The symbol in my childhood memory has always been Mickey and Mini. For me and many other Chinese in my age, the cartoon series was not like any other regular animation, but a 30 minutes date with American Culture once every week. I was easily attracted by the mid-class Mickey and his seductive girlfriend, Mini with long thick eyelashes, because they looked so happy, innocuous, and worriless. Gradually, more and more Mickey and Mini appeared in my life: in my pencil box, on my shirts, on my backpack, etc. They became something must have for many kids in my elementary years. I did not understand what all these mean. I did not know I had unconsciously bought in the American culture sold through cute Mickey and Mini. Until recently, I still dreamed about a Disney Land trip. Honestly, I just realized that what a faithful consumer I could be. Moreover, the cartoon series also planted seeds of American Dream in my heart. Naturally, more and more products associated with American enter into my life, Coke, McDonald's, KFC, Pizza Hut, and so on. I still remember, 4 years ago, I saw hundreds young people lining up in front of a Pizza Hut in China for a Valentine's Dinner. 4 years later, on July 19, 2008, I saw an online news talking about the first customer in the first Apple store in Beijing, China. The 'lucky' Apple customer is a 20 years old college student, who had been waiting 22 hours outside the Apple store until the store opened. Is that another victory of American culture colonialism? At least, it has some symbolic meanings.

Personally the timing of this class couldn't have been any better for me. I just finished a class where I learned more about the evil mouse ruled empire, that shall remain nameless, than I ever had thought possible and had my visions of entertainment shattered. Even though I am starting to find myself growing more aware of the influences of media on our daily lives, I was startled by the brand name activity in class. I would love to try a similar activity with a class because if it so easy to be caught off guard by being asked what labels you’re wearing, then the learning opportunities are huge.

Politics at it’s best

R. Sweeney

July 21, 2008

Power and knowledge, how are they really measured?  I was at a McDonalds (yes I feel guilty but that is not the point) last week and was standing in line.  A man in front of me that some may say was a “bum” was next in line.  He was very well mannered as any guest would be.  When the man stepped up to the counter he was waited on by what seemed to me to be the manager.  He was well groomed, wearing a different uniform than the other workers and seemed to me that he could hear and actively communicate.  As I was waiting I listened to the interactions of the manager and the “bum”.  The man ordered a muffin and placed his change on the counter.  As he paid for the muffin he asked the manager if he could have a fresh muffin as the other worker had just brought them out and they were sitting on the counter.  The manager took the money and gave the man his change.  The manager proceeded to the muffins taking one of the old muffins, putting it in a bag and placed it in the microwave.  At this time the man asked again if he could have had one of the fresh muffins and the manager again stared right at him and completely ignored him.  As the man asked for the new muffin the second time he wasn’t only ignored by the manager but then he was harassed by the other worker questioning him about being around the new muffins and that he had touched them.  I couldn’t believe what I had seen.  I am usually a very vocal person when I feel someone was being taken advantage of, but I didn’t do anything.  I don’t know if it was shock or if I didn’t want to make the man feel even more invisible than he most likely already did.  As I left the McDonalds I felt really distraught.  Had that man been you or me he would have got one of the new muffins.  Had he looked, or perceived to be a well groomed, clean cut, knowledgeable person, he would have been served differently.  Since McDonalds or the manager didn’t see him as a threat, or anyone who they may be able to profit from, he was treated very badly.  Politics at it’s best.        

“Class”

R. Sweeney (blog2)

July 22, 2008

I found this class to be very interesting.  The time just seemed to fly bye.  It was great to see from the video today some old tv shows that I totally am guilty of watching.  The video was really eye opening.  When I was little I watched these shows purely for entertainment purposes.  I never even thought of thinking of them in any other way.  I didn’t think it was odd to see a black successful family playing the characters of the Cosby Show, that’s just who they were.  A black lawyer and a black doctor married with kids, that’s a normal family right? 

I thought it was funny when the video talked about the lower (so to speak) class and the upper class meeting, showing ‘the Nanny” borrowing something from a group of well dressed snobby women sitting around a table.  “The Nanny” coming through the bushes like she is some kind of animal as well as the women passing her the item with out even looking at her really painted a picture of a class hierarchy.   

