Media Moment_ Powerball

So... as I'm walking to the F train on 63rd and Lexington after an arduous day of classes, a telephone booth that had this ad in it's glass display caught my eye. It's simple to the naked eye. It tells a story: a white woman, with two kids, won the lottery and went shopping for market goods. Her son is operating their plane which was bought by their winnings. They're "landed" in a parking lot and there's a line which states "Yeah, that kind of rich." I found the ad quite comical but somewhat sexist in a way. Primarily because the woman/mother is doing the grocery shopping and not a male figure. I'm not saying that a man should be doing grocery shopping instead of a woman but why can't he? There is clearly a man walking towards the supermarket but I think he could have been placed there just so the advertiser (New York Lottery Powerball) wouldn't be questioned as they are in my post. 

And so my question to you is: In a country where a man is looked upon as the figure who brings home the income and a lady's responsibilities are to take care of the home and children, does this ad fit or break that stereotype, which history has known to be the norm of society? Women today, in my opinion, are more prevalent in the workforce and hold great social power as do men, and so I find it somewhat offensive that here, a woman is only able to take care of kids, do grocery shopping, and handle heavy machinery (which can also be a misinterpretation being that her son looks to be the pilot of the helicopter!) 

Media Moment,"Tyler Perry: Friend or Foe?"

Tyler Perry: Friend or Foe?

Tyler Perry’s new film “Good Deeds” premieres in theaters this Friday.  Most of his films attract huge audiences which are characterized by his impersonation of a southern Christian woman named Madea.  I respect and admire his ideology but his work not so much.  Perry has been praised by the all mighty Oprah and has been featured in the Black List Volume 3 which lists the most influential African Americans.  For the sake of this post let’s ignore the implications of the black list. (For now) I watched many of his films including “For Colored Girls” which I found to be very condescending. I do think he’s movies are satirical, perpetuate stereotypes and does not promote our culture.  Is this what Black America wants to see?  What’s your take on Tyler Perry? Is he a friend or foe to the black community?

Discussion points for "The Social Psychology of Stereotypes"

My thoughts on the article "The Social Psychology of Stereotypes: Implications for Media Audiences":

Images and portrayals of groups in the mass media reinforce our automatic tendency to interpret information in a stereotypical way, even if we are not aware of it. Therefore the media only exacerbates the problem of prejudice and discrimination, making it harder to eliminate the problem entirely.

I do believe that the way we process new information is somewhat automatic, such as with stereotypes that have already been embedded in our minds. The media plays a big role in all of this, as we are subject to a 1,000-3,000 media images per day, as discussed in class. The media affects anyone no matter who you are; endorsers or non endorsers of stereotypes. It is how we work against them that can make a difference.

Question to the class: Have you ever found yourself drawing conclusions about a social group, even if you did not agree with the automatic stereotype? If yes, have you found it hard to work around the stereotype once they’ve been activated?

Media Moment, "Tweeting about Jeremy Lin"

Jeremy Lin of the NY Knicks

“ Jeremy Lin is a good player but all the hype is because he’s Asian. Black players do what he does every night and don’t get the same praise.”

It’s crazy how a single tweet can transform into a racial issue. This is what Floyd Mayweather, the undefeated U.S. boxer tweeted not even 24 hours ago and he’s getting serious backlash for it.

       Of course it will be news for Jeremy Lin, an American with Taiwanese roots, to be the talk of the town right now because that in and of it is different but it’s also about his skills on the court. Shucks, if I dropped 20 or so points every game, especially with Carmelo Anthony and Amare Stoudemire- Knicks star-players being out due to injuries, outscoring great players like Kobe Bryant and doing all this while coming from a low ranked college league (Harvard), my name would be all over the internet and sports shows too! Does LeBron not get praise for his swift moves and “money” shots? Or is Jordan not deemed as one of the greatest ball players of all time? Am I mistaken because I thought these players were African American as well?

How about Jason Whitlock’s (Fox Sports writer) tweet, “Some lucky lady in NYC is gonna feel a couple of inches of pain tonight,” clearly referring to J-Lin’s anatomy. Whitlock was eventually fired for his tweet but the fact still remains that stereotyping and relying on schema is still strong today as it’s ever been.

       We all know the schema about Asian males: extremely smart, nerdy, computer geniuses, short in height, into Pokemon and anime, small penis, strict family, owns a Chinese Restaurant and the list goes on. Its sad that J-Lin can’t quite get the respect he deserves because of his race.

My question to you guys is: Do you think, based off your own knowledge about race in the media and our readings, Jeremy Lin always have his race card played before his skills on the court? Why or why not? 

