Blog 6

After September 11^th 2001, the United States was looking for answers. Who are these people and why did they do what they did? The government franticly tried to explain this unexplainable situation to the U.S. in ways that everyone could understand. George Bush said a speech on the 20^th of September and Dick Cheney was interviewed about the matter on the 16^th of September. They both addressed the same question: who are the terrorists?

            George Bush let everyone know that the terrorists that were attacking our country were the terrorist group known as al Qaeda. Bush also mentions that al Qaeda is a loosely affiliated terrorist group with followers all over the world. He is basically implying that they could be anywhere and we just don’t know it. He also says, “its goal is remaking the world – and imposing its radical beliefs on people everywhere.” They are driven by what they believe and believe the rest of the world should believe it, too. George Bush also states that they are a form of Islamic extremists. They are driven to kill off Jews, Christians and anyone else that doesn’t believe the same things they do. Starting to sound a lot like Nazi’s. Even in his speech he refers to them as following the path of Nazism. He is trying to evoke the feelings of hatred towards the Nazis and project it onto these terrorists. Bush also lets the world know that, “they stand against us, because we stand in their way.” They are threatened by our power and us. They know that we are one of their biggest threats and to take us down is the easiest way to take the Untied States down. They wanted to make their mark with a surprise attack and throw us a curve ball to throw us off.

            George Bush also says that our enemy isn’t just al Qaeda but any country that aids them and their plan. Any country that supports them with supplies, shelters them or has any hand in the matter, are the United States sworn enemy. He even warns the terrorists and the countries supporting them that their will be consequences if they do not stop and turn over and power they have. This is a naive statement because this is what the terrorists want. They want to evoke anger and have someone to fight and leave their mark on. They want to spread the word of what they believe in. They want the whole world to know that they have power over strong countries like the United States and they can rough us around.

            Dick Cheney is very similar in his views as George Bush when it comes to terrorists. He first explains their name as “the base” because that’s what it stands for in Arabic. This doesn’t give us much insight into what they truly stand for. He calls them barbarians. He is basically dividing a line between the U.S. and these terrorists by saying they are uncivilized and we are. He basically goes on to cover the basics such as they are al Qaeda and they are a terrorist group. The interviewer tries to get a feel for what the United States’ next move is but Dick Cheney just keeps trying to move from the subject and basically telling him he doesn’t quite know. Many people knew a war was inevitable and that we were going to fight back but Dick Cheney didn’t want to let that slip.

            Both of these men led the U.S. to the idea that these terrorists are this loose idea and group of people that could be anywhere. They are uncivilized and trying to push their beliefs on the world by making these huge acts of terrorism on powerful countries. 

Blog 5

            The music video, “Gold Digger” starring Kanye West and Jamie Fox, portrays the beauty myth. The particular beauty myth in this music video is one of the male-reliant, playboy cover model.

            The women in the music video are often seen posing like models. The backgrounds in which they pose in front of all have writing that say things like, “vixen,” “pin-up,” “fantasy,” and even “bold, beautiful bodies.” They are exaggerating the beauty myth of how women are portrayed by men. They make these women come of as materialistic and appearance driven. He even talks about plastic surgery. In the lyrics he says, “She was supposed to buy ya shorty Tyco with ya money.

She went to the doctor got lipo with ya money. She walkin' around lookin' like Michael with ya money.” He believes that these women are taking their beauty more seriously than their own children. He even says he met her at a beauty salon. He is enforcing this stereotype of women driven by appearance and will do anything to get it, even if that means sacrificing other things. Not once does he mention her being intelligent or educated. Its all about the appearance and how even though she spends all his money, he still loves her.

