The Things I Love

Remix Three

http://www.zshare.net/video/589334598f03f0e1/

The purpose of my remix was nothing more than a parody remix. 

I was intending on using several clips from different game shows but this Wheel of Fortune clip was 

too hard to pass up.My audience was to anyone who watches Wheel of Fortune or does drugs. I do niether, 

so I can't really imagine where the remix video would circulate. I personally don't know if the contestant

Raymond was on drugs or not, but it seems like he is so my intentions were to make it look like he was.

I watched the video on centerforsocialmedia.com and saw that parody as an option. So I completed a remix using

a parody approach.

I believe that my remix follows the fair use guidelines because I am a student, using the remix for a 

specific educational course and I am not intending on making any profit. I edited some of the footage and 

even added some of my own creation to the video.I also believe I reproduced the video with an opinion 

because clearly, Wheel of fortune most likely doesn't believe Raymond was on drugs or a drug addict.

The Gerderlect and Feminism Theories

The genderlect theory by Deborah Tannen attempts to explain how men and women communicate differently. Often this can be the cause of men and women arguing and not understanding each other. The theory states that men want to feel independent and respected, while women feel it’s more important to be friendly and liked by everyone. These two separate motives lead them to communicate differently with a different goal in mind.

The theory is practical and it is important to know. In relationships, you should know how men and women react to a certain subject, so that you can communicate effectively and fairly. A look into the theory of feminism, attempts to show how women communicate. They will be soft-spoken when they want something, make eye-contact when they notice a ‘cute guy,’ or blink a lot when they are in shock.

Understanding the feminism theory is important in order communicating with women. While we can learn how women act through the feminism theory, we can look at how they interact with men using the genderlect theory. The genderlect theory helps explain how differently we communicate, and how this affects our conversation.



This clip from the show “Friends,” is a good example of the differences between men and women. The men are very brief, to-the-point, and relaxed in this clip, while the women are overly excited and ask a ton of questions. This shows how women want to know everything and be very close with the friends, while men are interested, but don’t ask many questions.

Feminist Communication Theory

Lana Rakow and Laura Wackwitz state that “feminist communication theory can be distinguished from other theory by virtue of three criteria;” gender, communication, and social change. The theory drives to explain and understand both communication and gender with their respects to socially constructed assumptions. Unlike other communication theories Rakow and Wackwitz propose that feminist communication is structured by four properties; it is explanatory, political, polyvocal, and transformative. These strengths enable scholars to examine past and present experience from multiple perspectives, and implement female voice and representation to transfer thoughts and inspire action in engendered environments. The scholars define voice as the opportunity to both speak and be heard. Whereas representation explores the political and material consequences of attempting to represent groups, or positions other than one’s own. Rakow and Wackwitz analyze the term further by establishing two ways to use representation; the first is the meaning ascribed to people and things (realism). The second is the whole; one person speaking for an individual or the group (social and political). Rakow and Wackwitz explain that representation is created from the meaning of reality; the identity perceptions, behaviors, and experiences that are interpreted and socially constructed. With regards to women in media, “meanings generated by representations are for end goals of economic productivity or political persuasion, with material and ideological consequences.” It’s the relationship between representation, spectator, and social formation that make meaning, not the actual image. In all mediums, whether visual, narrative, or text; “woman is the bearer, not the maker, of meaning.” Women are commodities; their only real existence in media is the role they play.

The clip above is actually an advertisement for Trojan that was banned from a few major TV networks; but for what reason, it doesn’t say. Do you think it’s because pigs representing men, doesn’t exactly fly? Or, do you think it’s because females are degraded with the flash of a condom, and their weakness for sex is just a tad exaggerated? Maybe it’s something entirely outside of gender; perhaps it was banned for advertising premarital sex? What do you think?

Hall & Zinn

Hall makes it clear in his cultural studies that people make meanings, and over time these meanings are created from the communication within a culture. Those in power are the originators of meaning; they reinforce the ideologies of a society. Ideologies, as Hall defines, are “those images, concepts, and premises which provide the frameworks through which we represent, interpret, understand and ‘make sense’ of some aspect of social existence.” As Americans, we have complied with the democratic values of freedom and equality, and we have allowed the politicians, preachers, and corporations to govern the past, present, and future.

Mass media is crucial in the survival of cultural myths and ideologies; its influential resources generate the belief that people in power share similar interests with the rest of society. What we know is what the media tells us, and what the media tells us what the people in power want us to know. Truth is ultimately lost in the transition between media and society, and the result is a distorted cultural image. Hall calls for a resistance; we are the audience and we need to decide for ourselves what is true and what is false, we need to determine what’s really there and also what’s missing.

