Grade 9 Links: Esther Webquest

1. Canadian Encyclopedia - New France
2. Canadian Encyclopedia - Gilles Hocquart
3. 17th Century Clothing
4. Louis XV
5. Filles du Roi

"Honey I'm home"

Well this is a delayed post, as I unwillingly forgot to post this earlier. This is likely the last post I will make altogether. Likely there will not be any responses, but just something to ponder about as the blog closes. Why is it that in media, usually the males are seen as the ones chasing the females, instead of vice versa? Why is the latter rarely shown? Does this have any relation to the gender roles portrayed by media and/or the dominant discourse observed in society today regarding gender? Does this reveal the objectification of women? (Ok fine I just wanted to post the picture more than anything)

The evolution of Television Theory.

It seems television has had a massive change over the years. The days of classic family sitcoms and wholesom commercials .

Television back in the day was full of nice relaxing sitcoms that the whole familywould gather around and enjoy together. There are the few sitcoms today that do the same but they are very few. Now television seems to have evolved into mostly reality TV shows, where an american celebrity brings a regular person along with them to see how their life is. As for commercials, back in the day you used to see a stay-at home or little old lady advertising washing detergent or dishwashing liqud to young women bouncing around selling underwear.

How else do you think television has changed over the years, how does it affect the public viewers?

Latinos in the Media

As a born and raised Dominican I've grown up around the negative view the media has portrayed to the Latin community, our culture and views. Its not only dominicans who have to undergo the pressure of the media, but every hispanic nation.

For instance in the states if you speak the language Spanish you are autimatically assumed to be Mexican and an illegal immigrant. Movies have had a great deal in portraying this negative view of all Mexican's where they have tattoes, are in jail, and sell drugs like the movie the came out called "Blood in Blood out" of a group of young and old man in Prison trying to re-enstate their power as the superior to whites and blacks in jail. Regardles of the country itself if we speak the language and our apperance is hispanic we get judged as all been the same. The media portrays all the Latin guys selling drugs like Pablo Escobar from Colombia or Scarface from Cuba. Not to say these man weren't lengends but not every descendent of the Hispanic race sells, does or deal with drugs. We fear it because of the way it has damaged and corrupted our country. Not only do man have a negative reputation from the media but woman in their own way do as well.

When watching t.v and a commercial comes on promoting a new cleaning supply or a hotel laundry mat or the room a hispanic middle age woman who's chubby is portrayed as cleaning the space. We are viewed as cleaning ladies in order to make a living. For instance a huge movie with Jeniffer Lopez called " Maid in Manhattan" trully proves my point. We are not also known as that but as Sl*ts just because the younger generation has a figure and likes to show it off. We get judged on the way we dress and the way we carry ourselves. I've gone out with a bunch of my Latin freinds for a night out and we get looked at very strangely and made weird faces at.

Those are just a few of the way the media has portrayed the hispanic people. The list can go on and on with the way were viewd by the public eye, We like to drink and get drunk and we can't control it, we think were the hottest things around and we have no education because we come from the developing world, and we want to find a ruch sugar daddy to give us everything just to add a few more things.

Discussion Questions:

Is the way I perceive the media to portray my people correct or over exsaggerated? explain your answer.

Who else either then Latin people have to watch the media give their people a negative view to the public?

If you seen the movies blood in and blood out or Maid in Manhattan, did you think it was a realistic view on the Hispanic popilation?

Paco Rabanne- 1 million perfume/colgone commercial

I was watching T.v today and I came across two commercials for the perfume/cologne entitled "Paco Rabanne- 1 million". I believe that the goal of this perfume/cologne ad is to persuade people to buy it and feel like " a million bucks" when they use it (as the title suggests). It shows the audience that if one was to use this perfume, they'd get practically anything they ever wanted.

There are two versions of this commercial; one for men and one for women, both commercials have it's fair share of the common male and female stereotypes.

Here is the link to the Male version: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4VPHVygoca4
and this is the link to the female version: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q1lP7scdurI&feature=related

These commercials have many of the common stereotypes of males and females.
For example, In the male version the male snaps his fingers and he gets everything he wants; he snaps, There's a car, A woman drops her clothes, a bag of money falls etc.
It shows the typical stereotypes that guys are interested only in money, cars and women.
What really got me thinking is how the commercial attempted to show Male dominance over Females.
He snaps his fingers and the woman loses her clothing... it makes it look like the woman is less than the man and that she obeys his commands.

Then in the female version: she snaps she gets several cars, she stomps and she gets tons of heels, she snaps again and she's surrounded in a sea of men. For me, the key highlight of this commercial is how a male gives her a diamond ring and she snaps and it grows in size.
There's a saying that "diamonds are a girl's best friend", when I researched the meaning of this statement a site defined it as "A statement that suggests, while love is a luxury, material wealth (particularly jewelery) is more valuable in the long run."
So it basically says that female's too are interested solely in material things as well.


For discussion:
1)How do you think younger audiences would react to this commercial?

2)Do you think these commercials are powerful enough to have influence over the
minds of younger audiences?

changes in gender roles.

Long time ago, women had to stay home, take care of their children, cook, clean and do all the other house work. Meanwhile, men use to go outside and hunt for food to feed their family. However these gender roles are changing in some parts of the world. Now women are getting education and a job. Both the husband and the wife are earning money. Recent studies are showing that more women are graduating than men in the western society and this number is growing as we speak. Also the drop out rate of boys in high school is higher than girls. Women are getting employed for many jobs due to their education and their training. When the husband and the wife are both working and they have a child, these days the one that earns more income goes to work meanwhile the one with less income stays home and takes care of the child. In some situation, the husband has to stay home with the child meanwhile the wife goes to work. Long time ago women had no value but these days their are laws that protects them and gives them their rights. In some parts of the world, women couldn't even think about getting education but now they are starting to go to school and are getting jobs?

Recent studies are showing that woman are graduating more than men. Keep in mind that long time ago, men were the dominant ones and woman had no value. Do you think that in the future women will be the powerful ones due to their education and occupation? Do you think that they will control their husband?

For those individuals who don't want a nanny for their children and want to take care of their children by themselves, will you see more husbands staying home since they had less education? (In the future)

Most jobs that men have, do you think that they will be taken over by the women in the future for example: will you see a lot of female presidents in 50 years?

Hip-Hop And The Media

Hip Hop is a cultural interest group that coalesced in the early 1970s. It was known for many various things such as break dancing, deejaying, graffiti and rap. All of these were different cultural movements put into one and named Hip-Hop. Graffiti was the art of hip hop it was typically staged in New York where it was born. Also break dancing was part of the art perspective, causing different b-boy dancers to battle each other for money and prizes or for the fun of it. Rap and Deejaying were the musical perspective of Hip-Hop.

