I Wonder If Redneck Translates...

So, the reading "Villains, Victims and Heroes" made me begin to think about how people view other societies. There is no doubt in my mind that there are a select number of people who after 9/11 view everyone from the Middle East as terrorists. Now, this obviously isn't the case but you can't change the minds of the ignorant too easily I imagine. But what I am really getting at with this post is how people on the other side of the world view North Americans. I believe it was Russell Peters who pointed out the fact that whenever terrorist gangs and whatnot are shown on the news, we all assume that the entire population of that country beaves in the same manor, when in reality, those are like the 'rednecks' of that region. I am so curious to know what the vision on the news is of Canadians and Americans. If it is anything to do with trailers, shot guns and mullets, I am pretty ashamed.

In fact, Russell Peters (again) has a short piece in one of his acts about the 'White Canadian Accent' and the people who don't realize that they have them. He describes it as a 'matter-of-fact' bobble head.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rJXedRX-0Ro

If that is how the rest of the world sees Canadians, again, I am pretty ashamed. He makes it seem pretty ridiculous. He also talks about how his very Indian father gets upset because a woman answers her phone but cannot speak English. I find this hilarious because in this situation he descirbes his dad as turning into a redneck.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zge74dWHA3Q&feature=related

I am hoping that this isn't the view the world has on us, if so, things need to change.

Ashley Rickards

Through the Looking Glass

This week in the reading “The Media and Globalization” it talks about many different things but the most interesting of those things is how to be cosmopolitan. Hannerz, the author, describes it as a person who can connect with the local community but also with the global community. But how does one achieve this without being labeled with other names such as tourist or immigrant for example. He talks about how when it comes to a modern cosmopolitan they achieve this through the media and communication. People who are trying to achieve this sense of the international community look at it through “artificial eyes”, which is the way he describes it. “Artificial Eyes” means that we have eyes and we can see the news but we can’t touch, thus meaning that we are not able to have first account experiences. People who only see the world on T.V. or in newspapers or books are looking through other people’s experiences and not their own which could be described as less cosmopolitan.
The biggest example where cosmopolitanism is not welcomed is when large scale war has broken out and it is not welcomed. If you take the Afghanistan and the Iraq war then there is this sense of non freedom where only the news and film makers will dare to go in a time of crisis. This is when cosmopolitanism crumbles because you can’t travel to these places and like George Bush said “You’re either with us, or you’re against us”. So unless your the definition of being an American then you are against the country.

When the war broke out in 2002 there was almost a lock down on society because the international community could not be trusted. The two buildings on September 11th/ 2001, which were the bench mark of World Trade had fallen in the country that believes in freedom. Freedom which is intertwined into the definition of cosmopolitanism.
There is such a wide spectrum of definitions of being cosmopolitan, a world traveler who is educated but yet still participates in the world community by experiencing different culture, learning languages or living with a person of a different culture. It used to be a male explorer by definition but in the modern world any gender can be cosmopolitan especially with the rise of media and communication to get you started.

Ehren Scheffler

When Technology is Used for Bad

The internet has proven to be an amazing tool for students. Young people are using it for fun, research and above all, communications. E-mail, Facebook, chat rooms and instant messaging are being used so people young and old can stay in touch. When these online forms of communication first became popular, it seemed as if it was the perfect way to stay in touch with friends, family and others. However, what no one foresaw was the negative effect it could have on young people. Today’s young internet users have created an interactive community away from their parents. Children and teens are now using these mediums to bully and harass others. 27% of children who are bullied endure this over the internet. Teachers and parents have enough trouble dealing with bullying in schools. In this technological world that we live in, they now need to try and monitor the internet to keep bullies at bay.


These sites have made it much easier for bullies to get other children involved in their actions. Sites such as Facebook have allowed young people to create a virtual community of people against another. One may create an inappropriate group about someone, where everyone can make their comments. This is just as harmful, if not more so than what goes on in the classroom or school yard.



Instant messaging is another online communication community and yet another forum for online bullying. This type may be the most harmful of all because it will go unnoticed unless the victim steps forward and tells a trusting adult. It is interesting that this bullying medium, internet, affects the ethical behavior of children. These young bullies cannot see instant feedback on the consequence of their actions. This lack of feedback means that they do not feel empathy for their victims because they cannot see the harm they are doing.

Online bulling is an example of a negative action that arises when a new form of media is introduced. In this case, the medium is internet and the original purpose was research and communication throughout the world. Unfortunately, this communication community is now used by people young and old in negative ways. It is only a matter of time before this problem becomes a serious global issue.



