Matt Brown
October 5th
ENGL 2123
BLOG Assignment
http://youtube.com/watch?v=5MzRn60irvc&mode=related&search=
YOUTUBE. Wow. Anyone that can figure out how to work a digital camera and turn on a computer can broadcast whatever they want to the entire world. But, why? Is it a release? Is it a way to reach out to people? Or is it a way to just get your name out there? I’d say it’s a little bit of all of these. One person that uses all of these options is Chris Crocker. Most famous for his “Leave Britney Alone” video, I chose to take a deeper look at this video. What we know of Chris Crocker is that he’s a very opinionated gay man with a slight case of Schizophrenia, as diagnosed by his boyfriend. But, what are Chris Crocker’s motives? Sandra Leong of the Singapore Times hits the nail on the head when she asks “is the world of me-me-me blogging self-expression or self-indulgence?”
If you’ve ever seen any Chris Crocker video, or if this is your first one, there should be no doubt in your mind that this is a disturbed man. To me, Chris Crocker is undoubtedly a Schizophrenic or suffering from some other type of chemical imbalance. I believe that this video is somewhat of a cry for help but I also believe that Chris is using YOUTUBE as a way to express his exhibitionism. After watching several videos of his it is apparent to me that this particular one is just another one of his self-indulgent clips. I am not convinced that he cares about anyone but himself. “Mr. Robin Yee, and online journalism lecturer at the School of Film & Media Studies at Ngee Ann Polytechnic, points to the advertising tag-lines and consumer products like Apple’s iPod and iTunes and StarHub’s iMode – the cult of ‘i’ – as contributory factors” (Leong). Could this be true? If you’ve noticed, there has been a lot of attention on the individual in recent advertisements. Some websites like “myspace” advertise the “culture of ‘I’” right in the name. With so much focus on the individual how can exhibitionist needs not be expected? It’s almost to the point of a race – a contest to see who can write a longer “about me,” who can post more pictures of themselves, or who has the most friends. The initial intention, I believe, was to promote self-expression – a shy, introvert expressing themselves in a setting where they feel comfortable writing some things about themselves. But fueled by the competitive nature of people to compete with one another, self-expression becomes a contest where winning is the most important thing - even if it involves twisting the truth a little bit.
With this ongoing battle where the next person is constantly striving to outdo the last I can’t help but question the credibility of some of the videos I see, including this one. Are the crazy noises and faces by Chris in between phrases necessary? Is he truly having a schizophrenic episode or is he putting on an act for shock value? Smart money is on the latter. This isn’t any news to anyone, but still we continue to log on to YOUTUBE and watch these over-the-top videos. So, we as a society continue to feed these self-indulgent people whose egos increase exponentially with each hit their video gets. Robert Atwan might argue that these videos are merely an emerging art form, but I feel that the problem is deeper-rooted than that (Antawn 155). I won’t exclude myself when I ask, “don’t we have more productive things to do?” Every time I get onto the computer and watch someone like Chris Crocker talk it drives me nuts. I fear that if enough publicity is given to these people that they will become more powerful than they need to be - and for what? For being a nut? But, I guess it comes down to the fact that “it is hard not to be captivated by the potential of witnessing something uncensored, no matter how banal” (Diller + Scofido
Bibliography
Atwan, Robert. (2005). Convergences: Message Medium Method. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin’s.
Online Source is http://www.lexisnexis.com.libezp.lib.lsu.edu/us/lnacademic/results/docview/docview.do?risb=21_T2222595349&format=GNBFI&sort=RELEVANCE&startDocNo=1&resultsUrlKey=29_T2222595354&cisb=22_T2222595353&treeMax=true&treeWidth=0&selRCNodeID=8&nodeStateId=411en_US,1,2&docsInCategory=1&csi=144965&docNo=1 by Sandra Leong
Tuesday, October 9, 2007
Monday, October 8, 2007
Rick Kruth
This video is one of most unique type I have ever encountered. Its title is even interesting, “Web 2.0… The machine is Us/ing Us”. I think it pretty much breaks down how much we rely on the internet and what it does for us and also what we do for it. The video is pretty much visual. The creator of the video must have put a lot of work into making it. The message I would assume is that the internet is connecting people yet it would not be there if it wasn’t for us. What we do everyday such a blogging, posting, and etc. is building it more and more making the web massive. Most people do understand how much content the internet has and almost give it respect but the truth is we created it. It’s like as if we marveled at the Universe, and we were the creators. I see it as a more mutual relationship. We benefit it and it benefits from us, but without us, it would not exist. We would exist without the web regardless, so I assume that’s why the internet is using us, but we also may find ourselves lost if we had no internet access. We would feel like we are missing out on a lot. I appreciate how the author gives the web human characteristics. I forgot the literary term for giving human characteristics to an object, but it would fall into that category.
The intro of the video is a major piece. I think it shows how the world suddenly grew in technology. I think the title even reflects it a bit. “Web 2.0” It reminds of programs like winamp or windows media player because they all had previous versions and newer version with higher numbers. “Web 2.0” perfectly describes the internet’s status and also reveals the fact that it can only grow. This is only the beginning. The video first started with a hand writing words to communicate and then it used text. They both were change rapidly through a user. Basically it would not be able to do that if it were not for that user (us). “The Machine is Us/ing Us” fits this explanation. It also shows us the advancement we had using computers and also the benefit of it. For the handwriting, the user had to manually insert text to alter the previous text and to do so someone close to efficiently, he or she had to write in between the lines. And through technology, the text was easily altered in a very timely fashion and also made it almost into an art of the changing text and the message was brought across clearly.
The transition from the meaning of the text also supported the meaning of how the world is linking us everywhere. Another point to mention is that the transition from simple short text went into a website full of words and content. The developer of the clip allowed us to connect because most of us are all familiar with the video. We can connect to it because we have all done the same. We’ve browsed through websites (hundreds) for entertainment like news, music, and other information. We also used it for blogging and video searching. I see this video as more as a growth of the net and how we are basically the nutrients feeding the net. It then the text becomes something more: colors, pictures, videos, borders, certain text styles. All of them manipulated by a certain code text. And we use this all to get our messages across.
The method of this video is basically communicating to us by making a personal connection. The video moves through the websites in a familiar way, a way that we usually see ourselves moving through the net. It shows how we pull pieces of info from a website to understand the information we need or want. And through that, it communicates by highlighting certain texts or a collaboration of words to communicate to the viewer. It shows different websites like news sites, yahoo.com, It also shows how information is organized on the net. Like a news site for example. “Feds tricked holed-up tax evaders” is a heading on cnn.com and then once clicked a whole story will appear with in-depth information with thousands of words and also pictures. And this heading is only one of hundreds. And then to know that all this information was organized though text codes is amazing. And then to also know the news website is one of something million other websites is mind bottling. I guess it breaks down a website from a broad view to a narrow view. And how it small compared to something big and how it is big when we are reading the news heading. The video almost explains the dynamics of the web and how enormous it is. The video shows how the internet is categorized and how and where to look to find what we want.
The medium of course is interactive media on the web. The creator used the net to get his or her message across. And well did it did, 3.5 million views. In the Convergences, “medium is a complex term, with a wide range of connation.” “the word “medium” refers to the physical material an artist uses in the creation or construction of work: Michelangelo used marble;….” The internet fits into this category. The internet is almost physical and maker of the video did use the internet to get his or her message across. And to be more exact, the medium was YOUTUBE.com, the same website that sets as a medium to millions of other users.
Video website:
Sources:
http://www.cnn.com/2007/US/10/05/tax.standoff/index.html
Atwan, Robert. Convergences: Message, Method, Medium. 2nd ed. Boston, MA: Bedford/St. Martin's, 2005.
Freedom of Cheer?
by Mary Claire Gilder
LSU has a reputation of being a party school—binge drinking, loud music, and obscenity. Many Tiger fans try to dispel these rumors, reminding others of all of the wonderful things our university does outside of a Saturday night in Death Valley. There is a video circulating the internet which was filmed at the LSU versus South Carolina game, in which a cheer that is an old favorite of the student section gets a makeover. The “Oh-e-oh” song that is sung after an LSU touchdown had the word “cock” added to the end of it, causing a surge of mixed emotions through Tiger Stadium, as well as the country. There were other cheers and chants that night, as well as many others, that stirred up controversy, but this cheer seemed to make headlines more than others.
This video was originally posted to showcase the creativity of the student section. However, there were many comments left by people who were disgusted with the chant. Not only were on-lookers upset with student, but University officials tried to censor the student section more than ever after the South Carolina game. The controversy of the language used in the student section at home games is displayed by this video and its comments.
The video looks as though it was filmed with someone’s digital camera. It’s is hard to distinguish faces, because the pixilation is poor, but the most important part of the video, the audio, is loud and clear. It is a very short clip, only seventeen seconds, but the chant “You suck cock” surely resounds in a listener’s ear for much longer than that.
I think that the message of this video is two-fold. One argument could be that the student section is obscene, vulgar, and as many comments said “classless.” The other side of the argument could be that LSU students have a fiery passion for their football team, and that each opponent is a joke to them. These two arguments were present in the running commentary left by viewers under the video. However, the video just demonstrated to me that young adults with a lot of pride and, most frequently, a lot of alcohol in their systems, will speak their minds and when caught up in the moment, use adult humor to make a point. I don’t think that there is anything wrong with what was said. I was not one of the fans to say it, but given the heat of competition in the SEC and the general distaste LSU holds for its opponent when at the game, it is something relatively tame that was said.
The language used in the student section has always been controversial. “Tiger Rag” was a popular song at football games, but last year the Tiger Band was forced to stop playing it at football games because students had turned part of the song into a chant used to heckle the opposing team. At last week’s game, “Oh-e-oh” was not even played due to the fact that Tiger Band was held responsible for leading the student section in the vulgarity. Tiger Band is not at all responsible for what the students say, but they are the ones who bear the brunt of the disciplining from University officials.
What this video symbolizes is the unwavering pride that LSU fans hold. The fire that is in an LSU fan is something that is hard to extinguish, and it is also something that many other people around the country do not understand and therefore judge. As a Tiger fan, I am proud, but around the country, saying “Geaux Tigers” will conjure up this booze-soaked, loud-mouthed, arrogant football fan. While Tiger fans range in age and personality, there is one distinguishing trait that keeps them together—pride, even if it is vulgar, crude or classless. All other fans are just Tiger bait.
LSU has a reputation of being a party school—binge drinking, loud music, and obscenity. Many Tiger fans try to dispel these rumors, reminding others of all of the wonderful things our university does outside of a Saturday night in Death Valley. There is a video circulating the internet which was filmed at the LSU versus South Carolina game, in which a cheer that is an old favorite of the student section gets a makeover. The “Oh-e-oh” song that is sung after an LSU touchdown had the word “cock” added to the end of it, causing a surge of mixed emotions through Tiger Stadium, as well as the country. There were other cheers and chants that night, as well as many others, that stirred up controversy, but this cheer seemed to make headlines more than others.
This video was originally posted to showcase the creativity of the student section. However, there were many comments left by people who were disgusted with the chant. Not only were on-lookers upset with student, but University officials tried to censor the student section more than ever after the South Carolina game. The controversy of the language used in the student section at home games is displayed by this video and its comments.
The video looks as though it was filmed with someone’s digital camera. It’s is hard to distinguish faces, because the pixilation is poor, but the most important part of the video, the audio, is loud and clear. It is a very short clip, only seventeen seconds, but the chant “You suck cock” surely resounds in a listener’s ear for much longer than that.
I think that the message of this video is two-fold. One argument could be that the student section is obscene, vulgar, and as many comments said “classless.” The other side of the argument could be that LSU students have a fiery passion for their football team, and that each opponent is a joke to them. These two arguments were present in the running commentary left by viewers under the video. However, the video just demonstrated to me that young adults with a lot of pride and, most frequently, a lot of alcohol in their systems, will speak their minds and when caught up in the moment, use adult humor to make a point. I don’t think that there is anything wrong with what was said. I was not one of the fans to say it, but given the heat of competition in the SEC and the general distaste LSU holds for its opponent when at the game, it is something relatively tame that was said.
The language used in the student section has always been controversial. “Tiger Rag” was a popular song at football games, but last year the Tiger Band was forced to stop playing it at football games because students had turned part of the song into a chant used to heckle the opposing team. At last week’s game, “Oh-e-oh” was not even played due to the fact that Tiger Band was held responsible for leading the student section in the vulgarity. Tiger Band is not at all responsible for what the students say, but they are the ones who bear the brunt of the disciplining from University officials.
What this video symbolizes is the unwavering pride that LSU fans hold. The fire that is in an LSU fan is something that is hard to extinguish, and it is also something that many other people around the country do not understand and therefore judge. As a Tiger fan, I am proud, but around the country, saying “Geaux Tigers” will conjure up this booze-soaked, loud-mouthed, arrogant football fan. While Tiger fans range in age and personality, there is one distinguishing trait that keeps them together—pride, even if it is vulgar, crude or classless. All other fans are just Tiger bait.
Friday, October 5, 2007
Shh, Don’t Stare
by Kimberly Watson
As young children, we are taught it is wrong to “point-and-stare” at those with obvious anomalies, such as an amputee, someone with a walking disability, someone covered in warts, etc. Our mothers tell us, “Shh, don’t stare.” It is rude to make a big deal about someone who is different.
Yet, we constantly give our money and utter attention to people who are different if they are willing to entertain us. On the other end, a good percentage of those who are different are willing to use the very thing that makes them different to their advantage—they are willing to entertain anyone who is willing to pay and stare. It is well-known that “circus sideshows”—attractions where humans with obvious physical anomalies were put on display like animals at the zoo—attracted heavy crowds and plenty of profit. People paid to watch the degradation of other humans, but, just as fascinatingly, these humans (for the most part) could not imagine any other life besides being a “freak” in a sideshow.
