“Illustration” Number Six – Religion and Homosexuality

This blog will be talking about the article posted by the Vancouver Sun called Washington state Senate passes gay marriage bill. (http://www.vancouversun.com/life/Washington+state+Senate+passes+marriage+bill/6090975/story.html)

This article related back to the social issue of religion and homosexuality.  This article is a great representation of this social issue because through the article it talks about how exciting it is that the gay marriage pill as been passed, but at the same time it discusses how many are coming together to fight against this legislation. There is huge controversy on this topic.  Everyone has a right to live the way they want to live and yet so many see this to be wrong, no one is able to see eye to eye on this topic.

It is sad to see that many have to fight for their rights to be the people they want to be, but as a community it is hard for those with religious backgrounds to see why someone would chose to live this way.  This article reflects the excitement of those who have struggled for so long to have this freedom, but at the same time touches on how thousands who are against this passing of the bill are gathering together.

There are many issues facing this topic, but if the world is to be a free world then why call it gay marriage, but instead call it marriage.  This social issue and this article is discriminating those who are homosexual. The way the article is written in a way that sheds light on the situation, but at the same time giving it so much media attention that it is singling homosexuality out to be a single issue. The issue is not that people are homosexual, but instead that there is not a mutual agreement on whether or not marriage should be legal.

If it is a free country then why is this discriminating against homosexuals a social issue rather than a social acceptance? It does not matter what topic is in discussion every individual will have his or her own opinion on the matter – whether it is legal or not legal.

“Illustration” Number Five – Human Trafficking

This blog entry will be looking at the term Human Trafficking.  An Article posted in the Vancouver Sun titled ‘”Kony 2012″ group tipped off Uganda to ex-rebel: Wikileaks ( http://www.vancouversun.com/news/Kony+2012+group+tipped+Uganda+wanted+rebel+Wikileaks/6443427/story.html) talks about how a man has created an army of children, which is so sad.  This article reflects the fact that this man has forced young children into this child army – teaching them how to shoot and kill others around them, forcing them to kill off their own parents so that he can remain powerful.  This article reflects Human Trafficking because it shows and talks about someone in control who is responsible for recruiting individuals for committing crime against the community. It is easy to read articles such as this one and have no understand as to what is happening, but it is also easy to read articles such as this one and ask no questions.  Yes, this article reflect human trafficking, but why is it happening? how is it happening? who is doing what to stop it? and has the article provided us with all the necessary information to classify this situation as human trafficking.

This article speaks of how many people are involved in the process of finding the man by the name of Joseph Kony. Their was a video about the the army that Joseph Kony  has created titled the “invisible children”, which streamed across the news, facebook, twitter, and any media source available and this news article reflects the media attention.  The news article and video have been published to grab societies attention to create a movement against this man. Having news articles like this one is great for creating awareness of these social injustices that are happening in other parts of the world.  Allowing others across the globe to step up and take action so that justice is served and more researched can happen in finding the story behind a story.

“Illustration” Number Four – Feedback

This blog will be focusing on the term ‘feedback’, which is defined as: Responses/ reactions from the audience to the source of the message(Quist-Adade, 2012).

In the web article posted by the Vancouver Sun called ‘KFC apologizes for telling earthquake victims to order takeout chicken’,(http://www.vancouversun.com/news/apologizes+telling+earthquake+victims+order+takeout+chicken/6447044/story.html)  the Vancouver Sun focuses on how KFC is apologizing for a comment they posted on their facebook page during the earthquake scares. There is a lot of feed back responses that were posted on the comment left by KFC and the Vancouver Sun covers this as well as the apology sent out by the company. I believe this type of article is a form of feedback because throughout the article is talks about the publics reaction to the KFC message.

KFC posted, “People should hurry home this evening to monitor the earthquake situation and don’t forget to order the KFC menu, which will be delivered direct to your hands,” and some reactions to this post were, “The person behind this advertisement should be fired for their lack of common sense and responsibility.”  Not only is there feedback written about in this article, but the article itself will bring forth feedback because now it it has been made more public to the situation that has happened.  Not only will the people who were in fear and apart of the earthquake know about the inconsiderate KFC post, but now this information is accessible to millions upon millions. The feedback responses to this article will be positive and negative, but even with this apology the public rears towards the more negative feedback/responses and reactions.

I view feedback to be a good and bad thing, many people are able to provide constructive thoughts and criticism; where as, others use the feedback option to bash and tear the situation at hand apart. The responses towards the KFC situation are clearly negative, as shown in this article, but with responses to articles, such as this one, it is hard to determine where feedback is primarily good or bad.  Hard to determine this factor because the media may not be portraying the story as a whole, but instead, primarily focusing on the negatives as well.