The above clip is a brief insight of historian and author Howard Sinn, and his revolutionary novel, A Peoples History of the United States. Sinn takes readers back to the very beginning with the myth of Christopher Columbus, and finishes with the current war in Iraq. Each chapter is a supplemental guide to the history of the United States, the actually truths of our culture and all that has been erased over time by those in power. Like Hall, Sinn sees what most do not, and although this clip can’t even begin to explain the depths of America’s democratic dissolutions, it should certainly make you think about who you are, what you know, and where you have been placed. Do you think you have been misinformed; or do you think you know all there is to know, both sides of the story? Below is an excerpt from Zinn’s book, however I would highly recommend reading the rest your self:

“They [Arawak men and women] brought us parrots and balls of cotton and spears and may other things, which they exchanged for glass beads and hawks bells. They willingly traded everything they owned… They were well-built, with good bodies and handsome features… They do not bear arms, and do not know them, for I showed them a sword, they took it by edge, and cut themselves in ignorance… They would make fine servants… With fifty men we could subjugate them all and make them do whatever we want.” Christopher Columbus wrote of this in his log when he first reached the Bahamas, however he reported back to Spain that he had reached Asia. He asked for more ships and more men and in return he would bring back “as much gold as they need… and as many slaves as they ask. Thus the eternal God, our Lord, gives victory to those who follow His way over apparent impossibilities.” In the next two years, the Spaniards killed half of the 250,000 Indians in Haiti, and in thirty-five years, only 500 were left.

Zinn writes that “the treatment of heroes (Columbus) and their victims (the Arawaks)- the quiet acceptance of conquest and murder in the name of progress- is only one aspect of a certain approach to history, in which the past is told from the point of view of governments, conquerors, diplomats, leaders” … “The pretense is that there really is such a thing as the ‘United States,’ fundamentally a community of people with common interests. It is as if there really is a ‘national interest’ represented in the Constitution, in territorial expansion, in the laws passed by Congress, the decision of the court, the development of capitalism, the culture of education and the mass media.”
It’s just something to think about.

Encoding and Decoding Text

Stuart Hall is famous mainly for his cultural studies that take a look at the way humans interact with the media. One of his major ideas is that people don't only read and accept text, rather they encode and decode the text to decide whether they agree or disagree with an idea or argument that the author has made.

An interesting point that Hall makes, is that some people will agree with an argument made, while another person from a different lifestyle or culture will disagree on the exact same argument. This is all based on their beliefs and norms in their life.

Hall uses this idea to interpret how we react to the different types of media in our life. Hall explains that even when the author writes a text, the idea received by the reader/viewer, will be decoded at least a little bit different than the author intended.

An example could be seen with this video of the Liverpool soccer team. The video says that Liverpool is the greatest team in the world, but if you live in America, than you would not agree with the title. Of course, naturally, we tend to be biased towards the country we are from.

Media ecology

The clip above is taken from the film “Manda Bala- Send a Bullet,” a Latin American documentary from filmmaker Jason Kohn. Released in 2007, the film focuses on the harsh realities of class warfare in Brazil, a nation where “the rich steal from the poor, and the poor steal from the rich.” As a harbor for natural resources and undeveloped land, the nation has become a competitor in both the import and export industries; with a centralized market between Europe and the United States, the nation has attracted international commerce. Afflicted cities subsist in the outline of corruption and violence, a poverty-stricken population of millions among the wealthy elite. In Kohn’s documentary, he interviews the undisclosed “Mr. M.” who is a computer specialist in Sao Paolo, a city with the highest kidnapping rate as a result of unbalanced wealth.
Mr. M begins his interview by saying “I have to somehow manage to get home from here. So it’s a risk.” In a society driven by survival alone, shaped by self-gain and monetary value, the people of Sao Paolo are part of the McLuhan’s theory of media ecology. Although Griffin’s text acknowledges that, “there is no easy formula for a cause and effect relationship,” it’s very clear that Sao Paolo’s latest developments in technology are congruent with their symbolic environment.
Mr. M. is one of many in McLuhan’s “global village; “a worldwide electronic community where everyone knows everyone’s business and all are somewhat testy.”
Industrialization and the prosperous electronic technology of the twentieth century has ushered in a new way of living for the wealthy and poor. Mr. M. as well as many others see no end to the advancements of an electronic era. Bullet proof cars, courses in survival, the cosmetic reconstruction of an earlobe severed during a kidnapping- these are all technologies that have embedded the corruption and increased the inequalities within Sao Paolo. The newest communication device created for wealthy is a subcutaneous implant- a personal location device that is injected under the skin. McLuhan’s theory states that social environments are created from the use of different communication technologies. Although no environment is the same, technology has impacted the construction of society on a global scale. In Sao Paolo, kidnapping is a routine; technologies such as the subcutaneous implant will continue to enhance the individual’s value of survival in a society plagued by class warfare and corruption.