By: Tamra Barlow

No Substitutes Please

Instant messaging via the computer, cell phone and portable communication device has become increasingly popular over the past several years. Using text messaging and programs such as MSN Messenger and Blackberry Messenger as a means of communicating has sky rocketed not only among teens but amongst children and adults as well. Although Instant Messaging (IM) and Short Message Service (SMS) have become excellent communication tools, they also bring about various negative effects on users.

Let’s discuss the effects these tools have on people’s relationships and interactions with others. IM and SMS do allow people to communicate quickly and it can be efficient in certain situations. However, they also tend to remove the personal and emotional aspects of the conversation and situation.

As a method of communication, IM plays a great “middle man” between e-mail and face to face conversation. It enables people to keep in touch despite possible barriers such as time, money and distance. In addition, it allows for multi tasking and the ability to maintain various conversations at one time. IM and SMS are both great means of making plans, exchanging information, quick clarification or questions, and keeping in touch with friends and family. However, if simple “old fashioned” face to face communication and phone conversations are completely replaced with these methods, that relationship is bound to suffer.

The problem is, with so many things going on at once, there must be a large lack of focus on each individual situation. In addition, the emotions of the communicators can be very easily misinterpreted in the faceless communications of IM and SMS. The tone of one’s voice is not present in this sort of conversation. Therefore, someone can type one thing and the receiver can interpret it as something completely different. Sarcasm and jokes are perfect examples of this type of confusion.

All in all, IM and SMS can be great tools for maintaining and strengthening relationships. Humans are social beings who require communication and interaction with others. Instant messaging and text messaging are often effective means of this. However, people need to be careful not to eliminate face to face communication and allow these other forms of conversation to substitute for good old fashioned contact and interaction.

BY: NIKOLE DAVIES

Media and their representation of Reality

- By Alyssa Higginson

In our reading for this week called Villains, Victims and Heroes: Melodrama, Media, and September 11 there was an in depth discussion on the media coverage of September 11th. This made me instantly think about the current melodrama in the media surrounding the H1N1 vaccine recently. This current issue is sparking a lot of discussion and is important to forming a national identity for Canada as our health care system is an area of national pride for many Canadians. The reports concerning H1N1 in the media were extremely confusing for many Canadians as some were saying that it’s not safe, while others were urging people to get the vaccine. This contradiction left many people unsure of what to do. An assistant professor of communication at Simon Fraser University, Dr. Peter Chow-White said, Chow-White believes that fervent media coverage of the H1N1 vaccine program “has seeped into our daily lives to the point where the public has trouble distinguishing between what warrants justifiable panic and concern about protection.” http://www.sfu.ca/pamr/issues_experts/issues_and_experts/issues_11030901.html

An interesting article published in Abbotsford Today suggested that the media hype of H1N1 is scaring people to the point that they are getting sick. For more information on this please visit: http://www.abbotsfordtoday.ca/?p=24222

The H1N1 crisis will be talked about for many years to come and has been a prevalent story in the media recently. It is often difficult when complex issues are reported in the media as they can often overdramatize and exaggerate the issue. This can cause many to be left confused and upset.

Reports of September 11th formed an American national identity that was created out of victimization which later led to action for protection. Similarly, while the H1N1 vaccine issue is not as large a tragedy, there have been those that were described as victims of the H1N1 virus. The National Post printed an article after Evan Frustaglio, a thirteen year old boy, died of H1N1. The National Post said, “Evan’s sudden death is credited with putting a human face on H1N1 virus and prompting people to stand in long lines across the country for the vaccine. Clinics in Toronto opened the same day he died.”

http://network.nationalpost.com/np/blogs/posted/archive/2009/11/02/funeral-today-for-swine-flu-victim-evan-frustaglio-13.aspx

Overall the media plays a very large role in any crisis, tragedy or situation as they are the main source of information for those that are at home. The media’s mass communication has a lot of power but also a great amount of responsibility to report the truth and the facts. This is something that can be learned from both of these media blitzes.

Facebook: Good or Evil #2

The introduction of facebook to the world has brought about a new set of communicating rules into the culture of online social networking. This short video outlines 5 important rules of Facebook:

View Video

5 rules of Facebook:

1) Don’t change your relationship status without consulting the other person.

2) Don’t post embarrassing photographs of other people.

3) Be discreet when posting messages on another person’s wall.

4) Don’t steal other people’s friends.

5) Don’t start hate groups.

