Neil Postman

Discussing Neil Postman's view on media and as he looks at is as a metaphor. I found a video of his speaking on his book "Technopoly", and its losing culture behind these new technological innovations that many depend on.
YOUTUBE SEARCH:Book TV: Neil Postman, "Technology"

Vertical Intergration

Speaking of the topic of Vertical Integration and companies creating oligopoly and shaping the public's mind in TV and film. I found a video on youtube where a guy is describing the differences and also benefits of Vertical Integration and also Horizontal Integration.

Consumer Revolution in the 1960s

Reading Frank's article and how shopping empowers people I could not help but to think of all the commercials aimed at womyn. The ideas of the commercials were for the womyn to maintain a 'proper' home in middle-America. Consumerism became a giant part of society and it reflected on the families who wanted to fill their house with things to give the impression of success.
1960s cleaning product commercial


Recent cleaning product commercial where simply looking at a lady, one can identify the product. Even today, womyn continue to be the target consumers for household cleaning products as sexist stereotypes continue to be portrayed in the mass media.


It's sad to think that not too much has changed in advertising in 40 years; maybe that's why I've always preferred the 'other' side of the 1960s... Woodstock and such!!

How to Read Donald Duck

In the article, “How to Read Donald Duck”, it focuses on the comic books from Disney and their relationships. It goes into details of how there are no parental figures and that most of the characters therefore are and will lack that parental role that helps them grow. Since we never see the history of any of the characters so we never see them grow up either. They are made to stay the same age and mind set forever. This article also divulges into male and female roles. While females are used to keep the male characters in line, such as Daisy does to Donald Duck; the male characters are shown to be either domineering, i.e. Uncle Scrooge, or to be completely bullied, i.e. Donald Duck. Since these comics are geared towards children, the author wants the reader to focus on how these types of roles and personalities affect children.

Cartoons are media

Even though the method of cartoon creation complimented with the visual story may indicate a innocent approach to story telling it never gave me the impression that it was meant for kids. With this being said I honestly think the demographics stuck to cartoon characters are to add obstacles to a given situation. If scrooge mcduck were the three brothers dad many of the episodes equation would play themselves out differently. There is no doubt that Disney's' ideology of social norms were stereotype at first but I believe that certain aspects are changing. here is one example of a show where the female saves the guy a lot. This piece puts kim as a heroine with the help of a little friend on Disneys Kim Possible.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3BsvJtOFnGo
-Tristan Collins

The Age of Show Business

In the article "The Age of Show Business", by Neil Postman, he talks about television as a medium that is aimed only for emotional gratification. Thinking is rarely shown or done because it is boring and the audience will loose interest. Which in turn is bad for business and the networks can’t have that. Even the Daily News shows, show daily clips of tragic events is done so just for ratings. As a result the news and information becomes basis. They use tricks such attractive news anchors, exciting music and eye-catching commercials. No matter what we see on TV, it is all one big act which stops at nothing to keep us focused on what they have to show us about “Our reality”. One of my favorite Simpson episodes shows this in action when Bart and Lisa become co-anchors of a TV kids News Show.

"How to Read Donald Duck" and the New Black Princess

After reading about Disney's Imperialist Ideology and the portrayal of women and children within it's animations. Something dawned on me, Disney is coming out with a new animation called "The Princess and the frog." Why is this of any importance you may ask. Well as seen in one of the blogs below, the closet Disney has ever gotten to having a black princess was "Princess Jasmine" from the movie "Aladdin." This next animation features "Princess Tiana" A beautiful sophisticated young woman that unfortunately you don't see for very long. Because she kisses the frog prince and turns into a frog herself. So unlike all the other princesses that stay beautiful throughout the movie... The first Black princess is a frog for most of it. Yes they are trying to appease the African American populous and sway the minds of others into believing, "See they aren't so bad." The sad truth is, they haven't changed and nor will they ever in my opinion. Anyways check it out!!!

http://disney.go.com/disneypictures/princessandthefrog/

Wade Wilson

The Temperament of the Disney Character

The article, How to Read Donald Duck, focuses on the cartoon characters of the Disney comic strips. It delves into their relationships or lack thereof. Although there is an absense of the father figure, there still exists an authorative role to take it's place. Such is the case with Scrooge and his nephews. Despite the many adventures the characters go through, there is no growing for them. Dorfman explains that because none of the characters were born, they have no past and no future, and are therefore will continue living at precisely the same age for as long as they are drawn.