Like everything things got to change. Hip-Hop changed dramatically during the late 90s and early 2000s. The style of hip-hop became more aggression towards money, then its other purpose which was towards freedom of speech and appeal to emotion. We see “Gangsta Rap” arise in the early 90s and has a big effect later on as you see rappers such as 50 cent in rap videos portraying toughness and waving guns in addition to wearing a bullet proof vest. Along with this when 50 cent released his album it was huge on the charts because he was satisfying the people by talking about guns, violence, and women. This influences people like me and you to think rap and hip hop is corrupt and violent when only a few individuals only represent negative images.

Lastly I want to show there is also the positive side of Hip-Hop for everyone who has the bias that it’s completely damaged and misguiding. A rapper by the name of Chamillionaire wrote an album called “Ultimate Victory” which is out of the ordinary because it does not have any profanity also violent speech as well as no portrayal of women in the sense of nudity and disrespectful. K’naan also who’s a rapper who is from our hometown Toronto, formally he was a poet and usually he raps about freedom and equality. Hip-Hop being a multifaceted culture transcends into many popular characteristics creating Hip-Hop fashion. Hip-Hop fashion is also a positive aspect in the media, by turning your own style of wardrobe to share with nations around the world who relate to this particular music.

My question to you is the following:

Do you think Hip-Hip in the media is completely negative and misguiding and if so why? How do you think we can stop the negative stereotypes within hip hop?

Long Hair Too Girlie For All American Quarterback

In the this NFL season , all star quarterback Tom Brady of the New England Patriots, started growing his hair, since his wife asked him to grow his hair and keep it long. As the hair grew longer fans started comparing Brady to Justin Bieber, questioning the quarterback’s manliness and ridiculing him. After a couple of weeks the hair grew long enough that the helmet could not contain it. Brady’s hair became a joke by fellow teammates who were not accustomed to seeing their leader with long golden locks swaying as he played football. Also the media took great notice, from sports analysis taking about Brady’s hair instead of how well he played on the field, to newspapers, and magazines writing articles about the hair and hair cut options. All this comes down to the media, in the media most women are shown with long hair and in this case Tom with long hair seemed feminine and less manly since football players are shown as tough men.

The way feel about this, is the media is hyping up the hair too much, by having sports analysis talking about hair and not the game. Also your appearance is your business and other people should not intervene in your personal life.

My questions are: What are your opinions about Mr. Brady’s hair does it makes him less manly?

Do men all have to have short hair to accepted as profession athletes who are serious of about their careers?

Questions for the guy (sorry ladies) if you started growing your hair long would you get harassed to get a hair cut by friends and family?

Final question if Mr. Brady was a female with long hair and cut his hair very short do you think the media would react the same way and make head lines.

Gender equality - Is it even possible?

Sigmund Freud once said that, even in his 30 years of studying the human psyche, the one thing he can't seem to answer is, what do women want?
Well, now we know Freud was a quack, but his statement brings up an interesting question, what do women want?
This might sound like an ignorant question that the y chromosome in my body brings out, but it is actually not too far from the topic I want to address.
The true question I wish to address is, what do females want as someone in our society?
Do they wish to be treated as equals?
Now, let us assume they DO want to be treated just as a man is in society.
If they do so, would they then lose what makes them females? Would men be allowed to hold door for women or pull chairs out for women or would that be seen as some insult to women? would they get offended at the inequality that this brings out?
Would the whole idea of what makes a woman today have to be completely changed just to fit this new equal status?
Would equality turn women essentially into the same as that of a man?
Now, assuming they DON'T want this, and they wish to have their chairs pulled out for them, doors opened for them and coats given to them.
Is this advocating gender inequality? Is doing this demeaning women in some way?
What about sexuality? Would equality of both sexes cause a loss in sexuality for, perhaps BOTH sexes?
Or, is there some balance of both that one can achieve? But is that REALLY equality or some false form invented to please the female sex?
The question, although it perhaps sounds a bit ignorant in the start, really is;
What do women want?

He's covered and She's not?

See the two pictures I have up. See anything? Maybe you should look closer (but not too close). Yes, I think the point is clear as to what I am trying to say. The first image is of the well renowned actress Jessica Alba, and the second picture is of Robert Downey Jr. another famous actor. Comparing the two pictures; It's weird to see how Jessica Alba is posing in her very slim tang-top and her super small shorts, but Robert Downey Jr. is wearing a shirt, and is fully covered.

My point ladies and gentlemen, that I'm trying to make is why are women more revealing as oppose to men? Several arguments could arise. People could say "Oh, the women has a sexy body so she deserves to be shown", (which by the way I find is a little perverted) but someone could also argue that "A man has an equally sexy body, therefore his muscular body should be shown too". An example of what I'm talking about is, I was reading a magazine in a store and I came across two different watch advertisements. One showed a man who was in a fancy suit advertising the watch. The other had a lady who's dress was flying everywhere, revealing her legs and body. and the watch wasn't advertised anywhere, except the bottom right corner of the page. I honestly thought it was the dress being advertised.

In my blog it seems as if I want to say that men should be more revealing as well, but that's not my idea at all, because at times men are also shown without their shirts.

My final question is, has mankind become so primitive that they have to show semi-nude images of females and/or males to sell something?

Just Me And My Teenage Depression!

Don't you just have those moments that you want to run, or destroy any obstacles in your way?Cant speak,doing bad socially and academically?Always frustrated,sad,confused,or just bi-polar? Yes,finally,depression hit us,especially to us teenagers. So much changes occur in a teenagers life, puberty,school,friends, what's expected from them and what's not.Teenage Depression is what impacts us very hard,not only does it affect the teenager themselves, it affect those around the individual.If its left untreated, it can lead to problems at home, drug addiction,self loathing, and to extreme levels, suicide.Parents,teachers and friends may worry,but teens with depression find that really annoying,especially if their's to much attention focused on them.One of the most major leads towards teenage depression is what we all loathe,hate,and have to face everyday,Bullying. Cyber-bullying,school bullying, it hurts an individual,especially when theirs attention from a crowd, where everyone can witness,gossip, and make fun of the depressed individual. Depression breaks that person's ego and their pride. Most teens go through this, causing them to hate school,becoming anti-social and really private,which can affect their future life completely.

How would you open to someone who suffers from depression on a daily basis?How can you stop the causes of depression,such as bullying? How would you feel if you were in this person shoes?

“Oh Gosh! What if he’s hiding a bomb somewhere?”