It used to be the mentally retarded, physically handicapped (or those with physical anomalies who were not otherwise handicapped), or emotional problems were kept hidden away from shame of the family. If the role of family is to produce offspring to continue the family line and carry on the family name, then it can be seen as a failure, or even punishment, that a family should produce offspring incapable of this act. Furthermore, the abuse or ostracism of these people was considered socially acceptable, often making it difficult for people with genetic defects but the ability to work to find jobs, or keep jobs without fear of bullying or abuse. For these reasons, a travelling circus was seen as acceptance among peers, because one would be surrounded by people with the same history; escape, because one would be free from their home life; and a way to make money, and, for the most part, the “freaks” in a travelling circus were treated well. There was a mutual advantage of people who came to watch “freak shows.” To pay to see someone who entertains us was and is socially acceptable. Therefore, our shame, fear, inquisitiveness, and other abstract emotions that comes with seeing a “freak” is abated. We can point and stare at the thing that willingly puts itself on display to be pointed and stared at, but we can be seen as cruel if we point and stare at the pitiable person walking down the street, minding his own business.
David Gerber, quoting Douglas Bicklen (a sociologist in the field of mental retardation), states, “the freak show is the ‘pornography of disability,’ a reprehensible, exploitive, and worthless indulgence in bad taste” (Gerber 16). This sentiment seems to be shared with the majority of our society today; it has been decades since the role and existence of the “circus sideshow” has all but disappeared. We look down upon people who would ridicule or abuse those with genetic defects because, now that we understand why people have these defects, we as a society understand that these people are still humans who deserve the same rights as “normal” people do. Therefore, the thought of placing a human behind bars for being hairy, overweight, missing limbs, or any other reason seems like ghastly torture of the unfortunate. But does this mean our naïve curiosity of and desire to see “circus freaks” has disappeared?
The young man in the video is named Johnnie Baima, a.k.a. Sandie Crisp, but for the purposes of this response, I will use his other stage name—Goddess Bunny. He is a child of the darker side of the foster care system in America, having been moved from foster home to foster home, enduring abuse from his foster families. He had polio as a child, and a botched surgery to fix his back actually exacerbated his physical problems. The video above sparked many discussions. Who is this person? Are they doing this willingly? What’s wrong with him? What is the point? Why does the video end as it does? Who, in their right mind, would film this and put it on the Internet? Among other things, though, it had sparked a brief Internet trend. Videos popped up of people imitating Goddess Bunny, or editing music in the video, or editing the video itself. I happened to find the video when another YouTube user re-uploaded and said he was filming his niece tap-dancing for the world. Typing “Goddess Bunny” into search fields of YouTube brings up pages of results, and even using a search engine like Google returns discussion about this video. Massive, almost rabid, interest in this person and his video made Goddess Bunny famous—on the Internet, at least.
The question presented is why, in a culture where we should know better, did we not stop staring at this video? If this were Shirley Temple, would it get as much attention? If this were a person free of genetic defects, would it have spread around the Internet as it did? Goddess Bunny wanted to film this video—the clip comes from a longer, rare video about him. This was filmed obviously during the time before webcams, but the same principles apply. As he would have danced for people back when there were circus sideshows, he let himself be filmed for others to pay money and watch him.
Thanks to the Internet, though, millions of people can see Goddess Bunny perform without having to track down his VHS, and of those people, others find ways to gain “Internet fame” by linking this video in their online communities to discuss, make new videos ridiculing him, or participating in online discussions on the YouTube pages broadcasting this video. Other than calling one back to the times when it was “all right” to partake of watching humans with genetic or physical deformities with just a small fee and a safe crowd, this video has become one of the many concrete Internet trends of yore. This relates to Zatz’s description of “sidewalks in cyberspace.” Online communities converge when watching and discussing the video. The video has been linked all over the place, removing distance between communities. Similarly, new communities on the Internet come about just to discuss the video. Like a hip new place to hang out, this video has for a while created its own hub on the Internet.
Myth of Religion; The Solar Messiahs God's Sun Christ Horus
“Our Father which art in heaven,
Hallowed be thy name.
Thy kingdom come.
Thy will be done in earth,
as it is in heaven.”
Most people are familiar with this prayer, but just who is “our Father which art in heaven?” If you’re one of the 224,437,959 Americans who identify themselves as Christian, then your “father” is Jesus Christ. In fact, as of 2000, 33% of the Entire World, claim to be followers of Jesus. So who is He? Where did He come from? A simple answer to these questions is: he is the “Son of God.” A more complex and controversial (perhaps truer) answer is: he is the “Sun of God.”
Why would this obviously controversial video be uploaded? I see only one reason: To get people to think, to question what they have been taught. Religion is one of the things you learn growing up. Your parents take you to the church of their religion, and that’s it. You are in a way forced into a certain religion. If you grew up in a Christian home, more often than not, you will identify yourself as Christian. If you were raised in a Muslim home, you’d be Muslim. There is very little opportunity for you to broaden your knowledge of religion and choose which one you feel is best for you. By the time you do have the opportunity, you have already become a part of that religion and you do not want to break free. Today’s society is in dire need of this video, because it forces us to examine what we believe. With media today showing all kinds of things, it has become increasingly harder to determine whether something is true or not. It takes extra research in to everything, before you can make a reliable decision.
This videos message is a relatively simple one: Christianity is an anthropomorphic zed representation of the sun. To some this is a hard pill to swallow, but if taken in to examination, it is completely logical. In ancient times, people had no advanced technology. That means if crops were not growing, they had no way of knowing that maybe it was the wrong type of soil. They knew nothing of the water cycle, so rain was seen as a chance happening, “magical.” So how could they explain certain phenomenon? Some believe they created religion. They created the notion of an almighty being that controlled everything. They also acknowledged that some things were out of there control, and in order for things to work smoothly, they would have to worship and give sacrifice to the Almighty. Thus religion was borne. Also, the lack of technology (i.e. light, clocks) resulted in ancient people having to perform all duties around the schedule of the sun. When the sun rose, it was time to get up. When the sun went down, it was time to sleep. The ancient people also relied on the sun for time. Being a mainly agricultural society, the sun was also detrimental to their food supply. With the sun basically controlling ancient life, what could be more powerful? Hence, the emergence of the “sun gods.” Most, if not all ancient societies had some form of a sun god. Each just slightly different than the next. The video shows the closeness and similarities of the gods. Time and time passed, the something happened to shape religion. People no longer stayed in their native lands. More and more people began to travel to different places bringing along with them their ideas and customs. As people interacted, ideas exchanged, but as true as it is today, people interpreted things different. Somewhere along the line, the fact that the gods were personifications of the sun got lost, and the idea that the gods were real people emerged. Christianity is a relatively new religion. So of course, it would have to derive it’s beginning from previous sources. Justinian I, in the Code of Justinian set out to make Christianity the ultimate religion. But people were used to pagan gods, so Justinian conformed Christianity to satisfy pagans. The fact that Christmas is on the 25th of December, ( the pagan god Mithra’s birthday), the Sabbath day Is Sunday –“day of sun”(he enforced a national Sunday law, anyone worshipping any other day was prosecuted) and many other Christian traditions was due to conforming to paganism. And the pagan tradition at the time: sun worship. If one would take the time to study religion deeply, they will be amazed at what they would find.
The significance of a video such as this is that it shows a different side of a popular idea. If you ask most people about God and religion, you would hear a one sided story; “ohh, yeah it’s true.” “You should believe.” “God is real.” Rarely, will you hear contradiction. This video shows that not everyone is conforming to society ( There is also a theory, that government wants it’s people to believe in a
God, because of the idea that you must be “good” and it makes people think that some thing are not in their control, thus making them allow to be governed). This video is for anyone willing to learn more about a thing that affects their life daily.
This video was interesting and amazing to me. It opened my eyes and my mind, to things I would have never seen nor imagined. Religion is a touchy subject to a lot of folks. Most people avoid the subject altogether. Whether or not you believe this video is up to the person watching. In all fairness, no one can tell for sure whether there is a god or not. Maybe there are things in which man can never understand.
Kassie and the Monster
Kristen LaNasa
English 2123
Video Response
October 5, 2007
You tube has become a part of everyday life for the public and can be used as a refuge for a person bored at the office, a student who is trying to do everything in their power not to study, or simply as an alternative to watching TV. You can find almost anything on you -tube including political debates or natural disasters/phenomenon, and many other types of clips from the media. There are also home videos, which usually provide comical relief. In the particular video that I chose, “Kassie kicks monster’s ass,” it does just that. It starts with the phrase “when a 3 year old is asked about monsters….. The answer may surprise you” and then changes frames to a little girl who is being asked what would she do if he would come here. She replies “I saidddd, I’m going to kick his ask!” The woman starts laughing, and Kassie then smiles this ridiculously adorable smile. The woman then says “that’s not nice…” and Kassie logically replies: “If he gonna come over here-a, he’s gonna kick my ask.” Kassie continues to repeat ‘ass,’ because she is obviously getting positive feedback and at one point says “he gonna come out of the movie, he gonna kick my ask,” until her mother explains that it’s not a nice word and you should say ‘but.’ “OOOOOHHHHHHH.”
In the essay “Webcams” in Convergences, it states that webcams have many purposes in our society including: acting as a public service, a mode of passive advertisement, a new type of exhibitionism, or self disciplinary act. When I first read the phrase ‘public service,’ I thought of the traffic cam that you see when you’re at a red light. But then I thought about it and it could also mean comic relief. People search for funny. That is what I personally use you tube for; to view something amusing. It all started back in the primitive stages of watching “America’s funniest home videos” in 1998. I am not going to lie, I still watch it from time to time, but cyberspace has made up a whole new set of rules. For example, anyone can post their video, you can watch it at any time and as often as you like. “Kassie and the Monster” video was posted for the public to serve as an amusing clip of everyday life. The message is showing the pure innocence of a child, and the humor that comes from kids ‘saying the darnest things.’ It is part of our culture to share private videos from our homes and show the entire world. Many people watch videos like Kassie and the Monster and relate to it some type or way. That is what is so important about webcams and video clips online; it creates a relationship with everyone who watches it no matter where the source or the receiver is from. For example: I know that I have no idea where Kassie and her family live, but when I pressed play, I was virtually in her living room. When I was looking for another source besides Convergences, I kept finding articles written about how cyberspace is a tricky place, and everything I typed in about “home videos” I got things about Jennicam and other things of that nature. It doesn’t seem like the critics are focusing on the good about cyberspace, only the bad. In an article “Watch me! Webcams and the Public Exposure of Private Lives” by Brooke Knight it states that Webcams and cyberspace present problematic issues because of the fact that you create a relationship with a physical distance. In other words, every article is about the people who have a web cam set up every day. But this is not the case of every video that is posted on websites. In the case of my video clip, the scenes are edited and scripted. It is obvious because the woman in the background says “tell me again…” so I can conclude that she went and got her video camera after she heard Kassie say ‘ass’ the first time. So why share this video with virtually all of cyberspace?
You can connect the media and the videos that are posted on you tube by noticing that there are T.V. shows that are based on just showing clips from the internet, or segments in talk shows that do the same thing. Kassie actually went on the Ellen Degeneres show and got interviewed. This helps prove that the audience for this video is very family orientated.
The media is now very involved with cyberspace and has recognized the popularity in websites such as you-tube. Maybe the woman who posted the video of Cassie was also passively advertising her because she knew that certain parts of the media would respond.
The article by Knight also says that the reason the web cam is so popular and intriguing is because it creates familiarity. My favorite quote from the article is the last line: “It is a self portrait of great importance because it is of seemingly nothing at all.” This supports the fact that my generation enjoys watching clips, videos, and tv shows about nothing in general. There is no extreme lesson to be learned in the video, besides that ‘ass’ is a bad word, and there is no super significance or strong moral values that we should learn. Which makes the statement of us as a culture enjoys watching things that we are familiar with and can relate to.
I feel my selection of the Kassie and the monster clip was a good choice because it is one that speaks for the stereotypical type of video that is watched on you-tube and other websites of that nature. My generation is not going to search political debates every day of the week. The public wants funny, and that is what a lot of web cams do for us today. Thanks to you-tube and other websites of its nature, we have found a place to laugh and be enlightened.
Bibliography
Atwan, Robert. (2005). Convergences: Message Method Medium. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin’s.
Knight, Brooke A. (Winter 2000) Watch Me! Webcams and The public exposure of private lives. Art Journal.
English 2123
Video Response
October 5, 2007
You tube has become a part of everyday life for the public and can be used as a refuge for a person bored at the office, a student who is trying to do everything in their power not to study, or simply as an alternative to watching TV. You can find almost anything on you -tube including political debates or natural disasters/phenomenon, and many other types of clips from the media. There are also home videos, which usually provide comical relief. In the particular video that I chose, “Kassie kicks monster’s ass,” it does just that. It starts with the phrase “when a 3 year old is asked about monsters….. The answer may surprise you” and then changes frames to a little girl who is being asked what would she do if he would come here. She replies “I saidddd, I’m going to kick his ask!” The woman starts laughing, and Kassie then smiles this ridiculously adorable smile. The woman then says “that’s not nice…” and Kassie logically replies: “If he gonna come over here-a, he’s gonna kick my ask.” Kassie continues to repeat ‘ass,’ because she is obviously getting positive feedback and at one point says “he gonna come out of the movie, he gonna kick my ask,” until her mother explains that it’s not a nice word and you should say ‘but.’ “OOOOOHHHHHHH.”