If all of the people who used Facebook followed these five simple rules I believe Facebook would be a better place for all. Since there is always someone who feels the need to break these rules Facebook is not always a place where everyone can co-exist in peace. Not following these rules can lead to individuals getting hurt or worse. People can get fired over such things as hate groups or a friend can get fired because of an inappropriate picture that was posted of them. Also, people have the habit of jumping to conclusions when it comes to suspicious wall posts. Instead of communicating thoughts to the person who either posted it or the person who received the post individuals will get angry and sometimes post something that they will later regret. Facebook is a means of communicating but sometimes certain things get lost in translation and that is where communication ends. Individuals need to be more open to communicating and more open to figuring out communication errors if Facebook is going to continue to be a blessing, otherwise it is only a curse.

- Liz Williams (Post for week 11)

Modern Art

When someone mentions the word "history," I don't think of wars or politics or Great Depressions. When I think about history, I think about one of the most important ways humans can communicate - art. I think about famous artists like Michelangelo, about memorable architecture and paintings and sculptures. It seems that cultures in the past found art to be of such great importance, and today their works are still renowned.

Of course, art still exists. To those who appreciate it, modern art is a big deal. But is it as big a deal as it used to be? I can't help but wonder which artworks, created recently, will remain iconic images hundreds of years into the future. Our society is so technologically-driven and has such a short attention span that I wonder if we will even care.

Of course, perhaps when Da Vinci was painting, no one suspected his legacy to last. Just like you sometimes can't tell which moments will remain in your memory, maybe it's hard to say which artworks will become classic. That's why I wanted to talk a bit about Deviantart.
Deviantart.com is an online art community whose members post thousands of potential masterpieces per day. Artists can upload traditional pieces, digital artworks, artisan crafts, poetry, short stories, photo manipulations, and virtually any other art form imaginary. Of course, they are not all high quality pieces - but many are breathtaking. The skill level some artists display is amazing- like, for example, this hyper-realistic acrylic painting by user Vijujako:


But Vijujako is just one of many extremely talented artists hosted on the site. Also, many of the works posted are created digitally in programs like Photoshop. This is why I would find it incredibly interesting to see which artworks and what medium will stand the test of time and be called upon hundreds of years from now to represent the culture of the 21st century.

You can visit Deviantart and see the art for yourself by going to http://www.deviantart.com.
Vijujako's painting can be viewed on its' original page here.

By Natalie Dallaire.

The Gay 'Pretenders'.

While Kylo-Patrick's article talks about the representation of Gay men on television, this article by Gregg Kilday titled the Gay Pretenders looked at the representation of Gay men in movies. However Kilday does not talk directly about the stereotypical gay man but he looks at movies with straight men passing as gay.

In Kylo-Patrick's article, he talks about how Gay men were represented on popular shows like Melrose place, Beverly Hills 90210 and In Living Color. He uses the example of Jimmy on Beverly Hills 90210 to explain that not only these 'gay' characters get minor roles which evetually shrivel away but they are usually seen as the nice, caring guy whom everyone can sympathize with. In Kilday's article, he talks about these supposed 'gay' characters as these handsome characters who basically gets whatever it is they want by the end of the movie.

He uses examples from I now pronounce you Chuck and Larry, where the two lead characters (Chuck and Larry) who are firemen don gay apparels in attempt to gain domestic-partner benefits. He even makes several references to tv shows like Friends, where Chandler is suspected to have gay tendencies, and the Three's A Company (Kilday, 1999).

In conclusion Kilday states that gay-straight conundrum can be very confusing and he poses two important questions that will help us further understand the representation of gay men on television. They are "Is he a straight gay man or is he a gay straight man?". He defines the gay straight man as a new strain of heterosexual man spawned in Manhattan as a result of overexposure to fashion, exotic cuisine, musical theater, and antique furniture (Kilday, 1999).

Posted by Anjola Olubuyide

References

Kilday, G. (1999). The gay pretenders. Advocate, (796), 58. Retrieved from Academic Search Premier database.

Hart, K. (2000). Representing Gay Men on American Television. Journal of Men's Studies, 9(1), 59-79. Retrieved from Academic Search Premier database.

Innovation in Communication and Culture

Our society has evolved greatly over the years and has allowed for major leaps forward in communication ability. Back before newspapers and telephones people would travel to get news, and hear gossip from traveling merchants, and now we are able to instantly access information from all over the world on our personal computer and phones. Our society continues to change and new social structures such as Facebook and MySpace, MSN and Skype, and forums and blogs have given us new ways to communicate and have created for us entirely new cultures.

In the past, culture has always been indicative of ethnicity, birth place, or how someone was raised. Traditional cultures, though they will always be apparent, are no longer the only cultures that people can identify with.