Extremists. Did a picture pop into your head of a bearded man, possibly Muslim? Was he evilly planning to knock down buildings? Or maybe slay someone in the name of his religion? This is what happens when media has driven it’s poisonous sword right through your head. Halimo’s post made me think, Muslim men (especially those who are bearded and wear the Islamic dress) are not only seen as oppressors, but majority of the time as extremists.
Media has it’s way of spreading stereotypes, on the news, magazines, shows and movies. Iron Man, released in 2008, was one example that played with our delicate minds. The “terrorists” that forced Tony Stark to build the suit were Muslim. Yes, they looked like Muslims, they dressed as Muslims, sadly, they even named one of them Abu Bakr. And as if they didn’t cross the limit enough, these terrorists even spoke Arabic throughout the movie.
Muslim men, in the media are portrayed as violent Jihadists, this just profiles all of them. Nobody looks at Muslim men in reality, men who care for their families, live happily with their loved ones and men who hold the hands of their parents at old age. It just isn’t as exciting as a bearded maniac, hijacking planes. Islam is a religion that brings together the hands of every individual. Most people think Muslims are terrorists, but did you know only 6% of the terrorist attacks on US soil has been committed by Islamic extremists, according to FBI reports?

So my questions to you are:

Why are men, who rightly symbol being fatherly, wise and servants of God being showcased as extremists?
Why do you think Muslim women are not labelled as extremists? Extremists can be anyone right?

Cootie Catchers

I’ve noticed nowadays that almost every cartoon or kids show has some sort of innapropriate matter in it. Whether it be kissing, or having relationships at a very young age. This influences kids, and pressures them to also do the same. My little sister was having a conversation one time, with my other sister, talking about boys, and who likes who in school, blah blah blah.

This got me wondering that the media is putting things into vulnerable little childrens’ minds. Kind of saying that kids kissing and having a gf/bf is the norm, when it clearly isn’t. If I can recall, back in the days girls thought boys had cooties and to boys girls had cooties. Being a kid is all about innocence and playing almost 24/7, not worrying about being in a relationship at age 5. Theres a saying that childhood is a journey, not a race, so why is the media influencing kids to do things that they’re not even old enought to understand? What do you think is the reason for this?

Can Gay's be Free?

Representation of homosexuals in the media is shown nowadays through T.V., public opinions, news, magazines etc. Growing up I have noticed that people have hypothesized that being gay is a crime. But now we tend to be more accepting towards the "gay" attitude.

My question is why? What has changed out minds?

Here's an example. We all know who Ellen DeGeneres is. Ellen is a comedian who runs her own talk show. If you dont already know, Ellen is Gay. In 1997 Ellen was brought on Opera to talk about her sexuality. At the moment people were a little shocked to know, but over time we as the people learned to accept her and her sexuality.

Another example is Jessica Capshaw who plays Arizona Robbins on the hit show Grey's Anatomy. Dr. Arizona Robbins is a lesbian on the show, but she's shown as a very successful attending doctor, not some who everyone hates, or someone who is hated because her sexuality is different.

Another example I would like to direct attention to is the fashion industry. Fashion industries have gay men in them, yet we still are attracted to their fashions, why? Because it looks good. At that point we tend to put aside our thoughts of gay people and openly accept them and their style.

In my opinion I think people over react towards gay and lesbian people. I really don't think these people are any different then us. Do you guys think its right to degrade gay people?

How woman are portrayed in music videos

Today’s music videos portray a very negative image of women and I think that the media is responsible for how they are portrayed. They push this idea of what is sexually attractive on us and if they didn’t we wouldn’t think that. I think that the media is using reverse psychology on us because the media doesn’t tell us what to like. We tell the media what we want, by buying, and accepting it. The media tries a bunch of different things like putting different kinds of women on ads. So when they see which product sells the best they think that these people really like it, let’s just keep on doing it and give them what they want. So the media doesn’t make us want it, we actually decide what we want, and that’s why we see all theses scandalous and sluty women in music videos. The media portrays a negative image of women in music videos because of the lyrics being said in the song, what they’re wearing, and basically what goes on in the video. I think that some people have accepted this and it has become a norm in our society. Also most of the stereotypes that revolve around women come from music videos and especially the media. I don’t think it’s appropriate for women in music videos to act like this because they are already exposing themselves and each other. The fact that they have little or no clothes on makes the situation worse and makes it seem alright to these younger girls when it’s actually not and this is encouraging a lot of younger girls to do the same thing. These women are bad for our future and our society because younger females watch music videos everyday and they look up to these women because it’s what they see on TV.

Why do you think music videos portray women in a negative image? Are woman in music videos there just to bring the status of a man up? Do you think that women in music videos are bad for the younger female generation watching it? Does the portrayal of women in music videos affect the way women are treated in society?

"Stripper breath scented"

So as I was doing some regular discrete browsing of the World Wide Web, I came across an interesting article. A company called Koi Kouture™ decided to make candles for “manly men”, because it has become apparent that men do not like the smell of daisies, lilies, and all that cal. (Thumbs up if you get the reference) They decided to take the bottoms of recycled beer bottles, and use them as a sort of container for these candles. That’s not the most alluring part however, it’s the names of the different scents they offer that I find to be quite interesting. The variety of scents offered range from; “Hooters waitress scented”, “stripper breath scented”, “Axe body spray scented”, and many other “manly” scents. Also what caught my attention is the disclaimer by the company; Koi Kouture does recognize that they cannot alienate the fairer sex and admits that these candles are also for the “awesome girls” that drink beer like “real men”. I find the disclaimer to be a bit of an oxymoron, but I’ll leave that up to discussion.

How do I specifically feel about this? I actually don’t know what to feel, as I’m not sure if the production of these candles is just mere satire, or something to be actually taken seriously. If it is something to be taken seriously, I believe that our definition of “manliness” is quite skewed and distorted due to the prevalence of the stereotypical “manly” man in media, and because the media has continually perpetuated this stereotypical image. Nevertheless, I would like to discuss the stereotypical “manly man” as portrayed by the media today. Stereotypical traits such as facial hair, covered in dirt, cocky, bold, arrogant, chops wood at 5 am, and all that cal. I would like to hear your opinions on this subject.

Article: http://drinkwiththewench.com/?p=3659

How do you feel about this article? Through your point of view, how does media portray “manliness”? Is this a fair conjecture? Do you think it reflects our societal view of “manliness”? Do you feel that the media perpetuating “manly” stereotypes also further perpetuates gender inequality? What is your definition of true “manliness”?

Behind the beard

As mentioned in Mariama’s post, Muslim women are stereotyped as being oppressed, weak, victims of abuse, etc. Muslim men, on the other hand, are represented as being the exact opposite. Instead they are portrayed as being the oppressors, violent, brutish, controlling, abusive and by in large, angry. Both stereotypes of Muslim men and women only complement each other in providing a complete yet distorted picture of Muslims globally, a people that only consist of submissive women and manipulating men. Although stereotypes of Muslim women are often noted and pointed out, it is stereotypes of Muslim men that go unmentioned necessitating this discussion.