            As Naomi Wolf mentions, women are always associated with monogamy while men are associated with polygamy. This is not the case here. This beauty myth is one of a girl that isn’t interested in just one man but many. They all must have money to support her beauty costs and luxuries. In the lyrics it says, “From what I heard she got a baby by Busta. My best friend say she used to fuck with Usher. I don't care what none of y'all say I still love her.” This trend is found to be fairly common now and is what Kanye calls the gold digger. Women will jump from man to man (or more than one man at a time), to satisfy their needs of beauty and material items. This is another beauty myth that Wolf says sets us back. How can you give complete and total rights and freedoms to a group that runs from man to man just to get some cash to support her unrealistic lifestyle? Its unjustified and this is one of the beauty myths that holds women back in the world. A woman being dependent on men is another way to look at this song and beauty myth. The women not being able to, or not choosing to, support herself makes women in general look weaker. Its enforcing the idea that women still need the help and assistance of men.

Also making women look like objects, as the video visually does, also enforces this beauty myth. The women just dance around and look seductive. They are shown as though they are covers of playboy magazines. They are not taken seriously but as sex objects. Wolf points out that pornography is a booming industry that enforces these beauty myths. They give off that idea that women are all about physical appearance and should be seen as sex objects. Women see this pornography and want to look and act like the women because its what men “want.” Women often compromise other, more important things, to achieve this look and vibe of sexuality and beauty they think that men want to see. By putting these other things aside, it shows to the rest of the world that appearance and sex are more important to these women than other things that would make them successful in other ways.

These actions by these women called “gold diggers” keep males in charge. They put them as the provider for these women and give them that sense of power and dominance over women. Its as if they need the men to survive and wouldn’t be able to do it on their own. In one part of the song, Kanye talks about how its not as nice being with a broke guy because he can’t provide for his women but to stick around because he’ll become rich one day. He assumes that this man will become successful but what about the woman? Why can’t she become the successful one? Oh that’s right, she’s a gold digger that depends on the male to provide for her. He even talks about how she’ll trap him for 18 years by having one of his kids. He is forced to pay child support for the baby that she will in turn spend on herself. He is making the assumption that these women are selfish and conniving when that is not always the case.

 This song and music video make women out to be sex objects that need a man to provide for them. Kanye West makes a lot of assumptions about women and how they act to achieve a certain level of beauty, hence why we call it a beauty myth. 

"Gold Digger" music video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6vwNcNOTVzY&ob=av3e

Blog 4 "Carry Out"

            In Justin Timberlake’s music video for his hit song, “Carry Out”, women dance provocatively around him and Timberland as they sing together. Light up neon signs flash in the background while the dancers dance, and while Timberlake and Timberland sing. The women in the music video for “Carry Out” convey the myth of the classic, old fashion, pin-up girl. In the video, Justin Timberlake and Timberland suggest the stereotype of the player and the pimp.

            The women in the music video wear very reveling clothing, emphasizing their femininity. Many of the women wear fishnet stockings in this video. Tight corsets and bikini style bottoms are the outfits worn by many of the women in the music video. Many of the women wear thigh high, leather boots. The stockings and boots draw attention to the dancers feminine legs and the corsets and bikini bottoms draw attention to their feminine body parts. The women’s clothing is often old fashion yet reveling evoking the idea of the classic pin-up girl. The make up the women wear in the “Carry Out” video is very dark playing up their femininity and the image of the classic pin-up girl. They wear heavy eye shadow and other eye makeup. They have perfect skin that looks air brushed. Also, the girls hair is done up in a classic way that plays up their femininity and the classic look of the pin-up girl. They have the big bumps in the front and curls in the back, a classic look in the time of the classic pin-up girl. The clothing style, makeup and hairstyles in this video for “Carry Out” are ones the reflect femininity and the image of the classic, old-fashion pin-up girl.

            The actions of the women in the music video send the message of the typical pin-up girl. The women’s actions accentuate their femininity and the idea that they are seen as objects. When the women dance they often draw attention to their feminine body parts such as their rear end and their chest. They shake these parts of their body as they dance. They often dance closely to Timberland and Justin Timberlake. They lustfully make eye contact with the camera. They also smile as they serve the men in the video, like they enjoy serving the men and being seen as objects. They bend over in front of the camera with short skirts and dresses on. They also run their hands all down their bodies, running their hands over their curves. One women even lustfully eats a cherry in front of the camera. Another women lustfully eats a cupcake in front of the camera while others eat cake in this manner as well. The actions of the women in this video are ones that accentuate their pin-up girl image and being seen as objects by playing up their femininity.