In the essay “Webcams” in Convergences, it states that webcams have many purposes in our society including: acting as a public service, a mode of passive advertisement, a new type of exhibitionism, or self disciplinary act. When I first read the phrase ‘public service,’ I thought of the traffic cam that you see when you’re at a red light. But then I thought about it and it could also mean comic relief. People search for funny. That is what I personally use you tube for; to view something amusing. It all started back in the primitive stages of watching “America’s funniest home videos” in 1998. I am not going to lie, I still watch it from time to time, but cyberspace has made up a whole new set of rules. For example, anyone can post their video, you can watch it at any time and as often as you like. “Kassie and the Monster” video was posted for the public to serve as an amusing clip of everyday life. The message is showing the pure innocence of a child, and the humor that comes from kids ‘saying the darnest things.’ It is part of our culture to share private videos from our homes and show the entire world. Many people watch videos like Kassie and the Monster and relate to it some type or way. That is what is so important about webcams and video clips online; it creates a relationship with everyone who watches it no matter where the source or the receiver is from. For example: I know that I have no idea where Kassie and her family live, but when I pressed play, I was virtually in her living room. When I was looking for another source besides Convergences, I kept finding articles written about how cyberspace is a tricky place, and everything I typed in about “home videos” I got things about Jennicam and other things of that nature. It doesn’t seem like the critics are focusing on the good about cyberspace, only the bad. In an article “Watch me! Webcams and the Public Exposure of Private Lives” by Brooke Knight it states that Webcams and cyberspace present problematic issues because of the fact that you create a relationship with a physical distance. In other words, every article is about the people who have a web cam set up every day. But this is not the case of every video that is posted on websites. In the case of my video clip, the scenes are edited and scripted. It is obvious because the woman in the background says “tell me again…” so I can conclude that she went and got her video camera after she heard Kassie say ‘ass’ the first time. So why share this video with virtually all of cyberspace?
You can connect the media and the videos that are posted on you tube by noticing that there are T.V. shows that are based on just showing clips from the internet, or segments in talk shows that do the same thing. Kassie actually went on the Ellen Degeneres show and got interviewed. This helps prove that the audience for this video is very family orientated.
The media is now very involved with cyberspace and has recognized the popularity in websites such as you-tube. Maybe the woman who posted the video of Cassie was also passively advertising her because she knew that certain parts of the media would respond.
The article by Knight also says that the reason the web cam is so popular and intriguing is because it creates familiarity. My favorite quote from the article is the last line: “It is a self portrait of great importance because it is of seemingly nothing at all.” This supports the fact that my generation enjoys watching clips, videos, and tv shows about nothing in general. There is no extreme lesson to be learned in the video, besides that ‘ass’ is a bad word, and there is no super significance or strong moral values that we should learn. Which makes the statement of us as a culture enjoys watching things that we are familiar with and can relate to.
I feel my selection of the Kassie and the monster clip was a good choice because it is one that speaks for the stereotypical type of video that is watched on you-tube and other websites of that nature. My generation is not going to search political debates every day of the week. The public wants funny, and that is what a lot of web cams do for us today. Thanks to you-tube and other websites of its nature, we have found a place to laugh and be enlightened.
Bibliography
Atwan, Robert. (2005). Convergences: Message Method Medium. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin’s.
Knight, Brooke A. (Winter 2000) Watch Me! Webcams and The public exposure of private lives. Art Journal.
Florida Taser Incident
Florida Taser Incident
Cameron Pichon
Mitchel
English 2123
10/05/07
http://youtube.com/watch?v=SaiWCS10C5s
An incident occurred a few weeks back which caught the attention of myself and news organizations across the country. John Kerry was giving a talk to students at the University of Florida. At the end of the question and answer portion of Kerry’s talk, a student named Andrew Meyer grabbed the microphone and asked many questions and said many controversial things. His microphone was then cut off and the police dragged him away from the stage to the back of the room. He was wrestled to the ground by a group of police officers and then tasered. The scene where the officers tasered Meyer was played extensively on news channels after it occurred. It became a popular online video on Youtube also, especially the part where Meyer screamed “Don’t tase me bro!”
This video shows a raw event of protest in the modern-day United States. The textbook mentions this, “it is hard not to be captivated by the potential of witnessing something uncensored.” When the modern person hears the word “protest,” he immediately thinks of it as something far from his everyday experience and something that does not happen close to him. This protest was at a college, during a speaker’s talk. The arena in which this video took place is not some long ago anti-war Vietnam protest or a Washington D.C. event. The time of the video was a few weeks ago. The place was at a college. Meyer was tasered by campus police for saying things people didn’t want to hear and not leaving the room. This video is a dose of a reality that most American citizens do not see. It shows the power that those with weapons and government-backing really have over the citizens.
The audience for this video is those who see a link or hear of a student being tasered at a college and want to see it. Those who will look at it are probably more politically-minded Americans. They will think to themselves “Hey, I say and think some unpopular things, and I wouldn’t want someone tasering me for getting passionate about my beliefs in public.” The audience is going to be those who disagree with Meyer being tasered, and don’t want to see something like that happen again. This audience sees this and condemns it, thereby putting pressure on the university to change its policies on situations of this nature in the future. This, in fact, happened. The University of Florida was witness to the protesting of the tasering after it happened, with many students marching near the police department on campus. (Stripling) The audience’s reaction is the reason that this video is out on the web. The viewers are appalled when seeing it, which gets them feeling politically excited and in the mood to do something.
However, the message is not exactly clear. The response to the video was universally that it was wrong for the cops to do what they did, but the video itself simply shows what happened. There is no comment on the events to the viewer. The audience at the event itself does not want Meyer tasered, which could hinder the viewer’s perception of the event somewhat. Meyer’s screams of pain definitely make the viewer cringe and want to help him. Also, the police are armed and gang up on Meyer, thus giving him the underdog status in the video. Still, a side is not taken by the cameraman. The event is simply shown as it happened. Meyer is shown in a negative light in the beginning. He does not simply ask his question to Kerry, he talks on and on and says things that many people may disagree with. So, the truth of the events as they happened is shown in the video.
Bibliography
Convergences, Sara Tucker. 2001 page 163
Online source is http://www.starbanner.com/article/20070918/NEWS/70918007/1053/BREAKING_NEWS by Jack Stripling.
Cameron Pichon
Mitchel
English 2123
10/05/07
http://youtube.com/watch?v=SaiWCS10C5s
An incident occurred a few weeks back which caught the attention of myself and news organizations across the country. John Kerry was giving a talk to students at the University of Florida. At the end of the question and answer portion of Kerry’s talk, a student named Andrew Meyer grabbed the microphone and asked many questions and said many controversial things. His microphone was then cut off and the police dragged him away from the stage to the back of the room. He was wrestled to the ground by a group of police officers and then tasered. The scene where the officers tasered Meyer was played extensively on news channels after it occurred. It became a popular online video on Youtube also, especially the part where Meyer screamed “Don’t tase me bro!”
This video shows a raw event of protest in the modern-day United States. The textbook mentions this, “it is hard not to be captivated by the potential of witnessing something uncensored.” When the modern person hears the word “protest,” he immediately thinks of it as something far from his everyday experience and something that does not happen close to him. This protest was at a college, during a speaker’s talk. The arena in which this video took place is not some long ago anti-war Vietnam protest or a Washington D.C. event. The time of the video was a few weeks ago. The place was at a college. Meyer was tasered by campus police for saying things people didn’t want to hear and not leaving the room. This video is a dose of a reality that most American citizens do not see. It shows the power that those with weapons and government-backing really have over the citizens.
The audience for this video is those who see a link or hear of a student being tasered at a college and want to see it. Those who will look at it are probably more politically-minded Americans. They will think to themselves “Hey, I say and think some unpopular things, and I wouldn’t want someone tasering me for getting passionate about my beliefs in public.” The audience is going to be those who disagree with Meyer being tasered, and don’t want to see something like that happen again. This audience sees this and condemns it, thereby putting pressure on the university to change its policies on situations of this nature in the future. This, in fact, happened. The University of Florida was witness to the protesting of the tasering after it happened, with many students marching near the police department on campus. (Stripling) The audience’s reaction is the reason that this video is out on the web. The viewers are appalled when seeing it, which gets them feeling politically excited and in the mood to do something.
However, the message is not exactly clear. The response to the video was universally that it was wrong for the cops to do what they did, but the video itself simply shows what happened. There is no comment on the events to the viewer. The audience at the event itself does not want Meyer tasered, which could hinder the viewer’s perception of the event somewhat. Meyer’s screams of pain definitely make the viewer cringe and want to help him. Also, the police are armed and gang up on Meyer, thus giving him the underdog status in the video. Still, a side is not taken by the cameraman. The event is simply shown as it happened. Meyer is shown in a negative light in the beginning. He does not simply ask his question to Kerry, he talks on and on and says things that many people may disagree with. So, the truth of the events as they happened is shown in the video.
Bibliography
Convergences, Sara Tucker. 2001 page 163
Online source is http://www.starbanner.com/article/20070918/NEWS/70918007/1053/BREAKING_NEWS by Jack Stripling.
Retarded Cop 3
Casie Adams
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_V8VaJL-s3Q
In the modern world today, there are many means of communication towards others. Communications requires that a message be sent to another while using a language that the receiver will understand. Whether it be through television, radio, or the internet, ways of communication are vital in our ever advancing world. An online encyclopedia says that “communication includes acts that confer knowledge and experiences, give advice and commands, and ask questions. These acts may take many forms, in one of the various manners of communication. The form depends on the abilities of the group communicating. Together, communication content and form make messages that are sent towards a destination” (wikipedia). Without communication, human life would cease to exist.
I obtained my video clip from YouTube.com. YouTube is a very popular website where many different kinds of people can share their thoughts and ideas and communicate them to others through the use of a webcam. Wikipedia defines YouTube as “YouTube is a video sharing website where users can upload, view and share video clips.” I, myself, have never placed a video of any sort onto YouTube nor do I ever plan on doing so in the future. But, like many other people around the world, I do happen to find some kind of enjoyment out of watching these quirky, stupid and sometimes rather strange videos that other users have placed onto the website.
After a while of looking through several videos on the website, including about a two dozen Chris Crocker clips, I did find one that I thought was funny. Its title is Retarded Police Man. This particular video is the third installment of a group of videos made by the same group of people. The video depicts a retarded cop pulling over what seems to be an innocent male driver. It starts with a little introduction of the retarded cop and a short jingle to go along with it. After pulling the man over, the cop proceeds to offer him apples, and even cocaine saying, “Cocaine is cool, makes your brain feel silly.” And, after running in the streets and doing some sort of a dance, the cop offers the man a police escort if he is pregnant. Since the man is clearly not pregnant, he offers the retarded cop a salty penny, and continues on his way.
Although this video does depict a retarded man, and is obviously made to gain humor in others, it may be offensive to some viewers. I think that applies to a lot of the videos on YouTube and related websites. What some people think is funny and done in good taste, others will think that the video is insensitive and not at all humorous. Basically anything can be posted online for anyone to view at anytime of the day. Just as many television shows may be offensive to some viewers, online videos can cause the same problem. Where do we draw the line? Or should there even be a line drawn?
There are many different ways of communications that people experience. In Convergences, author Robert Atwan tells us to focus on the main points of videos, such as the message, method, and the medium. I think that the message (what the actual text is trying to say) in these videos and others related to it is just for comedy. There is no actual point to what is going on in the video other than to get someone out there in cyberspace to laugh at it and find just as much humor in it as the people included in making the video. The method is the way in which the author says the message. Since I think the message is purely comical, I believe that the method he goes about doing this is by placing a retarded man as a law official who is supposed to be honored and uphold the best interest of the community. And the medium (the way in which the video was brought to the viewer) for this particular video is, of course, the internet where the video was posted and found by me, the viewer.
An online encyclopedia defines the internet as “a worldwide, publicly accessible series of interconnected computer networks that transmit data by packet switching using the standard Internet Protocol (IP). It is a "network of networks" that consists of millions of smaller domestic, academic, business, and government networks, which together carry various information and services, such as electronic mail, online chat, file transfer, and the interlinked Web pages and other documents of the World Wide Web” (wikipedia). Through the internet, there are so many things that ordinary people can access and get a hold of. Without it, the only images that are being broadcasted would probably only be seen over a television screen. Now we have access to the internet pretty much anywhere we go. Internet service is relatively a cheap price for all of the things that the web offers. Countless hours of people’s lives have been spent here. Some to find information on a certain topic, others just use the internet to browse, or maybe look for people who share the same interests that they do. Whatever the case, I do believe the internet plays a big role as technology in our lives continues to grow and things around us being to change. The internet will help us keep up, and it will give us a head start.
Atwan, Robert. Convergences: Second Edition. Bedford/ St. Martin’s: 2005.
Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. 4 Oct 2007..
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_V8VaJL-s3Q
In the modern world today, there are many means of communication towards others. Communications requires that a message be sent to another while using a language that the receiver will understand. Whether it be through television, radio, or the internet, ways of communication are vital in our ever advancing world. An online encyclopedia says that “communication includes acts that confer knowledge and experiences, give advice and commands, and ask questions. These acts may take many forms, in one of the various manners of communication. The form depends on the abilities of the group communicating. Together, communication content and form make messages that are sent towards a destination” (wikipedia). Without communication, human life would cease to exist.
I obtained my video clip from YouTube.com. YouTube is a very popular website where many different kinds of people can share their thoughts and ideas and communicate them to others through the use of a webcam. Wikipedia defines YouTube as “YouTube is a video sharing website where users can upload, view and share video clips.” I, myself, have never placed a video of any sort onto YouTube nor do I ever plan on doing so in the future. But, like many other people around the world, I do happen to find some kind of enjoyment out of watching these quirky, stupid and sometimes rather strange videos that other users have placed onto the website.
