Freudian Subtext - Comm 403

The article we have been assigned to read for our Media Studies class is a plea from employers of the United Kingdom to ensure that more college students are taking media studies classes.  I honestly had more issues reading the article than  did in even going into detail on the subject.  The article is very vague, and I believe that media studies is important in the goal of understanding psychoanalysis, but this article did not make that point.

The article repeatedly talked about "employers" and "businesses" would like to see more media studies classes being taught, but what employers are these?  Are these employers of a business environment or jobs that require manual labor?  Some jobs do not require their employers to analyze Freudian theories on a daily basis, so to learn which fields of work are looking for this would be interesting.  The article also mentions a "customer" calling in and asking about a comparison between Ms. PacMan and feminist theory.  What company has a hotline devoted to answering people's psychological questions?  The article does a poor job of backing up the argument of the importance of media studies.

That being said, I do understand the importance of media studies, for it causes you to think outside of the box at different possibilities, and we are to use this way of thinking in our assignments to convince our readers to do the same.  In our study of psychoanalytical theory, we are introduced to Freud and Lacan, with similar views on their subject matter.  My small knowledge on psychoanalysis has led m to believe that the article itself could be improved with more concrete evidence about employers interested in media studies classes.  With actual employers in mind, I would be able to more accurately see myself in a position of working for this company knowing that I have been educated in the subject.  Another way the article could be improved would be a mentioning of specific skills learned in media studies classes that these employers look for.  Whether it just be psychoanalytic knowledge, or the ability to know how to blog effectively, it would be a nice addition to the article to reach out to more college students (which I assume is the "real reader" of this article).

For an article discussing the importance of media studies, it is ironically vague.  With simple additions like examples of employers that are looking for these skills, and the skills themselves, this could be a great article that could effectively help both college students and professors alike to find and fix problem areas in this magnificent field of study.

The Femputers - Comm 403

We were asked to look over an article on CNN.com that discussed why we feel more at ease/prefer female voices in a technological environment.  I think they did an excellent job creating and backing up their points, and I even found interest in some of the comments posted by users.

     I feel like we are more at ease with having females vocalizing our options and choices to us because (as stated in the article) we are used to the sound of an operator being female (an entry level job that many women could easily work in that would not be demanding of them physically.)  To add to this, a lot of the comments presented to this article featured people saying that they would actually prefer to take orders/advice from a female than a male.  This may come from maternal instincts of mothers knowing what is best for you, or it could be a sort of ego boost knowing that a woman is politely giving you information as opposed to a man. 

     In my opinion, I feel that women don't mind receiving instructions for either sex, as they will take direction from both their girlfriends and males without much question.  Men on the other hand tend to be a bit stubborn (just ask any guy to pull over and ask for directions).  Men would much more prefer to hear a kind, gentle woman "suggesting" things to them than be open to another man trying to "tell him what to do".  It all boils down to a minor gender-power struggle that we all face on a daily basis.  Do you prefer male teachers or female teachers?  A male boss or a female boss?  It could be from the voice you prefer to hear to past experiences with both sexes, but either way it's safe to say that the gentle, m ore passive voice heard in most technology has been successful.

By the People, for the People

In class we discussed different methods of persuasion used in political campaigns.  The issue up for debate was the gun control policy, and we were to find a politician and either create an ad for or against them in this cause.  For a positive campaign, sound effects such as applause, cheering, and patriotic, inspirational music are heard.  On the contrary, negative ads were shot in black and white, and used eerie sounding music (in some cases the music heard could have been slightly inspirational or comedic to indicate a satirical opposition for the politician). I've chosen three of my colleagues' video campaign ads to focus on, as they follow this structure and invoke emotions in such a way that would be very successful if they were actually used for a political advertisement.

This first campaign is directed towards Maryland voters in search of a politician that will help with the number of homicides of children in the state.  The ad states that although the rates are the lowest they have ever been, this is not enough because there should not be any children falling victim to these crimes.  A signifier found in this campaign would be the pictures of children fading from color to black and white.  This signifies that these children may no longer be alive, or that they are in danger because of the conditions they are currently living in.  The slow, sad music signifies depression, and a desire for a positive change.  Lastly the message the ad brings "We need our hero back" also signifies a desire for change, as there is no "hero" or leader in charge to take action against this negativity.  This campaign does a great job of using pathos to convey an emotion to the viewer.