Media Moment, "A Tale of Desperation & Restraining Orders"

Helen Gurley Brown, an author and long-time editor of the women's magazine Cosmopoltian

An article, titled "A Tale of Desperation & Restraining Orders," appeared in the February 10th, 2012 edition of the New York Times, written by Ginia Bellafante for her Big City column at the paper.  Its subject is the current sex scandal involving the general manager of the New York Yankees, Brian Cashman, and a certain Ms. Neathway.   The sex scandal itself is not of any particular interest, considering that it is just the story of yet another public figure who has strayed from the marital bed only to have the affair become national news.  What makes this article different, and, what connects it specifically to our recent class discussions, is the way the author explicitly associates the desperation of Ms. Neathway to the unrealistic lifestyle emphasized in women's media such as Cosmopolitan.  Bellafante writes,


"This story, though, is ultimately less about the alleged philandering of a powerful married man and more about the desperation that can afflict a certain kind of woman who comes to New York with glamorous ambitions and fails spectacularly to meet them.... Ms. Neathway’s drama is conveniently unfolding on the 50th anniversary of the publication of “Sex and the Single Girl,” Helen Gurley Brown’s loopy summons to erotic liberation. Having inaugurated a giddy new culture of urban single life, the book assured women that, with the right steps, dazzling careers and wealthy men would all be theirs."

While Gurley Brown is surely a controversial and provocative figure, this statement and the insinuations it makes appears both bizarre and tenuous.  The woman involved in this scandal has a criminal record and 13 restraining orders against her - she is obviously an unstable character who has a number of ingrained psychological problems with harassment and relationship boundaries.  Although I am no fan of Gurley Brown, the magazine she led for decades, or her 'take' on what it means to be a successful woman in the modern age, I think that the parallel Bellafonte created between these subjects is unfair to both and somewhat arbitrary. 


My question to my classmates on this media is:
         Do you see some sort of viable cultural connection between the lifestyle glamorized by Helen Gurley Brown in her 1962 book, Sex and the Single Girl (which we read about for class, in "Inventing the Cosmo Girl," by Laurie Ouellette), or as editor of Cosmopolitan, and the behavior of Ms. Neathway or Mr. Cashman in this news story?

Discussion Points for "Inventing the Cosmo Girl: Class Identity and Girl-Style American Dreams."

- I wrote this as if I were writing a letter to Helen Gurley Brown, whom this article is written about. What are your thoughts?

Helen Gurley Brown's books

Dear Ms. Helen Gurley Brown,

            So let me get this straight, according to you, all I need to do is purchase a push-up bra, apply makeup and wear fine materials, smell delicious and I’ll get a great husband, a decent job and move up a few rungs on the economic ladder? Well by golly gee, where’s the nearest Saks?

It’s one thing to recommend how to’s and give tips on womanhood but to suggest a lifestyle and the means to get there is a bit preposterous Ms. Brown. Your writings don’t help us women acquire the “American Dream” any more than Maury Povich does with relationships.  Let’s get one thing clear, the “American Dream” is a dream in and of itself- being a homeowner with a spouse, two kids, one dog and a white picket fence won’t bring anyone true happiness and neither will any of your books or articles. Helping women become dependent gold-diggers rather than independent respectable females to potentially move up to the “high class” is not quite the best thing for women of any age to read. Using things to get men and men to get things mean nothing if you aren’t content with you being you in the most basic form. You’re basically creating a façade and being that your books are internationally distributed and articles are read nationally, so many women will heed to your advice and nine times out of ten fail miserably. No amount of makeup, behavioral and sexual suggestions or your how to weed out the “perfect” husband ideas will make a woman more womanly, sexual, give her the upper hand nor bring her class.

            What I can applaud you for Ms. Brown, is speaking and writing what you feel is truth especially on taboo topics like a woman’s sexuality, class roles, economics etc. Not many women could have done that in the 1960’s and many don’t have the galls to do it now. Kudos to your fearlessness. Now that is what women need more of.

 Thanks for your time,

Joanna- Marie B.

Lesbian kiss at Seattle ballpark stirs up gay-friendly town

"Most of the time, a kiss is just a kiss in the stands at Seattle Mariners games. The crowd hardly even pays attention when fans smooch. But then last week, a lesbian complained that an usher at Safeco Field asked her to stop kissing her date because it was making another fan uncomfortable!"

The usher said that a women had complained to him about their kissing with the excuse that there were kids in the crowd! I found this scene somewhat unecessary.

What's so different about two men kissing? Or a male and female kissing? Then that would'nt be considered shoving their sexuality in your face?

Here is the article:

http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=D9142SUG1