            Justin Timberlake and Timberland are the stars of the video and while the attention should be on them, the women pay a lot of attention to them in the video. The women often dance around Justin Timberlake and Timberland playing up their masculine dominance and player image. The girls grind up against both singers as they sing and pretend to not really notice them. The girls bend over for them and stick out their chest and rear end in front of them. These actions draw attention to Timberlake and Timberland’s pimp and player image by making them the dominant figure in the music video. The women also serve the men, playing up their dominance even more. The women take their orders with notepads while they lounge in their nice car. The women also dress in skimpy maid outfits showing they are serving them. The men also just stand there most of the time while the women dance around them. Justin Timberlake and Timberland are known for being able to dance yet they don’t really move a muscle in this music video. Most of the dancing in the music video is left up to the girls. This makes the girls look like objects and not real people. They are being used to look at and not as the artist. Even most of the lyrics refer to these women as taking their orders and not being able to get enough. They are making these women out to be sex objects.

            Justin Timerlake and Timberland’s music video for “Carry Out” uses many symbols for portraying different stereotypes: The stereotype of the classic, old-fashion pin-up girl for the women and the pimp, player for the two men. These two stereotypes can be seen in their appearance and actions throughout the video. 

Blog 3

            Popular TV shows often portray racial stereotypes to evoke a sense of humor in their viewers. These racial stereotypes can be seen as offensive or humorous depending on the specific viewer’s point of view. Now on its 3^rd season on Fox, Glee is a musical explosion of every kind of stereotype there is in your typical, everyday suburban high school. Glee encompasses different cliques, religions, sexual orientations and especially different races. Glee represents every race out there in their characters; whether the roles are big or small. While this isn’t very typical of most shows on TV, Glee is typical in that they do stereotype their races. They often mock and play on the typical racial stereotypes we encounter and even use every day.

One example of a stereotyped race are the two Asian characters Mike and Tina. In the first season they are often referred to as “Asian” and “other Asian.” It didn’t matter what their names were or from where in Asia they came from (China, Japan, etc.). When Mike got a D on a test Tina called it an “Asian F” referencing the stereotype that Asians are often assumed to be geniuses. Mike even feels the pressure from his parents that he must be a doctor or surgeon. Mike’s parents are strict and serious as most stereotypical Asian families are seen. The stereotype of the typical Asian character is strongly and bluntly played upon in many of the episodes of Glee.

             The cheerleading coach, Sue Sylvester often uses racial stereotypes toward others. She calls Mercedes; the only black girl in the group, Aretha and the only black male in the group she calls Shaft. Sue Sylvester is just throwing these two into a stereotypical famous black person role and does not use their real names when addressing them. She even segregates the glee club into whites and everyone else that isn’t white. She tells her “minority group” that they are probably living on food stamps and makes other stereotypical remarks regarding their being a minority that for the most case aren’t true. On her talk show she mocks minorities by saying she’s “1/16^th Comanche Indian” and feels the pain that minorities feel. She also states that people only learn to speak Spanish to be dishwashers and gardeners; a typical stereotype often used toward Mexicans. She manages to find a racial stereotype for every person in the glee club.  Sue Sylvester’s character comes off as racist because of all the racial stereotyping she does to the glee members and the other students and staff at the high school.

            The main characters in the show are Finn and Rachel. The other members in the glee club don’t get as much spotlight as Rachel and Finn. The other group members including Mercedes don’t get the leads in songs and when they do they are often songs that are stereotypical to race. Mercedes only sings lead in R&B songs or sings the parts of songs that are “belt it out” parts where a strong voice of a black woman is expected. She even points this out to the group and tries to put up a fight that is lost and she even gives in and tells Rachel she should sing lead. As Omi points out in his writing, the darker black women are often seen as the frumpy type and not the sexy type. Mercedes is often depicted as not ever having romantic interests. No guy ever goes out of his way to be with Mercedes and she doesn’t really try to find a romantic partner in the first couple of seasons. The one time she tries to find a romantic partner, she mistakes a gay glee group member as having a romantic interest. While yes, in the new season she does have a boyfriend he is black just like her, not an interracial couple. Mercedes is just one example of how most of the Glee characters are racially stereotyped.

