Is Hate Speech in the media directly affecting our culture?
Once again, I thought that the author of our textbook did not find adequate articles to explain whether hate speech is affecting our culture. For example, the "yes" article does not use his target audience effectively. Instead, he alienates certain people and does not use convincing main points to argue that hate speech is affecting our culture. He cites the usage of videogames as an agent that promotes the usage of hate speech. For example, the player becomes the violent hero. He further questions how and why our culture has become so mean spirited, and as a result, he explores the culture of our society's addiction to violent video games. In addition he analyzes how modern day politics uses hate speech in debates and presidential elections as a way to exercise power over the opponent, and to display his superiority to the other canidate. I completely agree with this statement. For example, when Senator Barbra Boxter went up against her fellow Republican Canidate Carly Fiona, both sides used hate speech to try to gain control of the debate. I think I can say with confidence, that most of the audience was tired of using slanderous hate speech in the debates, and instead, just wanted to hear the facts. The "no" article examined the content of web pages of 4 extremist groups that use persuasive techniques to gain acceptance on their stance, and that these websites fall back on old laurels instead of using out right hate speech, while downplaying the message of hate in their main messages. The author goes further to even question if hate speech should be legal. The article really does not thoroughly discuss this question, but kind of discusses the question in a half hearted manner. I personally noticed irony in the "no" article with his "black sheep comment" in the concluding paragraph, while he was discussing white supremacist hate groups. I think that hate speech defiinitely affects our culture, and is displayed in the media, whether it be on television, radio, or online.
Monday, December 6, 2010
Unit 1 Issue 4, p. 67
Does Media Cause individuals to develop negative body images?
While reading this particular issue, I found aspects of it be rather subjective within their concept of "being-as-object". I thought that the author was trying to convey that women are being looked at as objects. Instead the author might have been misunderstood to have an opinion of the being of the woman to be subject, when I strongly believe that this is not the case. The media does have some influence in how girls view their own body image, but a lot of it does in fact come from external sources, such as men. Whether it be due to men feeling imasculine in front of wholesome and curvy women, or men's body sizes shrinking because modern day jobs consisting of non-manual labor, their is definitely a dilemna with lots of men believing that women are "fat", when in fact in most cases, they are in reality, not fat at all. There is a modern problem and theme in our society of the fear of fact. It is a contemporary problem of the modern world . The question I have to both of these authors is this: is the ad driving the image? Or is the image driving the ad? I think that both questions are valid, and both have factors and an impact in how women develop negative body images. In addition, there are also problems in defining what it means to be healthy. There are people in society who are overweight, and do have a reason to be concerned, while there are others who are way too skinny and have lost touch with reality in what it means to be healthy. There is also a convergence of roles in this problem, it is now affecting both women and men. Even athletes are subject and not objects to the issue. It is an issue that is indeed fueled by the media, but by no means is the media the only outlet to blame this problem of people in modern day society, facing problems with negative body images.
While reading this particular issue, I found aspects of it be rather subjective within their concept of "being-as-object". I thought that the author was trying to convey that women are being looked at as objects. Instead the author might have been misunderstood to have an opinion of the being of the woman to be subject, when I strongly believe that this is not the case. The media does have some influence in how girls view their own body image, but a lot of it does in fact come from external sources, such as men. Whether it be due to men feeling imasculine in front of wholesome and curvy women, or men's body sizes shrinking because modern day jobs consisting of non-manual labor, their is definitely a dilemna with lots of men believing that women are "fat", when in fact in most cases, they are in reality, not fat at all. There is a modern problem and theme in our society of the fear of fact. It is a contemporary problem of the modern world . The question I have to both of these authors is this: is the ad driving the image? Or is the image driving the ad? I think that both questions are valid, and both have factors and an impact in how women develop negative body images. In addition, there are also problems in defining what it means to be healthy. There are people in society who are overweight, and do have a reason to be concerned, while there are others who are way too skinny and have lost touch with reality in what it means to be healthy. There is also a convergence of roles in this problem, it is now affecting both women and men. Even athletes are subject and not objects to the issue. It is an issue that is indeed fueled by the media, but by no means is the media the only outlet to blame this problem of people in modern day society, facing problems with negative body images.
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