http://www.ksee24.com/news/local/15738332.html
This article was about the death of 2 teens who were killed after drinking and driving, causing an accident. There were 5 teens in the car and were all supposedly drinking. A 19 year old and a 14 year old were killed. This is, of course, tragic as all these situations are. What I found most intriguing about this, however, was the comments left my people about the accident. There ended up being a lot of religious banter back and forth, mostly sparked by the comment of one poster: "I feel sorry for the people in the other car who got hit and had to suffer because of stupidity. I feel no remorse for the kid who drinks and kills himself. Its darwin in action. One less idiot teen left in the world. I do not feel sorry for the parents, because they should have tought them better. I see it as good for society."
This make me think about the debate about lowering the drinking age. At what point are we old enough to take on the responsibilities of the effects of alcohol? These boys certainly did not deserve to die. That is far too young. But everyone knows that drinking and driving is dangerous but we all suffer from the idea that something like that could not happen to us. Unfortunately it is not only teens drinking and driving. It's people of any age and it's tragic.
http://www.soulcysters.net/u-s-teen-dies-after-following-high-protein-diet-21359/
This article is about a 16-year-old girl who died after trying a low carb/high protein diet. "Electrolyte imbalances due to the diet, and the resulting damage to her heart function, were likely responsible..." The reason I chose this article was because of the pressure from society that is put on teens to be thin and fit some kind of mold. Just as we have discussed in class, the significance of what teens feel like they have to look like--both boys and girls. Eating disorder rates are higher than ever and diets for teens, and even younger, are dieting or have dieted. This is a scary thought. I walk through stores and see some of the outfits that they have for little girls and it's mind blowing. Now that summer is approaching, they have the bathing suits out and have little 2 pieces for little girls. Let me tell you, the day my young daughter wears a 2 piece will never come. I feel like that is inviting a future eating disorder and possible predators. Nooo thank you.
http://www.cbc.ca/fifth/2008-2009/top_gun/
When 15-year-old Brandon Crisp's parents realized he was skipping school due to long hours playing his XBox and a game called "Call Of Duty 4: Modern Warfare", they took the game away. Brandon was devastated and decided to run away from home. He died of hypothermia several miles from his home. Video games have become so central to children and teens that people aren't considering the possibility of it turning into an addiction. I think this addiction is something that is going to continue to grow and be one that people are going to have to start taking seriously.
For any parent with a child who plays video games, it is essential to understand the world of video games along with the serious problems of possible addiction. Parents who realize the addictive nature of some video and internet games are in a better position to make wise decisions around the games their children are allowed to play.
I did not intend to be morbid by the post of teens deaths, but I thought each topic was significant to the world of teens and are things that adults aren't taking seriously enough.
Thursday, April 30, 2009
Monday, April 6, 2009
Youth and Social Networking
It is almost scary how sites like Facebook and MySpace are signs of status in a way. They are practically running the lives of teens today.
Henry Jenkins said:
"MySpace has over 78 million registered accounts while Facebook has approximately 8 million. While over 85% of college students participate on Facebook if it exists on their campus, MySpace is a cultural requirement for American high school students. Or, as one teenager said, “If you’re not on MySpace, you don’t exist.” Not all MySpace users are teenagers, but most American teenagers have accounts on MySpace.
These sites play a key role in youth culture because they give youth a space to hang out amongst friends and peers, share cultural artifacts (like links to funny websites, comments about TV shows) and work out an image of how they see themselves. They also serve as digital publics, substituting for the types of publics that most adults took for granted growing up, but are now inaccessible for many young people – neighborhood basketball courts, malls, parks, etc. Youth are trying to map out a public youth territory for themselves, removed from adult culture. They are doing so online because their mobility and control over physical space is heavily curtailed and monitored."
When I heard it said this way, that youth are trying to map out a public youth territory for themselves, it made me consider these social networking sites in a new way. I certainly had never thought about it in that sense. It is understandable that teens just want a place for themselves. As long as they are being careful, i.e. predators, dangers of meeting people on there, etc. then maybe it is good for them to have their own outlets.
