- videos
- newspapers - music /music videos |
/ Multimedia Production
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Popular Culture
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2nd production |
3rd production
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In class last week, we watched the video of Slavoj Žižek. Žižek is a political philosopher and cultural critic. We watched his video using his example of ‘glasses’ to reveal the truth of the world. These glasses showed the individual the ‘real world’. Anybody not wearing the glasses is seen as a zombie creature who is blind to their reality which is in essence baseless. Žižek is known for writing about “False Consciousness” which is the idea that according to Marxist definition, ideologies are false realities of the world. Žižek is also known for being anti ideology and being cynical toward all ideology (Matthew Sharpe). For the readings this week, we read Alvermann’s article, which states that it has become clear that at the beginning of the 21st century, the connection between studies in popular culture and literacy research became more apparent (Alvermann, 7). Many debates have risen from the study of popular culture. One of those debates is “whether or not young people’s participation in reading, viewing, listening to, and creating popular culture texts (especially digital texts) is an educational experience that has potential for transfer from informal to formal learning environments (Alvermann 9).” As well, Alvermann focussed her article stating that the future of education will have to start implementing non traditional modes of literacy to further engage students (Alvermann 30). The final reading for this week: “Cultural Theory and Popular Culture” by John Storey, talks about the relationship between cultural theory and popular culture. Before one can study popular culture, one needs to define the term which is one of the hardest words to define in the dictionary. Popular culture can be defined as “well liked by many people” (Storey 5). It can also be defined as the “culture that is left over after we decide what is high culture” (Storey 5). In other words, popular culture is the inferior culture according to Storey and other pop culture writers/theorists. As a teacher candidate, I must say that although there are many questions about what popular culture is and questions regarding its place in education, I believe that using media, video games, music, videos and non traditional forms of literacy in the classroom is key in the 21st century. Today more than ever are we seeing that young people are sharing their own information to each other online rather than any other form of communication. The future of education is leaning towards using literacy practices found in popular culture and implementing them into the classroom setting to help engage students. “Young children growing up today are likely to experience a world that is increasingly less dominated by linguistically bound texts” (Alvermann 30). |
After watching Reel Injun and doing the readings for this week, it is evident that within popular culture, there are many misrepresentations of certain subgroups or minority groups which can be quite harmful. In Reel Injun, it is quite apparent that throughout the history of Hollywood, the image of the “Indian” has evolved. In the early Hollywood days, First Nations peoples were represented as “savages” who were in the way of the settlers’ plan. Eventually, Hollywood allowed First Nations to represent themselves which gave viewers’ a whole new perspective. In the 70’s, First Nations were viewed as people to look up to. White people that participated in ‘counterculture’ looked at the Hollywood representation of First Nations people as a way to learn how to dress and also connect with nature. Stagecoach, one of the most well-known Western films, has had lasting negative effects on how Native people are represented. In that film, they are seen as “blood thirsty savages” Although this film was seen as a Hollywood success, it has had lasting negative affects on the Native community at large. Pocahontas as well has a false representation of Native women. These films are essentially robbing the identity of First Nations people and these false representations in Hollywood are erasing their true identities. The readings by Stack and Kelly also speak of the problem of misrepresentation in popular culture. Political Philosopher Nancy Fraser (1997) discusses that in our “stratified society, multiple publics exist, albeit with unequally valued cultural styles and unequal access to the material means of disseminating their ideas. Members of subordinate social groups such as women, workers, people of color, gay and lesbians, have repeatedly found it advantageous to constitute ‘alternative publics’ (10)”. From here we can see that subordinate groups feel the need to make their own content in order to feel like their voices are heard. “Marginalized groups invent and circulate oppositional representations of thei needs and interests, in strategic resistance to the power of dominant groups and institutions whose ideologies are accepted as common sense in wider public spheres. (10)” A form of resistance is by creating their own content where they would feel like they are being represented as they would like to be represented. The biggest question most people have is whether or not subordinate groups have a collective identity. For example, I am Jewish. However, I know that within Judaism there are many sects. If I were to make content from my own view point of my cultural/religious identity, there may not ever be a collective agreement on that representation. So moving forward, how do we ensure that minority groups get represented in a positive/realistic way without harming their identity to the rest of the world? I would say that more input of minority groups should be investigated and listened to. By hearing multiple perspectives, media producers can get a better idea of these minority groups before sending them out for the world to watch and judge. People who watch TV and movies should also do their own research and not take everything they see for face value. People should take the responsibility to learn more about minority groups in order to value what each group has to offer and coexist. |
“The Three Little Pigs” is a traditional story told to kids usually in Kindergarten. Everybody knows the story and it is always told in the same order. "The Three Pigs" is a different version of the story which is extremely creative as it changes and challenges the original story creating an element of surprise. In this version, the pigs were able to escape their horrific death by outsmarting the big bad wolf. This version of the story not only challenges "The Three Pigs" story, but it also challenges what a story needs to consist of. Here, the characters were able to escape the story through the pages of the book and enter other well-known fairy tales. It remixed the stories and created an entire new one.