While the male roles usually fall under authorative (such as Uncle Scrooge) or weak (such as Donald Duck) figures, the female roles are fairly consistant. They are portrayed as temptresses. Though this may seem a strong word, it is used because they maintain control over the guys who seek them (such as Donald and Daisy) by never being full committed to them. In the Disney comic world, just like age, relationship status is at a freezepoint. So Donald continues to try to court her and give her gifts and fend off other love interests Daisy might spot.

One of the significant questions the author is posing for his reader to consider, is what kind of effect seeing characters like this has on the young impressionable minds who witness them. Disney's male characters are either demanding or dim. Their female counterparts' power lies in the role of temptress, and likewise demanding, often displaying bouts of vanity and jealousy. Are these traits that we want to see embedded in our children? As far as examples go, Disney is an exemplary model of what kids today watch and use for entertainment. Perhaps the fact that it is aimed at them is what we should be concerned about.

Disney "sabliminal" Messages and Anti U.S Cartoon Propaganda

The first thing that came to mind when I read How to Read Donald Duck was the accusation of Disney's subliminal messages. Disney is accused of putting subliminal messages in its films. Here a link to some of their claims....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FMJoiu_bOYg

... But besides it's dumb supposed messages. I think Disney is not the only one to blame of

giving children hidden messages through cartoons or comics.

This is North Korea's anti American propaganda animation

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FMJoiu_bOYg

Women and children in Disney cartoons

In the article "I Uncle, Buy Me A Contraceptive..." from How to Read Donald Duck: Imperialist Ideology in the Disney Comic , the authors discuss how women and children are portrayed in Disney cartoons and comics. Most of them are subordinate and fail to challenge the authority of men. Female characters like Daisy and Minnie are seductresses which is really their only power. In the duck clan, a biological father is missing but the patriarchy continues with the uncle in authority.

This image is from http://contexts.org/socimages/2009/10/25/disney-princesses-deconstructed/ which shows the "evolution" of Disney princesses.

How to read Donald Duck

The Donald Duck article is about how Disney created a work where its ideology is not hidden but embraced. Each world is a concept and, due to the approach it takes in its presentation, (through entertainment avenues (comics, movies, etc)) it comes off as children's entertainment to one who does not analyze it.

The authors' provide the example that the characters have no fathers or sons; only uncles and cousins. They say that with no chance for procreation (having only uncles as the heads bypasses the question of sexuality) for anyone, "reality is unchanging."

Disney, over the years, seems to have embraced this formula to the point of parody as this clip from the Onion News Network shows.

- Alan Lira

Media Imperialism

Dorfman and Mattleart's article on "How To Read Donald Duck" Discusses how disney uses its characters to influence Chile's citizens into believing the ideology supported and perpetuated by its government. It highlights the focus on children and how they are targeted by Disney comics. The article makes the case that the comics have imperialist ideology encoded in them. This article specificly analyzes Disney but the media as a whole supports imperialism; not just in the United States as some may believe but all over the world. The clip that I have chosen demonstrates the power the media has in spreading particular ideologies and gives a a broad overview of the seriousness of media imperialism and media bias.

Response: How To Read Donald Duck

In recent years, Disney has been scrutinized and has been portrayed as a corporation that uses their characters to imply negative ideas. The picture you can see above is a picture of "Donald Duck's girlfriend, Daisy". The reading titled, How to read Donald Duck: Imperialist Ideology in the Disney Comic, suggests that one of the many negative ideas Disney portrays by using a female cartoon character is that the female character is surbordinate to the male character. The female character usually is viewed as just a sexual being which does not have a chance to change roles in the "dominator-dominated" relationship. You can see above that the pose of "Donald Duck's girlfriend, Daisy" is a sexual one, portrayed seductively and always so fruitless. One good example of the female not being able to change roles can be seen in Disney's Snow White. Although there is a evil witch character in the movie, her role as a female is to cook up a brew that will catch the male.

