Protesting Images in Media

I read the article on the protestors getting their voices heard about images in videos, etc. I had no idea the group Enough is Enough was out there protesting. I think thats good that people are realizing how black and Latino men, and women are being depicted. I agree very much with the statements "BET/MTV does not reflect me". People in society think because they see videos with pimps and hoes or gangsters that thats how black and hispanic people are. I also didn't know that Viacom owned MTV, BET, VH1, and Nickelodean. Its crazy because all those networks have different values and they portray people in different ways. Its like the company that owns Axe and Dove-totally different commercials and ways of drawing people. I think that the companies that own these music networks should develop the creative standards, prohibiting language, vulgarity, and anything demeaning. They can still represent black life without the cussing and horrible images. The companies need to meet the public halfway, they want to sell records though. Sex is what sells, but it is scary to think that one day, that is how my kids are going to try to live, mirroring the images they see on BET. I watched the "Hip Hop vs. America" segment where the rappers tried to talk about issues in media and music. I commend them for trying to hear what others have to say about their music, but I do not think it will change their music videos. Maybe, they will lighten up on curse words and images, but for now, I think hip-hop will remain the same.

Black is Back Story

This is in response to Pepper Miller's story-Black is Back. Personally, I never really paid attention to the different names society used for blacks. Now that I have read the article, I do notice how shifts in time have used different terms. It went from negros in the slave days to black to African American. I do think that there should be one term, because it seems like people don't know what to call this race. African-American does seem to specify a descent from Africa, and that could exclude those who don't consider themselves African. But I think we are all American. So it is confusing because its like what do you say-Black American? It's just like Hispanics, are we Latino, Chicano, Spanish, or do we go by our home country? I never cared about race and what people are because I am mixed racially and I know that my family consists of a lot of different people. I think Pepper's article is good though, and it's kind of funny how she addresses the issue. According to her, black is back, so we will see what society determines next.

Axe commercials and robot girl

I thought the AXE commercials were stupid. I mean sure they make people laugh but who really would buy into that stuff? I guess all lot of men do. But honestly, my brother and boyfriend use(d) Axe and its not because of their advertising, it just smells good to them. I think their commercials are too sexual and they try to be funny but they are not. I was also surprised to find out in class that Axe and Dove are managed by the same people. Isn't that ironic! Dove promotes beauty on the inside and purity and Axe promotes girls acting like pigs to be all over the guys. Nowadays, many think that ads have to be sexual to get attention or sell products, and I don't think that is true. The Ravenstock commercial was funny but they did a little too much extra to promote the product.
With the beer robot girl commercial, that was very sexist. They made her seem like a servant and like she just opens herself(body) up to whatever. They made her seem like the ideal beer girl. I didn't like it at all. But I guess thats how all beer commercials are, this is the first time I saw them use a robot though. Its kind of insulting to females because it makes us look like we need to be turned into robots, or were not perfect enough.

Suspended student shooter

I don't have much to say about this story but I wanted to comment on Asa Coon's race being mentioned towards the end of the story. I know that he went to the technology school, got in a fight, got suspended, and came back for revenge I guess. They are still trying to find out how he got into the school, and why no one did anything about the previous warning signs. This just makes me mad because in many stories like this, such as the VA Tech shooting, people ignored the warning signs. This boy had mental issues, had cops called to his home for domestic violence, and he even threatened kids at school-and he still managed to shoot people in a school full of metal detectors-which weren't even working! Anyway, so I'm reading the link to the story and the whole time I'm wondering what his race is, not that it matters, but Asa is a unique name, so he could be black, Hispanic, Muslim, etc. They wait until the very end of the story almost to tell readers that he is white. And it reads, "Asa Coon, who is white.....". So it almost seems like they didn't want to tell readers his race until the end because they wanted them to think he was a different race, or they didn't want readers to think a white student would do such a thing. As if only minorities commit crimes. That's what I think, but maybe I'm missing something else. It was put very weirdly in the story and if they were going to say his race, they should have just put it in the beginning. Its almost like the writer wanted to mislead people.

Latinos and Ken Burns

When I first read the post about Burns and the letter written to PBS about not including Latinos in the WWII documentary, I was so mad! I wondered "Why not?'. Why not include Latinos in the history of war, are we not a part of history. I read a little bit about Burns and I still did not see where he stated why he did not include Latinos in the first place but I would sure like to know. It hurt me because it makes Latinos proud, just like whites or blacks, to see that their people fought for their country and put their lives at stake. I do think that he was discriminating.
But I will get off my soap box. I do feel like Latinos lack media coverage and respect. Language is our biggest barrier. People don't take Hispanics seriously because most cannot speak good English and because a lot of us don't live too well. Well, my family is the perfect example of making something of our lives. My mother was single and had one child-me, and she went to the Army to make something of herself, serve her country and take care of me. She never got to go to college but she raised my siblings and I well. Well enough for me to be in college and about to graduate, to have my siblings in sports. Hispanics are not given enough opportunities-we have to take it. I think that if Hispanics stepped up and learned the language and got some kind of further education, we not only could be the biggest minority but the biggest minority making a difference.

Jena 6 and Racism

I have been watching the Jena 6 case and updates and I am saddened by whats going on in Louisiana. I think that those kids who did that to the tree are horrible, I thought we were past those days of racism. It is a shame for any kid, white, hispanic or black, to have to ask to sit under a certain tree at school. I also do not like the way the 6 black kids are put in jail while the white guy that beat up the black guy got suspended. I think the jail and any other charges brought upon the Jena 6 is too harsh. I believe all the kids involved should have been suspended or maybe the kids who hung the nooses on the tree could have been kicked out of school. It's crazy how the world has come so far to just turn back around and go through this. Racism is very much still alive, I'm sad to say. But for some white kids to hang that on a tree brings back a lot of hurtful issues that Matin Luther King tried his hardest to get rid of. I also think its good that media outlets are covering the event alot. I know in the past media did not cover much black events or movements. I really hope that the Jena 6 protest helps out in the trial and that the town can get back to being normal without segregation, because thats what it seems like has happened.

Jazz's News Habits!!

I get my news in many ways. When I am on campus, I usually stop at a newsstand and grab the NT Daily or Quick about once a week. They keep me updated on whats going on, mostly local news. I do not watch the news on television much, unless something really big has happened, such as the 9/11 tragedy or a hurricane and I need emergency updates. I do get on the Internet a lot and that is how I kind of accidentally find out things. I check my email almost everyday or couple of days and through Yahoo I find out news as well as interesting ideas, stories, and findings. From there, if I see something that I want more information on, then I will go to CNN or search the topic on Google. I also love magazines, can't get enough of them. It's probably because I want to start my own. I always read Cosmo, Latina Magazine, Essence, and Direct Selling News(because I intern there).
So, it is safe to say that I actually seek news once or twice a week. The other times I read news because I run into it by logging on my email or watching TV and seeing a interesting or important story.
When I think about news media and the coverage of race, gender and sexuality, I see that a lot of stories that are superficial. Some news shows talk about gossip and they stereotype celebrities and trends. I think all that may be interesting to some, but it's useless.
As far as coverage of all races, genders, and disabilities, I think that the news on each of these is equal. I see a great deal of news on each race and gender. I can't say that I don't see enough good, hero stories or bad, criminal stories, but I know what the media thinks people want to see. They know that society wants to see the scandalous stories, or so I assume. I assume that more celebrity stories make the news and criminal stories as well, but I do see stories about good things going on in the world, like donations and volunteer acts.