“Illustration” Number Three – Objectification

This blog entry will focus on the term ‘Objectification’, which is defined as : treating people as objects, as if they were nothing more than the attributes they display. For example, women in music videos are depicted as nothing more than long legs, luscious lips, big boobs, and bit butts(in the case of black women) rather than full-blooded and complete human beings (Quist-Adade, 2012).

In the online article, posted by the Vancouver Sun, Stars without makeup - http://www.vancouversun.com/Stars+without+makeup/6441228/story.html?tab=PHOT

I found this term to be very true. Within this article is says nothing with words, but everything by image.  They have taken women who are known and picked them apart.  Posting photos, from who knows where, of these women in “day-to-day” life and comparing them when they are all done up in makeup.  By doing this they media is portraying these women as if they are good for nothing.  They were good for their looks, but now you see who they “really are”, what do you think of them now.  Are have treated their faces as an object to look at and an object to “be the ideal look”, but at the same time tearing them down by finding the worst picture of them possible.  Not focusing on who they are as an individual and their accomplishments, but instead, in a negative light.  Focusing on purely their looks instead of their talents is redundant and brutal. These women they are trashing and treating as object are people too.  We are not here to be treated as objects, but as whole hearted, blood pumping human beings.  Would it not be better to lift those up to create a world who cares of each other rather than tearing them down to create a world who consistently judges others.

This article may not have anything written in it, but the images ring through your mind saying more than words could ever say. Objectification is happening in many fourms and this is just one example of it. People are more than just a “pretty face” to look at, the face should not be viewed as the object, but rather we should view people as a whole, inside to the out.

“Illustration” Number Two – Framing

The focus of this blog entry will be on the term ‘Framing’

As I read through the local news papers online website I came across a story that struck my eyes.  http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/world/asia-pacific/breaking-caste/remarkable-school-gives-girls-from-the-bottom-of-indias-caste-system-new-hope/article2259020/

This article is a very uplifting article, but at the same time their choice of wording gives a social phenomenon as to where this cultural area stands.  We have not lived it, so as readers, we base our information off the words of others where it is framed correctly or not. Throughout this article it drags on about how girls do not get the work experience and schooling they need because they are not privileged enough to receive such treatment, but the writer who published this story may only be focusing their way of life compared to the modern way of life in Canada.  What many writers do not say is that many are comfortable with the culture they live in, but with that said – many strive to have better life. The way the writer focuses on this particular story is called ‘framing’, which is, a communication text is to accentuate some aspect of the perceived social phenomenon in order to insert a particular interpretations, evaluation, and treatment for a specific problem.

This piece of writing is using words to focus on certain aspects of their way to life, which at times, can make their society look helpless.  The media is able to portray the story in a way to make the readers feel good about themselves because they are not living in that type of situation. The writer takes their own interpretations of the story they are working on and in some ways makes it their own. It may not be their intention to do so, but to make a story sell, get noticed, or get published there must be a spark to the story, so the writer frames it in a way that is public pleasing.

Framing in my own words: it is a way of gathering information together to create an outline so that the writer can focus of certain aspects of the social phenomenon they are creating.

“Coolest Concept” – Class Discussion – DOES MEDIA AFFECT ATTITUDES AND BEHAVIOURS?

The media does affect the way society thinks and acts.  For example, women in the media are beautiful, skinny, big boobs, big butts and in society there are many dieting, getting implants, and pounding on the make up to look like the “ideal” woman.  Another example is the way the media portrays the party scene.  So many people strive to life that party life where they are always having fun, beer in hand and smile on their face.  There is more of an effect on society’s attitudes and behaviours produced by the media than we think.  The media portrays that these people have the fantasy life and if you strive ti be like them you will live in perfect happiness.  The media gives the image that the more money you have the happier you will be, but is that really the case? Is money really the key to happiness? Society reads, listens, and watches the images that the media displays so often that these ideas are engrained into our mind and it ends up becoming the things we are living for rather than living for ourselves.

“Coolest Concept” – Class Discussion – WOMEN PORTRAYED IN THE FANTASY OF MEN

Throughout the media women are portrayed as objects, a mans toy.  It seems to be the way media is able to sell products.  There are many examples such as the advertisements for cologne where the man sprays on the cologne and instantly the women is pushing him up against the wall, in music video’s when the man is sitting on a couch and several women are surrounding him while dancing on every body part of his. Displays of women seem to be getting progressively worse which is sad, but we cannot only blame the men and media for this.  Women in their own music videos dress in low cut tops and bottoms that show as much skin as possible.  Not only have the men and media labelled them as objects, but they themselves are beginning to label themselves as objects so that they are able to sell their product.  This world media distortion is having a large effect on the way society thinks.  Women are compared to these women in the music videos and have new “standards” to live up to, which make it very straining and difficult on the women of society.