- Janeane Delgado

family guy and disney

Disney is suspected of being "a fascist, a communist, a racist and an antisemite." No religion is mentioned in Disney because it is "Paradise Lost". Family Guy makes fun of these accusations about Disney in this clip. Everything thing is perfect in the scene until a jew comes in.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dkH0e03sKVk

Disney 1971

I found that Dorfman's article was limited to comics, and thought of comparing it to to Disney films. Most recent Disney films are based on family but when I researched around the time this book came out, I found similar aspects from the article in the movie Bedknobs and Broomsticks. There are 3 children that are on a mystical adventure with Miss Price (an apprentice witch) who is there new motherly figure and Mr. Browne. Miss Price and Mr. Browne are not the children's real parents and that gives them the leeway to make their mistakes acceptable.

The article talk about how nature and animals make it more relative to children, and I found this scene to be a good example because it places real humans in a cartoon jungle of world and the way the animals act is over the top and dramatic like that of a child.

Reading Dorfman's article, I could not help to think of how characters are made to not grow up. To be immortal and stay young. I thought of the song by Bob Dylan "Forever Young" ALso

Also, how Disney establishes "connections" with its characters and kinds, but also grown-ups continue to follow Disney maybe some as much or more than children. I found this blog of a man who is obsessed. This is part of why Disney has so much money.

http://disneyobsession.blogspot.com/

Johnson Article

Hello all,

I've been told that the Steven Johnson's article has been left out of the coursepack...rather than having you all try and find it independently or having me spend all the time to scan it in, please just read this article by the same author which discusses the very same topic and seems to be just a condensation of his book...

http://www.nytimes.com/2005/04/24/magazine/24TV.html?_r=1

Fandom

If actions speak louder then words then look no further for a   medias success known as fans. The vibe people create with a simple common interest makes any art worth while. Fans are a secondary motivator for the creator when talking about media. The reason many individuals put their work out there is to be seen. To get a reaction from the spectator. basically It comes down to either one likes the work or they don't. fandom alters from person to person. If I like Ice cream then I'm a fan of ice cream. I may not be an extreme fan, but never the less I am a fan. Many of the times I think people picture extreme irrational individuals who act out of reasoing because they like to associate themselves to a liking of something. I don't believe that at all. A fan of any subject is likely to feed their "super" "id" "ego" reguardless of what they are pretending to be like. If Star wars was never created I believe many of the people who do cos play and other fans of that nature would find themselves playing the same tune to another song.

On a liter note this video is a compilation of peoples work who are fans of films . It shows again that common interest can push art forms in a interesting direction. These edits are better then most proffesional montages.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=19Vt7_foHNU

Fandom

In class yesterday, we spoke about Fandom and how some people become so involved with a show that it can consume their life. Star Trek was brought up as the prime example of having fans who arguably take being a fan of the show to an extreme. When I was looking at news stories this morning, I came across one that reminded me of yesterday's discussion.

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,575667,00.html

This man, who says, he isn't really a huge Star Trek fan, spoke only Klingon to his son for the first 3 years of the kids life. It is extremely bizarre to me that someone would be into a show that much that they'd think it'd be a fun experiment to have their child's first language be a made up language from a tv show. Maybe the bigger shock is that someone actually had a kid with him.

-Monica Barrios

Film Censorship

It has been an issue before and still sometimes remains and issue. Before films used to be simply censored and not shown. People would pay fines for showings films. In the 60's the MPAA, the ratings board was created. But who are the people that decide what rating to give our films and what gives them the right? Are they really doing what is best or making things worst? Having ratings can damage the reputation of films or studios. But then again it can cause curiosity. Here is a film called "This film is not yet rated". I am sure many of you have seen it but it discusses who does our censorship? why is it such a mystery?

