War, Huh, Yeah, What is it Good For?

Perhaps talking about War on this, the day of Remembrance, is kind of a cliché.... so sue me.

Are we at War?

I don't know, are we? If so, what with? Who against? What side are we on? Who's we? Where do I stand? I don't see any tanks.... but tanks never really did show up in North America, did they?

What is War? According to Merriam-Webster's online dictionary, War is any of the following:

1. a) a state of usually open and declared armed hostile conflict between states or nations
b) a period of such armed conflict
2. a) a state of hostility, conflict, or antagonism
b) a struggle or competition between opposing forces or for a particular end
3. a) to be in active or vigorous conflict
b) to engage in warfare

And there are many kinds of Wars:

• World Wars
• Civil Wars
• Cold Wars
• Hot Wars
• Holy Wars
• Star Wars

There are Canadian and American troops, of course, involved in the current Middle-Easters conflicts but I think that idea of War is very narrow. At home, we're involved in a lot of miniature Wars that we've caused for ourselves. For example, we're in conflict with the planet. We've treated our planet so poorly that it's starting to revolt. There are conflicts between mega corporations and consumers, too. Money swindled, people manipulated. There are a number of conflicts between people. Whether based on race, gender, religion/beliefs, sexual preference, and politics, people are fighting people.

A lot of forces in our modern world are unsettled and I think that on a day like today, on Remembrance Day, it all seems trivial. The veterans we honour on this day were made to believe that there was no other answer but war. Are we so unimaginative that we have to continue to use those old fashioned tactics today?Arn't there laws against assault? Then why is combat in a war setting allowed? There are penalties for murder too, so why arn't killers in wars imprisoned? Especially mass murderers.
I don't care what anyone says, bombing a city isn't self defense.

I once heard that War is an acronym for "We Are Right." Both sides of any conflict may believe themselves to be 'right' but there are other ways to resolve issues than in armed conflict.

A Kindergarten Teacher would say:

- Take a deep breath, count to ten.

- Write out your feelings in a journal.

- Use your words instead of crying and yelling.

- Hug and say you're sorry.

Think Critically, Act Ethically

National Media Eduation Week
November 3-7th, 2008

The purpose of this week is to raise awareness about media literacy. The Language of Media can be a difficult concept to grasp, so let's break it down:

Media is any means of mass communication;
pictures, videos, words, music -
individually or combined in any fashion.

The use of media in education is inevitable because it's tools are often up-to-date and easily engage a student's senses. On the other hand, media can also be very influential in the process of selling products, as well as relaying information from source to receiver as it can present information in a certain way to evoke specific responses. That is why it is very important to be able to analyze and deconstruct media messages and therefore, necessary to educate students about media in this day and age. The ability to think critically and question each piece of information they are presented with is the best way to avoid being manipulated.

Throughout the week, there have been many media related events planned for students across the country, specific information about which can be found here and here.

The theme for this year's Media Education Week is "Think Critically, Act Ethically." An important issue faced by most students is cyber-bullying. Cyber-bullying is the use of digital information communication technology for the purposes of bullying. For example, using Facebook, MSN Messenger, e-mail, YouTube videos, etc. to harm or intimidate others.

Check out this Public Service Announcement from the N.M.E.W.

Just when I thought bullies were on their way out, they found out how to use the internet. It is said that every person in an elementary or middle school is either a bully or the victim of one. If it's not your clothes, it's your hair. If not you hair, your shoes or the way you walk, talk. You can be too fat, too skinny, too smart, not smart enough. Regardless of what another person thinks of you, bullying has very little to do with the victim and more so to do with the bully. The only way they can deal with their own insecurities is by bringing everyone else down to their level. I personally was bullied throughout the majority of elementary school. Clothes, weight, you name it. By the end of it, I'd had enough and I was able to confront my bullies. I got over it, went to high school and thrives while I watched my bullies make poor decisions with their lives. That is when I knew it had nothing to do with me.