Henry Jenkins said:
"MySpace has over 78 million registered accounts while Facebook has approximately 8 million. While over 85% of college students participate on Facebook if it exists on their campus, MySpace is a cultural requirement for American high school students. Or, as one teenager said, “If you’re not on MySpace, you don’t exist.” Not all MySpace users are teenagers, but most American teenagers have accounts on MySpace.
These sites play a key role in youth culture because they give youth a space to hang out amongst friends and peers, share cultural artifacts (like links to funny websites, comments about TV shows) and work out an image of how they see themselves. They also serve as digital publics, substituting for the types of publics that most adults took for granted growing up, but are now inaccessible for many young people – neighborhood basketball courts, malls, parks, etc. Youth are trying to map out a public youth territory for themselves, removed from adult culture. They are doing so online because their mobility and control over physical space is heavily curtailed and monitored."
When I heard it said this way, that youth are trying to map out a public youth territory for themselves, it made me consider these social networking sites in a new way. I certainly had never thought about it in that sense. It is understandable that teens just want a place for themselves. As long as they are being careful, i.e. predators, dangers of meeting people on there, etc. then maybe it is good for them to have their own outlets.
Sunday, March 29, 2009
"Teenagers, Kick Our Butts"
Hello folks.
For anyone who knows or doesn't know Dar Williams, she is an incredible songwriter and hits on all of the topics that people don't want to talk about!
I had my iTunes playing and this song came on. I have heard it plenty of times, but I payed much more attention to it this time and it's a really great song.
Thought I'd share!....
When I grew up, well it felt great
I watched how others took their fate
Some felt afraid and undefended, so they got mean
And they pretended what they knew made them belong more than you.
I'm sure you know there's lots to learn
But that's not your fault, that's just your turn, yeah, yeah
Teenagers, kick our butts, tell us what the future will bring
Teenagers look at us, we have not solved everything
We drink and smoke to numb our pain
We read junk novels on the plane
We use authority for show so we can be a little smarter
We still can grow, and many do
It's when we stop we can't reach you
We feel the loss, you feel the blame
We're scared to lose, don't be the same, hey hey
Teenagers, kick our butts, tell us what the future will bring
Teenagers look at us, we have not solved everything
The hometown brought its hero in
To speak at the high school gym
He took a breath, he took a chance
He strode up in his leather pants
And said, "Gee, thanks... but
I'm here today because I fought for what I felt and what I thought
They put me down they, were just wrong
And now it's they who don't belong, oh, oh
Teenagers, kick our butts, tell us what the future will bring
Teenagers look at us, we have not solved everything
And when the media tries to act your age
Don't be seduced, they're full of rage
Find your voice, do what it takes
Make sure you make lots of mistakes
And find the future that redeems
Give us hell, give us dreams
And grow and grow and grow
And someday when some teenagers come to kick your butts
Well then like I do try to
Love
Kick our butts
Love
Kick our butts
Oh I love
Kick our butts
For anyone who knows or doesn't know Dar Williams, she is an incredible songwriter and hits on all of the topics that people don't want to talk about!
I had my iTunes playing and this song came on. I have heard it plenty of times, but I payed much more attention to it this time and it's a really great song.
Thought I'd share!....
When I grew up, well it felt great
I watched how others took their fate
Some felt afraid and undefended, so they got mean
And they pretended what they knew made them belong more than you.