Here is a link to the trailer of this film that will for sure never be approved by the ratings system.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UTL3XMDwY0c

Media Effects

In the article by Theresa Cronin, she makes an argument stating that through being bombarded with images of sex and violence in film, that it is not surprising that people will try and make a correlation between violence in film and violence at home. Thus the reason for such things as censorship. If the viewer is not exposed to such atrocities therefore they will not commit such acts against others. She explains that the viewer is seen as easily influenced and helpless so such censorship is believed to be needed to help protect them. In the end, no proof has actually been found, instead all people have is their assumptions that the two are related.

The Age of Show Business

In this article, Neil Postman describes how everything on television is only given to us as a form of entertainment. Even on such shows where the viewer believes to be as educational, the information is still edited in a form to make it engaging and serve the purpose to entertain even while it teaches us. Television has become the guide that the viewer turns to to gain important information. No longer is it needed to buy a newspaper to learn of the daily news, one simply turns on the television and allows the information to begin to feed. This is due to the convenience of having a television in ones house. Since television is used frequently to gain information in an entertaining way, it enables the viewer to tune out and just not think.

The Age of No Business But Show Business

Neil Postman's article, "The Age of Show Business" questions what a television is and what it is used for. It can be used as "a lamp, a surface for texts, a bookcase, even as a radio" however it is not. Because television is a technology and all technologies have the bias of being made to be used in a particular way, television has become something independent from uses outside watching it.

Sure, there may be entertainment on the television, but it is also used to address serious topics, political topics. Being that nearly every household in has at minimum, one television set it would indeed be the most successful way of spreading news and ideas. And so it is, however it all still comes back to 'entertainment.' Postman writes, "our television set keeps us in constant communication with the world, but it does so with a face whose smiling countenance is unalterable."

What is aired on television are moving images that are designed to be aesthetically-appealing to keep us watching and wanting to come back for more after we turn it off. Even news reports are more than just delivered stories. This is where the problem lies. The problem is that everything presented on television is done in such a way as to make it entertaining. And it's spread through every aspect of life, from food to religion. Neil Postman expands on the subject, "our priests and presidents, our surgeons and lawyers, our educators and newscasters need worry less about satisfying the demands of their discipline than the demands of good showmanship."

The medium is the message

In his article, The medium is the message, author Marshall McLuhan, explains the light as a medium that is treated unfairly.

The electric light escapes attention as a communication medium just because it has no "content." And this makes it a valuable instance of how people fail to study media at all. For was not till the electric light is used to spell out some brand name that it is noticed as a medium. Then it is not the light but the "content" that is noticed. The message of the electric light is like the message of electric power in industry, totally radical, pervasive, and decentralized. For electric light and power are separate forms from their uses, yet they eliminate time and space factors in human association exactly as do radio, telegraph, telephone, and TV, creating involvement in depth.

Actual Media Effects vs. Assumed Media Effects

Imagine making a film only to be told that your film does not meet required standards in order to be released in a certain country. Those requirements include not having specific elements such as extreme violence and portrayals of sex, or more importantly any kind of link between them.

Media such as film has always portrayed violence, as it is far from anything new, and so similarly stands people's rising and falling concern over said media. Or more specifically, how this media, will and does effect those who view it.

So institutions such as the British Board of Film Censors and the National Board of Censorship appear to help regulate the media that could negatively impact people. The problem though is that new technologies have made even blocked media, accessible. The internet alone provides an instant window to nearly anything that pops into the computer operator's head.

Examples appear all over the place of murder, rape, and other acts of violence that most people would like to believe people aren't capable of, such as the Columbine shootings. The fact that people are impressionable is enough to make people question whether it's a good idea to have depictions of harmful violence.

