Reality TV Power Point

Here is a link to Jane and my Power Point on reality TV.
Our TV Guide Blurb and paragraph on teaching reality TV is included in the Power Point.

Ethnography on "Soaps"

Soap operas dominate daytime TV Monday through Friday. They usually feature scandalous plot lines involving death, sex, and betrayal and the stories are often unbelievable. They cover everything from cheating, lying and dating family members to death of family members or friends, divorce, and psychological problems. I often wonder, who actually watches these programs?

Unfortunately, I know the answer to my own question. My mom is an avid watcher of the “soap” The Young and the Restless. She has watched it ever since I can remember. I asked her how long she has been watching the show and she replied, “Well, before you were born.” My mom records every episode of the show, just in case she is not home to watch it. Before she retired, she remembers sitting in the break room at her work with about ten other middle aged women eating lunch and watching The Young and the Restless. She took her lunch at 11 0’clock so she could watch the show and chat about it with coworkers.

I also wonder why people are so interested in soap operas. My mom comments on understanding the “unrealistic” aspects of the show. “I know they are stupid, it’s not like I think life is actually like this.” This makes me think that most viewers of soap operas enjoy the escape from their “boring” lives and love to see drama playing out full fledge in someone else’s life. My mom also comments on how the shows are almost addicting. “They never get through things quick. They can spend a month hyping something up, and you have to keep watching to see what actually happens, you have to.”

Soap operas have become a topic in social situations as well. My mom has a few girlfriends who also watch The Young and the Restless and when they get together they often ask if everyone is caught up on the show. “We talk about the characters, what stupid things they have done and mostly how Victor (the star character on the show who has been around forever) is such a prick!”

Soap operas are not only watched by middle aged women. I have some friends that also watch soaps and I hate to say this, but I know my 84 year old grandpa will watch one every once in a while as well. I guess I have a hard time understanding the appeal to these shows, but there obviously is one. I think as long as people understand these shows are not replicas of the real world there is really no danger in watching them.

It’s funny to look at the socio economic status of the characters on soap operas. They are always beautiful people who seem to have a lot of power. They also, almost always, are rich. They wear fashionable clothing, have perfect bodies, adorable children, and of course, housekeepers. I think I would be more interested to watch a soap opera that reflected the real world, instead of this representation of really rich powerful people.

After looking around at some websites it was easy to see that people love soaps. I did a Google search and found many websites dedicated to soap operas. One in particular was called Soap Central. This particular website featured daily summaries of what is going on in the soap each day. If fans miss an episode, they can surely catch up here. This website also has a Young and the Restless Fan Club. The fan club costs $18.00, and for that price you receive color pictures of the cast, a lunch tote, a deal on events involving the show and a “special surprise from the cast on your birthday” (I can’t imagine what that might be).

I also found it interesting that CBS, which is the channel the show airs on, features full episodes that fans can watch online. Because of the popularity of soap operas is so high, CBS offers them online to viewers. Does CBS really want to show these kinds programs instead of something more valuable, such as news programs?

Overall, I found that soap operas are popular. They have many fans who are regular followers of the shows. My mom is a prime example of someone who has been "hooked" by the show and I know there are many others just like her. I have to admit, I have watched a few episodes and they did leave me hanging, wondering, what will happen next?!

My voice Thread

I chose to critique the advertisement of the popular and classic soft drink, Coke. My voice thread looks at some Coke advertisements and towards the end I look at the problem of obesity in our society.

I really love the Voice Thread website and I think it is a great way to have students discuss images, or even explain an interesting trip or idea. Very cool tool, and even cooler that it is FREE!! I also really like the idea of how other people can comment on the voice thread as well. People can comment in many ways--text, webcam, microphone, etc. The variety associated with this tool is great. What I first noticed about this program was how user friendly it is. I was a little worried about getting it going, but it was actually very easy to get started. I think some people shy away from using technology because it can be so hard to use sometimes. Voice Thread does a great job of being very easy to use, which is great for teachers, as well as students. I hope to use Voice Thread in my classroom one day.