A lot of stereotypes of Muslim men revolve around their relationships towards their families. They are frequently shown as abusers and dictators. Recently, headlines such as “honour killings in Canada” have sparked much interest and debate. But it’s interesting to note the number of times in which the perpetuators and victims are Muslim, the act is suddenly dubbed “Islamic honour killing”. The act is pointed towards Islam, although religion has nothing to do with it. The obvious question here is to ask whether or not there is such a thing as “honour killing” in Islam. Often times the dividing line between cultural traditions and Islam become heavily blurred, where one is often associated or even mistaken for the other. In one particular case of an “honour killing”, Muslim teenager, Aqsa Parvez, is strangled by her brother and father because of her rebellious acts towards both cultural and religious values. Aqsas murder had less to do with her lack of religious obligations but rather more to do with defending family honour. “In an interview with police, Aqsa's mother, Anwar Jan Parvez, said her husband told her he killed his youngest child because "this is my insult. My community will say, 'You have not been able to control your daughter.' This is my insult. She is making me naked." Her father was scared that she would disgrace him in front of his community indicating his deep concern for his reputation rather than religion. Putting such a harsh light on the fact that the crime was committed by a Muslim man, particularly towards a Muslim female relative, only re-enforces the stereotypes of Muslim men mentioned above. I question whether or not this article or others like it would be given such importance (it received headlines for almost the entire day) if it was committed by men of other religions. I am in no way undermining what has happened to Asqa as it is tragic, but in reality such acts of this nature and even worse are committed every single day but are only briefly mentioned in the news.

Television frequently depicts Muslim men as either a member of Al-Qaeda, the Taliban, etc or an independent terrorist. If he is neither of these, he is then, at the least connected or related to ones who are. The typical picture of a Muslim man consists of men with beards, stern looking and unclean, usually holding monstrous guns. The most problematic attribute to a stereotypical terrorist is the beard. The problem arises from the fact that all Muslim men are required to grow the beard. If the majority of men sporting beards in the media are “alleged terrorists “or a “radical Muslim”, it gives the allusion that the average bearded Muslim man is a terrorist. This is dangerous especially since the beard is now used, even systematically, to spot terrorists making most Muslim men now victims to open hostility.

With all the efforts the media puts into depicting both Muslim males and females in such a manner, I no longer question the apprehensive, pitied, or even plain disgusted looks I get in public.

How do you think such stereotypes effect Muslim man or hinder them from being accepted by the society?

What do you think is the purpose of creating such bigotry, through stereotypes, against Muslim men in the media?

Gender Roles Through Disney's Eyes

Disney Films have always been among one of the most popular films to younger generations as well as an important part of our culture for decades now. We've all one way or another watched a Disney film growing up whether it be Toy Story, Lion King, Cinderella, The Hunchback of Notre Dame etc. and have embraced these fascinating stories. Though they maybe fun and magical they don't depict woman in a positive light and thus presents a scewed idea and perception of gender stereotypes to children that aren't represented in real life.

The vast majority of Disney Films portray the female characters as being homemakers, princesses or queens. They are therefore displayed as being helpless, dependent damsel in distress creatures who lye around waiting for their handsome prince charming to rescue them in whatever situation they got themselves into. An example would be Rapunzel, Cinderella, Bella from Beauty and the Beast as well as Ariel from Little Mermaid. This idea sets a message to younger girls that they always need a man to be dependent upon and make the decisions for them. While the Disney male characters are seen as being these rough, tough, strong, powerful, independent, heroic, macho man who are capable of doing anything. An example would be Gastone from Beauty and the Beast and the Beast himself as well as Tarzan, who in this case has his shirt off the entire film and is jumping off trees trying to rescue the girl. Also, these animated films show female characters such as Ariel, Jasmine and Bella( and almost every other female character) as being tall, thin waisted, slender, unrealistically and ridiculously curvaceous and quite vulnerable which creates low expectations to girls and can also impact how they percieve themselves in society.

Don't get me wrong, these movies and stories were made during the 40s and 50s and perfectly fall under the stereotypical gender roles from that time, but even newer Disney films such as Hercules and The Incredibles put their characters into the "traditional" stereotypical gender role. I'm not saying all these films are depleting woman, considering that Mulan was the dominant character in that film who saved all of China and also Cruella from 101 Dalmations.

Considering how these films affect girls, how can they affect a boys perspective on gender roles? the same way? positive? or negative?

How can we as a society prevent the stereotypical gender roles of men and women influence children? and is Disney intentionally trying to portray these themes or are they trying to convey what is "norm" to society? p.s. sorry for the essay:)

Whatever happened to the bubblines of Duff?

Celebrities portray themselves, or are portrayed in a way that keeps their fan base strong, and keeps the fans demanding more. Overtime, the expectations of music fans has become very high for what they receive in the media as entertainment. Exposing sexuality has become an easy way for celebrities to make money. It was not long before Miley Cyrus, who was an "adorable" role model for every 10 year old girl, turned into a "hot" and downright sexy money making machine. On the contrary, singers like Hilary Duff faded into the background because they did not deliver the fan's expectations.

Lady GaGa, Beyonce, Nicki Minaj, and Nicole Scherzinger are all examples of "successful" music artists, who, although very talented, have used their sexuality in one way or another to become popular among the masses. An exception is Taylor Swift; she is a 'clean' yet successful singer because she is able to differentiate her music from her competitors. She has a new feel to her music - mixing Country/Pop together which brings a new sound into the entertainment business and keeps her in the game.

So here is my question to you: Do you think that the media is only trying to live up to the public expectations? Or do the music artists show us what they want on the media, and in-turn influence us to believe that revealing sexuality is a norm in society?

Media's Puppets

Overtime media have taken control of our thoughts, our feelings and almost everything which once belonged to us. Childern to older people, teens to adults they all under media's influence and act like they are puppets of media. Is it ok to let media influence us?

Mainstream Media

I was on youtube and saw this video, and i think it effectively and humorously sums up my opinions on the mainstream media.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zV5UTHRx0a4

now my question to you is, if everyone knows about these media issues? why is it that these issues still remain MAINSTREAM?

According to media, Homosexuals have no place in Heaven

There is still a lot of debate concerning the controversy of whether homosexuality is genetic or simply a choice. But one thing is crystal clear, religion and homosexuality do not mix any more than water with oil. When all else seems to fail, society falls back on the one thing it can find comfort in...namely religion. the above picture is an example of how media is effectively trying to alienate gay people from religion all together. what could be the solution to this? is it too late to do anything? and could this possibly end sometime in the future?

