Unit 10

1. The Factory in the Living Room- How Television Exploits its Audience

In a lecture by Sut Jhally, titled; “The Factory in the Living Room: How Television Exploits Its Audience“, (2007) the author suggests that advertising in children’s program is like child slave labour. He makes claims that children are being abused by the media. Big corporations like Mattel-like companies try to figure out how to get children to ‘lobby’ their parents best for the products they want to sell. This goes along with Jhally’s ideas that children rather than being watched by their parents, are being babysat by the electronics of today and are at risk for being the product of these advertising sales because TV is no longer being viewed for the shows itself, but rather the commercials and ads that are specifically for the kids watching it. 

I think Jhally's views are very interesting because I always see commercials completely geared towards children. Between the music, the actors and the products, a commercial brings whatever product it is trying to sell to life and kids go crazy for it- asking their parents  for the toy or the movie or whatever else it is. The problem is in this day and age parents do often sit thier kids in front of the TV, or ipod, or xbox (etc) and hire it as the babysitter. Kids are no longer playing with their siblings or having creative imagination throughout their day and unfortunately companies across the board are seeing this as an opportunity to get their products out their.  

Unit 9

1. Who Rules America?

For this topic I chose to write on The Bohemian Grove. The Bohemian Grove is a place about 75 miles north of San Francisco where "the rich, the powerful, and their entourage" meet for the last two weeks in July. However, it is not a place for power, but simply a place where the powerful go to relax, kick back and enjoy the peace of nature without worrying about anything else.
What I found interesting about this article was that it stated several times how 'buddy-buddy' these rich folk become. Because of the close relationships formed at this 'club for the the rich' many of the social requisites are kept in the families and within the social proximity of those they know- leading to class power and domination. The fact that people of wealth and power from all over the country meet in once place and spend so much time together, is evidence that their is a cohesiveness to the community at large. because of this their is solidarity among them, and in turn the group becomes close to each other and can form more ties both business-wise and personally.
I also found it interesting when reading that The Bohemian Grove is such a peaceful place- perfect for relationships and friendships to prosper without the stress of business decisions lurking behind them This provides the perfect environment to make those personal ties that may in turn create more opportunities for better business and growth in wealth.

2. The State and Embodiment on Campus

The State itself plays a large role in campus life at Bellevue College. One way is the immediate invasion of law and regulations run by the state as you walk onto campus. These can be seen in was of "firearm free zone" or "smoke-free zones" or the smoke-huts seen around campus. These are regulations set forth by the State of Washington and enforced by laws and rules both politically on campus and by the government. .Another example is the prices and financial aid across campus. The State of Washington offers students both loans and certain grants or scholarships. However, due to the recent cuts in the government budget, Pell Grants have dropped significantly and therefore student are suffering financially. Many students are buying their books online for a cheaper price, students are taking the bus, or trying to configure ways to have shorter commutes or commutes only 2 days a week to save on gas. 

Unit 8

1. Without Sanctuary

Race. What is Race?
Ethnicity. What is Ethnicity?

Race is coined the phrase "the biological aspects, or physical features a person represents"
Ethnicity is more of a social construct dealing with certain characteristics such as religion, language, dress, culture, that makes up 'what' a person is.

Race or Ethnicity, you can't really have one without the other. If a person is African American, whether they are directly from Africa or not, they will have physical attributes that make them look African American, or black. They are also ethnically African American based on their cultural views, possibly their dress and even their language (AAE or Ebonics). In the late 19th and early to mid 20th century race and ethnicity played a very large role in the making of the United States and it's views on blacks. Whites would more often than not become very violent with blacks because they thought of them as "lower society"; often beating them with whatever they could find, even their fists, mocking them publicly and in front of their families and in the worst, but common of situations an African American was lynched. Lynching was a common method of execution in the which a black was found to be in trouble (often for nothing at all) and hung to the nearest tree and left there for everyone to see. This, I'm sure was a morbid scene, but for whites in this time, it was a sense of pride and overcoming of the black population.

Without Sanctuary is a website/documentary film about the lynching in American culture and it's affects on the population abroad. If one was to visit a lynching, they would find an African American being beaten in numerous and unimaginable ways with knives, sticks, fists, anything possible. They would be tortured, and left still alive only to be hung from a tree or electricity pole or bridge. White people were apathetic about where and apathetic about how it may feel. They paraded around looking up at a limp dead body hanging from above. Children, adults, moms, dads, grandmas and grandmas gathered to watch a lynching. It was always a mob of people, 10-15 to even hundreds, marching in to watch what they believed to be the right thing to do in order to keep the blacks segregated from the whites. Fear was all it was. A fear that African Americans could actually be better than they were... in these times, I can assure you they were.


2. An American Ethnic Group

Italian Immigration 

Italians are the largest group of immigrants to ever come to America. Italians were in a way forced to come to the Americas due to lack of space, food and increase in poverty. With the jump in birth rates in the 1870's and the decrease in death rates, many Italians, especially those of Southern Italy suffered. Soils eroded, available oil and natural resources decreased and all while the population kept on getting larger and larger. Along with those recent disasters, many natural disasters started happening around the Italians- including the eruption of Mt. Vesuvius.

As a result Italians began moving away from their own country and coming to the Americas; first they went to South America and then by the 19th century they migrated to North America. Italians became very prominent fruit sellers in North America and also worked a very large majority of the construction jobs in both New York City and Chicago. As early as 1890, 90% of New York City's public workers and 99% of Chicago's street workers were Italian. 