Two points that were discussed in class today were invasion and ethnic.  Points were raised that in society today an invasion refers to anyone or any immigrant who is not white.  That society is ok, or accepting of immigrants who are white, but look out if you have a color to your skin.  Another point I thought worth mentioning was the term ethnic.  The point made that ethnic is considered anyone except white people is really racist.  That fact brought up today that we even have a section in the grocery store for ethnic food, and in other department stores for hair products etc., was really demeaning of us as a community or society.  Talk about segregation.            

Dorothy Says:
 

It was a very interesting first class. My first thought is that I would like to putting together a class visual dictionary of symbols/icons that most of my grade 6/7 know. There is no doubt that the lexicon of images is extensive–even if created by 12 and 13 year old children. Throughout the years, I have asked the students to identify famous pieces of art. Although they may not know the artist or the name of the piece, they are familar with many images. Several students can identify Munch’s The Scream or a Picasso piece from his cubist period. I soon realized this was not due to great art education, at home or at school. This types of images have been coopted by corporations in order to increase sales. I was deflated–much as I was when Michael Jackson bought much of the Beatles catalogue. I’m not sure selling running shoes was what Lennon, at least, was thinking when he wrote Revolution. More upsetting, sometimes I find myself humming along to a great song when I realize it is now just soundtrack to a commercial.

Part of my particular educational interest is the use of SMARTBoard’s (interactive whiteboard) and the way they seem to empower children with disabilties. It would be a great vehicle for a media literacy project where we could have our own visual journal of images that convey meaning with no words. With the exception of health and safety warnings, off the top of my head the ones that I can think of all relate to companies, products or services. As mentioned in class, this type of knowledge is a different literacy yet extremely powerful. The concept of a shorthand that identifies a brand is the cheapest and possibly most powerful type of advertising. It does have ramifications for education. How much money should be spent on education?if all children really need is knowledge enough to get a paycheck and identify the swoosh, the arches, and the DC in order to spend their money? It always returns to the ultimate purpose of education. In other classes, we have agreed to the aim of education to be to help children ultimately “lead a good and worthwhile life in a democratic society” then the curriculum leaves out much of the information required to be more than a member of “the bewildered herd.”

As I was reading the Media Literacy: A reader, Wag the Dog somehow comes to mind. Wag the Dog is a 1997 film starring Robert DeNiro, about the White House using media to fabricate a fake war with Albania to distract the electorate from a U.S. presidential sex scandal. I remembered when this film was released, so was the Bill Clinton-Monica Lewinsky scandal surfaced onto headlines. Coincident? It was life imitating art or the other way around…hmmm. I don’t know. But for some reason, I was stunned by how media can be used to manipulate the publics and how the publics are so easily taken in by it.  Media in different forms have always been tools to propagandas and ideological control yet this movie really puts it in my face. I supposed this was when I became media literate – “The eyes do not see; they only record while the mind sees.” Entertainment is more than just entertainment now. Like Donaldo Macedo puts it “that the mind can be ideologically controlled, it filters in order to transform what the eyes record.”  

I have been thinking about the students that I taught this past school year.  They were 7 and 8 years old while in grade 2, yet already they were very strongly influenced by their exposure to media.  Some of them asked their parents to buy them “happy meals” from McDonalds.  When I ask the students why they like McDonald’s so much, they explained that they like getting the toys from McDonalds.  They had not yet realized why McDonalds was giving them those toys along with their hamburger, fries and pop.  They also discussed “Hannah Montana.”  One seven year old student even missed an afternoon of school so her dad could drive her to Seattle for a “Hannah Montana” concert.  Webkinz, stuffed animals that “come alive” online in a “Webkinz World” and various PlayStation and XBox games are also hot topics for discussion among grade 2 students.  There were a couple of grade 2 students who already had a cell phone and at least one student received an iPod as a gift.  This student thought I was a bit strange for not having an iPod, after all, doesn’t everyone need one? 

At recess time there is a forested area where students can build forts, other areas for playing soccer, hockey, or various playground games and creative activities.  While these activities do occur, a lot of girls in my grade 2 class preferred to bring “Bratz” dolls and ponies and all the various accompanying accessories to school.

 While painting self portraits in class, a number of students included detailed replications of the logos or phrases from their clothing.  A few of the girls drew themselves wearing clothing that they see pictured with the “Bratz” dolls (e.g., short shirts, jewelry, high-heeled shoes) or drew themselves standing in a model-like pose. 