In reality, whenever there is a fatal tragedy, people look for who to blame. If they can simply figure out the guilty party, they can be separated from the crowd so as to no longer cause harm on the public, and punished. It makes people feel better. While this would seem to make sense, people are not focusing on what else these acts teach us, that perhaps we are too quick to blame, and that in itself should be what we ask ourselves about. Or as Graham Murdock puts it, "the moral panics sparked by such tragic and newsworthy events tell us less about the motives or chain of events that might have led to such a tragedy than they do about the 'latent social fears and concerns of the culture in which they occur."

The link between media and real life violence cannot be proven. Research has shown that the subject centers less on the actual effects of media and more on the assumptions of the effects of media. It circles back to the question, does art mirror real life, or does real life mirror art?

The Age of Show Business

In the article "The Age of Show Business", by Neil Postman, the author writes about television as a medium that is aimed only for emotional gratification. The act of thinking is rarely shown because it is boring and therefore bad for business. Even news shows that show daily clips of tragic events want us to tune in on a daily basis because even that type of show is not to be taken seriously due to its attractive news anchors, exciting music and eye-catching commercials. No matter what we see on TV, it is all one big act which stops at nothing to keep us wanting more.

Here is a funny clip of Ron Burgundy (from Anchorman) trying to make his report a little more interesting as he auditions for a job on ESPN.

Amusing Ourselves to Death "The Age of Show Business"

P.86 "Moreover, televison offers viewers a variety of subject matter, requires minimal skills to comprehend it, and is largely aimed at emotional gratification"
Good Day L.A. is a good example of Postman's opinion of television. They give the news, but they serve as entertainment. Julian Barberie, Dorothy Lucey, and Steve Edwards can get serious, but can also take a break from giving the news. Television is amusing and is there for our pleasure(p. 87) .

"The Age of Show Business"

In "The Age of Show Business" from Neil Postman's book Amusing Ourselves to Death, he argues about how risky it is to assume television is merely a natural extension to the printed word. He says it is similar to assuming the electric flashlight is an extension to the candle. Television is its own medium, which uses images as its mode of transmission. The problem comes when something complex, such as a political issue, is being presented. It must take on a form of entertainment to be interesting to the viewer or it will be ignored.

The Newsroom is worse. News has been touched up to seem striking in its presentation. This clip from The Onion News Network illustrates this point. Because news networks need ratings, they need to grab your attention. I have seen reports similar to this one done by networks. This is an extreme example, which makes it hilarious, but at the same time creepy because in this world it seems plausible. - Alan Lira

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jTvzlkiz6ZY

Desperate Citizens and Good Samaritans

I have never been a fan of reality TV and after reading the article "Desperate Citizens and Good Samaritans" by John McMurria, I hate reality TV more than ever! The article discusses how a show such as "Extreme Makeover" is nothing more than product placement and brand imaging for large corporations. However, this is not an entirely new concept. In the 1950's, CBS ran a TV show called "Queen for a Day". The premise of the show was for 4 contestents to tell how bad their lives are and the audience would choose who to give the sponsors merchandise to. Sounds familiar? Most modern day Good Samaritan reality TV shows follow this same format. Below is a clip of the show "Queen for a Day".

http://http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ggV8Uwhnmq8

The Age of Brain Disorders

Regarding the article "The Age of Show Business," we see that sometimes television does more harm than we are led to believe. Though I believe television does provide some proper educational programming, some shows should not be aired at all. This article describes the psychological harm television media programs cause to our younger generation.

http://archpsyc.ama-assn.org/cgi/content/short/66/2/181

Graphic content is always shown in some spanish news television like Primer Impacto. I wonder if the FCC has guidelines for these shows. It seems that nobody complains about the constant dead people and corpse shots.

The article talks about the media's flashy interpretation of the "news." For the most part we see that much importance is placed in the network's flashy graphics rather than the message they're actually trying to tell. The argument that non-commercial media claims is that real news are non-existent in commercial media.