Media Ecology: From Tribe to Village.

Marshal Mcluhan did a analysis of human history and was able divide it into four periods. In the beginning there was the tribal age where your sense of touch, taste, smell, and hearing are more important then being able to see. during this time you needed to be aware of your surroundings. With sight you can only see what is in front of you, and if a bear sneaks up from behind how will you see it? You wouldn't but you could hear it or smell it. also during this period there was a lot of spoken word which brought people together the book says "listening to someone speak in a group is a unifying act". you can even see this still in today's culture. A band today could make an album and sell it to people all over the world but they still go on tour to play the same songs live. the reason they do this is because seeing a band live is a totally different experience then just listening to there CD in your car. then came the alphabet and everything got turned around, and the Age of Literacy began.
in this time the eye is the dominant sense organ. in this time words on a page were more trust worthy then someone speaking to you. people became less involved with the tribe and more like separate individuals.it says in the book "A tribe no longer needs to come together to get information". its not all bad though the age of literacy also gave us mathematics, science, and philosophy. The Age of Print, the invention of the printing press made reproducing a book easier. in this age the mass production of books left people more alienated from others.
the final age is The Electronic Age. this age started out with the telegraph and then all the other electronic media devices that we have today. Mcluhan believes that the electronic age has taken us back to what he calls a Global Village. he says that the closed human system no longer exist. with new technology that we have discovered people are finding new mediums to connect with others. through all the different facebooks and myspaces and company's like Cisco we are able to instantly communicate with people all over the world.

i think this commercial is a good example of how is new age of electronics has ended individual communication and connected everyone on a global level.

The Agenda-Setting Theory

The agenda setting theory, as proposed Maxwell McCombs, concludes that the media can directly affect how important we find a situation in the news. This can be achieved by the amount of coverage that a news station gives, the views that they give, and how severe they make the news seem. Every day we see or hear about “the biggest news story,” or “breaking news,” but is it true as the name implies, or are these stories the product of too much media hype?

Here is an example from the beginning of February:



Now I’m not trying to downplay the seriousness of a guy hitting another girl, but at the same time, there are thousands of people being murdered, tortured, etc., everyday. Just because Chris Brown and Rihanna are both famous celebrities in the music industry, doesn’t make their story “breaking news,” in my opinion. Sometimes, I just think that the media likes to get into people’s personal lives, and exposing them to the public.

There is so much more coverage that could be made, that is way more important than the events that went on between these two celebrities. Too much of what the media and news teams present is all negative and downplays the general good qualities of society. What makes the fight between these two celebrities more important than the economic crisis right now, or the genocides across the world. It is these little petty things that we hear about, that give me less respect for the news.

Just look at how the agenda setting theory gets put into play here. The title on youtube goes, “Chris Brown slaps Rihanna !!!!Breaking News!!!!.” Notice the exclamation points and its claim to be breaking news. The fact that it even got over 2 minutes on the news says something about what we are interested in and how the media wants us to react to this type of material.

George Gerbner Cultivation Theory and dramatic violence

Dramatic Violence is defined by George Gerbner as " The overt expression of physical force (with or without a weapon, against self or others) compelling action against one's will on pain of being hurt and / or killed or threatened to be so victimized as part of the plot"(Griffin, 350). Most Dramas that have violence in them have an average 5 violent incidents per viewing hour. And there is 20 cases an hour of mayhem on weekend children's shows. George Gerbner is also the director of the Cultural Indicators research project which for over 20 years has selected a week to videotape ever prime-time Network show as well as programming for children on Saturday and Sunday. they have found that " By the time the typical TV viewer graduates from High School, he or she has observed thirteen thousand violent deaths.

This clip from TVs LOST shows all Deaths from season 3


On a TV drama Gerbner says that it is risky to be " other than White" and also female. It is believed that old people and children are harmed at a much greater rate than are young or middle-aged people, also that African Americans and hispanics are beaten or killed more than their Caucasian counterparts. Gerbner's analysis of television records show that 50 Percent of the people on TV are white males. Women are outnumbered 3 to 1. But the most excluded minority is by far the elderly which only make up 3 Percent. the Cultural Indicator project reveals that the margins of amercain society are put into harms way more then others. when written into the script they are put there to be a victim.

Aristotle's Rhetoric

Aristotle, born in 384 B.C., described that rhetoric is effective by three means. These means are what he referred to as ethos, logos, and pathos. These three components help persuade people using three different means. Often, we hear or see these persuasion techniques used in everyday life, whether it be through an article we read or a commercial we see.