How Gays and Lesbians are shown in the media

I believe that gays and Lesbians are stereotyped in the media and other form of entertainment and the media trys to annihilate the gay and lesbians on TV by making fun of them for being who they are and making character of them to laugh at them for liking the same gender man being a heterosexual and woman being lesbian to show that they don't approve of it.

Why do you think that gays and lesbians are made fun of in the media?

do you think it's ok to be gay or lesbian and why?

why does the media try to get rid of gays and lesbian?

Don't Ask, Don't Tell

I seen this on facebook a while back. I was surprised because I heard on the News that the United States had the Don’t Ask Don’t tell policy in the army. The policy prohibits people who "demonstrate a propensity or intent to engage in homosexual acts" from serving in the armed forces of the United States, because their presence "would create an unacceptable risk to the high standards of morale, good order and discipline, and unit cohesion that are the essence of military capability." First of all how did this officer on the left know that is soldier was gay? Secondly how has the media contributed to people thinking that if a homosexual joins the army and tell people he is gay it would as they say it “would create an unacceptable risk”? Thirdly what would u do if you where the officer? I personally don't think it is anyones business if someone is gay, and would have no problems at all serving with someone who was gay, so can someone please explain what the whole issue is to me?What exactly is all the fuss about repealing "don't ask, don't tell"?

Being scared of wasps = being gay ?

            I was just on Tumblr, yes I no it’s almost 1am BUT I randomly saw this and thought id post it here.
What do you people think? Because the message I’m getting is that boys are gay if they’re scared of wasps???

Serial killers & Criminals: all mentally disabled??

In media, most people with mental disabilities are perceived to be crazy, dangerous or criminals.

It is seen in movies and on daily news . Anytime there is a case with brutal killings (ex. Mom killing her kids), it is instantly blamed on a mental illness or insanity.

I think that this is one of the biggest misconceptions the general public has about people with mental disabilities. Many of the people with mental disabilities are more likely to hurt them self in reality then others.Also because of this stereotype that they are all serial killers and dangerous, society puts them in fear and isolation even further. Even if they tried breaking the stereotype, it would be very hard.

Questions?

Why do you think people with mental disabilities are perceived this way?

Do you people know any celebrities that are mentally disabled (OCD, bipolar etc…)?

Wheelchair? A Friend or Enemy?

What does wheelchair represent? Deaf, blind, mute, depression and etc... Well, all of those listed words belong to the word "DISABILITY".

I believe the wheelchair sign do not reflect all disable people equally for example, blindness does not involve anyone sitting in a wheelchair and on top of that, they won't be able to see the sign.

I consider the wheelchair sign as a stereotype. Wheelchair signs means the person is physically disable. What about mentally disabled people?

There are many other ways to identify disability. For example, maybe the letter "D" for disabled?

My questions are;

1) Does the wheelchair sign reflect all disable people equally?

2) Is the wheelchair sign a stereotype? If yes, why?

3) Is there another sign to represent disable people equally?

How long are the responses/answers have to be for the movie deconstruction? Each a paragraph?

thank you, in advance. All the help would be greatly appreciated.

Just a few more things to spark discussion

As you all know Tuesday is the due date for the movie deconstruction assignment.  I get the impression that some of you are a bit unsure about what types of things you should be commenting on.  Remember my Twilight example? In this scene we discussed how the circling camera, creepy stalker body language and music all contribute to the message that Bella (Pants) is powerless and trapped.  Therefore, it reinforces the notion that women, in general, are controlled by men.  The dominant discourse here is that women should be equal parts scared and excited by men.

I can't comment on the films that you watched in order to complete the assignment, but I will give you a Harry Potter example that made me raise my eyebrow: Harry, Ron and Hermione have just escaped an attack at the wedding.  Hermione suggests that they change clothes and says that she has "had the essentials packed for days" in her ultimate mom purse.  Cut to Ron complaining that Hermione packed the jeans he doesn't like.  Wha?  Presumably, Harry and Ron are grown men (if the continuous close-ups of their stubble are any indication), so why does it fall to Hermione, the only girl in the group, to pack everyone's clothes?

Also, here are a few links (some I've used in class).  Feel free to use them if you are stuck for something to write about:

1. Interesting article on gay men feeling the pressure to "butch up."
2. A new trailer for the Green Hornet that could use some deconstructing.
3. The Kardinal Offishall song I suggested you subvert.
4. The new Milestones promotion I mentioned today.

Have a lovely weekend!

don't you know? Gays dont have voices, everyone else speaks for them

(BOO HOO! SAVE ME I'M GAY AND CAN'T HELP MYSELF)

That's right! If the media has taught me another valuable life lesson it's this: Gay's can not defend themselves, they must have a mob of super friends to save the day and right the wrongs of the homo hating community. Gay's are apparently like deer; tiny, big eyed, silky haired fawns who skid away at any wrong look or movement. like that guy, you may know him from Glee, if you don't his name is Kurt and he is generic gay character number one. Like usual beefy, pea brain jock threatens Bambi over here and he quietly takes the abuse while shaking like a little leaf on a windy day. Generic hero number five sees this and he can't take it, being the humanitarian he is he tells beefy jock to step off. In the heat of the moment every background character steps in and puts that bully in his place. See gays its okay, you don't even need to lift your lady like fingers! Also when a gay is being verbally abused and he is alone, he quietly suppresses him self, making a face most similar to a puppy just punted five yards. All in all the media shows gays are just like women, useless and defenseless, Yay! at least we aren't alone anymore ladies. So I was thinking...

Do you think Gay's are less accepted because they are depicted in such a way by the media? If gays were not segregated from the other guys and given a specific image would they become less unnacaptable? what do you think gauchies?

Come back when you're 30...32 the most!

(YAY FOR YOGURT OPRAH! YOUGURT!!)

Okay ladies this is another one for you! hey whats your pants size? not zero?

well you better hit the gym! that's right if I learned any thing from the media it is

this, if I eat yogurt, take my lady supplements and watch a video like P90X I'll be

every mans fantasy! yes what I've always dreamed of! a desirable stick! anyways

I just think it sucks that only ladies are depicted in these commercials, how come

I never see a guy craving a strawberry shortcake pecan pie slice, only to be delightfully

surprised that his favourite scrumptious cake flavour is packed into a -10 calorie yogurt

YAY JUMP FOR JOY FELLAS....oh wait that's too gay isint it? I think by always depicting

the woman, who in every commercial is like a size five wanting to be a negative five is A) a horrible depiction to young girls about body image but also a systematic discrimination towards

men. By always having women in these commercial they are implicitly trying to show that

women should be the only ones dieting and striving for a smaller figure and in turn if men

do it....well that's just gauche! so here is the question

Do you think this is systematic discrimination for men? Or is it a morale standard that women should ALWAYS 'strive" for better while men can be stagnant in their ways?