This second campaign is also a negative ad towards gun control.  Again, it uses pathos (and logos as well in this case) to convey a strong, convincing message to the viewer about how they should view the gun policy.  The signifier I would like to point out in this ad is the picture of the gun pointed straight at the viewer, literally making them stare down the barrel of a handgun.  This signifies the scariness and fear that comes with the idea of a gun - and when it's staring you in the face, there (should be) no other emotion but fear.  Another signifier would be the other picture used, featuring a man with a gun that looks like he could be crazy and/or unstable.  This also conveys the emotion of fear because we can visualize the type of person using these guns for malicious intent.  The text in this campaign signifies that we don't necessarily need to ban guns, but ban the use of illegal guns that would obviously be used for other reasons other than defense.

This final ad I chose had a very powerful effect on me as a viewer, and definitely would have persuaded me to change my opinion in the election.  It opens with a video of a woman who is a news anchor discussing the amounts of deaths via gun activity that includes the deaths of children in playgrounds.  This signifies that there is a complete lack of care or attention for the safety of the residents in this area.  Not just children, adults as well. The fact that children are becoming victims in these actions indicates that no one is safe - even the absolute innocent.  The dramatic music also creates a tense, and horrifying atmosphere for the viewer by using a song including symphonic elements and foreign chants.  We associate this type of music with rising action of a serious movie where the plot is thickening, and in this case the plot is a little over a minute long so it creates this tense atmosphere throughout the entire ad.  A final signifier for this ad is the clip showing the number of homicides that have taken place this year.  This signifies that even though the rates may have been dropping recently, the amount is still too high to find excusable for any reason. 

-In class discussion-

     A fellow student of mine brought up the topic in class of a blog post found on cracked.com.  The website is known for publishing humorous material, but he found this particular article, Dealing With Bullies You Learned in Movies, a little too real for his tastes.  The author delves into personal experiences with bullying and even bullying that his child received. 

     While I don't doubt that the article may seem a bit on the black humor side, I feel like this was supposed to be a satire.  I have read articles on cracked.com before, and nearly every one of them are funny because they are all drenched in sarcasm.  I personally love this style of humor, so I enjoy most of the blogs I read on there. Although I do feel that this particular piece was darker than the rest (it hit on a way more personal level for the author), knowing that the author was more than likely aiming for a sarcastic approach to this scenario would make me more interested in reading more of his work to see if anything else he has written parallels this. 

     Regardless of his approach, I commend him on going on a different route with this blog, but I can definitely see where Travis is coming from.  If I want to laugh, give me something obvious to laugh at an don't crowd that with a sad story.  I feel as if he was trying to add a bit of realness to this story but it may have not worked in his favor.  Still, he received an emotion out of one of his readers, and when it comes to leaving an impact he did just that.

Morphin' Time - Comm 403

 

Nearly every narrative we find today follows the same system.  The "beginning" "middle" and "end" theory we've developed spawns from Aristotle.  His idea was known as Aristotle's poetics, and declared that narratives, or media that tells a story, are usually broken up into three Acts. 

Act I is the opening act, and focuses on introducing characters, settings, and basic plot.  This act describes what life is currently like for the hero and/or other main characters.  This is quickly interrupted by trouble of some sort creeping it's way into the plot.  The characters will be challenged with a decision that will take them out of their comfort zone.  Act II is the amplification of this trouble, and the trials presented to the characters will seem impossible.  Act III is the conclusion of the story, involving the characters ending the trouble and usually putting them at a higher level of morale than the beginning when they were just going about their everyday lives.

I chose a favorite movie from my childhood for the nostalgia I'll have discussing it.  The Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers movie put my VCR to work when I was a kid.  If you weren't a fan of the Power Rangers as a kid, here's a little back story for you:
     Six teenagers have a device that can transform them into the Power Rangers - meaning they put on spandex with a helmet.  These wacky costumes are adaptations of their Japanese counterparts.  They do more for hiding their identity.  These Morphing Devices were given to them by Zordon, their leader and takes his form as a giant face made in a tube of light.  The Power Rangers fight intergalactic crime in the form of martial arts and summoning giant "Zords" which are robotic animals they can control.like vehicles.  These Zords can combine together to make the Megazord, which usually is enough to take care of any problem they may face.

