The media's everlasting stereotypes are always impacting the gender roles in society and expectations of each sex. These Media portrayed 'ways of life' have negatively impacted the business world, politically, and in a learning environment.
Women are expected to be submissive and stay at home to care for the husband and family. But when they try to enter the business world there are negative associations with the woman because she's not at home taking care of her family and house. Then people think that she may not have a family, alert the press. Often times, when women started entering the workforce, there was something wrong with them and they were viewed negatively in society. Also, in business women are still expected to be submissive when the only way they can get ahead is by asserting themselves and working hard but if they do that, women are considered wenches. They cannot seem to win in the business world, because its the "man's place." A man seems weak if he is beaten by a woman. The TV shows like Leave it to Beaver, show that women belong in the kitchen and men working, these bombardments make it very hard to counter the dominant culture.
In politics women are often to stand there and look pretty while supporting their husbands. It is very hard for a woman to earn respect from the opposite gender in politics. Men see women as figureheads in politics, it is perceived that they don't actually do anything. Women have a hard time earning respect as a serious candidate because to men, they are too emotional. Other women seem to favor women in politics depending on party association, personal beliefs, etc but seem less apt to support them publicly so they aren't mocked by men. Men have always been in politics so they are perceived as the ones who should be there. After the recent president election, Sarah Palin became a joke and it was very difficult for Hilary Clinton to get much respect from male voters.
At school it seems a little easier for men and women to compete more as equals. There are some girls who are as smart as boys and some boys who are as smart as the girls. Boys still view women as submissive but respect their intelligence a little but more often their figure. Girls are told to wear skimpy clothes and the ads with popular fashion make it hard for guys to respect them.
Overall in the professional setting, it is hard for women to earn respect because of media generated sex roles and the man feels pressure to be the breadwinner and make a lot of money.
Monday, February 23, 2009
Saturday, February 7, 2009
Blog #3
For this blog I watched the show, Gilmore Girls.
After watching the show I considered which of the ten American Core Values were represented strongest in the show. I've decided they are activity and work, material comfort, individualism, freedom, humanitarianism, and youthfulness.
Activity and work is displayed in the show through the character's actions. One of the main characters, Lorelei, is always running around, managing her business while still having a very active social life and doing things she finds entertaining. She is a very busy person and this illustrates to people that they should be able to be very busy with work and social activities and that they need to be busy. The show tells viewers they need to keep up with activity and work by the way Lorelei interacts with other characters. Her mother is more old fashioned and likes to do things at a slower pace, she criticizes Lorelei and Lorelei has sarcastic comebacks illustrating it is the only way to live.
Material comfort is displayed int he show through the clothing the characters wear, how they eat out for almost every meal, and how extravagant some of their homes are. The grandparents in the show are rich and like to give ostentatious gifts to show-off their wealth. The show tells viewers they should value meals and clothes but not get too used to the cars because they are disposable, Lorelei left her parents (the wealthy grandparents) when she was young and lives comfortably but doesn't need the showy material comforts. The TV program presents more moderate material comforts as necessary such as nice clothing and the ability to afford eating out through the main characters actions.
Individualism is shown through the other main character Rory. She is very independent and has the mind of a middle-age woman even though she is only a teenager. She likes to read instead of go out at night and she is very different from the typical teen. The show tells people that being unique is good and people shouldn't mind being different, because like Rory, you make yourself happy.
Freedom is illustrated by Lorelei leaving her parents. The show tells viewers they should value their choices and not let others make them for them by all of the arguments that Lorelei has with her parents about why she left and how they are trying to control her life. She is constantly trying to break free from her parents and the show tells us to value what freedom we do have because it stinks when someone tries to take it away.
Humanitarianism is shown through the town they live in. It is a very small town and everyone helps everyone else. The show tells viewers they should value their neighbors and people around them because everyone has to coexist and it does this by people in town attending town meetings and putting up with silly town traditions to please others. They help each other out and this tells the viewers to help their neighbors out and someday they may get the favor returned.
