Racist or Trivial?

Here we have a billboard that was created for the new white version of Sony's PSP and PS3. As many of us know, these products were first marketed as a black product (the actual color of the device) and now, they seem to be coming out with a white version as well.

As the image shows, this ad consists of a white female, dressed completely in white, with her hair colored white as well, as she is seemingly grabbing a black man, dressed completely in black, by his face. The woman is obviously the focus of the image, as she is brighter, bigger, and more in the foreground that the black man who is hardly visible and has been placed in a way as to make it seem as if he has a smaller stature than she does.

Interestingly, this add goes against one ideological grain, in that it depicts a woman as the strong figure, where in many media images, we might expect the opposite. But, there is a very strong ideological issue here in the portrayal of black vs. white. As mentioned before, the white woman holds the power here, and the ad makes it seem as if she is the "better" choice. Just as in the marketing plan for this product, the company is trying to push their new white device onto the market, showing that it is the new and better model. The choice that has been made in making this particular image for ad purposes is incredible. Millions will likely see it, and millions will be told that white is better than black. When will this nonsense end?

The Mask

The story: In this edition of The Mask, Lieutenant Kellaway has been looking for a killer named “Big-Head”, but his search ended because he was blamed with the death of 11 colleagues and the escape of the killer. After being fired from the police department, he hears a blip on his cop radio and rushes to the scene of a restaurant where “Big-Head’s” henchman were sent to attack again. Here, he enters the building and then magically, The Mask appears and starts killing the enemy. After all has finished, and s seemingly good deed of stopping murderers has occurred, Lieutenant Kellaway is confronted by his chief. He is told that he is no hero because killing is never an act of justice for a cop. He is then terminated for good. In the very last scene, the comic shows us that Lieutenant Kellaway is in fact, The Mask!

In this comic, strong ideology seems a bit tough to tease out, as the story is quite short and is more of a highlight than an in depth story. Although this is the case, the ideology that I would like to talk about is the power structure that is very visible within the story. In our culture, especially in the work place, if we have a boss, they act as just that, our superior. In the case that we as individuals want to challenge this power held by our boss, it may be a very complicated to change the mind of these superior people.

In this story, Lieutenant Kellaway (also The Mask as we find out at the end), does what many might think of as a heroic act. He puts his life on the line to end a battle that was his to begin with, but in the end, he is said to have betrayed the police force by doing things that were unacceptable for their image. Although both of these peoples’ opinions can be easily understood, it leaves me wondering, as a reader, “what is the right way to handle this situation”? “Would I let the bad men hurt innocent people, or would I do everything I can to keep them safe, even while hurting my companies reputation?”

I think most people would choose the latter if they had a choice in the matter, but still our societal ideas about power structures tell us that even if we do right in our own mind, if we are against “the man”, he will always win. There is always a person above us in rank, and this means that we must always deal with power structures in everyday life.

News, News, News

#1 – Cool schools. This article from Willamette Week talks about governor Kitzhaber’s plan entitled “Cool Schools” which is said to be a plan to help our local schools get the renovations they need, including more energy efficient facilities (the energy costs for schools in Oregon cost more than text books and computers combined), as well as creating better pay scales for teachers throughout the metro area. http://wweek.com/portland/article-17410-cool_schools_on_ice.html

#2 – Dropping graduation rates. The Oregonian did a recent story about how many high schools (this article focused on North Clackamas and Estacada high schools) are having lower and lower graduation rates each year. They say that in 2010, a mere 65% of seniors graduated from North Clackamas High. In contrast, other notable schools within only a small distance of this one had graduation rates of nearly 85%.http://www.oregonlive.com/milwaukie/index.ssf/2011/04/north_clackamas_and_estacada_district_graduation_rates_fail_to_surpass_states.html

#3 – Help for Alabama. Four volunteers from the Oregon Trail Chapter of the American Red Cross are on their way to Alabama to give aide to people who have just gone through the worst tornado in more than 75 years. There are many who have been left homeless, as an estimated 1,500 stayed in the red cross shelter on Thursday night. http://www.oregonlive.com/news/index.ssf/2011/04/red_cross_volunteers_from_tiga.html

