. I should be gracious that I have the opportunity to work and vote. but still, those are just privileges that we fought for, but they could just as easily be taken away as they were given. If I can`t afford to feed myself then I suppose that being alive is a privilege. I thank my mother everyday. So, in those regards, do we have any real rights at all?
Mark said that 50 years ago the majority of the class would not be here, which is 100% true, because before there is no way in hell a girl would be going to post-secondary. But this is the year 2007, and my argument to that was thank God that we live in Canada. I believe that being a Canadian citizen has paved the way for Post Secondary to be a right, along with food and water, the option to vote. If I want to attend University, I will attend University, and I am. Canada has some amazing organizations that help people to help themselves. I'm not saying that these rights are handed over, gallivanting towards us on shining white horses, but if someone wants to go to University, now they can. They will have to work damn hard to get there, but if they really try, they will not be denied. Like getting the right to vote. Generations before us worked damn hard to make voting a right. But just like anything else, how easily could thats right be taken away?
Government funding helps those who wouldn't normally be able to attending post secondary, giving everyone a more equal playing ground. Now I've thought about this debate a lot. And I've came to the conclusion that perhaps the putting post secondary into the group of "rights" or "privileges" is not completely accurate. A privilege is a school teacher telling her students that their recess break is something they must earn. The teacher has all authority to keep each and every student in. But when all those noisy students work hard to be quite and encourage their peers to be quite, they gain back that right to go outside and play. Thats the beauty of how our privileges reflect rights, how the two are almost intertwined in Canada. Because democracy makes it so, we really cannot have one without the other. We have the right to freedom of speech, because we fought to not let that freedom to be taken away from us.
I may not be right. But I truly believe that everyone, in Canada at least, has been given the same advantages in achieving a post secondary education. Its how hard you work and how hard you fight that you can change a privilege a right.

1st Group Project

Since the first week or so of class, I've been getting together with a group of about four other girls for our group assignments. I'm rather quite excited to get started on these projects. We did the first one, the, Image Curation last week. We decided to collect images to display eating disorders in women mostly. I personally think that this topic is over done, and although it is an important issue, I think we should have expanded on the idea a little bit more. However, the pictures that I gathered were of past beauty. It was interesting to look at images of what fashion and beauty meant centuries ago. I know that back then it was considered beautiful to be plump or by todays standards "over weight" because it meant that you came from a wealthy family and could afford to eat. The other images include girls from our school and celebrities. We have yet to show our slide show in class but its complete and we are hopefully starting a new project next week. This particular project wasn't my favorite just because I'm very good with the whole technical aspect, and I didn't overly enjoy the topic my group decided on. I am however every excited to start the activist project. I have a really cool idea that I can't talk about right now ;)