I'm sure you know there's lots to learn
But that's not your fault, that's just your turn, yeah, yeah
Teenagers, kick our butts, tell us what the future will bring
Teenagers look at us, we have not solved everything
We drink and smoke to numb our pain
We read junk novels on the plane
We use authority for show so we can be a little smarter
We still can grow, and many do
It's when we stop we can't reach you
We feel the loss, you feel the blame
We're scared to lose, don't be the same, hey hey
Teenagers, kick our butts, tell us what the future will bring
Teenagers look at us, we have not solved everything
The hometown brought its hero in
To speak at the high school gym
He took a breath, he took a chance
He strode up in his leather pants
And said, "Gee, thanks... but
I'm here today because I fought for what I felt and what I thought
They put me down they, were just wrong
And now it's they who don't belong, oh, oh
Teenagers, kick our butts, tell us what the future will bring
Teenagers look at us, we have not solved everything
And when the media tries to act your age
Don't be seduced, they're full of rage
Find your voice, do what it takes
Make sure you make lots of mistakes
And find the future that redeems
Give us hell, give us dreams
And grow and grow and grow
And someday when some teenagers come to kick your butts
Well then like I do try to
Love
Kick our butts
Love
Kick our butts
Oh I love
Kick our butts
Monday, March 16, 2009
Fast.Forward.
Laura Greenfield's photos very much impressed me. Her photos were very powerful. What struck me is to us, some of these photos such as the thirteen year old weighing herself with her family looking on and the other 13 year olds who were all dressed up and had their hair all done. To us, this may seem crazy and disturbing, but it shines light on the fact that this is reality to many people. Greenfield says in her artist statement, "They are disturbed by what is exotic and what is familiar. They recognize themselves or their children and at the same time insist that their lives and values are not like those represented in the book." This statement did not shock me at all. It actually made me laugh because I think that is exactly how this world works. People are more than willing to point fingers and throw stones, but when it comes to their own lives, they don't want to hear it. They don't want to believe it.
"In recent years, I photographed “Fast Forward” youth in Milan and Shanghai. The young and privileged in Shanghai don’t care about politics or communism but are obsessed with MTV, Fashion TV, Gucci, and L.V. (Louis Vuitton). Milanese youth don cutting edge hip-hop fashion originated by the inner city and perfected by haute couture designers. Fourteen-year old Italian girls wear thongs deliberately hiked up over their low-riding pants and rip revealing holes in their jeans. They go out to discos on school nights and dance to American hip-hop and electronica until dawn." I particularly enjoyed this part of her artist statement because we as Americans know what the norms are for the most part throughout our country, but it is interesting to hear about what teenagers are doing and are like in other parts of the world. I am spending some time in Italy and Switzerland this summer and am very interested in seeing the teenagers there and how they are similar and/or differ from our teens here.
"In recent years, I photographed “Fast Forward” youth in Milan and Shanghai. The young and privileged in Shanghai don’t care about politics or communism but are obsessed with MTV, Fashion TV, Gucci, and L.V. (Louis Vuitton). Milanese youth don cutting edge hip-hop fashion originated by the inner city and perfected by haute couture designers. Fourteen-year old Italian girls wear thongs deliberately hiked up over their low-riding pants and rip revealing holes in their jeans. They go out to discos on school nights and dance to American hip-hop and electronica until dawn." I particularly enjoyed this part of her artist statement because we as Americans know what the norms are for the most part throughout our country, but it is interesting to hear about what teenagers are doing and are like in other parts of the world. I am spending some time in Italy and Switzerland this summer and am very interested in seeing the teenagers there and how they are similar and/or differ from our teens here.
Tuesday, March 3, 2009
Seeing Social Class
It took me a bit to get into it, but eventually I was indeed sucked into the life of Lee and the story of "Prep." What I enjoyed and appreciated was that I think whoever is reading this, can relate to in one scenario or another. It opens with Lee running out of her class after having presented on a topic that the person before her had just done. We all have felt that embarassment and panic mode that she went into.
This story also touches on economic, social, and cultural capital. Economic capital is touched upon in one area of the school itself costs $20,000. This also could be considered social capital, as well. Social capital is based on who you know, your class and status, the family you come from, etc. With tuition for this private high school being $20,000, one may assume that the families of these students are wealthy and in high places in our society and how we judge class. Cultural capital also plays a part--and an important one at that. Cultural capital is about the dominant culture and access to that. Social skills, knowledge, rules of power, etc..all of these things are central to the idea and practice of cultural capital. It appears as though Lee has not been "educated" so to speak, on cultural capital. She is an outsider and awkward. She doesn't fit in with the other students and can't seem to find her nitch/place in the not only the school, but the world. It almost puts into perspective how important cultural capital is to our society, no matter what age you are.
