Tim Tebow and the Media

Group Members: Corey Beliles, Heather Jacobs, John Massingale, Madelyn Webster

Video games < MLK JR

When Jane McGonical was speaking at a “TED Talk” about the face of a gamer achieving an epic win she defines an “epic win’ as,  “an outcome that is so extraordinarily positive you had no idea it was even possible until you achieved it.“ and then later goes on to make this statement about the gamer’s face saying, “And this is the face that we need to see on millions of problem-solvers all over the world as we try to tackle the obstacles of the next century -- the face of someone who, against all odds is on the verge of an epic win.”

With these virtuous quotes in mind, one can only imagine the face of epic winners that achieved truly incredible “wins” that required incredible effort, time, and sacrifice. For example; Thomas Edison, Benjamin Franklin, Albert Einstein, George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, James Isaac Newton, oh and not to mention Jesus, Mohammed and Ghandi are just a few examples of people actually WORKED to achieve something that have forever altered the world. That being said, my claim is that playing millions of hours or even years of video games will not solve world problems. The great achievements of times past were made possible through the aforementioned incredible efforts, time, and sacrifice of determined people. I am not saying video games have no use, I am simply claiming that even if video games could solve some problems they show little potential for solving global epidemics and crisis. There may be potential for them as simulators to train large amounts of people to do certain jobs that for non-profit organizations, but even still we would have millions playing video game simulators, which would amount to millions more not making a real tangible difference. Jane McGonical presents a very intriguing argument however, it is one with little evidence, zero precedence, and honestly far-fetched at best.

Food Inc.: increasing awareness to no avail…so why care?

When we watched the extremely interesting, although at times disturbing, Documentary Food Inc. I was appalled at many of the scenes. I understood what the producer of the film was trying to accomplish however, I think the producer and I both know that this documentary has not had and will not have much effect on people’s eating habits or the way the food industry is regulated. Why is it that nothing will change? The film made note that those in executive positions at the FDA are former moguls in the slaughterhouse business. There truly are many pressing problems within the food creation and processing industry that if not solvable are at least revisable. Unfortunately though those responsible for making these revisions in the food industry are simply fueling the problem because of their support for it. Also the majority of people are not exposed to documentaries like Food Inc.  and are then not aware and aside from that many people do not care enough to seek out small farmers for their small market goods because of the convenience of Wal-Mart. Another aspect is the branding that has taken place. Small farmer’s markets have little credibility and they are hard to find so people do not seek them out. Brands like Tyson are always on TV and because they make meat that tastes good, people like their brand and overlook any possible corruption in the business. I personally feel relatively powerless to stop this problem even though it concerns me, so in light of that statement...why bother caring?

good 'ol Militainment

I am, have always been, and will always be a very devout country music fan. Due to my history as a country music fan, one of the first thoughts that crossed my mind in the discussion of the “shock and awe” labeling of the invasion of Iraq in 2003 was Toby Keith’s album “Shock ‘n Y’all” that came out later that year. This is the album that includes the infamous song “Angry American” which also included the controversial line “We’ll put a boot in your ass it’s the American way”. Although there were those who disapproved of this song, especially because of that last line, it was and is still loved by millions of Americans. This song is loaded with lines and phrases that portray the beating America was going to put on the Taliban. The support of this song came from those desensitized to the actual lives being lost and the gruesome effects of war. It’s easy for Americans to picture the U.S. putting a boot in the ass of the Taliban but what if it said, “We are going to drop a bomb that will blow real people to pieces and most likely kill hundreds, if not thousands of innocent women and children.” If this is what the song said would Americans still shout this song with patriotic pride? This is just another example of the desensitization of war alongside realistic war simulation videogames. I found this to be another example of how military is promoted through popular culture, or according to the text from class “militainment”.  

Hyper-masculinity with a beard and a flanel shirt

The topic of Lecture in our most recent class was the idea of “hyper-masculinity” but more specifically how it is shown in the hip-hop culture. The article for class today talked about how Tupac got such a bad rap for portraying a hyper-masculine lifestyle when it really was not his true self. This was a common theme among the other rappers as shown in the documentary viewed in class, when Mos Def and Busta Rhymes admittedly put on a gangster face for the cameras when it really was not who they were at heart. Although prevalent in the hip hop culture this idea of hyper-masculinity is also very prevalent in other (and really most) other cultures in the United States. As I mentioned in class there is a website called Manteresting which is just like Pinterest but with way more awesome manly stuff. This site is literally dedicated to hyper-masculinity, however it is not in a hip-hop or thug style. This site shows awesome DIY house projects for middle class men to look at and be jealous of, or cool hunting equipment to add to the arsenal of the man looking to kill animals to establish his dominance, or beautiful women in Daisy Dukes and exotic cars…sound familiar? It should because it is very similar to the hip hop culture but in a way that is more in tune with the middle class suburbanite male. I would like to end my post by saying that it is most likely the white middle to upper class suburbanite male that passes the harshest criticism of these rappers who are obsessing over beautiful women, big houses,  and exotic cars. Oh the hypocrisy. But really manteresting is a totally awesome site that every self-respecting male should check out.  

Interpersonal Wussies

Today in class we talked about the effects Facebook has on making people lonely within the lecture's original topic of interpersonal relationships and social media. As an interpersonal communications major I started pondering about how social media is making us worse face-to-face communicators. I agree with the statement that social media interactions are frequent but without substance. The greatest memories I have are with my closest friends. Those memories and friends were not made in a conversation using Facebook messenger, or through the use of tweets, they were made hanging out and going out. Also, most of my interpersonal skills were developed in face-to-face social interactions. Whether it be persuasion, humor, or sympathy I learned those skills by hanging out with friends, family and even strangers. That being said, I am certainly not saying that I am not also victim to the effects social media has on my interpersonal skills. Like noted by many students I suddenly feel awkward around stranger and fear that if I try to start up a conversation that this stranger will think of me as creepy and not friendly. This is something new to our generation, I am convinced. My parents and grandparents can seemingly strike up a friendly conversation with anyone and carry that conversation for what seems like forever. Why does that not happen anymore?! That's how friends used to be made, through interpersonal, face-to-face, genuine conversations. I wish it were still the same today. People have no problem showing being outgoing on Facebook when they stand up for their personal beliefs, but become introverts when this topic come up face to face. In fact I did not even participate in today's conversation, yet I managed to blog 250+ words on my opinions considering the lecture...I have fallen victim!