This supports critical literacy because it challenges authority and it rewrites what is traditionally known. “Critical literacy is a reading and re-writing of the world” (Morrell 241). As we can see, this version also allows students to reimagine what a story is and allows students to be free to express. This version supports critical literacy because it allows for students to assess text rather than just simply read text (Morrell 241). For me, this story is very reminiscent of the “remix” style used by artists is music, art and video-production. This story has stitched together various elements from many stories to create one seamless story. “The Three Pigs” is a new way in which students can approach stories and writing in general. This entire story falls under the category of re-appropriation which is very commonly used in popular culture. In my future classroom, I would really like to explore this idea further. I would definitely have my students be creative in creating a new way of telling traditional stories by incorporating various well-known stories together. I believe this literacy practice will expand the mind and allow students to go beyond what they traditionally know by challenging what stories are known to be. I believe this will engage students further as it asks students to think outside the box. 6th ProductionIn 2015, Barbie came out with a Career Barbie collection where Barbie is wearing clothing associated with different careers. Although many people believed that this was a step in the right direction, I believe that this career oriented Barbie still enforce gender stereotypes. For example, although Barbie in one of the Barbies in this collection is set to be a doctor, her body is still sexualized by emphasizing a tight thin body wearing tight jeans. As well, the Dentist Barbie is dressed in a mini dress. Playing with sexualized and extremely thin dolls still make girls think more about their appearance rather than the careers they are dressed to be in.
As well, in the commercial for the Career Barbies, they used the slogan "Imagine the Possibilities." This commercial displayed little girls in different career settings as though they were adults. At the end of the commercial, the viewer is then shown that these settings were simply in their imagination as they were playing with their dolls. The slogan “Imagine the Possibilities” can allude to the fact that perhaps girls can only imagine being in these careers by playing with dolls rather than actualize their potential as they grow up. In “Damsel in Discourse” by Karen E. Wohlwend, she states that the companies are able to blur the lines between play and reality (Wohlwend, 2009) which is exactly what I believe the creators of the Career Barbies had in mind when they created this series of dolls. Wohlwend also argues that it is harder for children to dream or imagine because toys essentially tell you how to be. Although the Career Barbies have good intentions in what they are trying to change about their product, they still did not consider the limitations of these dolls. Essentially the message a child may take form this product is; ‘yes, I can be a career oriented woman when I grow up but I still have to wear tight skirts and be modelesque’. The message these Barbies are sending are arguably worse than those of the princess genre because at least the girls know that the princesses are fictional. Wohlwend writes that when girls played with Disney princess dolls … they “rewrote plots they knew by heart and subtly altered character roles to take up more empowered identity positions in child-ruled spaces (Wohlwend, p 54, 2009)”. The Career Barbies, however, may limit their imagination and confine them to certain career roles when there are thousands of careers to choose from. Overall, I believe that the Career Barbies are still enforcing gender roles and stereotypes by dressing them in “over-sexualized” clothing which emphasizes the stereotype that women have to be ‘beautified’ with unrealistic standards of beauty. As well, the Barbies themselves pose a limitation to girls by only giving these Barbies a limited amount of career options. The commercial for the Barbie series’ slogan “Imagine the Possibilities” poses an issue because it can allude to the fact that girls can only imagine a career. Although this was an attempt to bringing more equality for girls, unfortunately, it could have made gender stereotypes more apparent. |
Critical Analysis Since the beginning of television, gender identities have been explored and altered throughout the decades. According to Stack and Kelly, "children and youth spend more time with media than any other institution, including school (Stack and Kelly, p.5)". Media is surpassing the formal pedagogies of schooling which are more influential in shaping citizens (Stack and Kelly, p.5). With this knowledge, more educators should critique media and popular culture and analyze how this is affecting society at large. The following paper will analyze The Simpsons (1989-) and critique its significance in society in its portrayal of male identity.