            Santana is a spicy Latina cheerleader that is also racially stereotyped in her character. She often tries to fight people and gets aggressive and “ghetto” when angry. She will yell at others in Spanish and try and hit them. She is also portrayed as the sexy Latina mistress and seen as a sex object by the opposite sex. She has casual sex with many of the cast on the show and is open about it. She is blunt and loud as most Latino’s are portrayed as. Santana is an example of one of the more hidden racial stereotypes that maybe most viewers wouldn’t notice at first glance.

            Finn, one of the main characters on Glee, is the star quarterback with the cheerleader girlfriend. He also can’t dance. The stereotype of white guys can’t dance is portrayed here in the character Finn. He is also the lead of all the songs while the others sway in the back. The only black guy in Glee never even speaks and no one even knows his name. He is far from the lead singer or the star of the show. This stereotype is common in TV and movies we see every day. In many shows and movies the leads are played by a white male or female and rarely by an African American, Asian or any other race other than white. Finn is a good example of how the stars of many popular TV shows are white men and women and not other races.

            Glee is a popular TV show consumed by many ages and races. While many people love the show and take the comments as “humor” there are people who take these racial stereotypes as offensive. Almost every racial stereotype is represented somewhere in Glee some are very obvious and some are not as obvious. We all take in this stimulus of racial stereotypes in our everyday lives in some ways we don’t even notice. It starts at a young age especially in cartoons and TV shows such as Glee.

            

Blog 2

        DKNY Jeans advertises their products in urban settings with edgy models. As fashionable as these models are, they strongly depict stereotypical gender differences in femininity and masculinity. Male models exude masculinity, while female models give off a feminine vibe. Many of these differences in stereotypical notions of gender can be identified in many ways in DKNY Jeans’ ads, many of Devor talks about in his writing, “Gender Role Behaviors and Attitudes”.

Throughout time, females have been viewed as weaker and more dependent than males. Much of this is through appearance; body language, dress, facial expression and many other things. The females in this ad reflect feminine qualities mostly in their body language. As Devor points out, women tend to stand with their arms closer to their sides. Both women in this ad have their hands in their pockets and their arms close to their sides in the exact same manner. With their arms so close to their sides they appear smaller, taking up less space and seem weaker. Also, another thing Devor points out, the women have little space between their legs, again taking up less room and appearing smaller. Both girls’ faces are pointed either straightforward or lower. This is yet another trait of femininity expressed in this advertisement. Not looking others in the face or above them is a huge stereotypical feminine quality. It shows the vulnerability and weakness that the stereotype that women often depict. It allows other to look down upon you and to seem more superior.

One of the girls’ facial expressions seems to have a slight smile to it. Women are often seen as happy, polite and sociable in their actions and facial expressions. Femininity would never be seen as harsh or dominant, therefore the one model in this ad is grinning slightly and the other has a questioning look on her face. Neither are intimidating in any way. Females are viewed as wanting to avoid conflict and send “a message of ‘no threat.’”

Devor points out many of these characteristics in his writing and he also talks about movement and clothing. Stereotypical women are supposed to move in a smooth manner, opposite of the rigid movements of men. Also the clothing stereotypical feminine identify with are restrictive and that accentuate sexual feminine qualities. The women in this add seem to be walking in a smooth manner. Their jeans seem tight, accentuating their curves and long legs. Devor also talks about women showing bare skin as a stereotypical way of dressing, but these women are fully clothed. DKNY can’t show women in the city, in seemingly cold weather, wearing reveling clothing. It goes against normal logic; therefore the company uses tight jeans and feminine shoes and tops to accentuate this quality of stereotypical femininity.

The females in this ad possess many qualities that Devor deems as stereotypical gender roles, behaviors and attitudes. But just as much as the women reflect stereotypical femininity, the man in the ad reflects stereotypical masculine qualities. The women showed these qualities through appearance and so does the man.