This story also touches on economic, social, and cultural capital. Economic capital is touched upon in one area of the school itself costs $20,000. This also could be considered social capital, as well. Social capital is based on who you know, your class and status, the family you come from, etc. With tuition for this private high school being $20,000, one may assume that the families of these students are wealthy and in high places in our society and how we judge class. Cultural capital also plays a part--and an important one at that. Cultural capital is about the dominant culture and access to that. Social skills, knowledge, rules of power, etc..all of these things are central to the idea and practice of cultural capital. It appears as though Lee has not been "educated" so to speak, on cultural capital. She is an outsider and awkward. She doesn't fit in with the other students and can't seem to find her nitch/place in the not only the school, but the world. It almost puts into perspective how important cultural capital is to our society, no matter what age you are.
Sunday, February 22, 2009
Hip-Hop Controversies
Tricia Rose. The Hip-Hop Wars.
I was very interested in what Tricia Rose had to say in this article interview and NPR interview. What I was hoping would be talked about it was the 'Then and Now' type of thing. When hip-hop originated from vs. where it is now. Tricia Rose explains that hip-hop "wasn't primarly an economic industry, where people got involved more for money than for creativity." She talked about its origins being community based and having the power to cross generations. She also talked about the beginning of hip-hop as being political and "education and learning more about your history and asking questions and making better choices and trying to change society for the better." So, how did we go from this to what hip-hop is now? Now it seemingly is filled with money, power, sexism, and homophobia. At what point did we go from politics, education, and challenging listeners to think to what it has become?
Something I appreciated was the question: "There seems to be the tendency, when people complain about what they hear on the radio, for artists to say, "Well, if you don't like it, just turn it off." There's that shift in responsibility from artist to fan. Is that a disingenuous defense?"
I think this is a great question because people so often say if you don't like that music, then don't listen to it. Just because we are not listening to it, does not change the fact that the messages they are saying are still being put out there and people are still hearing them. They are still putting out messages of severe sexism, homophobia, and everything else...
I worked for an organization (Youth Pride) and the program I ran was doing homophobia 101 gigs in the state at schools. I would ask students what language they use and hear that one may consider homophobic. It seemed like each time I went out, someone had a new phrase that was being said and one day, someone said to me, "No homo." This means that if a guy is giving another guy a compliment, it is either started or ended by them saying 'no homo.' -- ya know, just for clarification purposes. It is the same for girls giving other girls compliments but I found it mostly said by the boys. Naturally I was very angry and upset about this because they are saying this not realizing the weight of the phrase. What I found in my research of this phrase is that it originated in rap songs. More recently, it is used in lil' wayne songs where he says it in a few of his tracks. That's what these kids and teenagers are listening to. If they are idolizing lil' wayne and he's saying it, then they should say it too. That's what they think. We are not explaining and inforcing the importance of critically thinking about these issues, whether it is homphobia or any of the other issues that are brought up in the music.
I was very interested in what Tricia Rose had to say in this article interview and NPR interview. What I was hoping would be talked about it was the 'Then and Now' type of thing. When hip-hop originated from vs. where it is now. Tricia Rose explains that hip-hop "wasn't primarly an economic industry, where people got involved more for money than for creativity." She talked about its origins being community based and having the power to cross generations. She also talked about the beginning of hip-hop as being political and "education and learning more about your history and asking questions and making better choices and trying to change society for the better." So, how did we go from this to what hip-hop is now? Now it seemingly is filled with money, power, sexism, and homophobia. At what point did we go from politics, education, and challenging listeners to think to what it has become?