Marshall McLuhan- Media Hot and Cold

Marshall McLuhan- Media Hot and Cold

This article named "Media Hot and Cold" by Marshall McLuhan, is based on "hot media" and "cool media". "Hot media" is a media with low participation. "Cool media" is a media that is more interactive. Examples of "hot media" are books (pictured above) and lectures given by professors, both having low participation levels. Examples of cool media are television, class seminars, and internet, all having more available interaction for the mass.

- Janeane Delgado 220774981

paper two topics

Here are some ideas for your second paper:

Paper Two Topics:

1. Cultural Studies researchers have historically been keenly interested in the attitudes and behaviors of of subcultures, groups that have in some sense been marginalized by mass culture and developed creatively reading practices and communal meanings to address this marginalization. Consider the case of one such contemporary subculture and argue how their "native" culture broadly adds to theories of both hegemony and polysemy. Be sure to use specific examples of specific practices / interpretations / etc and how they contribute to your larger argument. Do not use anecdotal evidence, but draw on print or media examples of the examined subculture. Draw on classic examples Cultural Studies research as outlined in Fiske as models.

2. John Fiske discusses the important of gossip for the social meaning of television, that is the way television is "used" in everyday life. Examine and consider another use of film / television / media and consider how the example's larger impact on Cultural Studies theory and methodology as outlined in class. Do not use anecdotal evidence, but draw on print or media examples of the examined practice.

3. Examine and discuss the activities of any contemporary media fandom active on the Internet. Use what you have learned from this example to make an nuanced argument regarding how and to what extent new media alters the relationships of consumers / producers and the changing nature of active / inactive viewing practices. Be sure to address the theoretical claims made by Jenkins and Andrejevic as well as at least one outside source.

4. Political Economy thinkers argue that the potential of any given media system is restrained by a the larger political regime that sets policy, regulation as well as the entire economic system. This leads these thinkers to often attack the structure surrounding these media systems and to expose how these structures influence and limit what is produced. Consider how such a Political Economic stance can be used to discuss contemporary debates over either net neutrality or minority representations in contemporary media.

5. Consider a prominent example of media censorship of the last several years. Examine and argue what prompted the example, what bodies of knowledge were explicitly or implicitly being used as justification, and, ultimately, whose interests were being served in the act of censorship. Draw on the Cronin reading to use your example to make a larger theoretical point about the nature of contemporary censorship; specifically, does it lend credence or does it complicate Cronin's model of the "subjectification" of censorship and in what specific ways.

6. Marshal McLuhan has been described as a theoretical father of from everything from new media, to the Internet to the cyborg. Consider and argue how exactly how two or three of McLuhan's ideas about the media have come to pass, or have failed to come to pass in the contemporary media environment. Be specific with your examples. Avoid arguing either that McLuhan was either right or wrong in his predictions, but focus instead on how either this rightness or wrongness can be used in how one should go about doing media studies and how McLuhan can be specifically used to discuss at least one contemporary media text or phenomena.

7. Steven Johnson makes the startling claim that more media is good for you. Using this author as a model make a similar argument about any contemporary media text / phenomena. Be careful in your argumentation. You must, like Johnson, ground your observations in some larger legitimizing discourse be it cognitive theory, education theory, media theory (including other theorists discussed in class), or any other school of thought that I've left out.

8. Consider the example of any media text or genre adapted across cultures / nations and argue how this case specifically contributes to the larger theories of cultural imperialism / globalization.

Also I am willing to entertain any student-generated paper topics provided that they are cleared with me well in advance of the due date of the paper.

The paper is due on the final day of class. The length expectation is 6-8 pages. Please use academic citation style. Other expectations are same as outlined for previous paper -- we can discuss more in class if necessary.

Early Film Regulation and Censorship

During the early 1920's to late 1930's, the film era underwent trough a series of censorship issues. The Hays Code was the major censorship regulator during the early 1930's. However, there were some films that manage to depict certain scenes that might have slipped trough the censors. Though the code is no longer existent, this scene from "Clean As a Whistle" (1930) shows something that might have been deemed explicit for its time.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aezgQNxVHbY

Here are clips from other films that contained considerably strong forms of sexuality at the time.