IMAGINE !!!!

Imagine a world without gender roles, a world in which gender equality has become the norm. What would the result be? What are the advantages and disadvantages of living in a world with gender equality?

To begin with, gender inequality can manifest itself in many ways, such as through gender-based violence, unequal pay between men and women, or the application of gender stereotypes. Needless to say, the achievement of full gender equality is still a long way off. But is it achievable?

Of course the absence of gender roles in the creation of a community of gender equality, is going to have positive and negative effects.

Positive
Gender equality is the goal that our society wishes to attain. In order to achieve that goal, it requires humanity making every effort to abolish sexual stereotypes and produce a more egalitarian society. A world absent of gender roles will bring equality, freedom and satisfaction.

Negative
Although there's a positive side to the absence of gender roles, the negative effects should still be considered. One problem regarding the absence of gender roles is in the case of divorce, who would receive the custody of the children. The mother has always been the primary caregiver of the children and the receiver of the ex-husband’s paid labor, which had contributed to the quality of life for the family. In the absence of gender roles, the husband would have an equal right to the children and therefore there would be confusion about who gets to keep the kids. Children need both parents to feel a part of a complete family, however mothers have always been seen as the principal caregivers.


That's all for my points, now consider the questions that I posted above within my post, let me repeat then one more time. First off, is gender equality achievable? If gender equality had become the norm of our world, what would the result be and what would be the positive and negative effects of it?

A Prisoner of Society's Views

This might be familiar to you all. In society, the men are portrayed by the media as the ringleaders. They are the breadwinners for their families and are expected to maintain their jobs and status. Why is such a stress placed on them? If a man were to lose his job, do you know what he would think or say?



Why should they feel that way? Women aren't allowed to take full advantage of the rights given to them while a man isn't allowed to express his emotions. Growing up, all boys are told that crying is not a manly thing to do, that they should be cool, calm, and collected instead of getting emotional because it is seen as something only a woman does and is now considered 'gay' (Stop the Waterworks Please! This is NOT a water fountain!). Why should they be constrained by the idea that men HAVE to earn everything for the family? Why should showing emotions be considered as something that will bring down their 'manliness'? Don't they know that crying is good for you as a means of relieving stress? That's all I have to say! Why don't you male bloggers fight for your right to express emotion?

Anything He Can Do, I Can Do Better!

Although women have been given their rights, why is it that they are still seen as lower-class citizens? If a man were to lose his job, he would be embarrassed because he is considered the breadwinner of the family. Nevermind the fact that his wife could probably hold a job and be the sole income for the family. Women are constantly seen as "underdogs" that cannot achieve in a male dominant society. They can't do the hard, 'manly' labour because of their gender but they are criticized at times if they choose to be a stay-at-home mom. People need to make up their minds!! What is wrong with being a stay-at-home mom? It is one of the hardest jobs ever! It is considered wrong when the average Jane does it but nobody is complaining when the wife of a wealthy person does. Look at all of the First Ladies. Would it be so wrong for a women to hold a higher position than a man? Why is society so conflicted in that women aren't considered worthy of well-paying jobs yet they are seen as 'uneducated' if they stay at home?

Taste The Rainbow? It's probably a Gay Rainbow !

This other clip I found on YouTube (Despite what people may say about Kanye, he's still amazing!) clip about Kanye West discussing a little about homosexuality. He talks about in a group photo with him and his friends. The media started talking about how they were all gay. Because they wore a lot of colors. It's fascinating how people assume that you're gay because you were bright colors. Well when you look at the fashion trend at, let's say KCI, you see people with bright colored jeans with matching shoes and shirt. But I haven't anyone being called gay. Well this video is pretty old, and sine Kanye become such a great artist the media came to realize that he is just putting out a trend.

Imagine that none of us knew Kanye or anyone in that picture. What do you think about the picture? Do you really think that they all look gay? Is it wrong for a male to wear bright colored clothing? Would that be considered gay if you do? If so, then why is it if a girl wears bright colors she isn't considered lesbian ?

Quote at the moment: "Why is it that, as a culture, we are more comfortable seeing two men holding guns than holding hands?" ~Ernest Gaines <--This can be another question for you bloggers !

Media vs. Society

Does media influence society?

or

Does society influence media

I personally believe society influences media, as media grants us our wish. As a society, our demands gives the media a reason to work. We, as humans like to be updated with the latest news, therefore there are news channels. We also like to be updated with the newest trend of fashion, there are magazines. Some of us prefer to read than watch news on TV, there are newspaper. Behind the makings of newspapers, magazines or news channel there are plenty of jobs provided.

What do you think?

QUIZ TOMORROW

QUICK QUESTION: what exactly is going to be on the quiz tomorrow??
-5 Key concepts of Media
and what else??

The representation of different ethnic groups in the Media

In this world, there are many countries, and some countries speak the same language. There are many different religions, and different people. Even though religions are different, all religions say to treat others as you would like to be treated. In Canada, especially Toronto is a multicultural city, and that’s on of the things that Toronto is known for. However, in Toronto and especially the media, they show some racism towards different ethnic groups.

In Toronto, and other cities, there are violence, and people that break the law. People go to jail for committing their crimes. However, if you ask people in the city of Toronto about which ethnic group commits more crimes in the city, they would say black people. If you turn your TV on, and watch the news, you here news like shooting occurred in the city, and the suspect is a 6.4 black male…ete, or you here that a white female was killed in her house. I have no problem with the media stating the news. However, why do the media emphasize on things that happen to white people? Why when a white person is kidnapped, the police, and the Media tries hard to find that person? Why the media doesn’t tries to find the criminal when a black person is shot? These questions could all have only one answer, and it could be that the media in the city of Toronto could be racist.

The media should demonstrates news in the city equally no matter what who is in the news. This is a problem that goes back to the time that Martin l. King tired to bring down racism. He succeeded, but even 2010; there is still racism in the Media.

Please comment on my post, and answer the following questions?

What can we as a society in the city of Toronto help bring down racism in the media?

From Tim to Kim

Kim Patras is an aspiring German teen pop singer who was born as a male named Tim but considered himself as a female ever since a very young age. As we saw on the Tyra Banks show in class about the story of the first top model that revealed her transsexuality, this story is very similar.

By the age of 16, Kim revealed on a talk show that she was a transgender and was going to have a gender reassignment surgery. According to the German law, she could not undergo that surgery until she was by law 18 years of age.

At a younger age, she was labelled to have a gender identity disorder but her parents supported her throughout and helped her into the transition of becoming a female from a male.

