Journal # 15 ” Relating life to a social theory”

One thing that I can think of is when I was 18 years old and  became sick with my stomach.  I used to eat alot of junk food, fast food, and everything else that isnt good for you.  My stomach couldn’t handle it anymore and I got really sick and could not eat anything other than white rice and bread for a month.  I lost 30 pounds in this period and i was petrified.  I ran through so many tests, like ulcer tests and sonograms.  They finally said that it was a acid buildup in my stomach probably due to all the terrible food i used to eat.  After this I began to eat much much better.  I believe that the social variables were always going out with my friends and always eating what they ate, which was always fast food.  My action was to eat more healthy so that my stomach could get back to normal and I would never have to go through this again.  The perceived severity was the thing that really scared me because I thought it could be something worse than what it really was.  In time, I have adopted to eat better and my stomach has never felt better. 

Journal # 14, “Binge Drinking”

the most interesting part of this reading I thought was about how the campaign wanted to correct students misperceptions about their peers alcohol consumption.  it says if students knew the real statistice of how many of their peers really drank, then they would also cut down and there would be a drop in binge drinking.  It feels like every kid out there feels that they have to drink because they think everyone else is drinking also.  This is not always the case, there are plenty of kids out there that don’t drink.  The word that everyone doesnt always drink has to be spread out there in order for people to believe it.

Journal # 13 “We just don’t care”

While i was reading “Fostering sustainable behavior”, I couldn’t help to think to myself this will never work, especially in New York.  I think our society as a whole just does not care about the environment.  We have to worry about school, money, work, family and so many other things that the environment that we live in takes a backseat even though it is very important to take care of it.  We just have to much to think about and worry about to worry about the environment around us, its sad but true.  There could be all these gimmicks and programs but the bottom line is we will lose interest in them very quickly and go back to our old ways.  I know people say we can change the world one by one, but i don’t agree because there are always going to be people that don’t take things seriously and so the people that do try and care will become discouraged and just quit.

Journal #12 Advertisment #4

I think this advertisment shows selling a product as an expression as individuality because it shows a man holding a louis vuitton bag.  Not everyday do you see a man with a bag or do you see a company advertising bags towards men.  I feel that Louis Vuitton is trying to say that you can become an individual and not have to follow the leader.  I feel like they are selling this bag to you and telling you to be your own person.  Don’t be a sheep, be a shepherd.  I also feel that advertising  a bag as the product is expressing individualism because only one person can use a bag.  It’s saying to be the bag and don’t worry what anyone will think of you, just as this guy is.

edit of journal #6

original=206 words

edited version=157 words

If  this picture doesn’t make you go out and buy this protein bar then what will?  We spoke in class how self-image was important to advertisers, well having a hot girl displayed to guys is definitely a great selling pitch.  The text says “I got what you want”, this teases a guy and makes him think he can buy this  bar, and get this girl.  I find it funny that the bar is positioned right on the woman’s backside, suggesting something sexual.Self-image is important because if we don’t feel good about ourselves and how we look then we won’t be able to achieve what we want in life.  Guys always want to look good infront of girls and vice versa.  It’s a shame that a lot of our time is spent on our physical appearance.  If an unnattractive woman was placed in this advertisment, I woudn’t even look at it let alone buy the protein bar.

Journal #11 “Riders on the storm” Money talks but John Densmore walks.

I found this article written by John Densmore very interesting because It feels liek today celebrities are all in it for the money and nothing else.  You rarely see a star or athlete do things for their fans unless they are gaining publicity for the good deed.  It’s amazing how many times John Densmore resisted many money offers from big companies to use their songs in the advertisements.  Densmore says “our songs have a higher purpose, like keeping the integrity of their original meaning for our fans.”  You rarely hear something like that these days.  He wants to keep the integrity because his songs have so much meaning to his fans.  Densmore never wanted the money or the publicity, he wanted to remain loyal to the fans that made him.  Celebrities have enough money these days that they shouldn’t make more money on things that they made for their fans, like songs.

Journal #10 Advertisement #3 PG-13 Cigarettes

This advertisment says that smoking or tobacco products are shown in 75 percent of pg-13 movies and smoking is influencing 390,000 new teen smokers each year.  Just like how i feel a good way  to stop alienation is to start from early education, I think the same goes for smoking.  You cannot be showing young teens all these cigarattes and not expect them to want to try smoking.  Its just way to easy for a tene to get a hold of a cigarette these days and  influencing them through movies is not going to help.  The ad says that smoking in movies is the strongest form of tobacco advertising.  Advertising for a product does not have to be the best to sell its product, it has to be effective and placed properly.  The ad also says to restrict smoking to rated R movies.  i agree with this because a pg-13 movies can do without the smoking and the tobacco products.

Journal #9 “Controlling Chaos” The Power of the Mass Media

We take alot of things for granted in this life just because most of the time we don’t even realize that they are there.  Stuart Ewen says “the divine right of the masses is about to replace the divine right of kings”.   In this society we live in today the masses are more powerful than the individual.  The crowds can be heard louder and can be organized to fight against something they believe in.    Journalism is a key weapon to organize the masses and to give them an instrument to voice their opinions. 

Ewen says “even those who do not read papers but who, talking to those who do, are forced to follow the groove of their borrowed thoughts.  one pen suffices to set off a million tongues.”  The newspapers gives us daily conversations to talk about with others and informs the masses of what is going on.  It is easy to manage a crowd with the use of media because you can stick an opinion through their heads and have them follow that idea.  The press is probably just as strong as the government and army in that it gets into a readers mind, and thats an important thing.

Journal # 8 “Sexism and sexuality in advertising

I like the quote that says “ads don’t sell sex, they sell sexual discontent.”  Advertisements are not selling you a product that will provide you sex, they are saying that is you are sex deprived or are not happy about your sex life then here buy this product and it will help you.  I woudl like to know if a photoshopped picture of model can be an accessory to a murder if a girl sees this pic and starves herself, gets sick and one day dies.  The old spice ad that shows a man leaning towards a woman whos is playfully pushing him away and the text says “No, but she is smiling.”  Is this ad sending a rape is ok message and are they putting humor towards rape.

Journal #7 “Alienation in American Society”

I agree with man alienating himself from his fellow man.  In life, you can trust one person, and that is yourself.  Do not form bonds with the feloow man because they are out for themselves too and would stab you in the back without hesitation.  Just like Pappenheim says “we have to shape our own life and become master of our destiny.”  We walk pass people getting beat up or killed because we don’t care and we don’t want to get involved and risk our own lives for someone we don’t know. 

When we see a horrible tragedy, a part of us feels gets turned on because in this society we live in we gain relief knowing that the tragedy didn’t happen to us.  I agree when Pappenheim tells the story of the boy that is about to jump off a ledge and people become upset when he doesn’t because we are a sensation feening society.