After a while of looking through several videos on the website, including about a two dozen Chris Crocker clips, I did find one that I thought was funny. Its title is Retarded Police Man. This particular video is the third installment of a group of videos made by the same group of people. The video depicts a retarded cop pulling over what seems to be an innocent male driver. It starts with a little introduction of the retarded cop and a short jingle to go along with it. After pulling the man over, the cop proceeds to offer him apples, and even cocaine saying, “Cocaine is cool, makes your brain feel silly.” And, after running in the streets and doing some sort of a dance, the cop offers the man a police escort if he is pregnant. Since the man is clearly not pregnant, he offers the retarded cop a salty penny, and continues on his way.
Although this video does depict a retarded man, and is obviously made to gain humor in others, it may be offensive to some viewers. I think that applies to a lot of the videos on YouTube and related websites. What some people think is funny and done in good taste, others will think that the video is insensitive and not at all humorous. Basically anything can be posted online for anyone to view at anytime of the day. Just as many television shows may be offensive to some viewers, online videos can cause the same problem. Where do we draw the line? Or should there even be a line drawn?
There are many different ways of communications that people experience. In Convergences, author Robert Atwan tells us to focus on the main points of videos, such as the message, method, and the medium. I think that the message (what the actual text is trying to say) in these videos and others related to it is just for comedy. There is no actual point to what is going on in the video other than to get someone out there in cyberspace to laugh at it and find just as much humor in it as the people included in making the video. The method is the way in which the author says the message. Since I think the message is purely comical, I believe that the method he goes about doing this is by placing a retarded man as a law official who is supposed to be honored and uphold the best interest of the community. And the medium (the way in which the video was brought to the viewer) for this particular video is, of course, the internet where the video was posted and found by me, the viewer.
An online encyclopedia defines the internet as “a worldwide, publicly accessible series of interconnected computer networks that transmit data by packet switching using the standard Internet Protocol (IP). It is a "network of networks" that consists of millions of smaller domestic, academic, business, and government networks, which together carry various information and services, such as electronic mail, online chat, file transfer, and the interlinked Web pages and other documents of the World Wide Web” (wikipedia). Through the internet, there are so many things that ordinary people can access and get a hold of. Without it, the only images that are being broadcasted would probably only be seen over a television screen. Now we have access to the internet pretty much anywhere we go. Internet service is relatively a cheap price for all of the things that the web offers. Countless hours of people’s lives have been spent here. Some to find information on a certain topic, others just use the internet to browse, or maybe look for people who share the same interests that they do. Whatever the case, I do believe the internet plays a big role as technology in our lives continues to grow and things around us being to change. The internet will help us keep up, and it will give us a head start.
Atwan, Robert. Convergences: Second Edition. Bedford/ St. Martin’s: 2005.
Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. 4 Oct 2007.
Memoir of Iraq: David Bellavia
by Marcus Davis
This video is a testimony of David Bellavia's experience in Iraq. It shows us the essence of what our nation is supposed to be - "home of the brave." No matter what his opinion on the situation is, he realizes that its bigger than him and he has a job to do. He isn't looking at it from just his perspective. He understands that it is a scary job, but someone has to do it. I noticed how he was with his family during the video. Most people would be so happy to be back home with their families, returning to Iraq would be the furthest thing from their minds. But this guy says he feels guilty seeing other soldiers returning to Iraq, while he's at home with his family.
I think this video relates to our society in several ways. I think it is a good example of looking at a social issue objectively, no matter the circumstances. The war in Iraq is a social issue because there are so many varying opinions on whether we should've even started this war. David Bellavia could have used this video to voice his opinion on the issue and bash those responsible for making this an issue. Instead, he shows his rationality. Opinions aside, he is a soldier and as a soldier you protect and serve. Many people only look at it from their vanish point, and form their opinions by looking at how it affects them, their famiy, or their friends. Even though I don't agree with all decisions made by our government, I know this world is bigger than me, and it doesn't revolve around my opinions. So, when I'm in uniform, I do my job.
I'm in the Army Reserves. My unit has told us several times that its not a matter of if we're going overseas, but when we go, we have to be ready. Regardless of our opinions on the issue, our job remains the same. I currently have an opportunity to transfer to my old unit which is non-deployable to desert countries, to avoid the chance of going. The unit is in Bel Chase, La. Many people tell me that I should transfer. I don't see it that way. I'm not like David; I don't wanna be John Wayne or any other gun slinger. I just wouldn't feel right leaving my buddies. I have made several relationships with those guys at my unit. Leaving them just to get out of going overseas would be going against everything I stand for. I would feel like a deserter. I wouldn't be able to look myself in the mirror if I chose to do something like that. This is why I can relate to David even though I've never been overseas yet.
Looking at the issue from an opinion standpoint, I, along with most people, would say that I disagree with this war. I think it should have never been started. However, I recently decided to really look at it objectively and question my own opinion. What if we're saving the lives of millions of Iraqis by sacrificing close to 4,000 Americans? Would we still feel the same about the issue. Aren't we all human. Some might say let them fight their own battle. Well, don't we all need help sometimes. Some of us may view ourselves as a superior people. Are we really? I wouldn't say so. Yeah, we are the richest nation and we live a free life, but what ever happened to giving back. We're in a position to help, so why not? I don't necessarily view it this way, but if someone made these arguements, I would find it hard to disargree with.
Family is, without a doubt, the most important thing a person has in this world. And we can't I can't fault a soldier for wanting to stay home with his family and vice versa. But it takes a deeper strength, courage, and selflessness to throw those feelings out the window for a bigger cause. David Bellavia exemplifies selflessness on this video. If we all got what we wanted all of the time, we'd be in bad shape. No leadership, no sacrifice; No growth, no progress. Some things require us to be more open minded and less subjective.
Everything isn't going to be perfect. This is a diverse world. There's going to be differences of opinion. There's nothing wrong with us voicing our opinions on things that we agree or disagree with. But we must understand that the world does not revolve around just us. We can't survive alone, so sometimes we have to help others and sometimes others will help us. Regardless of how many troops we lose, we're there to help so thats what we must do. They probably lose countless more loved ones right before their eyes eveyday. Thats why I've started to try to look at things more objectively and not subjectively. David Bellavia's video is a great example of our views being put to the side for a bigger cause.
Bush doesn't care about black people
Tanesha Craig
"Hurricane Katrina broke through the levees, it broke a lot of hearts, it destroyed buildings, but it didn't affect the spirit of a lot of citizens in this community. This spirit can be best reflected when you think about a principal who refused to allow a school to be destroyed by the flood, and worked hard to not only rebuild the building, but keep the spirit alive. ... And so... my attitude is this: New Orleans, better days are ahead. ...This town is better today than it was yesterday, and it's going to be better tomorrow than it was today." -- President Bush, August 29, 2007
On August 29, 2005 so many thousands of people lives would be changed forever. Nothing would be the same from this day forward. Racisim, politicial error, economic debt, social inequalities, and the apparent view of injustice would prevail during the catastrophic act of nature known as Hurricane Katrina. Just to think only two years, Hurricane Katrina came like a thief in the night and took the state, nation, and world by storm. Becoming one of the deadliest hurricanes to be recorded in the nation. Hurricane Katrina left the nation in a state of confusion, worry, grief, and sorrow by not knowing what tomorrow would bring for the many American citizens who lost their lives.
I chose this video of KanyeWest, platinum selling rap artist, expressing what at the time seemed true about President Bush. He expresses the feeling that President Bush does not care about BLACK PEOPLE! This quote rang throughout the ears of the nation! Many politicians wer upset and ashamed of his remarks, but one must think at that serious time of need, Did President Bush act as though he cared. Flying in your nice, first class jet hovering over the devastation was not the best photo opportunity to have two days AFTER the hurricane. During this catastrophic time, many things went wrong. Where was the help? Where was the aid for the many people that died during the days after Katrina? Where were are politicans? There were so many questions that are still a struggle to answer. Whose fault was it that the levees broke in New Orleans? Where was the relief?
Many citizens blamed the mayor, the governor, the Army, but overall many blamed our president. Where was he in the time of need? So many issues and controversies rose over the time after the hurricane hit land. Kayne West along with many other individuals feel that race played a major role in the pace of relief for the city of New Orleans. Bush was very hesitate among many other politicans. What was the reason for this? Why were so many people left on the bridge to die? Whoever is to plan is still up in the air, but at this point pointing fingers is not the solution.Since Hurricane Katrina, many noble citizens have taken their part to make a difference with the devastated areas ranging from Bay St. Louis, MS to New Orleans to help rebuild the cities. It has not been an easy battle fighting for relief money. With the corruption lying all throughout FEMA, many people who survived Hurricane Katrina are still homeless and without jobs. What must be done? Whose fault is it really? Bush, I think it time for you to step up not only as a president, but as a man!
The war in Iraq was a failure of intelligence and so was the governmen't response to Katrina. According to MSNBC.com, President Bush was on vacation while thousands of men and women were fighting for their lives."In the flood waters of Hurricane Katrina everything about the social, economic, and racial injustice of American society floated to the surface," writes Bettina Aptheker, UCSC professor of feminist studies and history. "Nothing could be hidden from news cameras on the scene; no sanitized 'spin' could be given to the unfolding catastrophe."David Cohen, cofounder of the Advocacy Institute in Washington, D.C., was overseas when the hurricanes struck. "People in Ukraine and Bosnia spoke directly to me," he writes. "They said when you cannot evacuate those in danger, or provide them food and water, you are neither as powerful as you think you are or as caring and kind as you say you are." Cohen writes that the government's failure reveals how "our own government is a threat to our security as a people."
Throughout Convergences, media is portrayed as an outlet of communication through several mediums. Youtube.com truly serve as a major outlet to many opinions that we as Americans may have. I am not applauding Kayne West for what he said, but I do support his liberty of free speech. He has been criticized for not being politically correct, but I think he is a brave man to stand up on national television and declare his opinion. Many people sit back on the issues at hand and let things happen that maybe should not happen any longer.
In the words of Dr. Martin Luther King, "Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter. It is never to late to let your voice be heard.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zIUzLpO1kxI
"Hurricane Katrina broke through the levees, it broke a lot of hearts, it destroyed buildings, but it didn't affect the spirit of a lot of citizens in this community. This spirit can be best reflected when you think about a principal who refused to allow a school to be destroyed by the flood, and worked hard to not only rebuild the building, but keep the spirit alive. ... And so... my attitude is this: New Orleans, better days are ahead. ...This town is better today than it was yesterday, and it's going to be better tomorrow than it was today." -- President Bush, August 29, 2007
On August 29, 2005 so many thousands of people lives would be changed forever. Nothing would be the same from this day forward. Racisim, politicial error, economic debt, social inequalities, and the apparent view of injustice would prevail during the catastrophic act of nature known as Hurricane Katrina. Just to think only two years, Hurricane Katrina came like a thief in the night and took the state, nation, and world by storm. Becoming one of the deadliest hurricanes to be recorded in the nation. Hurricane Katrina left the nation in a state of confusion, worry, grief, and sorrow by not knowing what tomorrow would bring for the many American citizens who lost their lives.
I chose this video of KanyeWest, platinum selling rap artist, expressing what at the time seemed true about President Bush. He expresses the feeling that President Bush does not care about BLACK PEOPLE! This quote rang throughout the ears of the nation! Many politicians wer upset and ashamed of his remarks, but one must think at that serious time of need, Did President Bush act as though he cared. Flying in your nice, first class jet hovering over the devastation was not the best photo opportunity to have two days AFTER the hurricane. During this catastrophic time, many things went wrong. Where was the help? Where was the aid for the many people that died during the days after Katrina? Where were are politicans? There were so many questions that are still a struggle to answer. Whose fault was it that the levees broke in New Orleans? Where was the relief?
Many citizens blamed the mayor, the governor, the Army, but overall many blamed our president. Where was he in the time of need? So many issues and controversies rose over the time after the hurricane hit land. Kayne West along with many other individuals feel that race played a major role in the pace of relief for the city of New Orleans. Bush was very hesitate among many other politicans. What was the reason for this? Why were so many people left on the bridge to die? Whoever is to plan is still up in the air, but at this point pointing fingers is not the solution.Since Hurricane Katrina, many noble citizens have taken their part to make a difference with the devastated areas ranging from Bay St. Louis, MS to New Orleans to help rebuild the cities. It has not been an easy battle fighting for relief money. With the corruption lying all throughout FEMA, many people who survived Hurricane Katrina are still homeless and without jobs. What must be done? Whose fault is it really? Bush, I think it time for you to step up not only as a president, but as a man!
The war in Iraq was a failure of intelligence and so was the governmen't response to Katrina. According to MSNBC.com, President Bush was on vacation while thousands of men and women were fighting for their lives."In the flood waters of Hurricane Katrina everything about the social, economic, and racial injustice of American society floated to the surface," writes Bettina Aptheker, UCSC professor of feminist studies and history. "Nothing could be hidden from news cameras on the scene; no sanitized 'spin' could be given to the unfolding catastrophe."David Cohen, cofounder of the Advocacy Institute in Washington, D.C., was overseas when the hurricanes struck. "People in Ukraine and Bosnia spoke directly to me," he writes. "They said when you cannot evacuate those in danger, or provide them food and water, you are neither as powerful as you think you are or as caring and kind as you say you are." Cohen writes that the government's failure reveals how "our own government is a threat to our security as a people."
Throughout Convergences, media is portrayed as an outlet of communication through several mediums. Youtube.com truly serve as a major outlet to many opinions that we as Americans may have. I am not applauding Kayne West for what he said, but I do support his liberty of free speech. He has been criticized for not being politically correct, but I think he is a brave man to stand up on national television and declare his opinion. Many people sit back on the issues at hand and let things happen that maybe should not happen any longer.
