Racial Stereotyping In A Variety of Media Texts

In this blog, we will be looking at some racial texts and ads and what they are insinuating.

In this paragraph I will explain which race is usually displayed in an ad, after this paragraph I will give examples of these types of racist ads. The most famous race to be made fun of in ads is obviously African-Americans. There are always ads about their stupidity, the way some blacks speak, their speed, their inequality to whites, how "scary" they are. Asians are usually put in ads that are smart and sophisticated, as is the stereotype that all Asians are geniuses. Arabs are put into ads about explosives, the desert and other racist ads. And Mexicans are put into ads about tacos, burritos, hopping borders and how large their families are.

These advertisements were generally thought to be created in the past. The sad thing is, these ads are still around today. I always see ads for African Americans in sports commercials, Mexicans for ital pasta commercials, and Asians for rice and computer commercials. It needs to stop. How is Canada accepting of all the different ethnicities if we are still making jokes about them in advertisements and commercials.

In reality, these commercials and ads are the ones starting stereotypes. Black people like fried chicken and grape drank. Asians like rice and curry. Mexicans like tacos, burritos. And the most famous one, black people always steal. Stupid little jokes about black people stealing televisions, how other races are not as strong as whites are all made from these belittling advertisements.

Now, we will be taking a look at some of these insulting ads.

Anything surprising about this? The black people who just happen to be jacked are bowing down to the successful white man. Intel, a very popular computer company being bluntly racist to African-Americans.

A syrup brand, showing an African-American who says "dis sho'", a stereotype stating that African-Americans do not speak as fluently and correct as whites do.

A Quesadilla advertisement showing Mexicans. This is very insulting to Mexicans as the caption states "Real Mexicans know where to get real Mexican."

What do you think people's first take on this one would be? That black people are scary people, that everyone should be frightened of them. If you read further, you see that the advertisement actual reads, "Scared? You should be. He's a dentist." Brought to you by the Commission for Racial Equality.

Another advertisement about African-Americans not being able to speak properly. Saying "aint" instead of "Maybe Cream of Wheat doesn't have vitamins. And also, how African-Americans cannot spell correctly. 

These racist advertisements need to end. They are condescending towards many ethnicities. They start offensive stereotypes. They do not make Canada Canada. They make our country just as bad as Alabama back in the civil rights days. So end these advertisements, make our country equal for every race.

Thanks for reading! Learn more at  http://voices.yahoo.com/racial-stereotypes-media-38872.html

Privacy And New Media

Bad Decisions Can Lower People's Opinions of You

Lots of people are unaware that what they put or post online, can stay there forever. They may think that they deleted whatever it was that was embarrassing, the truth is they did not. Other people still have accessed it and may just as well be on there computers or mobile devices. In grade 12, a teenager could have posted an inappropriate picture on the internet. He could have deleted it, but ten years later, that picture could come back to haunt him as it still remained on the net. 

Facebook - A social network that people post there personal information for everyone to see, pictures of them and their family so random people can see. People do not realize that when they are typing in information about where they live, work, go to school, etc they are not giving that information to Facebook. They are putting that on their own wall for anyone and everyone to see. These people are pretty much giving their information out to anyone who wants to see and use that info. It is not safe for people to do this. For a criminal looking to commit identity theft, this a beckoning call to them. It is not mandatory for people to fill out their specific information, so why do it when its plain unsafe? Employers who are wondering if your the right choice will check your Facebook just to see what kind of person you are. If you are in a group that says "F*** School" or have pictures of you drinking or smoking illegal substances, well sorry but you did not get that job you just applied to. People do not understand that what they put on Facebook gives everyone an image of who you really are. For instance, having a beer company as your profile picture might give people the idea your an avid beer drinker, just an idea though. 

Twitter - Another social network where people have their personal information for everyone to see, what they are thinking, what their take is on certain matters. In my views, what people say on Twitter is worse than Facebook altogether. A lot of people tweet horrible things, things that employers would see and immediately through your resume and application out. Twitter also requires some personal information, which shows up on your profile for everyone to see. Employers also check possible employees tweets to see what they are all about. If someone tweets about how much they hate this and that, they probably will not get a job. People need to think about who could be reading their tweets, and how it could potentially hurt themselves by saying it. 

Privacy Settings - Settings that do not allow some people to see others information and profiles. People think that they are being smart about turning their privacy settings on, that it is bulletproof so people who are not friends with them cannot see anything on their profile. Wrong. There are links that can take you right to peoples profile, even if your not friends with them. "Rules are meant to be broken." Hackers can hack your profile even if your bulletproof privacy settings are on. Hackers can also get into your friends accounts so that they can gain access to yours. The thing is, just because you turn your privacy settings on, does not mean that possible employers cannot gain access to your profile, so be careful what you post about yourself. 

People also think that they cannot be spammed or hacked online. You cannot think that all online companies are safe, some are out to scam you for personal information and money. When your purchasing something online, your pretty much making and filling out a contract. Your giving that company all your personal information, your accounts, your passwords, your banking information, this is all a lot of information to trust one single company with. Not all companies are safe. From experience I have been scammed of money. I have sent my money to a company just to get nothing back in return. You cannot positive that a company is foolproof and completely safe. Some people are thieves, nonetheless very smart and make fake websites about real companies. They do this to access your personal information, and usually your banking. Once they have this they can hack your account and take all of your money. Its happened before and it can happen to you. 

By writing all of this I am trying to say that the internet is not a nice, safe place that some people make it out to be. You have to be safe when you surf the internet. Be sure that if your putting something on the internet, you will never regret it. Be sure that what you put on the internet is appropriate, you would not want to be shut down for an important job just because you posted something five years ago when you were immature. Just because you think the company is safe, you can never be sure. Accept the fact that you could possibly be ripped off, or even stolen from. Be sure your acting mature when you access the internet.