One of the ways Devor talks about showing masculinity is through facial expression. The male model in this ad has a serious and stern look on his face. His eyes are looking ahead and his mouth is in a serious pout. He’s also not looking at the other models but looking ahead. Devor points out the serious look on males’ faces let others know they can’t be swayed by others’ influences.

He looks dominant in this picture, not only from his facial expression, but also from his body language. First off, his legs are farther apart than the women in this ad, taking up more space and showing his dominance. His arms are much farther from his body than the women in the ad, which is another point Devor makes in his writing. The stereotypical masculine body language take up more space by having their legs farther apart and arms farther from the body. It gives off an aggressive vibe to others. While the girls in this ad seem to move smoothly in this ad, the man seems to moving in a jerky manor, much less smooth than the women. Devor points out that these movements are seen as masculine because they are “communicating force and threat rather than flexibility and cooperation.” 

Clothing that portrays “strength and readiness to action,” is what is deemed masculine. The masculine leather jacket compliments the other characteristics of masculinity of the model in this ad. His jeans also seem looser and his boots seem much more suitable for movement, which Devor points out is what masculine clothing is viewed as.

Even the motorcycle the male model is pushing is seen as a symbol of masculinity. The model is basically void of any feminine traits, which Devor says is exactly what stereotypical masculinity wants to avoid. He looks confident and tough, especially next to the female models in this advertisement.

The stereotypical gender roles are clearly evident in this advertisement for DKNY Jeans. The male model is clearly more dominant and aggressive than the two female models, therefore exuding masculinity according to Devor. And by having many opposite qualities of the male, the two female models take on their roles as the feminine stereotype. These traits of femininity and masculinity are identified through things like dress, body language, facial expressions and many others. There are also other ways of identifying stereotypical gender roles such as speech and movement that may be hard to pick up on in a paper advertisement. Overall, the media exposes us to these feminine and masculine stereotypes in all sorts of ways including ads, movies, TV shows and much more. They show us the way our gender is “supposed to” act and look according to the society we live in. And while many of these things are played upon to entice consumers, the stereotype is still there and many of which are not always completely true and may not apply every individual.

 

Blog 1

The idea of the coveted American Dream differs from person to person but the main idea is the same: to be successful and to fit the mold. You got to college, you get a job, you make money, and so on. This idea filled the mind of Kevin Jennings which he reflected in his personal narrative, "American Dreams." In the essay, Kevin Jennings encounters many artifacts that developed his idea of the American Dream and his social identity. As a young child, Jennings was bombarded with strong racist, anti-gay and prejudice messages from his family. His uncle was part of the Ku Klux Klan and his father was a strong religious figure that refused to accept anything that wasn't exactly what he believed in. At just age 6, Kevin Jennings knew he was gay. He was exposed to "adult" magazines that just didn't interest him in the way he knew they should, this artifact helped prove to Jennings that he was, in fact, gay. In college, Kevin Jennings was thrust into a whole new world where being gay was actually heard of and accept by some people. The people and the overall culture of the north, versus the south where he grew up, was much more open and accepting. All of the artifacts he was exposed to in the north shaped this new idea that people in the south can come off as prejudice and are often made fun of. At that point, Jennings reinvented himself to erase any trace of the south he had in them. This created a whole new social identity for Kevin Jennings. He learned from professors that allowing yourself to stay in the closet shows you're afraid of who you are. By accepting who he is, Kevin Jennings transformed his idea of the American Dream from the stereotypical view to the idea that the American Dream is demanding freedom no matter who you are. Towards the end of the essay Jennings inserts a poem by the gay, African American poet, Langston Hughes titled, "I, Too." This is an artifact that further enforces Jennings idea of the American Dream and his social identity of accept himself. Kevin Jennings transformed his social identity and his idea of the American Dream by experiencing cultural artifacts that contrasted each other (north versus south, gay versus straight, etc.) and they may not have been tangible items but they were ideas and experiences that still left a lasting effect on who Kevin Jennings turned out to be.