In the words of Dr. Martin Luther King, "Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter. It is never to late to let your voice be heard.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zIUzLpO1kxI
Boycott Phone books?
By Brooke Stains
In today’s world, some people spend hours at a time going through the videos on YouTube. Even though people can post political videos and videos that actually have a meaning, most people search YouTube for entertainment – not education. Most of the world has probably seen at least one video on YouTube – and most people have probably watched at least one video that they found to be a waste of their time. This shows that people can use YouTube just to get their voice heard. They know that there is a good chance that at least one person will probably take the time to watch their video. (Everyone gets bored at work eventually! Don’t tell my boss that.) The video I’m choosing to analyze is a video blog posted on YouTube by supricky06.
The video starts off with a young guy sitting in front of his computer. His voice is in the background as if we were inside his mind listening to his thoughts. He keeps hearing loud thuds outside of his door. After a few of them, he finally decides to get up and check out what the noises were coming from. It shows him scared to open his door to find out. When he finally works up the courage to open the door (and you can tell the video is very fake or staged), he finds multiple phone books outside. Then the video turns into a rant about phone books. The guy starts talking to the camera and telling us what a waste phone books are and how he can not remember the last time he saw someone use one for its intended purpose. He says the last time he saw someone actually use a phone book was in an instructional video on YouTube on how to rip a phone book in half. He then proceeds to use his knowledge to destroy the phone book, but apparently the instructional video wasn’t the best (he was unsuccessful). He talks about how making one phone book is probably killing a baby tree. At the end he let’s his audience know that he is going to boycott phone books and that everyone else should follow his lead. I personally believe that he wishes he could be Dane Cook.
When watching this video, one can tell that by the faces and actions of the young man that he might be a comedian in real life. He almost comes off as sarcastic. This video was obviously made more for entertainment value. He knew that people would get bored and watch his video eventually. He was right – there are 264 comments on his video and at least 4 video responses to it. This webcam video seems like it would be more of an exhibition type video. It seems like the guy just wanted to come up with something to gripe about and do it in a humorous way. My opinion that this guy is an exhibitionist is supported by the fact that he has over 100 videos of himself uploaded on YouTube. One is titled Poop on a Stick, and many of the other ones seem like humorous rants about everyday things that bother the average person. YouTube is used by so many people who don’t even post videos; it is inevitable that his videos will get seen.
In Convergences, Atwan says that the message is what the video, photograph, or text is saying and what it means (Atwan 3). The message in this video is obvious; supricky06 wants everyone to join him in boycotting phonebooks. It seems like he’s trying to tap into what might bother an average person and make it funny to draw more interest. People love those types of things. Most famous comedians use that tactic – they make fun of things like going to the DMV or the eye doctor. People enjoy watching these kinds of videos because they can relate. Who really needs seven different phone books? I can honestly say that I have probably used a phone book maybe five times in the last few years. This man knew he could draw an audience by talking about things that people can relate too. This goes along with a lot of videos on YouTube. People will watch videos of someone doing everyday tasks and enjoy it because they’re thinking “Hey, I do that same thing!!” The average person loves watching reality tv shows, and videoblogging is very similar. You can learn a person thoughts and feelings.
Supricky06 seems like one of those people who hopes to gather a big enough following to start some sort of career. He enjoys making people laugh. This is a good way for a comedian to get a start and one of the main perks of YouTube. Depending on where a person lives and his money situation, he may not be able to get a good career started in comedy. Even if he does stand up shows, he can only do so many a week. With YouTube, he can do shows at comedy clubs if he wants and also reach millions of people at the same time. This is the perfect way to start to gain notoriety.
Another good thing that supricky06 and other avid videobloggers have going for them is the fact that their videos are able to be spread around very easily. Besides telling someone “Hey, check out this video on YouTube!”, people can post supricky06’s videos on their own Facebook and MySpace pages and allow him to reach a whole new audience. Once people find videos they enjoy, they start spreading the words to their friends. People can gain real fame from this. I found an article online about a boy who began posting videoblogs on YouTube just for fun and attention. Now he has 13,000 subscribers and is coming to the United States to be on a show hosted by Whoopi Goldberg. So if a person is looking for an audience, YouTube is definitely the place to find one.
In today’s world, some people spend hours at a time going through the videos on YouTube. Even though people can post political videos and videos that actually have a meaning, most people search YouTube for entertainment – not education. Most of the world has probably seen at least one video on YouTube – and most people have probably watched at least one video that they found to be a waste of their time. This shows that people can use YouTube just to get their voice heard. They know that there is a good chance that at least one person will probably take the time to watch their video. (Everyone gets bored at work eventually! Don’t tell my boss that.) The video I’m choosing to analyze is a video blog posted on YouTube by supricky06.
The video starts off with a young guy sitting in front of his computer. His voice is in the background as if we were inside his mind listening to his thoughts. He keeps hearing loud thuds outside of his door. After a few of them, he finally decides to get up and check out what the noises were coming from. It shows him scared to open his door to find out. When he finally works up the courage to open the door (and you can tell the video is very fake or staged), he finds multiple phone books outside. Then the video turns into a rant about phone books. The guy starts talking to the camera and telling us what a waste phone books are and how he can not remember the last time he saw someone use one for its intended purpose. He says the last time he saw someone actually use a phone book was in an instructional video on YouTube on how to rip a phone book in half. He then proceeds to use his knowledge to destroy the phone book, but apparently the instructional video wasn’t the best (he was unsuccessful). He talks about how making one phone book is probably killing a baby tree. At the end he let’s his audience know that he is going to boycott phone books and that everyone else should follow his lead. I personally believe that he wishes he could be Dane Cook.
When watching this video, one can tell that by the faces and actions of the young man that he might be a comedian in real life. He almost comes off as sarcastic. This video was obviously made more for entertainment value. He knew that people would get bored and watch his video eventually. He was right – there are 264 comments on his video and at least 4 video responses to it. This webcam video seems like it would be more of an exhibition type video. It seems like the guy just wanted to come up with something to gripe about and do it in a humorous way. My opinion that this guy is an exhibitionist is supported by the fact that he has over 100 videos of himself uploaded on YouTube. One is titled Poop on a Stick, and many of the other ones seem like humorous rants about everyday things that bother the average person. YouTube is used by so many people who don’t even post videos; it is inevitable that his videos will get seen.
In Convergences, Atwan says that the message is what the video, photograph, or text is saying and what it means (Atwan 3). The message in this video is obvious; supricky06 wants everyone to join him in boycotting phonebooks. It seems like he’s trying to tap into what might bother an average person and make it funny to draw more interest. People love those types of things. Most famous comedians use that tactic – they make fun of things like going to the DMV or the eye doctor. People enjoy watching these kinds of videos because they can relate. Who really needs seven different phone books? I can honestly say that I have probably used a phone book maybe five times in the last few years. This man knew he could draw an audience by talking about things that people can relate too. This goes along with a lot of videos on YouTube. People will watch videos of someone doing everyday tasks and enjoy it because they’re thinking “Hey, I do that same thing!!” The average person loves watching reality tv shows, and videoblogging is very similar. You can learn a person thoughts and feelings.
Supricky06 seems like one of those people who hopes to gather a big enough following to start some sort of career. He enjoys making people laugh. This is a good way for a comedian to get a start and one of the main perks of YouTube. Depending on where a person lives and his money situation, he may not be able to get a good career started in comedy. Even if he does stand up shows, he can only do so many a week. With YouTube, he can do shows at comedy clubs if he wants and also reach millions of people at the same time. This is the perfect way to start to gain notoriety.
Another good thing that supricky06 and other avid videobloggers have going for them is the fact that their videos are able to be spread around very easily. Besides telling someone “Hey, check out this video on YouTube!”, people can post supricky06’s videos on their own Facebook and MySpace pages and allow him to reach a whole new audience. Once people find videos they enjoy, they start spreading the words to their friends. People can gain real fame from this. I found an article online about a boy who began posting videoblogs on YouTube just for fun and attention. Now he has 13,000 subscribers and is coming to the United States to be on a show hosted by Whoopi Goldberg. So if a person is looking for an audience, YouTube is definitely the place to find one.
Online Video Killed the TV Star by Amy Ott
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xYiebIl-naM
The Beatles will forever be a world icon. It does not matter where in the world you are people know “The Beatles” and a least one of their songs. Even after The Beatles split up, many of them have continued to produce music. Paul McCartney is one of them. Paul McCartney continues to produce music, have concerts, and is constantly in media headlines. The video that I chose for this assignment is Paul McCartney’s video for his new single “Nod Your Head” from his new album Memory Almost Full. I had heard about this new video on the news a few days ago and could not help but wonder why Paul McCartney felt the need to advertise it on YouTube.com. I know he does not need the money. He makes millions everyday by just being Paul McCartney. Then it occurred to me that he is probably trying to attract a new and younger audience. By sending his video straight to YouTube.com, he has that new audience and fan base in his hands. He already has the rest of the world in his hands why not put a new generation into them.
I think that the cultural significance of this particular video is the fact that it is being advertised online. Paul McCartney has been around since before most of our parents were born. Paul McCartney could release a new single, not even advertise it, and he could still sell millions. It used to be musicians would release a single, make a video for it, and then try to get MTV or VH1 to air it on the television just to get people to buy their music. Now, online is the best place to get the attention of music lovers. Jefferson Graham states in his article, “Videos used to be given to networks such as MTV to sell CDs. Now, labels charge for video usage. ‘It was clear that all of our content needed to be paid for,’ says Thomas Hesse, president of Sony BMG Music Entertainment’s global digital business unit (Graham 2B).” In all actuality, MTV rarely plays music videos anymore, so obviously these music lovers are going to go online to watch them. When MTV does play music videos, they never play the whole video and it is usually edited. The next best thing to do is go online to watch the video. It is obvious that Paul McCartney is a good business man so of course he knew what he was doing by putting his new video on YouTube.com. Millions and millions of people visit YouTube.com everyday to watch different videos.
This video was produced because Paul McCartney had a new single coming out and the best way to get people to hear and see it is to make a music video for it. When the video starts off it reminds me of a 80s rock video with a “rock video vixen” lying in a bed nodding her head. It goes through different scenes of women, men, children, and even dogs nodding their heads to the beat of the music. Throughout the video there are clips of real life, everyday people nodding their head with Paul McCartney. In Convergences, Sara Tucker discusses the “liveness” of videos and she states, “…this investigation has focused on “liveness” – a term that originated in broadcasting and has grown to be synonymous with authenticity and a trusted reality (Convergences 160).” Although the “Nod your head” video is far from live, the clips with these everyday people add that bit of live reality to the video. These clips make the real music video look almost homemade and not professionally done even though it was.
The audience for this video is just about anyone. There is the online audience which includes anyone and everyone that is connected to the internet. There are also the diehard Beatles’ fans. Paul McCartney is just trying to keep up with the changing times that our society today is constantly going through. By putting this video up on the internet, especially on YouTube.com he is attracting a new and younger generation of fans. I think that the message of this video is simply Paul McCartney saying, “I’m still here and I’m not going anywhere!” He still knows how to be cool with the changing times and how to attract a new audience.
Bibliography:
Atwan, Robert. Convergences: Second Edition. Bedford/ St. Martin’s: 2005.
Graham, Jefferson. "Consumers Bop to Rhythym of Online Music Videos; Sites Providing Instant Access Grow in Popularity." Money 3 Oct. 2007: 2b. LexisNexis. Louisiana State University. 5 Oct. 2007.
The Beatles will forever be a world icon. It does not matter where in the world you are people know “The Beatles” and a least one of their songs. Even after The Beatles split up, many of them have continued to produce music. Paul McCartney is one of them. Paul McCartney continues to produce music, have concerts, and is constantly in media headlines. The video that I chose for this assignment is Paul McCartney’s video for his new single “Nod Your Head” from his new album Memory Almost Full. I had heard about this new video on the news a few days ago and could not help but wonder why Paul McCartney felt the need to advertise it on YouTube.com. I know he does not need the money. He makes millions everyday by just being Paul McCartney. Then it occurred to me that he is probably trying to attract a new and younger audience. By sending his video straight to YouTube.com, he has that new audience and fan base in his hands. He already has the rest of the world in his hands why not put a new generation into them.
I think that the cultural significance of this particular video is the fact that it is being advertised online. Paul McCartney has been around since before most of our parents were born. Paul McCartney could release a new single, not even advertise it, and he could still sell millions. It used to be musicians would release a single, make a video for it, and then try to get MTV or VH1 to air it on the television just to get people to buy their music. Now, online is the best place to get the attention of music lovers. Jefferson Graham states in his article, “Videos used to be given to networks such as MTV to sell CDs. Now, labels charge for video usage. ‘It was clear that all of our content needed to be paid for,’ says Thomas Hesse, president of Sony BMG Music Entertainment’s global digital business unit (Graham 2B).” In all actuality, MTV rarely plays music videos anymore, so obviously these music lovers are going to go online to watch them. When MTV does play music videos, they never play the whole video and it is usually edited. The next best thing to do is go online to watch the video. It is obvious that Paul McCartney is a good business man so of course he knew what he was doing by putting his new video on YouTube.com. Millions and millions of people visit YouTube.com everyday to watch different videos.
This video was produced because Paul McCartney had a new single coming out and the best way to get people to hear and see it is to make a music video for it. When the video starts off it reminds me of a 80s rock video with a “rock video vixen” lying in a bed nodding her head. It goes through different scenes of women, men, children, and even dogs nodding their heads to the beat of the music. Throughout the video there are clips of real life, everyday people nodding their head with Paul McCartney. In Convergences, Sara Tucker discusses the “liveness” of videos and she states, “…this investigation has focused on “liveness” – a term that originated in broadcasting and has grown to be synonymous with authenticity and a trusted reality (Convergences 160).” Although the “Nod your head” video is far from live, the clips with these everyday people add that bit of live reality to the video. These clips make the real music video look almost homemade and not professionally done even though it was.
