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/

The Power of Gaming

Video game addiction, also known as video game overuse, is the extreme use of computer and video games that interferes with daily life. This topic is now highly relatable to drug addiction, alcohol addiction, and gambling addiction.

Some families say that their children will lock themselves in their room for hours on end without eating, washing, or even going to the bathroom, just so that they can partake in something not even real. We all have heard of the most famous game series, Call of Duty. The series has made millions of dollars off their hit video games, wait, did I say millions? Sorry they made millions off of their latest game, Modern Warfare 3. Overall the company (Treyarch and Infinity Ward) have made trillions of dollars off these highly acclaimed video games.

There have been 5 games belonging to the series and the majority of all gamers are anticipating the newest arrival, Black Ops 2. Call of Duty, along with the majority of most games nowadays, let's you see how much time you, friends, and others have spent playing the game. When I used to play Modern Warfare 2, I noticed my time spent on just that game had up to two whole days. Now, you think that's bad? Some of my friends history have been up to three whole days after the game had only been out for a week!

The kids are not the problem out of all this. In my opinion, its the parents who are at fault. Parents need to set ground rules with their children, and tell them how much time they are allotted each day to video games. After all, I have seen kids who have spent up two months playing Call of Duty. 2 MONTHS!! Parents should be telling their kids go outside for some physical activity, parents should be telling their kids to go get a job or to focus on their academics. If you do not believe what I have told you about such large play times on one Call of Duty game, just look at the picture below. A picture that states one gamer's stats. 

I found a health website that stated the following. Studies estimate that ten percent to fifteen percent of gamers exhibit signs that meet the World Health Organization's criteria for addiction. Just like gambling and other compulsive behaviours, teenagers can become so enthralled in the fantasy world of gaming that they neglect their family, friends, work and school. http://www.video-game-addiction.org/

Now, I am not trying to say that all gamers are addicted to Call of Duty. There are other games that are huge hits. Not all video games are based on the great wars, or present day war. Others, such as Halo and Gears of War, focus on killing aliens who are the enemies. Another game series that is a massive hit is Assassin's Creed, made by Ubisoft. This series has been so successful that Ubisoft announced they will make a new Assassin's Creed video game every single year from now.

A large portion of gamers do not even play these kinds of games though. Many gamers are solely addicted to sports games. A company called EA SPORTS is a massive gaming company. This company has been around since the 90s. And every single year they drop a game for Football, Soccer, Basketball, Golf, Hockey, Baseball, Boxing, and other sports. Their most famous games are Madden, NBA, NHL, Tiger Woods, and UFC Undisputed.

Many people ask, is "video game addiction" even serious? YES. Even though it is not a medical condition in the present, researchers say it will become one in the near future. Video game addiction is comparable, if not  comparable then the same as drug addiction or alcohol addiction. When a gamer is experiencing video game addiction, it is very important that they seek help. However, the majority of gamers do not even know they are addicted. That is where the role of parents and family members comes into play. If they notice their family member spending large amounts of time on their gaming device, they need to bring it to the hospital's awareness, just as someone would do if another was addicted to drugs or alcohol.

In conclusion, video games are not all bad. The purpose of this blog was not to degrade video games, it was just to bring the idea of addiction to the surface. Video games are a great way to bring families and friends together in a competitive, friendly way. Something to note is that video games are not all about killing and sports. There are educational video games, which will help kids to excel in certain areas.

Thanks for reading! Visit this website to learn more at http://www.video-game-addiction.org/

Sports Stars As Role Models

We all have them growing up, and most of us probably still have them. Sports stars that we idolize, that are our role models. It does not matter which sport they play, they are our inspirations. They fill the void inside of us, the one concerning entertainment. Because that is what sports players are to society, pure entertainment. Nonetheless, our role models help us achieve our life goals, as they themselves have already done so, as I will later explain.

I have heard many people say "role models are important in our lives", in my opinion they are 100% correct. One way or another there is always someone we are going to look up to. The majority of the time they bring out the good in ourselves, and they inspire us to do great things. You ask any athlete in the NBA, NHL, NFL, MLB, etc and they will tell you that they had an inspiration growing up. Every sports player has one. One amazing athlete that has some sort of skill we all desire. Without an athlete role model, there wouldn't be anyone to inspire us.

The greatest to ever play the game, the great one, the one who could fly, the one who scored 38 points while battling the flu, the bird man, simply.... AMAZING!

Michael Jordan is one of the most highly regarded athletes ever. 75% of players in the NBA (National Basketball Association) said that growing up, Mike Jordan was their inspiration and favourite player. There are 32 teams in the NBA and each team has about twenty players. If you do your calculations, that's 640 players. That means that 480 players in the league idolized MJ when they were growing up. He is a prime example of an inspiration to basketball players around the world. One man, one unnaturally talented man, has inspired thousands of basketball players. Without this man to make history, who could say if half of the players now would even be in the NBA. I know when I was growing up Michael Jordan inspired me to play basketball. The common saying, even the movie states it, "I wanna be like Mike." The three best players in the league idolized Jordan growing up, and these three are now inspirations to ballers everywhere.

The three best basketball players in the world, Lebron James, Kevin Durant, and Kobe Bryant.

And then there was the Brantford, Ontarian legend, Wayne Gretzky, and the other Canadian legend, Maurice Richard, "The Rocket."

Two amazing Canadian inspirations. The players who entered the NHL after the Gretzky era admitted that he was there inspiration growing up. He was arguably the best player ever to play the game, and the majority of hockey players know it. Hockey players want to be like him. They practiced their hardest to play like their inspiration. Look where it got lots of them, to the NHL, the largest league concerning hockey.

And the second, Maurice Richard, more famously known as, "The Rocket." To the older players, he was their greatest inspiration. People wish they could play the way he could. But more importantly, hockey players wanted his number one skill, his speed on the ice. Richard was one of the fastest hockey players to ever play the game.

Peyton Manning (top) is one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL right now. Young quarterbacks use him as their inspiration, as his skill defines him. His pinpoint, precise, powerful passes are attributes that every quarterback wish they could have. The second athlete is Jerome Simpson who is a wide receiver in the NFL right now. He is one of the greatest wide receivers in the league, and young receivers look up to him. He has all the skills receivers want, speed, agility, powerful, aggressive, agile, nifty. Players like these are influencing new athletes to become in love with the game, and influencing these players to reach their maximum potential.

The point I am trying to make after all this is that sports players are role models to young athletes, young athletes need sports players as their role models. The sports players inspire the young athletes to be all they can be, to work as hard they can and their dreams will come true. Work yourself, and you will succeed.

Thanks for reading!

If you liked this blog, go to these websites to learn more!

1. http://www.kiducere.com/parents-speak/role-modeling-
2. kidshttp://psychcentral.com/news/2010/04/26/sports-stars-fading-as-role-models/13155.html