Something I appreciated was the question: "There seems to be the tendency, when people complain about what they hear on the radio, for artists to say, "Well, if you don't like it, just turn it off." There's that shift in responsibility from artist to fan. Is that a disingenuous defense?"
I think this is a great question because people so often say if you don't like that music, then don't listen to it. Just because we are not listening to it, does not change the fact that the messages they are saying are still being put out there and people are still hearing them. They are still putting out messages of severe sexism, homophobia, and everything else...
I worked for an organization (Youth Pride) and the program I ran was doing homophobia 101 gigs in the state at schools. I would ask students what language they use and hear that one may consider homophobic. It seemed like each time I went out, someone had a new phrase that was being said and one day, someone said to me, "No homo." This means that if a guy is giving another guy a compliment, it is either started or ended by them saying 'no homo.' -- ya know, just for clarification purposes. It is the same for girls giving other girls compliments but I found it mostly said by the boys. Naturally I was very angry and upset about this because they are saying this not realizing the weight of the phrase. What I found in my research of this phrase is that it originated in rap songs. More recently, it is used in lil' wayne songs where he says it in a few of his tracks. That's what these kids and teenagers are listening to. If they are idolizing lil' wayne and he's saying it, then they should say it too. That's what they think. We are not explaining and inforcing the importance of critically thinking about these issues, whether it is homphobia or any of the other issues that are brought up in the music.
Thursday, February 19, 2009
The Rape Game
Hey-- I don't know if you guys have heard about this, but it is awful. It's a Japanese video game that is about raping women. That's the game and purpose. I posted a link to one of a few write-ups that I have read.... Horrifying and repulsing.
http://www.afterellen.com/blog/gracechu/a-new-horribly-offensive-japanese-video-game-is-being-sold-in-america
This is the basic idea of the game:
The objective of the game is to stalk a mother and her two children, described as “virgin schoolgirls,” and rape them repeatedly in every orifice until you “break” them and they become your willing sex slaves. Lovely, right? You can also recruit other men to gang rape them.
The only way to lose this game is if you impregnate one of your victims and you don’t force her to get an abortion. Also, one of the victims may randomly stab you, but only if you randomly put her in the cowgirl sex position. Otherwise, it’s just continued sexual assault with no repercussions.
http://www.afterellen.com/blog/gracechu/a-new-horribly-offensive-japanese-video-game-is-being-sold-in-america
This is the basic idea of the game:
The objective of the game is to stalk a mother and her two children, described as “virgin schoolgirls,” and rape them repeatedly in every orifice until you “break” them and they become your willing sex slaves. Lovely, right? You can also recruit other men to gang rape them.
The only way to lose this game is if you impregnate one of your victims and you don’t force her to get an abortion. Also, one of the victims may randomly stab you, but only if you randomly put her in the cowgirl sex position. Otherwise, it’s just continued sexual assault with no repercussions.
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
Thomas Hine on The Rise and Fall of the American Teenager
As soon as I saw the title of Thomas Hine's introduction, "Are Teenagers Necessary?," I was intrigued. As we have discussed in class and as I have voiced, for some reason tennagers and the idea of being a teenager has been stigmatized. Why is this and why do adults seem to forget that they too were once teens? Hine says, "It is simply that we remember ourselves as ourselves. Being a teenager isn't an identity but a predicament most people live through." I never thought of it like that and I think that is the problem. People think of being a teenager as an identity rather than just an age of changes.
I found what he said about the rise of teens interesting. Teenagers are the "symbol of Americans' rising aspirations, the reprosityof hopes, the one who will realize the American dream. And inevitably, the teenager is a dissapointment, whose combinations of adult capacities and juvenile irresponsibility sows personal heartbreak and social chaos." I haven't thought about being a teenager in this way before. I agree with what he is saying here. Perhaps we as a society and as adults put too much pressure on our teenagers. The reality is that teenagers are classified as such from age 13-19. That is a lot of years and a lot of changing that is happening. At what point in those years do our standards for them change? In those years, they are finding themselves. They are trying to navigate and find who they are. At the beginning of their teen years, they are entering high school-- four years that will change them and throw them for a loop. Then, they are turning 18 and entering college, or the military, or the 'real world.' Suddenly when they turn that age, they have even more added responsibilities and expectations.