“Ethos” can be defined as trying to persuade, using your reputation to your advantage. An example of this would be in this commercial for Macs.

In this commercial, we see Macintosh using their reputation of not getting virus’, as an advantage over a PC. They are using their reputation to sell their product. This is just one of the three possible ways to persuade people. We often see this technique being used when you hear the line, “The truck you can trust,” in a Ford commercial, or “The batteries doctors depend on,” in a Duracell commercial.

Aside from ethos, we also have what is called “logos,” which is persuasion based on good reasoning. As I learned from www.rpi.edu, this technique is often used in research documents, where one tries to prove a point, by offering legitimate reasoning or logic. Logos can also be seen in the Macintosh example I used. Mac is trying to persuade us that it’s logical to buy a Mac, because it won’t get virus’ like a PC will. They are trying to use logical persuasion.

The third type is called “Pathos,” which focuses on an emotional aspect to try and persuade. An example of when this would be used would be in a Pro-Life message. They would try to sway your opinion by adding in an emotional factor, by convincing you that having an abortion is morally wrong, and that a fetus is indeed a living creature.

Aristotle’s rhetoric has been being used for over 2000 years, and his concepts still currently apply to modern day persuasion.

Most of my information came from http://www.rpi.edu/dept/llc/webclass/web/project1/group4/

Burke's dramatism

Burke's dramatism

A Short Biography

Hello,
My name is Andrew, and I'm a first year student here at Temple Ambler. I am a communications major. I am a July birthday, and I am 18 years old. I'm from Abington, and I went to Bishop McDevitt High School in Wyncote.

I have many interests, but one of my favorite things to do, is to play guitar in my band (tentatively names After All !). I have been playing since I got my first electric guitar in 6th grade. Right now I own 3 electric guitars, and two acoustics (one 12-string). Currently, my favorite to play is my aqua colored, American Fender Stratocaster. If anyone wants to check out my band, you can hear some of our stuff on our myspace (www.myspace.com/afterallband). However, we are having singer issues (we've gone through 5 of them in 3 months!), so some stuff is instrumental. If anyone can sing, we need a new singer!

Aside from playing guitar, I also love to snowboard. I try to make it up the mountains at least once or twice a week, when possible. I prefer going to Vermont for boarding, however I rarely get the oppurtunity, so I'm stuck with going up to the Pocono's :'( . Even though I love my winter sports, I do prefer the warmer weather, with countless trips to the Jersey shore on the weekends.

I currently have two jobs, and I work a total of 36 hours a week. I work 20 hours weekly here at the Computer Lab in the Learning Center. I also cook at a small german restuarant called The Austrian Village, in Rockledge, where I work 16 hours a week.

Im looking forward to getting to know everyone in my group/class, and hopefully we can make it a good semester.

P.s. This is by far the stupidest video I have ever seen in my life:

Hello

My name is rebecca, or becca, or you can call me b, as my friends like to keep things minimal.  I'm 23 years old, living in doylestown, and managing a horribly boring retail store in peddler's village (my hell).  My major is communications, but like the majority, I have no clue where I want to go from there.  I'm hoping that this course will give me a broader look at what exactly the communication field is, and perhaps a better idea of what I'd like to do with it.  I really don't often have free time, but when I do I spend most of it with my friends, or I read.  I love watching movies and listening to music, and I"m always trying to find something new.  Hopefully, I can contribute what I know from the above, as well as learn from all of you.

Intro On Me

what up im Mike, i live at home with my family in Springfield Delaware County I work at a Suncost movie store so i have to know alot about movies. When im not at work or school i usually chill with some friends. On my off time when i got nothing else going on i am eather online, playing a video game, or watching TV. In this class i would like to find out about all the different components of communication. I want to know what you could do with a degree in this feild and find where i would fit in. like i said before i spend a good amount of my time watching movies or playing video games so i think that my expertites in these fields will be a big contribution to the group

Welcome B-Team

Welcome B-Team--Andrew Martin, Rebecca Michener, Mike Reilly, Rachel Techner, Greg Washington.

For your first post, respond briefly to the following:

• Introduce to yourself generally
• How is mass communication an important factor in your life? (answer in terms of your identity, relationships, philosophy, beliefs, habits, work and/or ambitions)
• What do you want to gain from this class?
  
• What perspectives will you offer the group from your experience with mass media and communication?

Since this is an academic blog, please write primarily in complete sentences and standard English.

To post, click on the orange and white "B" icon (for blogger) in the top left corner. That will bring you to your dashboard for your Google accounts. Then click on the button to add a post to this blog. You should be able to figure out the rest.

If you have trouble, use the help functions. You can also try contacting your group members (here or through Blackboard) for help.

Welcome aboard!