Because family played such a large role in Italy, Italians brought over that same sense of ownership to one's family and relatives here in America. They were able to establish hundreds of networks that aided in their own way of life and only bettered their living.

The majority of Italians never planned on staying in North America permanently  living in small rooms and taking on the labored jobs and getting paid for it. "Italian immigrants migration to the United States could not be interpreted as a rejection of Italy. In reality, it was a defense of the Italian way of life, for the money sent home helped to preserve the traditional order. Rather than seeking permanent homes, they desired an opportunity to work for a living, hoping to save enough money to return to a better life in the country of their birth."

Information found at:
http://www.digitalhistory.uh.edu/historyonline/italian_immigration.cfm

Unit 7

1. Gender Aspects on Campus

One aspect of gender differences on campus is the use of clothing and hair style. For males looser fitting clothes and T-shirts are seen as normal and pretty routine. As for females, it's more understood that females wear more-fitted clothing, both pants and shirts. Females also have the option to wear skirts or dresses, while men don't, at least not where it would be largely accepted. If a man wants to dress up or be dressy he can wear a casual suit and shoes, which some males do wear depending on their major or place of work before/after school. Women tend to have long flowing hair that is either put up in a pretty way, or down and straightened or curly. Men however have shorter hair that is more manageable right out of bed and they often don't take the time to do anything with it for classes.

Another aspect of gender differences among male and female groups on campus is the way they communicate. Women when talking are often much closer, they use their hands and body to express emotion, they face each other and also tend to be more 'touchy-feely' with one another. This can be seen at all ages of women. Men however, are often seen talking to one another facing the same direction, they minimally use their hands and do not touch one another when they talk as girls do. Another difference in the communication of females and males can be seen even in the classroom. Men are normally more prevalent to take control of speaking in a classroom setting. However, this is not as common anymore and women are beginning to set the standard in classroom communication.

2. Sexuality, Generation, Class, and Ethnicity in the Atlanta Metropolitan Area

In the PBS documentary, The Lost Children of Rockdale County  it focuses on a group on females who have contracted Syphilis and how it has affected their communities and families. What is so shocking is that these females are young girls of about 14 yrs old often from middle-class white families. This came as a complete shocker to many researchers; "A Syphilis outbreak does not occur in a middle class white girl" they said. 

Young girls in this film often said that losing their virginity or being a part of any sexual activity wasn't pleasurable, but yet "a part of socialization". Often times drinking or drugs were involved in these so-called gatherings of young just barely high school students. One thing the documentary seemed to continuously harp on was the parenting, or lack of parenting by these girls. It never seemed to pin-point and directly blame the parents, but at times asked where the parents were, or whether or not these girls were taught any better? It also leads to believe that young men are also not respecting not only themselves, but in no way are they respecting a woman's body or woman in general.  

Unit 6

Unit 6. 

1.

In the American Culture, Valentine’s Day is a holiday filled with feelings, love, and even some confusion depending on who you talk to. Most people would respond that Valentine’s Day is a holiday based on showing whoever you care about, whether that be your “special someone”, your family, and even your friends. The history of Valentine’s Day comes from the Saint, Saint Valentine who was imprisoned for performing weddings for soldiers who were forbidden to marry and for ministering to Christians, who were then persecuted by the Roman Empire. By the 15^th Century it was changed to be a day revolved around lovers and their love for one another.

In America, genders think of Valentine’s Day in very different ways. For both male and female, literal gifts or acts of adoration are generally expected, but for women it is more highly anticipated and the amount of love and adoration shown is important. Women in America expect flowers, chocolates, a nice date etc… sometimes even an engagement ring (although opinion on this gift varies from female to female). Women will give adoration and affection to their man, but often not to the same extent. It is generally the man’s ‘duty’ to do the gift-giving and sending. There are also terms (PDA- Public displays of affection) that refer to men and women showing their ‘love’ for one another. However, in cultures like Japan, there are actually two separate dates for Valentine’s Day; one for the women to show their affection and one for men to show their affection to their loved ones. 

Social status can be seen mostly in the amount of gifts and dates that couples go on. Although sometimes couples purposely stay at home or have a date somewhere cheaper and more intimate, generally the more expensive place a couple goes to, the more money they have. You can see the difference in food ordered at a restaurant, or the wine glasses drank; couples drinking soda and eating chicken vs couples having steak and a vintage bottle of wine. 

As mentioned above, couples on Valentine’s Day display their affection for one another in different ways, but what do kids of the younger generation do? Depending on what age, many school-kids have Valentine’s Parties in their school classrooms. They share candies, chocolates, cards and have a “fun day” directed towards the care for everyone else. Children also often make gifts and cards for their parents or others in their family they care for. Valentine's Day for children becomes more of a day celebrating and enjoying candy than a day actually showing adoration to the ones you love. 

2. Do You Speak American?

In the PBS documentary, "Do You Speak American?", the host travels through different sections of America looking at not only different dialects and accents within America, but how those dialects have changed and how they are looked upon throughout society. One dialect, African American English (AAE) also known as Ebonics, can tend to be frowned upon in Standard American English speakers. One teacher even goes so far as to let children of African American and Latino descent become aware of these languages and immerse themselves in learning Standard American English. The teacher here is very aware of the necessity for Standard American English usage to get a job in most places in America, but also does his best to not make any of the students feel "less worthy" or underneath anyone else. This is important for a child's ego.