Online communities created through social networking websites, video games, and other online profiles are becoming places where people can interact with other people who have similar interests. One very simple example of this is by joining “groups” on Facebook. People who are on Facebook often join groups pertaining to their ethnicity, favorite music, television, and virtually any other aspect of themselves that they have in common with other users. There’s even a group for people who turn their pillow over in the middle of the night to get to the cold side!

These mini-cultures help to validate people’s personal identities as well as their online identities and promote conversation with people of similar interests. Never before have we as a society been able to have this communication ability in not only such a massive way, but such a specific way as well.

The same idea exists in video games. Users can create avatars that represent themselves in teams, guilds, and other miniature societies that the games allow for. This example is often a cause for debate because the dialogue in these environments is often hostile, but usually meant to be entertaining or social rather than malicious.

Almost every medium we manipulate has some form of communication ability. The cell phones we use to call and text with, the instant messaging clients we have conversations on, the video games we play, and almost all other technological devices we use on a day to day basis. We’re encouraged to communicate almost every moment of every day. Though there are negative associations present with some of these different media, the fact that we are instantly able to contact anyone we associate with anywhere in the world at essentially any moment in time is the greatest advancement in our society’s evolution.

- David Wytenburg

Movember

Did you know that prostate cancer is prevalent than breast cancer these days? Yet, why do we hear much more about breast cancer and events to fund research breast cancer?

According to Heller, the United States government spends more on breast cancer research than it does on prostate cancer (2006). In 2005, 699 million dollars when to breast cancer research, while only 390 million dollars when to prostate cancer research. Why is there such a difference between awareness of women’s cancers and men’s cancers?

In an article by Karl Rubis, there is a suggestion that breast cancer awareness is strongly tied to feminism and female sexuality (2009). Recently, there was an advertisement on television that showed a woman’s body and zoomed in on her chest as she walked. Only at the end of the ad was it revealed that it was a campaign for breast cancer awareness. This advertisement suggests that there is such a hype over breast cancer research because of how glamorous the campaigns can be.

In 1985, October was declared breast cancer awareness month. The success of this has been a long standing tradition for almost 25 years. In 2004, three guys from Australia had the idea that there needed to be a month dedicated to research for men’s cancers as well. “Movember”, is a term you may have heard lately because November is becoming a prostate cancer awareness month. Movember raises money for cancer research by having men grow mustaches for pledges. In 2008, 75,000 men took part in Movember and raised 7 million dollars. This year, there are over 150,000 men taking part in Movember. To explain further on what Movember is and how you can become involved, watch this video:

Canada is actively participating in Movember. Last year, participants in Movember from Canada raised 2.4 million dollars. For further reading on Movember in Canada, read this article: http://www.insidetoronto.com/community/health/article/156239--movember-aims-to-change-the-face-of-prostate-cancer-awareness

Works Cited:

Heller, A. (2006). Prostate Cancer. Retrieved November 17, 2009, from http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/80165/the_great_dichotomy_breast_cancer_versus.html

Rubis, K. (2009). Feminism vs. Breast Cancer Awareness. Retrieved November 17, 2009, from http://www2.ljworld.com/weblogs/karl_rubis/2009/oct/12/feminism-vs-breast-cancer-awareness/

Gender Influences on Communication

Gender Influences on Communication

Although we may think that our surroundings and upbringings are the influence on how we communicate, there is also a large significance of how we practice communication, which directly correlates with how each gender shapes communication. What we are not only taught, but what we experience as a gender, reflects our language usage.

In an article written by Laurie Arliss, she states that, “communication is thought to be, at once, the process by which we learn to be male or female, and the product of our attempts to behave gender appropriately.” Gender has proven to have an influence on communication and also has sown to be a product of it.

From our first days of living, we are taught a wide variety of linguistic practices that are specifically acceptable to each gender. We experience linguistic inequity in two ways; how we are taught to use language and how language is taught to use us. Throughout time, women and men have been known to interpret language according to gender. For example, when it came to jobs, especially in past generations, occupational titles indicated what jobs were for men and what jobs were for women (waiter, waitress, etc.)

Obviously we know that this has drastically changed in today’s society, but we still feel remains of gender discrimination and the effects it has. The only way we feel this, is by direct and indirect types of communication; therefore backing up theories on gender roles and communication.

This might be a cause of how society has developed how each gender should act or behave, but nevertheless these are truths that have been seen over decades, and even through changes in society and the development of race and gender equality, these gender roles in communication are still extremely evident.

Info found at: http://feminism.eserver.org/gender-differences.txt

Some points in this blog are ideas that I have never considered in my previous thoughts on this topic.
What are your thoughts?