The audience for this video is just about anyone. There is the online audience which includes anyone and everyone that is connected to the internet. There are also the diehard Beatles’ fans. Paul McCartney is just trying to keep up with the changing times that our society today is constantly going through. By putting this video up on the internet, especially on YouTube.com he is attracting a new and younger generation of fans. I think that the message of this video is simply Paul McCartney saying, “I’m still here and I’m not going anywhere!” He still knows how to be cool with the changing times and how to attract a new audience.
Bibliography:
Atwan, Robert. Convergences: Second Edition. Bedford/ St. Martin’s: 2005.
Graham, Jefferson. "Consumers Bop to Rhythym of Online Music Videos; Sites Providing Instant Access Grow in Popularity." Money 3 Oct. 2007: 2b. LexisNexis. Louisiana State University. 5 Oct. 2007.
"Extreme" Advertisement Can Be "Extreme"-ly Funny
(by Jeff Vinet)
In our growing world, technology across the globe is advancing at a rapid pace. These advances in technology allow artists to use new methods for expression. The website youtube.com is one example of how newer technology aids expression. Through youtube.com, average people can create videos ranging from concerts they attended to satirical commentaries. This website serves as a venue for a limitless range of talent. On this website, I found a hilarious satire of energy drink advertisement.
A video named Powerthirst posted by a user named picnicface caught my attention. This user is in fact a comedy troupe located in Canada composed of eight members. The video was produced for comedic purposes and functions as a commentary of over-energized advertising.
Convergences defines message as “what a text is saying” and the message of Powerthirst is of denouncement (Atwan 6). The point the video serves is for amusement and also for the criticizing of overhyped advertisement used so frequently by “health” products. Most commercials used by weight loss products, vitamin supplements, and energy drinks are adrenaline-fueled, fast-paced whirlwinds of advertisements. Generally, the narrator energetically calls out the various benefits of the product in an attempt to grab the viewer. Usually, the narrator yells at the very end to “try our product now!” In my experience, this type of advertising is borderline abrasive and not very effective. Through the use of satire, Picnicface conveys their message that overhyped fitness product commercials are not effective, filled with annoying puns, and generally are a waste of advertisement.
Convergences describes method as “how [an author] goes about saying [a message]” (Atwan 6). The method of Powerthirst is comedic video satire of this style of advertisements. The opening scene is the narrator screaming “hey you!” just as in the manner of the actual commercials that it is parodying (picnicface). The next scene shows a picture of a man who is unnaturally muscular, implying that the Powerthirst energy drink can make you so buff. Most of the commercials for fitness products present a muscular man and a fit woman. This picture of exaggerated muscle development mocks the fitness commercials. Next Picnicface satirizes the names of energy drinks. Many of the products in the health fitness market have puns included in the name. Picnicface comically ridicules these names by saying “What’s that? You want strawberry? Well how about RAWBERRY!” (picnicface). The narrator’s crescendo of intensity and diction parodies many health commercial styles. The overzealous, absurd nature of the diction used mocks the actual methods in practice by some fitness corporations. In the next scene, the announcer proceeds to shout random buzzword terminology that so often litters fitness advertisements. He starts shouting “science, energy, science, energy, electrolytes, turbolytes, powerlytes, more lytes than your body has room for!!!” (picnicface). This excerpt is a perfect example of Picnicface’s satirical style. The narrator begins shouting random fitness jargon that seemingly has no purpose. Many real energy drink commercials use scientific terminology to promote their product by making it sound advanced. This repetitive buzzword technique reappears moments later when describing what a person who ingested Powerthirst can accomplish. Powerthirst enables a person to partake in “power running, power lifting, power sleeping, power dating, power eating, power laughing, power spawning BABIES!” You will have “400 babies” who if you feed your babies Powerthirst, they will run as fast as Kenyans and be deported back to Kenya (picnicface). The absurd chain of thought that this quote exhibits mocks the exaggerated results of consuming normal energy drinks. This ridiculous excerpt continues to build as it progresses, adding to the irrationality of the situation to the extent that the viewer cannot believe that the announcer is saying it. All of these outrageous, overdramatic statements contribute to the central message of the video. Through the use of absurdity in mocking the energy drink market, the Picnicface group conveys the message that fitness commercials are all overhyped. By ridiculing this type of advertising, Picnicface questions as to how these laughable commercials could work. The method of this video is integral in the way the message is conveyed. Picnicface could have made the video serious and delivered the same message. However, they chose to express their message through a highly sarcastic and satirical work of art. The combination of highly dramatic images, overzealous narrators, and amusingly hardcore text creates a hilarious video commentary on the nature of energy drink commercials.
Medium refers to “the various channels of communication by which expression is transmitted” (Atwan 11). The medium in which this video is presented is the internet. The video is only accessible in cyberspace through various websites, which gives a distinct advantage over television. Unlike television, the internet medium gets “a direct line of communication between content and audience” (Arnold). The artist knows almost immediately what works and what doesn’t. Picnicface utilizes the internet to deliver their latest videos for the amusement of the audience. The audience of the video is any person visiting youtube.com, or a similar site, and clicks on their video. In addition, 2204 viewers have subscribed to Picnicface’s account and the video Powerthirst has been viewed nearly two million times. The audience of Powerthirst generally consists of men in their teens and twenties. I’ve mentioned this video to several of my friends and most have seen the video. The absurd style of humor that the video contains mostly appeals to this age bracket, however, the video is available to anyone with an internet connection. Picnicface produced the video Powerthirst as amusement for this audience. Picnicface comedy troupe’s goal is to make people laugh, but in doing this, they also convey their personal beliefs through their message against poor advertising.
Today’s society is becoming more health and time conscious. As a result, a greater number of people are consuming energy drinks like Redbull to focus and stay awake for longer periods of time. Society’s demand for time-adding consumables is expanding the market for energy products. Since energy drinks often use over-exaggerated advertising, their amusing style of promoting their products creates a market for commentary. In Powerthirst’s case, satire is the method of commentary on this cultural demand for more time in the day. Picnicface’s Powerthirst is a great satirical work that accomplishes both its goals: to amuse the audience and to deliver its statement against absurdly overdramatic, shallow advertisement.
Bibliography
Atwan, Robert. Convergences: Message, Method, Medium. 2nd ed. Boston, MA: Bedford/St. Martin's, 2005.
Arnold, Thomas K. “Funny Business Going on Online.” USA Today May 1, 2007: 6 Academic Search Complete. http://www.lib.lsu.edu/apps/onoffcampus.php?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=a9h&AN=J0E384368558307&site=ehost-live&scope=site
Picnicface. (May 28, 2007). Powerthirst. Retrieved October 1, 2007, from http://youtube.com/watch?v=qRuNxHqwazs
In our growing world, technology across the globe is advancing at a rapid pace. These advances in technology allow artists to use new methods for expression. The website youtube.com is one example of how newer technology aids expression. Through youtube.com, average people can create videos ranging from concerts they attended to satirical commentaries. This website serves as a venue for a limitless range of talent. On this website, I found a hilarious satire of energy drink advertisement.
A video named Powerthirst posted by a user named picnicface caught my attention. This user is in fact a comedy troupe located in Canada composed of eight members. The video was produced for comedic purposes and functions as a commentary of over-energized advertising.
Convergences defines message as “what a text is saying” and the message of Powerthirst is of denouncement (Atwan 6). The point the video serves is for amusement and also for the criticizing of overhyped advertisement used so frequently by “health” products. Most commercials used by weight loss products, vitamin supplements, and energy drinks are adrenaline-fueled, fast-paced whirlwinds of advertisements. Generally, the narrator energetically calls out the various benefits of the product in an attempt to grab the viewer. Usually, the narrator yells at the very end to “try our product now!” In my experience, this type of advertising is borderline abrasive and not very effective. Through the use of satire, Picnicface conveys their message that overhyped fitness product commercials are not effective, filled with annoying puns, and generally are a waste of advertisement.
Convergences describes method as “how [an author] goes about saying [a message]” (Atwan 6). The method of Powerthirst is comedic video satire of this style of advertisements. The opening scene is the narrator screaming “hey you!” just as in the manner of the actual commercials that it is parodying (picnicface). The next scene shows a picture of a man who is unnaturally muscular, implying that the Powerthirst energy drink can make you so buff. Most of the commercials for fitness products present a muscular man and a fit woman. This picture of exaggerated muscle development mocks the fitness commercials. Next Picnicface satirizes the names of energy drinks. Many of the products in the health fitness market have puns included in the name. Picnicface comically ridicules these names by saying “What’s that? You want strawberry? Well how about RAWBERRY!” (picnicface). The narrator’s crescendo of intensity and diction parodies many health commercial styles. The overzealous, absurd nature of the diction used mocks the actual methods in practice by some fitness corporations. In the next scene, the announcer proceeds to shout random buzzword terminology that so often litters fitness advertisements. He starts shouting “science, energy, science, energy, electrolytes, turbolytes, powerlytes, more lytes than your body has room for!!!” (picnicface). This excerpt is a perfect example of Picnicface’s satirical style. The narrator begins shouting random fitness jargon that seemingly has no purpose. Many real energy drink commercials use scientific terminology to promote their product by making it sound advanced. This repetitive buzzword technique reappears moments later when describing what a person who ingested Powerthirst can accomplish. Powerthirst enables a person to partake in “power running, power lifting, power sleeping, power dating, power eating, power laughing, power spawning BABIES!” You will have “400 babies” who if you feed your babies Powerthirst, they will run as fast as Kenyans and be deported back to Kenya (picnicface). The absurd chain of thought that this quote exhibits mocks the exaggerated results of consuming normal energy drinks. This ridiculous excerpt continues to build as it progresses, adding to the irrationality of the situation to the extent that the viewer cannot believe that the announcer is saying it. All of these outrageous, overdramatic statements contribute to the central message of the video. Through the use of absurdity in mocking the energy drink market, the Picnicface group conveys the message that fitness commercials are all overhyped. By ridiculing this type of advertising, Picnicface questions as to how these laughable commercials could work. The method of this video is integral in the way the message is conveyed. Picnicface could have made the video serious and delivered the same message. However, they chose to express their message through a highly sarcastic and satirical work of art. The combination of highly dramatic images, overzealous narrators, and amusingly hardcore text creates a hilarious video commentary on the nature of energy drink commercials.
Medium refers to “the various channels of communication by which expression is transmitted” (Atwan 11). The medium in which this video is presented is the internet. The video is only accessible in cyberspace through various websites, which gives a distinct advantage over television. Unlike television, the internet medium gets “a direct line of communication between content and audience” (Arnold). The artist knows almost immediately what works and what doesn’t. Picnicface utilizes the internet to deliver their latest videos for the amusement of the audience. The audience of the video is any person visiting youtube.com, or a similar site, and clicks on their video. In addition, 2204 viewers have subscribed to Picnicface’s account and the video Powerthirst has been viewed nearly two million times. The audience of Powerthirst generally consists of men in their teens and twenties. I’ve mentioned this video to several of my friends and most have seen the video. The absurd style of humor that the video contains mostly appeals to this age bracket, however, the video is available to anyone with an internet connection. Picnicface produced the video Powerthirst as amusement for this audience. Picnicface comedy troupe’s goal is to make people laugh, but in doing this, they also convey their personal beliefs through their message against poor advertising.
Today’s society is becoming more health and time conscious. As a result, a greater number of people are consuming energy drinks like Redbull to focus and stay awake for longer periods of time. Society’s demand for time-adding consumables is expanding the market for energy products. Since energy drinks often use over-exaggerated advertising, their amusing style of promoting their products creates a market for commentary. In Powerthirst’s case, satire is the method of commentary on this cultural demand for more time in the day. Picnicface’s Powerthirst is a great satirical work that accomplishes both its goals: to amuse the audience and to deliver its statement against absurdly overdramatic, shallow advertisement.
Bibliography
Atwan, Robert. Convergences: Message, Method, Medium. 2nd ed. Boston, MA: Bedford/St. Martin's, 2005.
Arnold, Thomas K. “Funny Business Going on Online.” USA Today May 1, 2007: 6 Academic Search Complete. http://www.lib.lsu.edu/apps/onoffcampus.php?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=a9h&AN=J0E384368558307&site=ehost-live&scope=site
Picnicface. (May 28, 2007). Powerthirst. Retrieved October 1, 2007, from http://youtube.com/watch?v=qRuNxHqwazs
Wii : For Dad's and Daddy's girls
Jason Fontenot
MARIOKART YAY !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
More like Mariokart BOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
The idea behind E3 ( Electronic Entertainment Expo for you noobs ) is to interest people in upcoming video games or systems. This clip is was from the new mariokart coming out for the nintendo wii in 2008. The idea is to watch the clip and get hyped about the release date. Only problem is, I dont feel hyped about it. Don't get me wrong I <3>
He starts by telling us " its not your father's mariokart".. Its not my father's mariokart because you can play it online ? How is this any different then the mariokart for nintendo DS which has wifi? Now we will have two mariokarts that aren't my father's mariokarts? The second "new" and crazy thing about mariokart for wii is the new WII WHEEL ! Such a great new idea for a racing game, amazed noone ever thought of it (sarcasm, there has been plenty)......... Ultimately the message the speaker is sending is "dont expect anything new and great out of mariokart for wii, just more of the same". And I dont think that ever got anyone hyped about a release date.