In the movie, this plot that we find in a basic episode of this show is expanded to movie length. 

Act I - The six rangers (Tommy the white, Jason the red, Billy the blue, Aisha the yellow, Adam the black, and Kimberly the Pink) are enjoying their life and hanging out as normal in their city, Angel Grove.  At a construction site a giant egg is found containing purple ooze.  The ooze forms into Ivan Ooze, the films main antagonist.  

Ivan Ooze

Act II - Ivan sends out minions to keep the Rangers busy while he destroys their base containing Zordon.  Because of the destruction, they cannot Morph and must search for a new solution to defeating Ivan.  Meanwhile, Ivan disguises himself and sells ooze to the children of Angel Grove that turns all of their parents into slave once they touch it. 

             The Rangers travel to the distant planet Phaedos.  A woman there named Dulcea guides them and tells them of the new power that awaits them.  After various physical trials the rangers are granted their new costumes (based on modern animals rather than dinosaurs as previous) and consequently new Zords as well. One of the young boys in town realizes that the parents are being mind controlled and try to keep them safe with the other children.  Ivan orders the parents to 'leap to their doom' and the kids try their best to keep them away from a nearby cliff.


Act III - The Rangers return to Angel Grove, which is completely overtaken by Ivan and his ooze.  In their respective Zords, they fight Ivan and his minions until only Ivan is left.  He grows to an enormous size and the Rangers realize that forming the Megazord is their only option.  The fight becomes fierce and mobilizes to out space.  While in space Billy suggests that they use a nearby comet to destroy Ivan.  Aisha presses a button to kick Ivan in the crotch and he is flung into the comet, which explodes with him along with it.  The parents are returned to normal and the children know of the Rangers' bravery. 
            While the day may have been saved for everyone else, it still isn't over for the Rangers.  They return to their base to find a deceased Zordon in a human form which has never been seen before.  They discover that their newfound powers have the power to heal, and with Zordon's life restored, peace is finally returned to their lives and they are stronger physically and emotionally .

Made with the Freshest Squeezed Corn

   

     Framing is an act used by many politicians and advertising campaigns across the country, but what is this clever tactic?  By using the concept of framing, individuals can pick and choose, essentially, what they want to get across to their listener without compromising their integrity.  As George Lakoff states in his book Don't Think of an Elephant!, "Framing is about getting language that fits your worldview.  It's not just language.  The ideas are primary - and the language carries those ideas, evokes those ideas."  So to expand on his thoughts, framing takes the idea you want to present and does so in a manner that would be best accepted by your ideal audience.

     The example I chose to exemplify framing is found in nearly every vending machine here at Shepherd University.  Minute Maid brand fruit drinks (as well as many others, but I chose this one in particular) mention 'being made with real fruit juice' and 'made with all natural ingredients', but how much of it is fruit and how much is sugar water?

     The addition of high fructose corn syrup into beverages is not the problem here as nearly every one of them does.  In this case, it is the fact that Minute Maid claims to be made with 100% fruit juice, but only because the amount of corn syrup added into the mix makes up a fraction of the juice that is apparently small enough to remain uncounted.  So just because you only add a little bit of it means it can be left out of the statistics altogether?  When questioned about the usage of high fructose corn syrup in their products, The Head of Industry & Consumer Affairs, Johnetta D. Lewis stated:
                "High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS) is the sweetener we use in the United States because it is an available, affordable sweetener which, in solution, tastes like sugar. The entire supply of sugar in the United States would not be enough to produce our products alone, much less in addition to those of other companies. The United States must import sugar for its domestic needs but corn is grown so abundantly, we export it overseas."
     So just because corn is more abundant here in the United States, Minute Maid (and Coca-Cola by proxy) are endorsing the idea of using corn syrup in their beverages, but then lying about it afterwards.  If Johnetta's response to the use of corn syrup in their beverages was so matter-of-fact, then why can't they out the same thing on their beverages.  The answer is the American Dollar, unfortunately. 
     To elaborate, this is not a stab at Minute Maid or Coca-Cola directly, but to basically any and all companies that use this practice.  If we are all adults of sound mind, it is ironic that the use of lies and trickery is what is fueling the consumer economy.  Upton Sinclair's novel The Jungle highlights the other aspects of the shortcuts that food processing companies use, and was a strong inspiration for this blog.  It definitely is an encouraged read to discover what these companies will do just to get in your wallet.