The issue is that a lot of kids don't get over it. Not every victim can overcome their bullies and that's why special attention has to be paid to monitoring the devices kids can use to bully. Bullying is one of the worst crimes, in my opinion, and something has to be done about it.

Efforts have also been made to understand how well Media Education has translated from Secondary to Post-Secondary, which you can take a survey about here.

Swipe and Sign

Credit Cards

What is it/How doe sit work?
A Credit Card is approximately the size of a playing card, made of plastic with special numbers on the front and a magical information strip on it's back side. That strip holds up-to-date information about the amount of credit your choice company has given you. You get to use that money whenever you like and as long as you pay it back on time, there is virtually no cost to you. If not... (see "function" section)

What is the purpose of a Credit Card?
• Eliminate the need to carry money in your pocket for added security
• Allow banks to hold onto the majority of their money all at once
• Make it easier for consumers to shop
• Loan money to consumers with the intent to get it back from them in stages

What is the function of a Credit Card?
• Over spending of money the consumer does not necessarily have
• Debt
• Repossession
• Fraud
• High interest rates

Consumer culture is at it's peak in the last leg of each year. From November to January, people are shopping non-stop; christmas, boxing day, etc. What makes it easy is having a credit card. If you can't exactly afford it all right now, that's fine. Swipe and sign. You'll have the hap-hap-happiest Christmas since Bing Crosby tap-danced with Danny fucking Kaye. That is, of course, until the credit card bill arrives in the mail in January. If you've worked hard and made the money you spent back at your job, you'll probably be fine. If you can't pay it all back, you'll end up owing more than you borrowed. Worst of all, if you took a few too many weeks off of work to enjoy the Christmas you borrowed, you may face having your children's presents repossessed.

You would think that people would learn from, say, The Great Depression, when they are faced with the chance to 'Buy Now, Pay Later.' From the looks of the so-called financial crisis facing the United States currently, we can see that a lot of people haven't learned a thing.

The problem with taking out loans is that banks don't have an infinite amount of money. Also, they're not only loaning it to you, but hundreds of other people as well. Banks can go bankrupt. Don't believe me? Where do you suppose the word came from? You don't have to take my word for it, has anyone here seen "It's a Wonderful Life"? Well, there you go. Above all, you've got to realize that things don't always work out in life the way they do in movies.

This is reality and in reality, people end up jumping off bridges and not getting saved. People end up taking out loans to pay off the loans they took out to pay off their credit cards. It's a slippery slope if I ever saw one.

The moral of this story isn't to avoid ever having a credit card (which isn't necessarily a bad idea) but rather to make you think. Hard work pays off, that paycheque is your own hard earned cash and you can spend it however you like. If you have to have a credit card, remember what Uncle Ben told Peter Parker before he passed away:

With great power comes great responsibility.

Double Standard or Good Marketing?

The Brands Unilever Owns:
• Becel
• Flora
• Betolli
• Blue Brand
• Country Crock
• Doriana
• Rama
• Cif
• Confort
• Domestos
• Dove
• Heartbrand
• Hellmans
• Amora
• Calvé
• Wish-Bone
• Knorr
• Lifebuoy
• Lipton
• Lux
• OMO
• AXE
• Ponds
• Radiant
• Rexona
• Signal
• CloseUp
• Slim-Fast
• Sunlight
• Sunsilk
• Surf

• Vaseline

Both Dove and AXE are owned by Unilever. These are two brands that seem to have completely different ideas and yet, when it comes down to it, they both answer to the same Major Media Company.

According to their website, here are the company's Purpose and Principles:

"Conducting our operations with integrity and with respect for the many people, organizations and environments our business touches has always been at the heart of our corporate responsibility."