"The Problem with Journalism"- Project Censored

This is a great clip about how media works and who decides what we get to see and when. There is a plethora of stories that get sent to all media outlets and that are known to them but what actually gets to be called "news" is an entire process that is determined by a few. Many people believe that they are getting the whole story when they see something reported and many times that is not the case. The stories that are told are very carefully packaged and presented in a way that is pleasing to those who are in power.

Lorraine S. Howerton

Media Effects - A Clockwork Orange

In her article, Theresa Cronin states, "concern about the suitability of
certain media forms has increasingly become less a question of the text's
intrinsic qualities of indecency and/or offensiveness and more a question
of the text's assumed effect upon the spectator."

An interesting case study is Stanley Kubrick's film A Clockwork Orange.
After its release, the film was blamed for being a motivating factor in a
few crimes committed by young males. In particular, a 16 year old from
Buckinghamshire, England was said to have the film in mind during the
fatal beating of an elderly homeless man. According to the London Times,
the defense attorney stated, "The link between this crime and sensational
literature, particularly A Clockwork Orange, is established beyond any
reasonable doubt."

Jose Guerrero

Desperate Citizens and Good Samaritans

I use to watch Extreme Makeover years ago but I stopped for different reasons. When I watched it, I wondered what type of family they picked for the new episode, what tragedy or illness are they facing. The idea of helping families in need is no doubt important but as the article states, it is more important to educate audiences in the important issues people deal with everyday and why there even needs to be a show doing these acts and not the government, for example. The shows, like many others, leave out information that can be negative to the credibility of the show.
What stuck with me from the article is the last part, "In reality, the crises in health care, housing, and living-wage jobs demonstrate that desperate citizens need more corporate need than corporate Good Samaritans- shouldn't reality TV reflect this?" There are organizations and people out there who do this type of work everyday that should be recognized for their hard work without the dependency of corporate businesses who want brownie points with the viewers.
Here's a parody from MADtv on the show, it covers much of what the article presents.

Taste

Economic Capital vs. Cultural Capital

A film that illustrates an example of tastes that differentiate the working class and the bourgeois is James Cameron’s 1997 Titanic (of which I’m almost positive everyone in the class had seen). The scene during the 1st class dinner, where the character Jack (Leonardo DiCaprio) joins the 1st class passengers aboard the ship after rescuing Rose (Kate Winslet), potrays how class division is separated by fine-cuisine, classical music, and mannerisms. After this scene, Jack and Rose move down toward the third-class quarters where loud music plays, wild dancing, and what the rich would classify as ‘distasteful’.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U50hqJS2ock

Taste for thought

On the subject of Taste, I thought about a film I think does a great job contrasting the bourgeois from the common. The film is called Harold and Maude. Harold's character was born into wealth. Unlike his mother, Harold does not care about all the pecuniary emulated objects and mannerisms.
Society was dominated and still is by certain ideals and opinions the rich cast down unto everyday citizens. That's why this film is so great, because someone who was born into it (Harold) was not effected by the socially constructed way of life around him.

Wade Wilson

Convergence Culture

A topic discuss in the reading had to do with fandom and the way a product can develop from a film to television, etc. Of course how can I not bring up the topic of Vampires. It has become the latest thing, developing from a book, to a film, televisions series, and products. It has become a a huge money- maker for studios. Fans are always leaking videos, pictures, and information with each other over the internet. It has also been used in several gags by comedians. In some way the Vampire craze has the similar effect as Star Wars, except it has been empowered by young girls. The Twilight series being one of the films currently making lots of money, and starting off acting careers for many. Here is a clip of Conan O'Brien making of the franchise.. it's pretty funny!