When I looked through the recent news coverage from around our area, I noticed that a major topic was about our public schools in Oregon. Since I am now nearing my 5^th and final year of undergraduate studies, and have younger siblings who are still in the public school system, the news about our education system for young people is big news to me. This is why I ranked these stories number 1 and 2. I see real value in education these days, and I want to see everyone from our state graduating from high school and being able to pursue higher education if they desire. But, if we expect this from our young people, then we better give them a place to learn that isn’t a pile of rubble much like many schools in the area. After reading about Kitzhaber’s plan, I think that I am all for it, and I hope my fellow Oregonians are as well.

As for the article about helping Alabama, I saw this piece as uplifting. Here in Oregon, it isn’t so usual that we have a natural disaster that destroys our homes and livelihoods, but in the south, it seems like a common trend as of late; Hurricanes that destroy everything, and now a series of tornadoes as well. If this were to happen in Oregon, I hope that our fellow Americans would come to help us, and I love to see our neighbors going out into the country to help those who have been hit by an unfortunate turn of fate.

Strength

Isn't this just a great picture of our president? Standing in front of a crowd giving one of his famous "we can do better" speeches.

When I look through the exhausting list of pictures of president Obama, many have this same feel. A proud, and very stern man, addressing the people who surely trust him, about issues that have real relevance to our lives.

This is a shot of him, where the photographer wanted to highlight this attribute of rigorous and unrelenting presentation of his beliefs, and the way he thinks things ought to be.

The shot features just Obama, as the crowd to which he is speaking has been blurred from our vision. This is because the people simply don't matter here. The image is supposed to direct all attention to the president to show him as strong, as I have mentioned before.

It seems that today, even when people don't agree with the president, we still want to see him as a tough roll model to follow. We have, in the past been put through a presidency that many would like to forget, and therefore we want to see our new president through this lens. He has become a symbol of power and change to many in this country, and images such as this do a very good job and driving that point home.

Worlds Afar

This country has never been enough for this enthusiastic adventure seeker. No no, she needed to see more than the place she calls home and the people she calls country men. She was off to Europe. Seeing amazing places such as Berlin and the Austria, where the great war was fought and many were killed, and where the wall that divided a great nation once stood.

How great would it be to say that you have walked on the same soil as those of our great ancestors? Seen the sun rise and set over the same landscapes? We should all strive to get out and see the world.

She must have much to tell the people that come and go throughout her life, and of this fact I am envious.

I Love Media

In this first blog post, I would like to talk about my interest in the magazine entitled "Alternate Press". The focus of this publication is about a version of today's popular music, but in a sense, not the popular music that many individuals would think of at the comment of this term; 'popular'. I speak of it as popular music for the reason that many people I am close to, and many people that I imagine many of us know, do in fact listen to this style of music. To help paint a better picture of the genre, or genres, I am talking about, I would like to list (although this can be very difficult to accurately categorize certain bands) some genres of music that this publication would cover. These might be, Metal (somewhat different today from the 80's version), Screamo, Indie, and Hardcore to name a few.

The reason for picking this particular publication was simple; I am a very big fan of many artists that they cover. I look to this magazine to get news about bands and read interviews, as well as look for upcoming concerts to attend. It seems to me (because I am yet to find another) that this is the best magazine for a lover of these genres such as myself.

I feel that 'my' style of music is very unheard in the realm of today's music where many artists that would be thought of as popular consist much of Hip hop, softer rock, and country western. These genres get much more public attention that the music that my friends and I listen to on a regular basis. It seems to me that more and more people are picking up on the idea that Metal and other 'heavy' genres of music don't actually carry the idea that they are 'preaching for the devil' and other negative ideas. I would love to make more people aware of the powers of these genres, such as empowerment through vocals, and messages of societal change. I have come to live by and trust many of these artists for direction through hard times in life, and I feel that many more people might find these messages to be helpful to them as well.

I hope this publication never dies, because I personally need to know what's happening in my 'world of music' that would otherwise go unsaid and unnoticed.