As I was reading on, in the first chapter, Hine tells the story of the 18-year-old girl who gave birth in the bathroom the night of her prom and put the baby in a plastic bag and threw him away. That story I vaguely remember hearing about when it happened and I was just as sick reading it now as I was then, if not more. I think it could potentially be a good example for talking about teenagers but I don't really know where he took it. I found that part of the article a little disjointed and I struggled to understand him bringing it all together.
Hine goes on to talk about a study done in a 1997 survey. It said that "90% of adults said that young people are failing to learn such values as honesty, responsibility, and respect, and two thirds agreed that the next generation will be worse than the last." I am not surprised by these resulty, unfortunately, but my question is "why?" Why specifically do adults think this and is anything being done to show adults, or rather remind them what teenage life is life?
One thing I did like about the article was his comparison of teenagers now to teenagers of the 1970s and 1980s. He says that contemporary teenagers are coping very well despite challenges. He gives examples, such as they are healthier than ever, the high levels of alcohol and drug use is still below the levels of 25 years ago, the drop-out rate is lower and more kids than ever are going to college and that they just express greater optimism about their lives. While there are still many problems out there, such as the drug and alcohol intake of teenagers, it was nice to hear someone giving teenagers some credit.
"It's good to feel hopeful about the prospects for the young and to feel confident that today's and tomorrow's teenagers will turn out all right."
I found what he said about the rise of teens interesting. Teenagers are the "symbol of Americans' rising aspirations, the reprosityof hopes, the one who will realize the American dream. And inevitably, the teenager is a dissapointment, whose combinations of adult capacities and juvenile irresponsibility sows personal heartbreak and social chaos." I haven't thought about being a teenager in this way before. I agree with what he is saying here. Perhaps we as a society and as adults put too much pressure on our teenagers. The reality is that teenagers are classified as such from age 13-19. That is a lot of years and a lot of changing that is happening. At what point in those years do our standards for them change? In those years, they are finding themselves. They are trying to navigate and find who they are. At the beginning of their teen years, they are entering high school-- four years that will change them and throw them for a loop. Then, they are turning 18 and entering college, or the military, or the 'real world.' Suddenly when they turn that age, they have even more added responsibilities and expectations.
As I was reading on, in the first chapter, Hine tells the story of the 18-year-old girl who gave birth in the bathroom the night of her prom and put the baby in a plastic bag and threw him away. That story I vaguely remember hearing about when it happened and I was just as sick reading it now as I was then, if not more. I think it could potentially be a good example for talking about teenagers but I don't really know where he took it. I found that part of the article a little disjointed and I struggled to understand him bringing it all together.
Hine goes on to talk about a study done in a 1997 survey. It said that "90% of adults said that young people are failing to learn such values as honesty, responsibility, and respect, and two thirds agreed that the next generation will be worse than the last." I am not surprised by these resulty, unfortunately, but my question is "why?" Why specifically do adults think this and is anything being done to show adults, or rather remind them what teenage life is life?
One thing I did like about the article was his comparison of teenagers now to teenagers of the 1970s and 1980s. He says that contemporary teenagers are coping very well despite challenges. He gives examples, such as they are healthier than ever, the high levels of alcohol and drug use is still below the levels of 25 years ago, the drop-out rate is lower and more kids than ever are going to college and that they just express greater optimism about their lives. While there are still many problems out there, such as the drug and alcohol intake of teenagers, it was nice to hear someone giving teenagers some credit.
"It's good to feel hopeful about the prospects for the young and to feel confident that today's and tomorrow's teenagers will turn out all right."
Sunday, February 1, 2009
Media Literacy
Media Literacy
As I googled 'Media Literacy,' many websites and links came up.