Watching Television Without Pity

The way people interact with media today has changed drastically due to the availability and ease of the technology around them. The idea of the "Active" audience is due largely to the resources that everyday people have to make their ideas and feelings known. Fans now have the power to bring back shows that are canceled through online blogs , websites, and most importantly through DVD sales. Shows such as Futurama that have been off the air since 2003 are now given new life. The show has been pick up by Comedy Central for a new season.

http://www.comedycentral.com/press/press_releases/2009/061009_futurama_returns.jhtml

TWOP vs. Dead Poet's Society

They meet under the pretense of analyzing poetry, but soon showcase their own.  Are they there for their love of poetry or for camaraderie?  Hmmm the Dead Poet’s Society sure seems a lot like TWOP.  Although it’s much more romantic in the movie essentially it’s the same activity.

Watching Television Without Pity

This essay is about the active audience participation that is occurring on official show websites or sites that are created by fans. One example of this is the CBS show Jericho, which was cancelled after season one. It began with regular fansites but it was then realized that extreme action had to be taken for their voices to be heard. Fans sent huge cases of peanuts to CBS in Los Angeles until show execs answered back and saw just how loyal they were to the show. While Jericho ran for a second season, an official site was available online with forums and production updates as a way of keeping viewers informed. Jericho came back for a season two, but was then cancelled again.

http://www.metacafe.com/watch/707033/jericho_is_back/

Laura Santacruz

Watching TV Without Pity

Watching TV Without Pity is an article about the merging of two forms of audience participation and how the audience is no longer passive and is becoming active. Websites such as http://http://www.cbs.com/primetime/amazing_race/#start and http://http://abc.go.com/shows/greys-anatomy are examples.

There are also social networking sites that fall into the category of "active" audience particpation sites, such as MySpace and Facebook. Here are some examples:

http://http://www.facebook.com/search/?q=lost+tv+show&init=quick#/pages/LOST-The-TV-Show-/60462838504?ref=search&sid=1283482202.3409017073..1

Watching Television Without Pity: The Productivity of Online Fans

While reading this article, I kept thinking of all of the ways that society can now express themselves as individuals.  TWoP is a great way that viewers of television series can give feedback to producers, whether the feedback is to give insight to the producers of the show on how they can make it better, or plainly be critical of the producer and the show.  Viewers can now have the opportunity to have their voices heard in online forums as these, and producers have the ability to monitor the viewers.  We can now "talk back" to the tube.

- Janeane Delgado

Watching Television Without Pity

While reading this, it reminded me of other tactics I've noticed that t.v. shows use in order to make a more interactive experience with it's audience.

The t.v. show LOST has tons of different ways to make the audience feel like an active role in the show. One tactic the show uses to engage with its audience is their Official LOST Podcast. The producers of the show talk about the latest episode and future episodes. They answer questions that fans send in. Also, they interview cast members and crew from the show who share behind-the-scenes information. It makes a viewer of the show feel like they are a part of the show and makes them feel like they know secrets no one else knows. It makes for a more connected experience while watching the show.
http://abc.go.com/shows/lost/podcasts

Facebook fan pages for t.v. shows also make for a more interactive experience between a show and it's audience. I am a fan of the t.v. show Curb Your Enthusiasm on Facebook and I enjoy the questions they post to create a fan based discussion. They will ask questions pertaining to a recent episode or do polls which lets the audience have a voice and be heard by other fans of the show. You get to read what other people post and it creates debate between fans which is fun.
http://www.facebook.com/home.php#/curbyourenthusiasm?v=wall&ref=ts

I used to work for a radio show that had a popular messageboard online in which fans would discuss the radio show daily. I can say that people who work on the show did read what people posted and took suggestions from the fans into consideration. They used the messageboard to see if new bits they implicated into the show worked or didn't work. They didn't always make changes based on what fans thought but lots of suggestions were considered.

-Monica Barrios

"Quentin Tarantino's Star Wars" - Henry Jenkins

In his article, Henry Jenkins writes about how the age of digital medial
tools has led to an emergence of "grassroots archiving, annotation,
appropriation, and recirculation of media content," using Star Wars based
fan movies as the prime example. The video below is an example of
people using the narrative world of the film The Matrix to comment on their
own personal experiences, with this specific example being about their
experience as PC users.

Jose Guerrero