Thanks for reading! Learn more at  http://www.privacyrights.org/fs/fs18-cyb.htm

Cell Phones As Media

The Reasons Why Cell Phones Should Be Banned From School 

Teachers, students, parents and principals all debate the controversy of whether cell phones should be banned from school. My answer to this controversy is yes, cell phones should definitely be banned from schools.

Cell phones should be banned from school because they ultimately promote bullying. Just like cyber bullying, the bully would rather sit behind a screen and type threats and insults than go up to someone and say it to their face. People spread rumours about other students in seconds due to the fast speed of texting. In one minute, Johnny could be a very popular, cool kid in the school. In that next minute, someone could spread a rumour about Johnny and what he is all about. In minutes, students all around the school know the rumour, and there goes Johnny and his popularity, now he's just somebody to bully. 10% of American teenagers said they have been threatened from text messages. And cell phones do not just come with texting these days, they come with Facebook, Twitter, just the works. These applications make it easier to bully a person, which is a strong reason  why they should be banned from schools. Over 70% of teens said rumours about relationships are spread through texting, what kids are not supposed to be doing during class. Cell phones promote fights in the school. Information about a fight can be spread in minutes. People bring their phones to fights, tape the fight and then they upload it to Youtube and Facebook.

Cell phones are making students less intelligent than what they used to be. Students rely on their cellphones for answers, a way out of doing the real work. I have seen multiple students in my classes cheat on tests using their cellphones. How is that fair to students who do not have cell phones, or students who do not want to cheat by using a banned device. Lots of students do not even attempt to use a textbook anymore, they just rely on their phone and Google it. When a teacher assigns homework from a textbook, it stays fresh in your head as your physically writing the answers out on paper. When students use their cell phones they are not really paying any attention to the information being displayed, they merely copy and paste and then press print. There is a reason why teachers ask students to do things. They ask students to write the answers out so that they will really learn about the topic and get background information. If the teachers did not want the students to learn about a topic, they would then tell the students to use their cell phones to find the topic. What I am really trying to say is that there is too much reliance on cell phones these days, they should be banned from schools to provide everyone with an equal chance at success.

Cell phones are distractions keeping students from learning the full ordeal. When a teacher is speaking to the class and a student is texting someone else, they are not listening to the teacher. When they are not listening to the teacher they are not learning anything. This is because their cell phone is too much of a distraction for them! Not only are they not listening to the teacher speak, they are not listening to their fellow classmates while they do their presentation which may just have information that may be on the final exam, which may just determine if they pass or fail. Students are listening to their teachers talk, so what? Not so what, they are  completely disrespecting their teachers. Teachers have worked to be where they are, to teach students. I would find it very disrespectful if I was teaching a lesson and students were texting, actually I would find it quite aggravating. When students are disrespecting teachers like this, they are building a poor rep with their teacher.

Cell phones cause bullying, they make students less intelligent, they are distractions, and they are disrespectful to teachers and speakers. There are no real benefits to having cell phones allowed in schools, so ban them. Completely ban cell phones from all schools to enhance your child's learning, ban cell phones so your child will have a strong future, ban cell phones because it is the only logical thing to do.

Thanks for reading! Learn more at  http://www.commonsensemedia.org/advice-for-parents/cell-phone-tips

Cyber Bullying

We all know about, we all know it happens everyday whether we choose to ignore it or not. Cyber bullying. Some kids, teens, even adults are being threatened and picked on through technology. Maybe the reason is because the "bully" does not have to face their subject, they can hide behind their screen. Nonetheless, cyber bullying makes an impact on people. People who do not know how to cope with the torturous amounts of bullying they endure.

For example, fourteen year old Megan Meier killed herself because she was ridiculed and made fun of through Myspace. When she was in the third grade, Megan was diagnosed with Attention Deficit Disorder and she battled a case of depression. A group of kids from Megan's school made a fake Myspace account in which they could all make fun of her while remaining unidentified. These kids said horrible things about Megan, calling her fat, retarded, stupid. Megan Meier was suffering from ADD and Depression, you would think her fellow students would be nice to her because of her case, instead they just tormented her to no end.

A survey from the National Crime Prevention Council reports that cyber-bullying is a problem that affects almost half of all American teens. This is a major problem as 58% of teens have not told their parents or an adult about something mean or hurtful that happened to them online. These teens need to report these incidents or it can change their lives negatively. 42% of kids have been bullied while online. One in four have had it happen more than once. 35%  of kids have been threatened online. Nearly one in five had had it happen more than once.

Why does cyber bullying happen?

The main reason is this, so the bully can feel better about themselves. Bullies pick out a target who is smaller, weaker and usually unpopular compared to themselves. Usually the bully comes from a childhood where they themselves are bullied by their siblings or even their parents. The bully usually is not satisfied with them self so they pick on others to make them self feel better. Other kids then join in on the bullying because they think its the "cool" thing to do. They also do it just to fit in. If they do not participate in bullying the subject, they think they themselves will also be bullied.

How do you stop cyber bullying?

Tell an adult about what is happening to you. If you say nothing, do nothing, then all you are doing is feeding the bully, making them want to bully you that much more. If you do not feel like reporting it to an adult, get all of your real friends to help you stand up for yourself and stand up to the bully. Once five or more kids turn against the bully, the bully will usually always stop instantly. Sheer numbers will intimidate the bully. Cyber bullying, and all bullying for that matter needs to end now. Its driving innocent people to commit suicide, and that really needs to end. Stand up to the bully, report it to an adult, end bullying altogether.

Thanks for reading! Learn more at  http://www.stopcyberbullying.org/