While the students are strongly influenced by media, most of them have not yet developed media literacy.   It will be crucial for them to be more aware of what is really going on in the world of media and how their consciousness and knowledge formation is already being manipulated by various forms of media at a young age. 

As long as we’re talking amongst ourselves (in the language of Linda Richmond)... I remember growing up in the 60’s with KRAFT Singles, Miniature-Marshmallows, Pizzas, KD, Velveeta Cheese, Cheese-Whiz…it seemed like if it wasn’t KRAFT, it wasn’t food. Sunday night wasn’t a Sunday on CBC without the voice of Bruce Marsh intoning in a rich voice… “Hi I’m Bruce Marsh with tonight’s KRAFT recipe”…invariably, the recipe contained KRAFT Miniature Marshmallows or Miracle Whip and sometimes both if you can imagine (both well known health foods!) Even today the slogan is “it’s gotta be KD”. This resulted no doubt in the unification of  “American Cuisine” where you gave-up or lost homemade products and a complex variety of foods derived from a multiplicity of ethnic origins – Slavic, Italian, Greek, Middle Eastern. Who was going to eat Mom’s pizza when you could make a KRAFT pizza in 20 minutes? And so we lost contact with many cultural foods (although now we seem to be gaining them back). The net effect of all this brainwashing is that I now avoid all KRAFT products although I might be buying KRAFT products unwittingly (perhaps hidden by another label). KRAFT just like Chevron with its red, white and blue lettering is the second largest North American food and beverage company). Note also that James L. Kraft was a Canadian!!  Thinking about all this makes me feel just a little “verklempt”! I’ll just leave you with this thought… Kraft dinner is neither a craft nor a dinner. Discuss.  

Watching the clips from televison shows of the 70s, 80s and 90s, I realize how much television I watched in my childhood. Even though we were pretty poor, we always had a tv and cable. I remember having little time for cartoons, but graviting towards shows like All In The Family, Maude, Good Times, Mary Tyler Moore, etc. I own some of these on dvd because they have a certain comfort for me.

Another thing that came to mind for me is how much I resented shows like Will and Grace and Queer Eye for the Straight Guy. When they first came out (no pun intended...well, maybe a little), I remember the eagerness to see any queer representation on the screen. But soon two things happened: 1. I lost interest in the superficial representations, and 2. I got so tired of people at work constantly referencing these shows in our conversations. It was like they thought they had a better understanding of who I was by watching these shows; or that by invoking them, they were showing me that they were 'liberal' people.

As for the readings...George Bush, and the people around him, scare me.

as I was watching CNN’s coverage of the 2008 presidential campaign, I kept thinking about the quote in Donald Macedo’s Deconstructing the Corporate Media/Government Nexus that “the propaganda apparatus makes the “bewildered herd” believe that they are active participants in the democratic process and not merely “spectators.”" CNN certainly tries hard to make the coverage appear interactive, but this still comes across as superficial. ‘expert’ analyst Bill Schneider tells the viewer about the opinion poll breakdown for each candidate: what percent of White males support Obama, what percent of Latino women support McCain, what percent of married couples in the military support Obama, what percent of Starbuck’s coffee drinkers support either candiadte ad nauseum…… the numbers make it appear that everyone’s ‘voice’ is being accounted for, but i wonder what effect or relevance any of these figures have on the actual outcome of the election. it would be more interesting to have a CNN analyst break down the campaign donations from major corporations and interest groups so that Americans can get a real sense of who is supporting whom and why. of course, this is not likely to happen, at least not in primetime. Neither CNN nor any of the other major networks covering the election would dare ‘distrub’ middle America with the shocking truth that this election, just as the previous ones, is being bankrolled and I would argue largely decided by the NRA, Big Business, the Christian Right, Planned Parenthood, and a number of other special interest groups. couched in these terms, it would seem that we are merely “speactators” in this election process, passively waiting for the latest poll data, or gossip about either candidate. Yet, CNN still tells us that we, especially those peole residing in the so-called ’swing states,’ are the ones deciding the election. As long as we (Americans) continue to delude ourselves that the present election process is democratic, CNN and the networks which cover the election will happily oblige and continue to spoon feed us ‘manufactured democarcy:’ opinion polls, staged interviews, photo ops, and pep rallies etc.