Thought Provoking Questions

1- Males and females have different hormones, which obviously are known to make us different, but does this also mean that the ways in which we communicate and express ourselves are made up differently in our DNA?
2- Are we two different species living as one?
3- What are your thoughts on how we live and communicate as genders?

By Mary Laird

Lady GaGa- a new type of women

Lady Gaga is a very expressive performer. She is a musician, an artist and a very unique individual. Her videos are very odd but interesting. She comes up with new ways to capture her vision of her music. She is a confident woman who isn’t afraid to stand out. Lady Gaga is criticized for her confidents and expressive nature. A lot of her music videos and performances are very sexual. She has been called promiscuous, a slut, a whore and even a hermaphrodite. Rumors have been spread about Lady Gaga. It seems like it is not okay for a female artist to have sexual content involved in their music but it is okay for male artists. Male rap stars are often talking about sex in their music. In male videos women are wearing the bare minimum and are like props to the male artists. Males are never looked down upon for being sexual, they are admired by other men for their sexual victories. To some males it seems like it is a sports game.
Why is it okay for male artists to be open about their sexuality but when a women does it she is a slut? This is an ongoing debate between women and men. I see nothing wrong with what Lady Gaga does. I think she is a lot like a male artist. She is confident, she is blunt and she is not afraid to be honest. She was interviewed and the interviewer asked her what she looked for in a relationship. She said a big penis and that’s it. She goes on to say later in the interview she is not as promiscuous as people think. She is a free spirit. It is pretty ridiculous that Lady Gaga got called a hermaphrodite. I think there is a gender bias when it comes to sexuality.



http://thegenderblenderblog.wordpress.com/2009/08/04/you-can-love-men-and-still-be-a-feminist-lady-gaga/

Meggie McNabb

Media Portrayals of Women

The women and girls that are portrayed by the media are often stereotypes. The Media Awareness Network identifies this as a media issue as it affects body-image, self-identity, sports and politics. The Media Awareness Network states that the stereotypes of women that are often seen in the media include the femme fatale, the supermom, housewife, the sex kitten and the nasty corporate climber. After reading that list of stereotypes it is not difficult to identify times when we have seen those stereotypes shown in a number of different mediums such as television shows, advertisements and films.

Femme Fatale- Kill Bill

Supermom- Mamma Mia, Kate Gosselin

Housewife- Desperate Housewives, Real Wives of Orange County, Mad Men

Sex Kitten- Herbal Essences, Two and a Half Men, Girls Next Door, Music Videos (Snoop Dog, Girlicious, 50 Cent etc.)

Nasty Corporate Climber- Jan on the Office, Kate Gosselin

There is a need for strong, talented, smart woman to be portrayed by the media. While there have been improvements in how media portray media in film, television and magazines there are still female stereotypes that can be identified in current media. Hopefully one day the media will use its influence to tear down these stereotypes so that they no longer exist; promoting the empowerment and strength of girls and women all over the world.

- Alyssa Higginson

The Femal Brain- How it affects communication

In the book, The Female Brain by Louann Brizendine, the author offers a great deal of insight concerning the female brain and our communication style. In a chapter of this novel called The Birth of the Female Brain, Brizendine states that the communication and emotional memory centers of the brain are larger in females then it is in males; allowing females to communicate and read emotional cues more easily (2006). Many scientists and doctors once beliefs that gender was shaped by culture however in the 1970s and 1980s there were discoveries that the brains of females and males develop differently in a young fetus (Brizendine, 2006). The reason for this difference is a surge of testosterone in the male brain that causes some of the communications centers to be destroyed (Brizendine, 2006).

This difference between males and females may explain some of the differences between the female and male communication style however there are always exceptions to this theory that is presented in the novel, The Female Brain. There are many other factors that affect a person’s ability to communicate with others and their willingness to do so. Such cultural influences include the expectations that are put onto both girls and boys when they are young. An example of this would be that as children girls are often encouraged to express their feelings while boys are taught to be strong. This could be only one of the cultural influences that cause there to be a difference in the communication styles of females and males.

The communication style differences between genders are complex and there are many different explanations and factors for these differences. In the novel The Female Brain, Dr. Louann Brizendine sought to explain the differences in the female and male brain. This is an extremely interesting area of discussion and one that will continue as it is something that interests many people and is a common question among the population: Why do some girls talk so much? Why doesn’t she just say what’s on her mind? Why is he the strong silent type? Maybe one day there will be more complete and thorough answers to these questions.

-By Alyssa Higginson