The story of Kim's surgery after the sex change went through the news media like wild fire in 2009 and made the front page of many newspapers and magazines worldwide. Kim became popular as ever and sales of her new albums rose to a high degree.

Some questions to consider about transsexuality are:
1. According to you, is it easy being a transgender?
2. Imagine if you found out at a very young age that you dont identify yourself with a gender that is different from your biological self, what would you do? Would you ever tell anybody about it ?
3. Why is it that some celebrities can openly reveal their sexualty and still be as glowing as ever and gain even more publicity while normal people in their daily life end up with raised eyebrows?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HpPb4QwkYiU&feature=related

Homosexuality is it REALLY a choice?

I know we have may covered this question already, but I would like you to bring your attention this video. It goes in depth to talk about if being homosexual is really a choice, or if it occurs at birth. It's interesting when at a point of the video, they talk about the number of males being born in a family, and the more boys a women has the more likely for the last one to be gay. So my question to you is, do you agree with this video, does this change your thought about if homosexuals are born gay? In my opinion I still believe that homosexuals are born as homosexuals, and that they realize that they're homosexual as they mature.

Quote of the moment :) "When you're struggling with something, look at all the people around you and realize that every single person you see is struggling with something, and to them, it's just as hard as what you're going through."

- Nicholas Sparks

Oppressed-schmessed!

Like everything else it depicts in any medium, the medias portrayal of women sheds light incorrectly on a specific group; this time its Muslim women. Some of the main messages that are imposed on this target group are: that Muslim women are oppressed under the hijab or the covering, they have no input or control in any decision making that may concern society or themselves, they are properties of their husbands or male relatives, they are uneducated,depressed,and all in all they are victims of a patriarchal society. These stereotypes have arised from a couple of events that involved Muslims perpetuating violence against others. As a result the entire religion has been tarnished and generalized. It is considered to be“violent” . Since a woman can be more easily recognized as a Muslim than a man, they are the target of all the fallacies that are spread.

What the media doesn’t know is that the hijab is a form of liberation. When a woman is covered, it allows her not to be judged for her appearance but instead her intellect. It also helps prevents any unwanted sexual advances from sexual predators. So really it’s a benefit rather than a forced responsibility. As for Muslim women’s rights, they’ve always had rights since the religion came to existence(520 AD)where as woman in the western world have just recently been given their rights in society.

Coming from a personal experience, I find it funny when people ask me why I wear the hijab.
As hard as it is to not play devils advocate, and answer with a " Why dont you wear the hijab?" I usually just explain or dismiss the question. My point is that just because its not the "norm" to wear hijab generally in society, it is as if I, or anybody else who wears the hijab is in the wrong. Its like asking someone "So why are you a girl?" You can see what a futile question that is.

So my questions for you are as follows:

1)How do you think that muslim women who observe this negative image of themselves are affected in a Western society?

2)Like all problematic aspects of media and its portrayal of genders or genders in specific groups, there are possible solutions! What are ways we can implement or more specifically how can we go about creating change in the media?

3) As one of the five key concepts of media literacy, media texts contain beliefs and value messages. So what lifestyle,values,and points of view do you think are represented when portraying Muslim women in media?

Thats Pretty Gay

The word “Gay”

I’ve noticed that whenever I’m debating or speaking with others about the controversial issue of homosexuality, everyone seems to be an angelic, pro-gay, un-homophobic figure who is completely open minded. But I ask you, is that really how everyone feels? I mean it can’t be, if it was why would there be so much controversy over this? Most people probably have no problems with this issue; however I think most people don’t really commit to what they are saying.

Let’s be honest, whenever someone speaks of something negative, a lot of people, automatically say “That’s gay”. A word that once meant happy is now being defined as something negative. I’ll be honest; I’m guilty of saying such things too. For example, I got a bad mark on a test and said “That’s so gay; I lost marks for the gayest things”. Does this mean my test was going to have paper on paper intercourse? Did my mistakes carry their own sexual preference? Do I dislike gay people that much that I’ll intentionally slander their name whenever the opportunity rises? NO! It’s almost become a custom for us that most people don’t even realize what they’re saying.

 Do you think this is because of the regular flow of speech that we’ve grown accustomed to? Or do the influences around us affect us? Or even though everyone seems “non-homophobic”, deep down they really are?

Yeah, you better eat that chocolate like it's better than sex!

Okay, so lately when I have been watching TV, I noticed something. At first I didn't think much of it, but as time went on it really got out of control! Ladies I don't know about you, but when I eat chocolate it DEFINITELY doesn't look as sexy as that lady! In fact lets be brutally honest, women eating chocolate is probably in the top five most unattractive thing a woman can do. The media is so pathetic, it really makes me laugh! even when it's depicting something as simple and delectiable as chocolate it objectifies women. Like honestly do you see a three hundred pound, bearded trucker sucking on a chocolate like hes about to be thrown over the edge? It also personifies that women are the only ones who like chocolate! please no one can deny chocolate! anyways maybe I'm just jealous that I don't look that sexy while eating a kit-kat.
What do you guys think?

Representation of Females and Males in the Media

All of us know what media is, and the role of media. However, the purpose of the media is to give what the audience wants. Males and Females are represented in the media quite differently


Males:



Males are represented in a way which is different from Females. In males, they are represented in the media, as these fit guys, wearing suits, and mostly WHITE MEN. Also, males are shown in the media as these aggressive people that control things like companies, or stores or ete. Males are shown as jokers, and the big shots, and mostly action hero's, which is sexist to me.
Males are shown in the media as these strong,"in your face" people.
FEMALES:
Females are represented in the media quite differently then males. Females are represented as these humans that are a perfect "puppets" for convincing other people to buy cloths, makeups ete. Mostly, females in the media are shown as beauty, and "BODY IMAGE."
The media, i believe mostly shows specific body images of females. Also, most of these females body that they show are actresses, or models, ete.

In conclusion, Males, and Females are shown in the media for specific reasons, and in my opinion, they should represent all males or all females not just specific group of people. However, this all goes back to what the audience desires, so...........................

Please comment on the following question, and my post.

Should the media represent Males, and females the way they represent them right now? why?

Gauche Grads: Crack Berry-Tastic !

Gauche Grads: Crack Berry-Tastic !: "This has probably happened to you at least once. Your with a friend, enjoying a nice conversation and a Double-Double at Tim Hortons, becaus..."

Crack Berry-Tastic !