Another thing that bothers me about this clip is wondering who the audience is? Surely nintendo wants to market the games to people who will buy them. Who buys the majority of the games? The mariokart gamer community. Being part of that community, I can not describe how disgusted I felt when I heard the words "Where a first timer can immediatly stay bumper to bumper with a kart veteran"... To a gamer , the speaker is saying " we took out the skill in the game so dont bother buying it". Why introduce online play with the game that doesn't take skill? Obviously the target audience for this presentation isn't the gamer community. No, the target audience is the casual gamer. Another slap in the face to diehard mariokart fans, ouch.
The more I think back to other presentations of video games, the good games speak for themselves. Mariokart for wii will probably be a good game when its all said and done... It sounds like I'm contradicting my first three paragraphs, but its not the game I have a problem with, its the method. Nintendo chose to use this method. I cant imagine what they were thinking at the big executive table "lets not be fun at all with our new wii system and just present our big game for it as informational and lame as possible". A better method would have been to relate the game clips to what the speaker was saying. Its online and for begginers.. show some kids in various countries laughing and playing together. They could even get creative and show them driving the new Wii Wheel ! Its a good thing for nintenod that most gamers don't judge the game by the method it is presented.
The game alone doesnt have a cultural significance, but the wii does. In case your not up to date on the latest console gaming competition. Theres 3 competing consoles on the market right now, the xbox 360 (halo 3 yeah ! ) , playstation 3 ( blue ray player ok!) , and the nintendo wii (fun for your girlfriend system). I have never known many american girls to play console systems ( ok yeah we know you like the princess and tetris), but the wii is changing that. Now you can get toned up by playing video games! Heres a quote from an online article:
http://searchwarp.com/swa238159.htm
"The newly announced Nintendo Wii game Wii Fit, is set to be a hot seller and could have women reaching for their purse strings. Wii Fit is a full on exercise game set to give you more of a workout than Wii Sports. The game features over 40 different activities and is designed to keep you physically fit via a dedicated peripheral, the wireless Wii Balance board which comes with the game. Training falls into 4 different categories: aerobics, yoga, muscle conditioning and balance games"
Not impressed? You should be check it out.
I have to say.. the target audience is clearer (for everyone, including you Dad) and the method is 100x better than the mariokart video. The wii fit screams neat-0-rific, if you could scream that word. It targets a wide range of audience and the video examples of it speaks for itself. Even as I'm typing this blog a girl behind me says she wants one. When you compare the mariokart for wii clip and the wii fit clip you can see, its all about the method.
Bibliography:
1. http://searchwarp.com/swa238159.htm. July 30, 2007. Searchwrap. October 5, 2007.
2. Atwan, Robert. Convergences. New York: Bedford/St. martin's, 2005.
MARIOKART YAY !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
More like Mariokart BOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
The idea behind E3 ( Electronic Entertainment Expo for you noobs ) is to interest people in upcoming video games or systems. This clip is was from the new mariokart coming out for the nintendo wii in 2008. The idea is to watch the clip and get hyped about the release date. Only problem is, I dont feel hyped about it. Don't get me wrong I <3>
He starts by telling us " its not your father's mariokart".. Its not my father's mariokart because you can play it online ? How is this any different then the mariokart for nintendo DS which has wifi? Now we will have two mariokarts that aren't my father's mariokarts? The second "new" and crazy thing about mariokart for wii is the new WII WHEEL ! Such a great new idea for a racing game, amazed noone ever thought of it (sarcasm, there has been plenty)......... Ultimately the message the speaker is sending is "dont expect anything new and great out of mariokart for wii, just more of the same". And I dont think that ever got anyone hyped about a release date.
Another thing that bothers me about this clip is wondering who the audience is? Surely nintendo wants to market the games to people who will buy them. Who buys the majority of the games? The mariokart gamer community. Being part of that community, I can not describe how disgusted I felt when I heard the words "Where a first timer can immediatly stay bumper to bumper with a kart veteran"... To a gamer , the speaker is saying " we took out the skill in the game so dont bother buying it". Why introduce online play with the game that doesn't take skill? Obviously the target audience for this presentation isn't the gamer community. No, the target audience is the casual gamer. Another slap in the face to diehard mariokart fans, ouch.
The more I think back to other presentations of video games, the good games speak for themselves. Mariokart for wii will probably be a good game when its all said and done... It sounds like I'm contradicting my first three paragraphs, but its not the game I have a problem with, its the method. Nintendo chose to use this method. I cant imagine what they were thinking at the big executive table "lets not be fun at all with our new wii system and just present our big game for it as informational and lame as possible". A better method would have been to relate the game clips to what the speaker was saying. Its online and for begginers.. show some kids in various countries laughing and playing together. They could even get creative and show them driving the new Wii Wheel ! Its a good thing for nintenod that most gamers don't judge the game by the method it is presented.
The game alone doesnt have a cultural significance, but the wii does. In case your not up to date on the latest console gaming competition. Theres 3 competing consoles on the market right now, the xbox 360 (halo 3 yeah ! ) , playstation 3 ( blue ray player ok!) , and the nintendo wii (fun for your girlfriend system). I have never known many american girls to play console systems ( ok yeah we know you like the princess and tetris), but the wii is changing that. Now you can get toned up by playing video games! Heres a quote from an online article:
http://searchwarp.com/swa238159.htm
"The newly announced Nintendo Wii game Wii Fit, is set to be a hot seller and could have women reaching for their purse strings. Wii Fit is a full on exercise game set to give you more of a workout than Wii Sports. The game features over 40 different activities and is designed to keep you physically fit via a dedicated peripheral, the wireless Wii Balance board which comes with the game. Training falls into 4 different categories: aerobics, yoga, muscle conditioning and balance games"
Not impressed? You should be check it out.
I have to say.. the target audience is clearer (for everyone, including you Dad) and the method is 100x better than the mariokart video. The wii fit screams neat-0-rific, if you could scream that word. It targets a wide range of audience and the video examples of it speaks for itself. Even as I'm typing this blog a girl behind me says she wants one. When you compare the mariokart for wii clip and the wii fit clip you can see, its all about the method.
Bibliography:
1. http://searchwarp.com/swa238159.htm. July 30, 2007. Searchwrap. October 5, 2007.
2. Atwan, Robert. Convergences. New York: Bedford/St. martin's, 2005.
Pagent girls have always been sterotyped as blondes with good looks but no brians. The different pageants have tried hard to make it seem to the public what it is supposed to be, a scholarship program. But with the swimsuit and evening gown competitons this is still so hard to believe. In the Miss Teen USA pageant the sterotype of "dumb blondes" seemed to be more like truth than sterotype.
In todays society the internet has provided a way for people to express themselves. This can be done through writing a blog or webcams. But sometimes people who do not want to "express themselves" on the internet end up all over the internet but not by choice.
This is the case of Miss South Carolina Teen, Caitlin Upton. Miss South Carolina was made famous overnight, but probably not in the way she would have liked to become famous for. Caitlin Upton was in a slight state of shock when she heard the question she had to answer in front of national television. She was asked why one-fifth of Americans can not find the United States on a map. Like most people would have done, she froze. Caitlin started rambling on about South Africa and throwing words in like, “such as”, “um” and “like” to possibly help her answer. Clearly this did not help her answer, probably only hurt her answer, and made her sound even more uneducated. Caitlin Upton later explained, "I wasn't expecting [the question]. I lost my train of thought." Host Mario Lopez says, "It was a very intense moment. It's live TV. You don't know what the question is until you get up there. And I believe that she misunderstood it. She went down the wrong road and couldn't figure out how to get back to the right one," he says. "I felt really badly for her." When her time was up Caitlin Upton was probably relieved that it was over and ready to move on.
Well, in today’s world moving on can be harder than it used to be. Caitlin was nervous about national television when what she should have been more nervous about was YouTube. USA Today states, “Miss South Carolina Teen became a YouTube sensation early this week after butchering the answer to a question about U.S. geography lessons. By Tuesday morning, the video clip had attracted nearly 3.5 million views in only three days”. Miss South Carolina’s embarrassing moment lasted more than she had bargained for. The next day she was given another chance on the Today show on NBC. There she said, "Personally, my friends and I, we know exactly where the United States is on a map. I don't know anyone else who doesn't. If the statistics are correct, I believe there should be more emphasis on geography in our education so people will learn how to read maps better." But why is it that this embarrassing moment was an instant YouTube hit and not her “re-do” on the Today show? Is it perhaps because people enjoy watching other people “suffer”? No person who wants to be respected by others would want this video of themselves to be on the internet. But people are continually not giving Caitlin Upton any respect by watching this video. I think part of the reason why people continually watch this video is because it is not themselves who are being embarrassed. Sara Tucker says in Convergences, “Regardless of where one falls on the technophile/phobe spectrum, it is hard not to be captivated by the potential of witnessing something uncensored…” No matter how technological savvy people are, they enjoy watching videos on the internet at places such as YouTube. For some reason the videos where people are embarrassing themselves seem to be the most famous and have the most views. One reason why these videos seem to have the most views could be because the people watching the videos are not the ones in the videos embarrassing themselves. It seems as though knowing that the embarrassing video is not of you makes the video more enjoyable and funnier to watch. But if the video was of yourself you would be praying that nobody would find it and watch it. Another reason why this video was viewed so many times could be because most people seem to dislike pageants. The reason why I first watched the video is because I think pageants are stupid and superficial, and I heard that a girl in the pageant apparently fit the mold of my previous thoughts about pageants.
Caitlin Upton would not have gone through the amount of embarrassment that she went through if the contest was during a time when there was no internet. But we live in a time where the internet, more specifically, YouTube, is way for people to say what they want and express themselves to the world…even if it is not about themselves.
By: Whitney Myers
In todays society the internet has provided a way for people to express themselves. This can be done through writing a blog or webcams. But sometimes people who do not want to "express themselves" on the internet end up all over the internet but not by choice.
This is the case of Miss South Carolina Teen, Caitlin Upton. Miss South Carolina was made famous overnight, but probably not in the way she would have liked to become famous for. Caitlin Upton was in a slight state of shock when she heard the question she had to answer in front of national television. She was asked why one-fifth of Americans can not find the United States on a map. Like most people would have done, she froze. Caitlin started rambling on about South Africa and throwing words in like, “such as”, “um” and “like” to possibly help her answer. Clearly this did not help her answer, probably only hurt her answer, and made her sound even more uneducated. Caitlin Upton later explained, "I wasn't expecting [the question]. I lost my train of thought." Host Mario Lopez says, "It was a very intense moment. It's live TV. You don't know what the question is until you get up there. And I believe that she misunderstood it. She went down the wrong road and couldn't figure out how to get back to the right one," he says. "I felt really badly for her." When her time was up Caitlin Upton was probably relieved that it was over and ready to move on.
Well, in today’s world moving on can be harder than it used to be. Caitlin was nervous about national television when what she should have been more nervous about was YouTube. USA Today states, “Miss South Carolina Teen became a YouTube sensation early this week after butchering the answer to a question about U.S. geography lessons. By Tuesday morning, the video clip had attracted nearly 3.5 million views in only three days”. Miss South Carolina’s embarrassing moment lasted more than she had bargained for. The next day she was given another chance on the Today show on NBC. There she said, "Personally, my friends and I, we know exactly where the United States is on a map. I don't know anyone else who doesn't. If the statistics are correct, I believe there should be more emphasis on geography in our education so people will learn how to read maps better." But why is it that this embarrassing moment was an instant YouTube hit and not her “re-do” on the Today show? Is it perhaps because people enjoy watching other people “suffer”? No person who wants to be respected by others would want this video of themselves to be on the internet. But people are continually not giving Caitlin Upton any respect by watching this video. I think part of the reason why people continually watch this video is because it is not themselves who are being embarrassed. Sara Tucker says in Convergences, “Regardless of where one falls on the technophile/phobe spectrum, it is hard not to be captivated by the potential of witnessing something uncensored…” No matter how technological savvy people are, they enjoy watching videos on the internet at places such as YouTube. For some reason the videos where people are embarrassing themselves seem to be the most famous and have the most views. One reason why these videos seem to have the most views could be because the people watching the videos are not the ones in the videos embarrassing themselves. It seems as though knowing that the embarrassing video is not of you makes the video more enjoyable and funnier to watch. But if the video was of yourself you would be praying that nobody would find it and watch it. Another reason why this video was viewed so many times could be because most people seem to dislike pageants. The reason why I first watched the video is because I think pageants are stupid and superficial, and I heard that a girl in the pageant apparently fit the mold of my previous thoughts about pageants.
Caitlin Upton would not have gone through the amount of embarrassment that she went through if the contest was during a time when there was no internet. But we live in a time where the internet, more specifically, YouTube, is way for people to say what they want and express themselves to the world…even if it is not about themselves.
By: Whitney Myers
September 11. Overcome.
The terror bombings on September 11, 2001 will forever be a scar on the heart of every American. It was an event that brought America to its knees, and in turn, bound it together to make it stronger and more unified than it ever was before. There is a video that I believe depicts the initial response to the horrible acts that took place in New York City and the utter heroism that was displayed over a Pennsylvania field.
The video has nearly overwhelming visual impact. It starts with a nearly vertical shot of the towers showing just how massive they were, but it is quickly followed with multiple angles of the towers being hit. Then the video begins showing the masses of people surrounding the towers. There are people crying, screaming, staring, and running; all because their existence has been disrupted to the worst degree. It goes on then to show the towers falling and the ash and smoke from the towers engulfing. Then it makes the transition from New York to the wreckage of flight 93, not focusing just on the carnage as whole, but a couple of times there were close-ups of very small, personal objects. It is all finalized with screenshots of the 9/11 firefighters funerals and the lifting of our flag over the wreckage.