Find out what's really going into your burger in Upton Sinclair's novel, The Jungle.

By the Horns - Comm 403

     I decided to dive into semiotics this time with something that reflects myself internally (you know, if you're into this sort of thing).  Horoscopes have been around for centuries used as means of future telling, fortune reading, behavior, and even health concerns.  Apparently, there are very distinct traits for every Horoscope, so what better way to illuminate them then by semiotics.

     The sign:  The Taurus is represented by a bull with massive horns.  The bull itself may even be huge to take into consideration its "power", but this could be purely speculative.  The Taurus is represented also by a more common, simpler design:  a circle with two curved horns coming out on top. 

This symbol is considered "feminine"and "introverted" because Tauruses are reflective and thinkers..

     The signifier:  This horoscope is represented very well in both denotation and connotation.  The denotation of a bull would be a stubborn animal that does not migrate too far from its surroundings of a grassy, open area.  The connotative description of the Taurus reflects these traits, in that persons who are Tauruses are supposed to be stubborn, earthy, and yearn for stability in their lives.  Though is is a vague description, I feel as if I fit it perfectly - but doesn't everyone? These ideas expand into the more specific ones, such as"Tauruses are thinkers rather than do-ers",  "They are slow to anger but if pushed too far will erupt",  and "taking pleasure in simple comforts". Traits like this fit a tighter niche of people, but they still fit the description of a bull.  The sense that the Taurus (and maybe the other Horoscopes) took a lot of thinking and evaluating before this practice came into play, so why don't we take them more seriously?

     The signified:  We, as humans on planet Earth today (as opposed to our ancestors) have plenty of access to technology, and therefore more logical explanations for phenomenon we face in our lives.  In the times when stars themselves were a mystery, finding answers in these ethereal balls of light was deemed as an effective way to interpret an answer to your questions.  Nowadays, we see horoscopes in magazines and newspapers and see them as little hints or ideas to help you manage your day.  They literally lie in the same field as fortune cookies in this aspect; how could something that used to answer our insights of the future be reduced to a mere section of a newspaper?
     The aforementioned trait that horoscopes are flawed on is their vagueness.  The traits described by most horoscopes are usually hit-and-miss, and this could be from years of misinterpretation or just a change in cultural behaviors and beliefs.  A horoscope nowadays is about two sentences long, and will usually tell you to "reconnect with an old friend" or "look out for a potential love interest".  You can look up countless different horoscopes in a day from various sources, so which one is right?  The variation we find in the media is another flaw in our ability to believe horoscopes - there's a million of them.

     The mythos behind this horoscope is interesting because it was introduced with the 11 other Zodiac members.  In Greek mythology, Zues disguised himself as a stunning white bull that carries Europa across the ocean with an attempt to seduce her (an attempt that succeeds mind you).  So how does this tie in with any of the connotation or denotation?  It could be seen that this entire scheme of Zeus's was all a part of successful planning on his part, which ties into a Taurus's reflective thought process.  The other end of this would be the animal in choice for the Taurus, a bull.  Since they represent the docile, and stationary nature, the bull may have seemed to be a gentle spirit that would aid Europa across the sea.  Lastly the ties between the animal and the earth may come from relating earth to life.  Earth is life incarnate, and by Zeus helping Europa, he was giving her life as well. 

Europa, as she rides on the Taurus (Zeus).

    Zodiac symbols are definitely far from a religious collection at this point in time; however, it's never bad to have a little bit of a confidence boost in your life.  If anything, horoscopes help us think in a different way for a second.  They remind us of different priorities or abilities we have that we may have forgotten about.  To make the best use out of them would be to read them and to not take anything to heart, but rather to divert your attention and do a mental "sort out your mind" kind of routine.