The Simpsons (1989 - ), is an American sitcom known for its satirical depiction of a working class family in the fictional town of Springfield. The show particularly makes parodies of American culture and society. For the purpose of this critical analysis, this paper will focus on the gender depiction of the father figure, Homer Simpson. Prior to the 1980’s men in TV shows (such as: Leave it to Beaver (1957-63)) were primarily portrayed as the breadwinners and the patriarchs of the family. The late 80’s has changed this portrayal by portraying fathers as lazy and incompetent as seen in The Simpsons (1989-) In the book known as “Media and Male Identity: The Making and Remaking of Men”, Macnamara writes about The Simpsons. He wrote that Homer, is unwilling to work, irresponsible and often stupid. Macnamara argues that: “by the 1990’s, misandry had become pervasive on American television (Nathanson and Young, 2001, p 10) (Macnamara, 2014, p. 82)”. So what does this mean in the greater society? In Psychology Today, Ray Williams wrote an article about the male identity crisis and the decline of fatherhood. He wrote about the staggering statistics of children being born into single parent homes and the higher risks of drug abuse and alcoholism in these homes. “Fatherless children are at a dramatically greater risk of drug and alcohol abuse, mental illness, suicide, poor educational performance, teen pregnancy, and criminality, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, National Center for Health Statistics (Williams, 2014).” Williams then goes into some of the effects on male identity in society, including those of popular media. He writes: “From once being seen as successful breadwinners, heads of families and being respected leaders, men today are the butt of jokes in the popular media (Williams, 2014).” Clearly, the male portrayal in television since the late 1990’s has had a negative impact on men in society at large. According the study done by Nathonson and Young, other television shows such as Home Improvement, and Men Behaving Badly also begin this portrayal of men being seen as “jerks” of society (Nathonson and Young, 2001 p.40). These shows portray men and boys as being incompetent. Television and media as a whole need to understand the implications in a broader sense. Overall, looking at The Simpsons through a critical lens has clearly identified the impacts of media on society. Obviously media representation is only a factor of the problem, however, it does have an influence on broader societal issues. Work Cited Williams, Ray. “The Male Identity Crisis and the Decline of Fatherhood.” Psychology Today, Sussex Publishers, 8 June 2014, www.psychologytoday.com/blog/wired-success/201406/the-male-identity-crisis-and-the-decline-fatherhood. Macnamara, J. Media and Male Identity: the Making and Remaking of Men. Palgrave Macmillan, 2014. Stack, Michelle, and Deirdre M. Kelly. “Popular Media, Education, and Resistance.” Canadian Journal of Education / Revue Canadienne De L'éDucation, vol. 29, no. 1, Jan. 2006, p. 5., doi:10.2307/20054144. Nathanson, Paul, and Katherine K. Young. Spreading Misandry: the Teaching of Contempt for Men in Popular Culture. McGill-Queen's University Press, 2001. Production 7 |
This final project is a critique of the way Indigenous people are portrayed in media. (Video is on the third slide).
By: Esther and Samrah |
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