The video’s background sound is filled with many things. The first thing that one begins to hear is President Bush’s address to the nation on the attacks. It is a speech that will be remembered for years to come right alongside great wartime speeches like the one spoken on December 7, 1941. As a matter of fact, it is the scenario is a lot like the day that will live in infamy. America was attacked by an unknown enemy, whose purpose was to strike fear in the hearts of Americans. The next thing that the viewer begins to hear is testimonials of people who were at ground zero from the time when the planes struck the towers to when they fell. There are voices of shock coming from the people who cannot believe what has happened. There are voices of full of fear coming from the people who are afraid there is more attacks to come. There are voices full of anguish coming from the people who have loved ones in the towers, either while standing or toppled. During the testimonies there is a song that begins playing, and as the testimonies end, the lyrics start. The song is “Overcome,” by Live. That song debuted on September 18, 2001, on Live’s “V” album, and somehow, all three verses eerily apply to the chaos that took place only seven days before. The first verse reveals how vulnerable we as a country to attack. The second verse expresses an image of the turmoil taking place in New York, and the third verse seemingly alluded to the plane crash in the Pennsylvania field. One of the final things that come to someone’s ears is comments on the flight 93 crash. With all reverence, he says there was definitely something heroic that happened on that flight.
Why was this video uploaded? What was the up loader trying to say, and what was the response the up loader wanted? Most of all, was it ethical to show images that graphic? Well, the video is inspiring, to say the least. It starts with footage of one of our nation’s our nations weakest moments, but it then shows how it unified our people. There were people of all races, you know, Americans, who were not only holding what seemed to be their children, but trying to calm those who were hysterical, carrying those who lost the strength to walk, and tending to the injured. Then it shows the ultimate form of patriotism, in the footage of the flight 93 wreckage and the funerals. Those people did not know who it was they were protecting, but they knew that they had a duty to protect their fellow Americans. I guess the up loader was trying to say many things. Maybe they wanted to put the video out because they suffered loss that day. Then again maybe they were not directly affected, but thought it might help those who did suffer loss that day. It could have even been the fact that the government pulled the footage off the TV in an attempt to censor the nation; the up loader could have just refused to let the world our country forget. I am sure whatever their true reason was for putting out the video, it was for a positive reaction from the masses; otherwise it would not have gradually when from the helpless in the situation, to the ones that helped till the end. I am pretty sure that the up loader did not want a reaction of disgust or helplessness. I think they were looking more for a giving the people of purpose for retribution. They wanted to drive those images into their hearts, forever, so they will always have that strong feeling for justice. The up loader really understood what the executive summary on the terrorist attacks meant when it said, “We have come together with a unity of purpose because our nation demands it. September 11, 2001, was a day of unprecedented shock and suffering in the history of the United States,” and they wanted to make sure that their fellow countrymen and women felt the same about it. Page 205 in Convergences has a commentary on the ethics of photojournalism of things related to 9/11. It says that Bronston Jones made an exhibit focusing more on the lost than the towers. He said, “The people are real, the towers are just real estate.” He makes a good point by saying this and I think the video goes along with this by focusing on human loss instead of material loss. So in that case, I think it is an ethical video.
September 11, 2001 tried the strength of our nation. It was a hard uppercut to the jaw and almost sent us crashing down, but somehow we remained standing. There were people who put themselves against impossible odds that day and sealed their fate with no regard for their own life and all regard for the lives of complete stranger. This video is a testament to that. It captured the soul of patriotism through a lens and a microphone. It showed that even in our lowest times we will overcome. It proved that we are American.
My Convergences source came from Bronston Jones, Missing, 2001, page 2o5.
My online source came from The 9/11 Commission Report, located on http://www.9-11commission.gov/report/911Report_Exec.htm
Derry Bone Marrow Drive for Leigh by Paul McDaniel
By Aaron Comeaux
I don't usually search for this kind of video or any videos on a regular basis. I found this video to be very touching. I’m sure that the person who made this video wanted to have this exact effect. This video is about a woman that is in dire need of a bone marrow transplant. Her name is Leigh Buckley and lives in Derry, New Hampshire. She is a thirty two year old married woman and a mother of two cute little girls. The little girls are around the ages of 2 years and 6 months old. This will be an important fact as I get deeper into this essay. Leigh has been going through Leukemia treatment for the disease. Leukemia strikes about 10 times as many adults as children and the last hope for the patients are bone marrow transplants (Mask, Allen). The video is a little over three minutes long.
The beginning of the video starts with a happy picture of Leigh and her husband. In this picture Leigh has a full face and a full head of hair, which probablly implies that the picture was taken of the couple before the disease took over or before the treatments began. While this picture is being shown, the narrator is explaining that Leigh suddenly found out one day that she was being diagnosed with this disease and would have to start treatments immediately. Right after the picture of Leigh and her husband, the video shows a picture of the older daughter and then a picture of the younger daughter. The video goes on to show the mother (still having a full head of hair at the beginning of treatment) in her hospital bed, reading a book to one of her daughters, while explaining to her daughter that “mommy has cancer”. This is definitely pretty sad, if you think about the possibility of the daughters growing up without a mother. This is the moment that the video really starts to play on the viewer’s emotions.
The video goes on to show the stats for how many people need bone marrow transplants yearly, which is 25,000 people. The video shows Leigh feeding the 6 month old baby daughter with a bottle quickly after that statistic. Then it shows that only thirty percent of tose 25,000 people actually find a matching donor within their family and that the ramaining seventy percent have to search a worldwide database, looking for their “miracle match”. The video tells the audience that Leigh is one of the seventy percent looking outside of her family for a donor. The next clip in the video that is shown is of Leigh in the hospital bed again. In this clip, the nurse is messing with the I-V bag and Leigh has no hair and is much thinner. She looks miserable there. All of a sudden, like a look into the past, the next clip is of Leigh and her daughter at some kind of concert or something like that while having fun and enjoying theirselves. Immediately after this clip, there is one of Leigh during her treatment talking to her daughter. The video shows a couple more photos of her and her family during the treatment and back before the cancer. The next clip is of Leigh showing the camera all of her i-v’s in her arm (which is about 5 of them) and calling them her jewelry. By this time she is so accustomed to having them in her arm that she literally doesn’t live without them. Leigh points out a certain one and calls it her “own personal airplane” and that it is Julia’s (one of her daughters) favorite. This is showing some of the hardships of having to deal with the disease while tieing it in again to her daughter and the viewer’s feelings.
Leigh goes on to show us that she is putting lotion on her head. She tells the audience that there is a first time for everything, even hand and body lotion to be applied to a woman’s head L. This shows another one of the hardships of having the disease. The narrator goes on to tell the audience that the family put all their cares,anxieties and fears up to the throne of god and that there is a tremendous amount of peace there. This implies that the family is a good, Christian family and is worth the time and efforts that are being put into finding a transplant for Leigh. The video ends with Leigh and her husband kissing eachother while she is on the hospital bed while the narrator is telling the audience of the bone marrow drive being held at a local church.
A law of contemporary art is as follows: once a technology is in place, an art form will invariably develop out of it (Antwan, Robert). This video is art in itsself. I find this video to be somewhat a mode of advertisement for the family and the cause. The message and purpose of the video was for the aid of Leigh and people needing a bone marrow transfer. The video accomplished what it was meant for because Leigh ended up getting her bone marrow donor and the family is now happy again.
Bibliography
Atwan, Robert. Convergences: Second Edition. Bedford/ St. Martin’s: 2005.
Mask, Allen. "Bone Marrow Drive Could Find Lifesaver for Lukemia Patients. " Health & Life. Capital Broadcasting Co. 2007.
Thrills in Prison
Jen Jellison
Given our discussions in class about prisoners and how they are viewed in society's eyes, I decided to find a video that dealt with prisoners. I went to YouTube, typed in "prisoners", and the first video was labeled "Thriller". This video depicts 1,600 Filipino prisoners dancing to a perfectly choreographed version of Michael Jackson's famous "Thriller" video. Perfect! When most people think of prisoners, we think of hardened, stoic, angry, violent people. People who deserve to be in a dark, dreary cell, with nothing to do but ponder why and how they got there in the first place.
The prisoners on this video are in prison for crimes ranging from drug trafficking to murder and here they are (orange jumpsuits and all) seriously working together and gyrating their hips simultaneously to "Thriller"! Prisoners....having fun. What an idea. When I think of the Thriller dance, I think of teenagers at high school dances dancing to it, or guests at a wedding even. But prisoners?!
Byron Garcia is a security supervisor at this Filipino prison and noticed that most of the prisoners weren't participating in exercise activities. He also wanted a way to improve their behavior. He first had them do military marches, and when he saw that they enjoyed it, they moved onto more difficult moves. They eventually even hired a choreographer! Garcia says he took this video and uploaded it because, "I want the prison system to learn from this. The inmates are after all human beings and the inmates after all, once inside, know that they have committed mistakes, let them enjoy their stay." So apparently here, the intended audience is other prison systems. Posting the video on YouTube guarantees that someone will watch it and perhaps share it with others. Garcia knew he had something unique and definitely delivered a YouTube sensation. He's trying to show that even thought these are prisoners, they are still able and should be able to do "normal" things.
His message is simple. Prisoners are human beings too. Ostracizing them is not going to do anything. They need structure and cooperation just like anyone else. When asked why he started the dance program, Byron replied, "Do you see discipline, co-ordination, synchronisation? The high morale and high self esteem? If you watch the video, you can see discipline at work."
Video hosting web sites like YouTube help put an image to ideas. They serve as a medium to get messages out in a different way than say a written online news article. Reading about these prisoners dancing isn't quite as entertaining as actually seeing them dancing. We go to these web sites much like one would go to the movies, or to the library: to be entertained and to inform ourselves. I do feel like cyberspace is actually a "real" space. Of course you cannot physically be in YouTube, but you are actually there visiting. Koppell says that "one reason that cyberspace is described as a place is to avoid downgrading it to the status of a mere medium." But why can't it be a medium and a place at the same time? A library is. With this video we are able to "be" there in that Filipino prison watching and at home at the same time.
This video is such a sensation because we are given a glimpse of prisoner life, and it's not at all what we imagined. Prisoners, in our eyes are supposed to just sit around, or maybe bulk up with gym equipment. Not dance highly choreographed routines to popular songs! Byron Garcia wants to change that view, one bad 80's song at a time.
SOURCES:
Internet sources:
http://www.smh.com.au/news/technology/jailhouse-rockers-do-killer-thriller/2007/07/29/1185647743554.html
http://news.softpedia.com/news/Hot-On-YouTube-Prisoners-Dancing-on-Michael-Jackson-039-s-Thriller-61123.shtml
Atwan, Robert. Convergences: Second Edition. Bedford/ St. Martin’s: 2005.
Given our discussions in class about prisoners and how they are viewed in society's eyes, I decided to find a video that dealt with prisoners. I went to YouTube, typed in "prisoners", and the first video was labeled "Thriller". This video depicts 1,600 Filipino prisoners dancing to a perfectly choreographed version of Michael Jackson's famous "Thriller" video. Perfect! When most people think of prisoners, we think of hardened, stoic, angry, violent people. People who deserve to be in a dark, dreary cell, with nothing to do but ponder why and how they got there in the first place.
The prisoners on this video are in prison for crimes ranging from drug trafficking to murder and here they are (orange jumpsuits and all) seriously working together and gyrating their hips simultaneously to "Thriller"! Prisoners....having fun. What an idea. When I think of the Thriller dance, I think of teenagers at high school dances dancing to it, or guests at a wedding even. But prisoners?!
Byron Garcia is a security supervisor at this Filipino prison and noticed that most of the prisoners weren't participating in exercise activities. He also wanted a way to improve their behavior. He first had them do military marches, and when he saw that they enjoyed it, they moved onto more difficult moves. They eventually even hired a choreographer! Garcia says he took this video and uploaded it because, "I want the prison system to learn from this. The inmates are after all human beings and the inmates after all, once inside, know that they have committed mistakes, let them enjoy their stay." So apparently here, the intended audience is other prison systems. Posting the video on YouTube guarantees that someone will watch it and perhaps share it with others. Garcia knew he had something unique and definitely delivered a YouTube sensation. He's trying to show that even thought these are prisoners, they are still able and should be able to do "normal" things.
His message is simple. Prisoners are human beings too. Ostracizing them is not going to do anything. They need structure and cooperation just like anyone else. When asked why he started the dance program, Byron replied, "Do you see discipline, co-ordination, synchronisation? The high morale and high self esteem? If you watch the video, you can see discipline at work."
Video hosting web sites like YouTube help put an image to ideas. They serve as a medium to get messages out in a different way than say a written online news article. Reading about these prisoners dancing isn't quite as entertaining as actually seeing them dancing. We go to these web sites much like one would go to the movies, or to the library: to be entertained and to inform ourselves. I do feel like cyberspace is actually a "real" space. Of course you cannot physically be in YouTube, but you are actually there visiting. Koppell says that "one reason that cyberspace is described as a place is to avoid downgrading it to the status of a mere medium." But why can't it be a medium and a place at the same time? A library is. With this video we are able to "be" there in that Filipino prison watching and at home at the same time.
This video is such a sensation because we are given a glimpse of prisoner life, and it's not at all what we imagined. Prisoners, in our eyes are supposed to just sit around, or maybe bulk up with gym equipment. Not dance highly choreographed routines to popular songs! Byron Garcia wants to change that view, one bad 80's song at a time.
SOURCES:
Internet sources:
http://www.smh.com.au/news/technology/jailhouse-rockers-do-killer-thriller/2007/07/29/1185647743554.html
http://news.softpedia.com/news/Hot-On-YouTube-Prisoners-Dancing-on-Michael-Jackson-039-s-Thriller-61123.shtml
Atwan, Robert. Convergences: Second Edition. Bedford/ St. Martin’s: 2005.
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