Check it out: My Voice Thread

Critical Analysis: How to use it in the classroom

I think looking at video clips and commercials in a great way to introduce students to the idea of using theory. There are so many good examples of many of the theories. Doing this activity was fun for me, and I think students would enjoy bringing in their favorite movies and discussing them. Doing different types of analysis sheds light to new perspectives of a text that can be overlooked. Using critical lenses helps students look deep, past the surface level and critique what they are watching and seeing. They also must think of how it relates to their own life as well. Critical analysis helps students think about the world in different ways and from different perspectives. Students are able make some pretty engaging comments about society, as Deb Appleman talked about yesterday in her presentation in our class on Tuesday. Some of the ideas students come up with after using critical lenses are really great and show that learning has taken place. I think after apply theory to film, students would be pretty well set up to dive into theory in books as well. I enjoyed this assignment and I think students will too.

Critical Analysis: Race in The Jerk

A scene from The Jerk

The Jerk is one of my favorite movies. I noticed in the very beginning, it makes a few comments on race. Although this clip is not the best and doesn’t really show what happens in the beginning, I will try to describe it. This clip however, shows Steve Martin or Navin, a white man dancing on the porch with his black family. Navin was adopted by African American farmers, but is too innocent to realize that he was adopted. Navin is the only white child in the family and very obviously looks out of place. The house they live in is somewhat ratty and not very fancy, possibly suggesting African Americans are often times poor. The family is singing and dancing and acting very stereotypical of African Americans. They are all clapping and stomping their feet. In the beginning of the movie we learn that Steve Martin has no sense of rhythm, like the rest of his African American family. This suggests that all African Americans have rhythm. I really like this movie, but the Hollywood version of African Americans and the stereotypes they use to define them are troubling. I think they were aware of these stereotypes when they were making the movie though. Maybe they are just also commenting on them??

Critical Analysis: Feminist and Class/Power Critique of a Dove Commercial

This Dove commercial is very disturbing. It first shows a close up of a little girl. At such a young age in her life, she is shaped by what she sees and thinks. Suddenly, we see all of the thoughts and images running through her mind on what she thinks women should be, which is shaped by the media.

In the flashes that we see, women are seen as objects that are imperfect. They all are obsessed with dieting, mutilating their bodies, and are never seen eating. This commercial is making a comment on what it means to be a woman. Women are defined by what is wrong with them. This commercial points out that these pre-conceived notions of what women are supposed to be are influencing today’s young girls. They are bombarded with images and ideas of what women are and what they should be. This affects how women today see themselves.

I like this commercial and feel that it empowers women and makes them aware that media has a huge impact on their self image and what they think of themselves as women. The commercial stresses that women are beautiful just the way they are, they don’t needs diets, face creams, and plastic surgery. The little girl looks beautiful in the sun during the close up shot, and someday, with all of the media showcasing what women “should be” she might feel ugly.

I am guessing that a woman made this commercial, keeping in mind society’s view of women and the danger the media can have on womens' lives. There are also no men in the video, which I thought was interesting. Usually a man's perception of what is beautiful affects a woman.

As a woman myself, I enjoy this commercial and feel good knowing that people can see beyond the media. Women should be able to be who they are and not feel like they have to look a certain way to be beautiful.

This video can also be seen viewed with a class/power critical lens. Most of the women in th video are using money to change their bodies--buying face cream, paying for plastic surgery. Also, the women dancing in the music video are very dressed up and look expensive. All of the women in the clip are dressed well and look to be of a high socio-economic class. Young girls may associate money and power with beauty.

The music in the video lyrics, "here it comes, here it comes" suggests that the naturally beautiful little girl will be shaped by today's media of what she ought to look like one day--if she hasn't already been.

My first imovie!