The Rise and Fall of the American Teenager (quotes)

1.      “She proved herself physically capable of bearing a child, but she had not mentally, emotionally, or morally mature enough to handle it. She had, in a word shown herself to be a teenager.”

The author is trying to teach us that by this teenager, giving birth and suffocating her baby by throwing him away in a plastic bag is not the decision an adult would make. Even though this young woman’s body was able to carry a baby to full term does not make her an adult. She proved this by making such an irrational and drastic decision by not telling anyone about her giving birth and then by murdering her baby.

2.      “Being a teenager is less and less what Erik Erikson proposed-a moratorium period in which in which to find your identity. Teenagers are losing their license for irresponsibility while, at the same time, they continue to be denied a role in their society, other than that of style setters and consumers.”

 I think what the author is trying to tell the readers is that Erik Erikson came up with a period in time called the moratorium period: however, because parents are becoming more and more over protective because of social media and society in general. Teenagers are losing their freedom and independence to go out and explore and learn who they want to become. The reason teenagers are losing their license for irresponsibility is because they are confused with how society wants them to act. For example, one minute society is saying that teenagers are allowed to be irresponsible; this is a time in which they are allowed to experiment and have fun. But then society turns around and becomes upset when a teen does do something irresponsible and society believes there should be repercussions for their action. Lastly, society and social media shuns teenagers and are stereotypical of them because people believe all teenagers do the same things spend money and cause trouble. Society does not want to see the good things teenagers have to offer and that is why they are denied a role in society.

3.      “We are more accustomed to thinking of contemporary teenagers as predators than as victims, but there are good reasons to worry about them. Far more of them are growing up in low-income households than was the case a few decades ago. They spend more time on their own, today’s young people are able to be with their parents ten to twelve fewer hours each week than was the case three decades ago.”  

I think that the author is saying that people because of social media, think just because teenagers who live in low-come households are bad because of the type of people and environment they live in. People also think that just because parents have to work more and the teenager is on their own more that they are bound to get into trouble, but most of the time that is not the cause. Teenagers who live in low-income households are usually more mature and help their parents out by watching younger siblings and taking care of chores and more grown up responsibilities.

                                                                                                                                              http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SXxlTJcUs6A 

Unlearning the Myths That Bind Us (Quotes)

1. “Children’s cartoons, movies and literature are perhaps the most influential genre “read.” Young people, unprotected by any intellectual armor, hear or watch these stories again and again, often from the warmth of their mother’ or father’s lap. The messages, or “secret education,” linked with the security of their homes, underscore the power these text.”

I think a lot of parents let their children watch these movies, cartoons, or read them literature is because parents feel it’s ok because their children are too young to understand, why Disney movies, cartoons haven’t shown a lot of ethnicity past.  Parents are letting their children be subjected to these different movies, cartoons, and books. Another reason parents think it is okay for their children to be entertained by this material is because parental figures feel that they can shelter their children from the messages and secret education that are being presented in the movies, cartoons, and literature by feeling they don’t have to explain the material that is being presented.

2 . "Many students don’t want to believe that they have been manipulated by children’s media or advertising. No one wants to admit that they’ve been “handled” by the media has no power over them-as they sit with Fubu, Nike, Timberlands or whatever the latest fashion rage might be.”

I think that this quote is saying that by watching television and reading magazines we all are influenced by media, whether  we realize it or not. While we are watching television commercials or reading advertisements, we see things that we really like. Then we go to Target or the mall and purchase the products, movies, or clothing and therefore media has secretly influenced us into buying these items.

3.  “Early in the unit, I show a Popeye cartoon, “Ali Baba and the 40 Thieves,” that all Arabs with the same face, same turban, same body—and they are all thieves swinging enormous swords. At one point in the cartoon, Popeye clips a dog collar on helpless Olive Oyl and drags her through the desert. Later, the 40 thieves come riding through town stealing everything-food, an old man’s teeth, numbers off a clock-even the stripe off a barber pole.”

This Popeye cartoon “Ali Baba and the 40 Thieves” that the teacher shows her students demonstrates that Arabs are all the same and they show no individualism or sense of identity because they are all wearing the same clothing and have the same body type. By the cartoon having the Arabs play thieves and swinging large swords, it gives children the wrong impression of Arabs. The cartoon’s demonstration makes the children think that all Arabs are all bad people and that is how discrimination is started.  Another thing in the cartoon that is disturbing is when Popeye clips a dog collar on Olive Oyl’s neck and drags her through the desert. By letting children watch this cartoon it teaches boys that it is okay to treat woman with disrespect and violence because of what they see Popeye doing to Olive Oyl. Lastly, by children seeing the 40 thieves stealing food and other things, it gives children the impression that people from the Arabic culture are thieves.

                    Websites
http://sundial.csun.edu/2006/12/thenegativeeffectsofdisneyonchildren/

Quotes from Media and Ideology by Croteau

1.         “For those engaged in the promotion of particular ideas, including such diverse groups as politicians, corporate actors, citizen activists, and religious groups, media are among the primary contemporary battlegrounds.”

I think why the author is saying that type of groups named above are Primary contemporary battlegrounds is because these diverse groups are the most popular for the media too attack. For example, the media had a field day when priests of the Catholic Church were caught sexually assaulting little boys, which caused a bad reputation for the Catholic society. One case that I found on Abc news website states that “Former priest Robert Van Handel's 27-page sexual history, which he wrote for a psychologist between 1993 and 1994, details his history of abuse and fantasies of abusing boys age 8 to 11. The document was released as part of a settlement between the Franciscan order of priests and 25 abuse victims.  Because of the media’s embellishment of Catholic priests many people think priests are sexual predators. 

http://abcnews.go.com/US/confessions-pedophile-priest-released/story?id=16474982

    

  2.   “Instead of assessing the images and making some judgment about levels of realness, ideological analysis asks what these messages tell us about ourselves and our society.” One example of Ideological Analysis is the disagreement of the Sandy Hook story being false. Some people who think the Sandy Hook story is real would get their sources from news broadcasts and websites such as Abc News. On the other hand, the people who think this story is fake would most likely get their sources from YouTube. An Ideological Analysis looks at where both of the sources come from without being judgmental.

3. “This articulation is accomplished, in large part, by the fact that popular media, particularly television and mass advertising have a tendency to display a remarkably narrow range of behaviors and lifestyles.

 I believe that Mass media is very narrow with the choices of behavioral lifestyles because the networks chose to introduce to the public, such as the nuclear family.  Instead of networks, broadcasting shows that are about an everyday normal family, the networks choose to show television shows that are not the norm, such as TLC’s Sister Wives. Sister Wives is about a polygamist family, which consists of four wives, the husband Cody and their 17 kids.

          WEBSITES

 1.http://www.slideshare.net/RbkAsr/media-and-ideology-9660682 ( I hope you all enjoy this slide show it basically gives us all the information we are leaning in class.)

2.http://tlc.howstuffworks.com/tv/sister-wives

3.http://abcnews.go.com/US/confessions-pedophile-priest-released/story?id=16474982

http://www.slideshare.net/RbkAsr/media-and-ideology-9660682

My Introduction

  Hi my name is Melissa I have been at Rhode Island, I am a Senior and I am in the Gender Studies program!  I have lived on campus for four years right now and I live in New Hall. I look forward to having a great semester working with everyone and just having a good time with all of you and Dr. Bogard and Chris!!!