Youthfulness is strongly shown in the Gilmore Girls because Lorelei is 32 when Rory is 16. Lorelei dresses young, is Rory's best friend and the show makes a big deal about Lorelei having Rory when she was 16. It also tells viewers they need to value youthfulness because the grandma is always getting her hair done and sometimes asks Rory if an outfit makes her look young. All of the characters have youthful qualities whether they look young or they are innocent minded so youthfulness is a strong value the show gives off to viewers.
It can be argued that the other core values are apparent in the show too but these were the ones that I noticed in this particular episode and these were the values that came off the strongest. The show is giving off cultural signals based on how we act, it is a never ending cycle.
After watching the show I considered which of the ten American Core Values were represented strongest in the show. I've decided they are activity and work, material comfort, individualism, freedom, humanitarianism, and youthfulness.
Activity and work is displayed in the show through the character's actions. One of the main characters, Lorelei, is always running around, managing her business while still having a very active social life and doing things she finds entertaining. She is a very busy person and this illustrates to people that they should be able to be very busy with work and social activities and that they need to be busy. The show tells viewers they need to keep up with activity and work by the way Lorelei interacts with other characters. Her mother is more old fashioned and likes to do things at a slower pace, she criticizes Lorelei and Lorelei has sarcastic comebacks illustrating it is the only way to live.
Material comfort is displayed int he show through the clothing the characters wear, how they eat out for almost every meal, and how extravagant some of their homes are. The grandparents in the show are rich and like to give ostentatious gifts to show-off their wealth. The show tells viewers they should value meals and clothes but not get too used to the cars because they are disposable, Lorelei left her parents (the wealthy grandparents) when she was young and lives comfortably but doesn't need the showy material comforts. The TV program presents more moderate material comforts as necessary such as nice clothing and the ability to afford eating out through the main characters actions.
Individualism is shown through the other main character Rory. She is very independent and has the mind of a middle-age woman even though she is only a teenager. She likes to read instead of go out at night and she is very different from the typical teen. The show tells people that being unique is good and people shouldn't mind being different, because like Rory, you make yourself happy.
Freedom is illustrated by Lorelei leaving her parents. The show tells viewers they should value their choices and not let others make them for them by all of the arguments that Lorelei has with her parents about why she left and how they are trying to control her life. She is constantly trying to break free from her parents and the show tells us to value what freedom we do have because it stinks when someone tries to take it away.
Humanitarianism is shown through the town they live in. It is a very small town and everyone helps everyone else. The show tells viewers they should value their neighbors and people around them because everyone has to coexist and it does this by people in town attending town meetings and putting up with silly town traditions to please others. They help each other out and this tells the viewers to help their neighbors out and someday they may get the favor returned.
Youthfulness is strongly shown in the Gilmore Girls because Lorelei is 32 when Rory is 16. Lorelei dresses young, is Rory's best friend and the show makes a big deal about Lorelei having Rory when she was 16. It also tells viewers they need to value youthfulness because the grandma is always getting her hair done and sometimes asks Rory if an outfit makes her look young. All of the characters have youthful qualities whether they look young or they are innocent minded so youthfulness is a strong value the show gives off to viewers.
It can be argued that the other core values are apparent in the show too but these were the ones that I noticed in this particular episode and these were the values that came off the strongest. The show is giving off cultural signals based on how we act, it is a never ending cycle.
Thursday, January 29, 2009
Blog #2 reaction to video
After watching the video, I had many ideas on why the media targets kids as their primary consumers. First, if they are exposed early enough they will most likely never think to question the messages that they are being fed and the influence that the media has on them will never be noticed because it is second nature. Second, kids have so much influence over their parents. So instead of trying to change an older generation who is more set in their ways the media goes with younger minds who have the power of the purse. The strategists know what they are doing but this is not a very good thing.
The control that media is gaining in our society is growing too vastly in a short amount of time. People are going away from their traditional values and becoming way too materialistic. Religion is far less important as well as family and work ethic. The effects of the increased consumerism are being reflected in the declining level of cultural worth. With the kids being so targeted they cannot escape the consumerism and it will only get worse. Without the knowledge or will to fight off the media's influence, these newer generations will deter from our previous culture and create one that is all about materialism and competition.