This has probably happened to you at least once. Your with a friend, enjoying a nice conversation and a Double-Double at Tim Hortons, because thats what we all drink. Everything is going great, THEN, suddenly, a sound as annoying as Ricky Martins music video, damps the mood. You instantly see the shear panic in your friends eyes, as they search helplessly to find the source of this sound. When they finally locate it, the entire establishment breaths a sigh of relief, RICOLA!!!. You, somehow lost in all this chaos, try to find some seedling of normality. You take a sip of coffee and try to wait until your friend is done replying to whatever message he has received from the Western Front. So you wait, drink some more coffee, and during this whole process try to get your friend to talk and pay attention to you, but their eyes are locked on to their cellphones. I'm kidding of course. The real issue is the use and abuse of cellphones. We see examples of it at school, with people texting and sometimes answering calls in class. Things that were once seen as disrespectful, such as answering calls and texting when someone is trying to have a conversation with you, are starting to become the cultural norm.

My question to you is, have we both as users of cellphones and advocaters in some sense, gone to far in terms of our reliability on this technology, which many times directs our lives. What of the role of media in all of this? Do they promote this kind of "rebellious" behaviour or is it just a phemona of this freedom induced generation? Has the core purpose of the cellphone being its communication changed or has it been altered to attract a new market like our high tech, on the go society where everything is made to save time and money?

What a Woman! Hubba Hubba

The issue that is still important is Womans Rights and how women are potrayed in the media and also how they are expected to behave in society. First of all, besides the automobile and rights for people of colour, I feel Womans Rights was one of the biggest achievements of the 20th century. Women and girls of all ages were entitled to freedoms that their past female ancestors never had. More so, women were finally considered as being "humans", as the previous argument considered them to be less than human, a primitive and tribal concept. Today when the question of womens rights arises, people automatically turn to places like Afghanistan and picture a Muslim woman with a burqa and a muslim man with a beard "oppressing" her. This is not what Islam is and due to conservative and ignorant media like Fox news in America and many peoples ignorance of learning about what Islam actually says in terms of womens right, it is unfortunate that images like these are taken as truth when they in fact are tribal in nature.

So my question is, how do you think woman are perceived in the media and in society in general, are they equal in the work place, has womens rights opened a lot of doors for women, or made women more vulnerable?

Because I am a woman, I must make unusual efforts to succeed. If I fail, no one will say, "She doesn't have what it takes." They will say, "Women don't have what it takes."

~Clare Boothe Luce

Homosexuals in Sports!?!?!

I don't know why but this bothers me. FIFA (Ferderation of International Football Associations) has always been a supporter of eliminating Prejudice agains people, Ranging from Racism to the latest actions agains Homosexual Prejudice. what disturbs me Is that still there have been no reports of known homosexual soccer players. at first I thought that "waw soccer is a heterosexual Sport to the CORE!!!" but then i thought, there is almost 400,000 profesional soccer players, there should be a few hundred. So far in the History of this organization there has only been one homosexual; and that was a ref, but still where did they go? Accourding to ads done by pro-players there are some that are homosexual but hide their true selves. All I want to ask is that why would people hide themselves from an organization, a community and a system that promotes and influences people to be themselves?

Media = Light Switch ? (+Testing )

Hello~ everyone just testing to see if my post shows up :)

 & 

Just wanted to put this out there to see what you guys think of this quote because it relates to our talk about how media effects how we see issues such as homosexuality etc..

“The media's power is frail. Without the people's support, it can be shut off with the ease of turning a light switch.”
-- Corazon Aquino

The word "gay" applies to both men and women.... the media doesn't think so

While trying to create my previous post I came across something that caught my attention. If we search up the word "gay magazine covers" in Google Images, we MOSTLY see men. But wait...let's trace a little back to the origin of the term "gay"

"The term gay was originally used to refer to feelings of being "carefree", "happy", or "bright and showy"; it had also come to acquire some connotations of "immorality" as early as 1637.^[1]

The term's use as a reference to homosexuality may date as early as the late 19th century, but its use gradually increased in the 20th century.^[1] In mode

rn English, gay has come to be used as anadjective, and occasionally as a noun, referring to the people, practices, and culture associated with homosexuality. By the end of the 20th century, the word gay was recommended by major style guides to describe people attracted to members of the same sex."--wikipedia ( not the best site to quote, but does the job).

So the term "gay" simply denotes sexual attraction towards the same sex. It does not favor any specific gender. So why did I only see males in my Google search?

Here is the link (NOTE: turn on Moderate Safe search before doing this)

http://www.google.ca/images?hl=en&expIds=17259,24472,26473,27147,27552,27740,27758&xhr=t&q=gay+magazine+covers&cp=16&um=1&ie=UTF-8&source=og&sa=N&tab=wi&biw=1366&bih=677

In my opinion, the reason behind this issue is simple. In our current society we have a large male heterosexual population. This population has basically has taken over our media/governments/etc. There aren't many women in power. A picture of two homosexual women does not rise many "wows" because the male dominated society views it as the "norm". Males are attracted to women. In my opinion, the more the "wows" the more money the media makes. This is why the term "gay" in the media only refers to men. It is what brings in the most amount of money.

I would also like to bring up a topic we have discussed in class. The media would not exist if it was not for its followers. Most of the class members decided that the media was only a reflection of ourselves. They are showing us what we want to see. I remember mentioning this same idea about the music industry. No one would listen to songs about rainbows and sunshine, where everyone is happy. So in a sense, we have turned the media into what it is today. We, the public have turned the word "gay" into a term that only refers to male homosexuals.

I want to hear what you guys think about this? Are we the ones to blame? is the media only fulfilling the public's demands?

-Safar

I agree with what Ellen has to say in this video with McCain!

Celebrities can be homosexuals ?

So I was watching t.v. the other day, and I came across one of my favorite talk shows. Ellen ! Yes the great Ellen. For those who may not know, she's a lesbian talk show host. One of the most richest women living today. How do you think the media accepted her as being lesbian? Was it because she was rich ? Same question goes for the other lesbian celebrities out there. Why is that the media accepts them ? Or do they not? Like Lady GaGa ?!?! My thought is that since most celebrities that are comfortable sharing their orientation are females that it is okay for the media to accept that. But if it was to be some sort of male celeb then the whole media would go crazy !

Quote at the Moment:

"When the message out there is so horrible that, to be gay, you can get killed for it...we need to change the message."

A few reminders...

Glad to see everyone posting!  If you are new to the blog, check out my first post "Welcome to the Interweb" for instructions.  I will go over the blog expectations in class tomorrow (Thursday).  Please, please, please, check for spelling and grammar mistakes before you post!  In addition, this is a blog, not a text message, so limit your LOLZ and T3XT <3s okay? 

In case you missed Tuesday, we took a look at Katy Perry's new "Firework" video and attempted to deconstruct its meaning in class.  I have included a link to the video on this post.  Take a look at it, and tell me what you think is going on.

Also, I changed the background so we could read the posts better.  No more black text on a black background.  Yay!