Medialiteracy.com:
Brands R Us: How Advertising Works.
I found this article really interesting. Advertising/brands are so influencial on everyone in some way, but on teenagers especially. The article says, "The fact is, when all is said and done, most people don't believe, don't remember, don't even notice, most advertising." I think this is true but there is no doubt that it is still important on our society. Powerfully put, "...But pointing a finger at the advertising industry will change nothing. Wishing and hoping that the advertising industry will lose its innocence and suddenly leap into modern times in recognition of the situation we are all in is futile. And while the advertising industry is part and parcel of an industrial civilization now in decline, this doesn't mean we should expect the number of advertising messages and collective power of those messages to also decline in the very near future. If anything, it means we can expect an increase in the number of those messages. For the advertising industry, along with the main body of industrial society, is struggling for survival. It may be drowning, but it has not yet sunk. And in a last-ditch effort to save itself, it will flail about more wildly and make more noise than ever, as we might expect from any drowning individual." What we must change is us. We are the problem. We either help create this reality, or we help maintain it.
http://www.mediachannel.org/classroom/index.shtml"
It is estimated thatNorth American children spend twice as much time over the course of a year watching television as they do in school. A recent study found that U.S. children spend over four and a half hours a day using television, computers and video games." I had assumed that the percentage for this would be great, but I did not realize it would be quite this high. When a child watches twice as much time engaged in television as they do in school, how could they not be strongly impacted and unknowingly influenced? At some point, we need to challenge this and actively work on fighting it.
http://www.medialit.org/reading_room/article408.html
John Culkin, SJ: The Man Who Invented Media Literacy. John Culkin (1928-1993) was one of the first educators in the U.S. to initiate explicit media education curriculum in schools. He wrote, ""The attainment of (media) literacy involves more that mere warnings about the effects of the mass media and more even than constant exposure to the better offerings of these media. This is an issue demanding more than good will alone; it requires understanding. And training in understanding is the task of the school!" He also stated, "Above all, Culkin wanted to teach teachers to think in new ways." While I think that he is right, and appreciate his dedication to this issue, we cannot disregard a parent's responsibility. While our teachers are in the schools, it is the parents that are educating at home. I believe this should be a shared responsibility. It is too important and too influencial to be taken lightly, or to be handled by only one adult figure in thier lives.
As I googled 'Media Literacy,' many websites and links came up.
Medialiteracy.com:
Brands R Us: How Advertising Works.
I found this article really interesting. Advertising/brands are so influencial on everyone in some way, but on teenagers especially. The article says, "The fact is, when all is said and done, most people don't believe, don't remember, don't even notice, most advertising." I think this is true but there is no doubt that it is still important on our society. Powerfully put, "...But pointing a finger at the advertising industry will change nothing. Wishing and hoping that the advertising industry will lose its innocence and suddenly leap into modern times in recognition of the situation we are all in is futile. And while the advertising industry is part and parcel of an industrial civilization now in decline, this doesn't mean we should expect the number of advertising messages and collective power of those messages to also decline in the very near future. If anything, it means we can expect an increase in the number of those messages. For the advertising industry, along with the main body of industrial society, is struggling for survival. It may be drowning, but it has not yet sunk. And in a last-ditch effort to save itself, it will flail about more wildly and make more noise than ever, as we might expect from any drowning individual." What we must change is us. We are the problem. We either help create this reality, or we help maintain it.
http://www.mediachannel.org/classroom/index.shtml"
It is estimated thatNorth American children spend twice as much time over the course of a year watching television as they do in school. A recent study found that U.S. children spend over four and a half hours a day using television, computers and video games." I had assumed that the percentage for this would be great, but I did not realize it would be quite this high. When a child watches twice as much time engaged in television as they do in school, how could they not be strongly impacted and unknowingly influenced? At some point, we need to challenge this and actively work on fighting it.