It is terrible and unmoral to target the kids the way the Media does but I understand why they do it. The media is a business and they are out to make a profit but like the video said, where do we draw the line and when dose the government need to get involved? For now, parents just need to monitor what their kids are watching and playing with and limiting what products they are buying. I agree there needs to be some government regulations put in somewhere though, its getting a little out of control.
I predict a monstrous society or a time where everyone goes back to religion and traditional values again like what has happened in the past, sometime in the future.
The control that media is gaining in our society is growing too vastly in a short amount of time. People are going away from their traditional values and becoming way too materialistic. Religion is far less important as well as family and work ethic. The effects of the increased consumerism are being reflected in the declining level of cultural worth. With the kids being so targeted they cannot escape the consumerism and it will only get worse. Without the knowledge or will to fight off the media's influence, these newer generations will deter from our previous culture and create one that is all about materialism and competition.
It is terrible and unmoral to target the kids the way the Media does but I understand why they do it. The media is a business and they are out to make a profit but like the video said, where do we draw the line and when dose the government need to get involved? For now, parents just need to monitor what their kids are watching and playing with and limiting what products they are buying. I agree there needs to be some government regulations put in somewhere though, its getting a little out of control.
I predict a monstrous society or a time where everyone goes back to religion and traditional values again like what has happened in the past, sometime in the future.
Friday, January 23, 2009
Blog #1
I interviewed my grandpa (68) and he is a photographer for Associated Press, my step-dad (43) who is an accountant for the yearbook division of Lifetouch, my mom (42) who is a loan-processor, and my sister (18) who is a pharmacy major at Madison. Each person that I interviewed had a similar opinion on what media is and how the media impacts them. There were slight differences between the men and women, but age did not seem to have significant impact on the results.
All of the interviewees felt that media is a source of communication and it keeps them informed on what is going on in the world and that media is the news, Internet, newspapers, etc. The men were more descriptive in their answers on 'what is media?' and this could be because of their careers in the media industry or just personality. In response to the 'how do the media impact your life' question, all of the subjects responded that media keeps them connected and gives them information. They phrased their answers in different ways but they all meant the same thing. The other question that I asked my subjects was 'what is your favorite medium/source of media?'. My step-dad replied with Internet because you read it and are able to sort through the bias, my grandpa responded with photographs because they evoke emotions (and it might have something to do with the fact that he is a photographer). My mom said TV news because it's convenient and my sister said TV because it's appealing. These answers did seem to vary by age and also by gender. The girls seemed to go by more of convenience and what appealed to them and the men went by what they had more control over in a sense. The last question was 'how influential is the media in American society'. The general consensus on this question was too influential and people buy into it without all of the facts.
Each person had their own preferences as to which media outlets they prefer based on convenience and availability but the general perceptions about media's influence in society and what media is were across the board unanimous. The men seemed to try and make media work for them and the women seemed to try and find a convenience in the media but for my interview, age had no significant impact.
All of the interviewees felt that media is a source of communication and it keeps them informed on what is going on in the world and that media is the news, Internet, newspapers, etc. The men were more descriptive in their answers on 'what is media?' and this could be because of their careers in the media industry or just personality. In response to the 'how do the media impact your life' question, all of the subjects responded that media keeps them connected and gives them information. They phrased their answers in different ways but they all meant the same thing. The other question that I asked my subjects was 'what is your favorite medium/source of media?'. My step-dad replied with Internet because you read it and are able to sort through the bias, my grandpa responded with photographs because they evoke emotions (and it might have something to do with the fact that he is a photographer). My mom said TV news because it's convenient and my sister said TV because it's appealing. These answers did seem to vary by age and also by gender. The girls seemed to go by more of convenience and what appealed to them and the men went by what they had more control over in a sense. The last question was 'how influential is the media in American society'. The general consensus on this question was too influential and people buy into it without all of the facts.
Each person had their own preferences as to which media outlets they prefer based on convenience and availability but the general perceptions about media's influence in society and what media is were across the board unanimous. The men seemed to try and make media work for them and the women seemed to try and find a convenience in the media but for my interview, age had no significant impact.
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