http://www.medialit.org/reading_room/article408.html
John Culkin, SJ: The Man Who Invented Media Literacy. John Culkin (1928-1993) was one of the first educators in the U.S. to initiate explicit media education curriculum in schools. He wrote, ""The attainment of (media) literacy involves more that mere warnings about the effects of the mass media and more even than constant exposure to the better offerings of these media. This is an issue demanding more than good will alone; it requires understanding. And training in understanding is the task of the school!" He also stated, "Above all, Culkin wanted to teach teachers to think in new ways." While I think that he is right, and appreciate his dedication to this issue, we cannot disregard a parent's responsibility. While our teachers are in the schools, it is the parents that are educating at home. I believe this should be a shared responsibility. It is too important and too influencial to be taken lightly, or to be handled by only one adult figure in thier lives.
Sunday, January 25, 2009
Thirteen
Thirteen. I have to admit that I don't have a great memory for details from that long ago because thirteen was some time ago.
I do know that I was awkward. I was insecure and self-conscious. I was also curious. I wanted to know about so many things and how they came to be and how they worked. What I do remember most about my mind-set was really coming to terms with my sexual orientation and finding the language for it, and being terrified of it.
Hobby-wise, I began playing the piano at age ten and by thirteen I was obsessed with music and anything that had to do with it. I wanted to learn to play as many instruments as I could. Other than that, I was a swimmer and was beginning to ponder taking karate classes. I thought it looked pretty cool and looked like fun.
In terms of school, I was finishing up eighth grade and was entering the big, scary world of high school-- and I was doing it at Bay View which for some reason made it a little less scary.
Looking back, that was all the root for a large portion of who I am. Now I certainly approach things very differently and more maturely and have a much different outlook on life. I have certainly discovered so much more. Thirteen seems like a lifetime ago, but I was curious then and I am more curious now as an adult. Oddly enough, music is still one of the most important things to me. I have since become a guitarist and a drummer and still want to learn as many instruments as I possibly can! Having been a swimmer, I now have a great respect and love for the ocean and anything water related. I did take martial arts and it was so much more than I could have imagined. It changed me in ways, for the better and I have since earned my black belt. Most importantly and most life changing, however, was my coming out. All of those things I found language for and realized at thirteen certainly never went away and a few years later I came out. It was the most difficult thing, yet the best thing that has ever happened to me. It changed my life completely.
I don't think we ever really lose who we were as teenagers. Rather, we grow and take those things on with a different, more mature POV. Our teenage years are really the root of who we will always truly be in some way.
I do know that I was awkward. I was insecure and self-conscious. I was also curious. I wanted to know about so many things and how they came to be and how they worked. What I do remember most about my mind-set was really coming to terms with my sexual orientation and finding the language for it, and being terrified of it.
Hobby-wise, I began playing the piano at age ten and by thirteen I was obsessed with music and anything that had to do with it. I wanted to learn to play as many instruments as I could. Other than that, I was a swimmer and was beginning to ponder taking karate classes. I thought it looked pretty cool and looked like fun.
In terms of school, I was finishing up eighth grade and was entering the big, scary world of high school-- and I was doing it at Bay View which for some reason made it a little less scary.
Looking back, that was all the root for a large portion of who I am. Now I certainly approach things very differently and more maturely and have a much different outlook on life. I have certainly discovered so much more. Thirteen seems like a lifetime ago, but I was curious then and I am more curious now as an adult. Oddly enough, music is still one of the most important things to me. I have since become a guitarist and a drummer and still want to learn as many instruments as I possibly can! Having been a swimmer, I now have a great respect and love for the ocean and anything water related. I did take martial arts and it was so much more than I could have imagined. It changed me in ways, for the better and I have since earned my black belt. Most importantly and most life changing, however, was my coming out. All of those things I found language for and realized at thirteen certainly never went away and a few years later I came out. It was the most difficult thing, yet the best thing that has ever happened to me. It changed my life completely.
I don't think we ever really lose who we were as teenagers. Rather, we grow and take those things on with a different, more mature POV. Our teenage years are really the root of who we will always truly be in some way.
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