Anyone who's watched television commercials in the past couple years should be able to recall at least one of each for Dove and AXE. If not, let me refresh your memory:

Here's one for Dove

Here's one for AXE

Call me crazy, but doesn't the AXE commercial seem like it would fit in quite seamlessly with the onslaught footage in the Dove commercial? If Unilever really is conducting their operations with integrity, how can they justify allowing AXE to advertise in a way that objectifies women while Dove is advertising in a way that is trying to empower women? If Unilever really respects the people it's business touches, how can it justify sending mixed messages to young girls about body image?

When it comes to marketing, it's necessary to identify your target audience. Once you know who your product is for, you must research. Find out everything you can about them; that they like, dislike, want, need, dream of, etc. Then, you make advertisements that will engage their attention long enough to plant a new need in them and sell them what you're pushing.

Does that mean then that all men want is women (plural)?
And that all women want is to be beautiful (not just feel it)?

The effect of cross media ownership in the cast of Unilever is pretty simple: They are enforcing a double standard with regards to how they view women and in doing so, have lost a lot of their integrity.

How can women repair their self-esteem wounds the way Dove wants them to when they are forced to watch how men and Axe see them?

Doesn't Unilever realize that both men and women watch the same TV?

Scroll back up to the top of this post and read the brand fifth from the bottom.
Go ahead, I'll wait.










There you go: Slim-Fast.
Not only does Unilever own AXE, but it also owns Slim-Fast, a dietary meal suppliment that is supposed to help you lose weight. Once again, how much integrity does Unilever really have, putting on Self Esteem Workshops and selling Slim-Fast

Who promotes healthy body image mentality and pushes dieting at the same time?

How much more contradictory can one company get?

Who Will You Vote For?

The American Presidential election is creeping up ever so subtly, n'est-ce pas?

Um, No. Not exactly.

Everyone and their sister knows about the election Tuesday, November 4th 2008. Turn on your TV, surf a few channels and you will no doubt hear people deconstruct last Thursday's VP debate or hear predictions for the Presidential Debate on Oct. 7th. It's great that the American people seem so passionate about the election. That's the point, isn't it? To get more people interested in the future of the country so that they'll vote. Let alone, for the right candidate who will lead the country out of the economic crisis, finally do something about the War in Iraq and lower-taxes-and-make-health-care-accessible-and-and-and...bla-bla-bla...

Don't get me wrong, those things are great! Lots of important issues need to be resolved over there and come Nov. 4th, there will be a change in office [finally]. The problem is that the lens seems to have locked focused on Washington, a little north of the U. S. border in Ottawa, ON., there is a Canadian Federal Election on October 14th 2008. That's a little over a week from today!

So much of the news media on television and on our news stands here in Canada comes from the United States that I know more about a foreign election than I do the one happening at home. In Canada, you just don't see our politicians on every other channel, dirty laundry spread all over the tabloids. Our candidates don't get eight pages in Glamour Magazine, ours don't get put on the cover of TIME.

I am finally of age to vote in my own country and I have no idea who to vote for, and no wonder; The American Election has taken precedence! Obviously they do it to reach as many people as they can, but I think they've gone a little too far [north]. I knew it was a problem when my 70 year old grandmother referred to Barrack Obama as our next president. Our next president. Not only is he not ours but Canada will never elect a president.

So, I've decided to ignore anything factual about the U.S. Election, since it's got nothing to do with me here in Canada, and only allow through the funny stuff; Saturday Night Live. I've watched it for years and since they always start with a political cold-open, that's the extent of my political knowledge. What I've learned is that Palin, who doesn't know how to answer questions, was duped when the talent portion of the VP debate was cut. Biden loves McCain to death but thinks he's seriously off his rocker. McCain is not only senile but also really, really, really, really old. Last but not least, Obama is still a man, therefore the second best choice for Democratic candidate, because although she comes off as a real bitch sometimes, Hilary was the real candidate for change.

So, who're you gonna vote for?

Oh, and this:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tdaLCcPHZE0

Attack of the AD!

AD: I took a photo of it from the magazine. Click to Enlarge.

In choosing an advertisement to analyze, I did not deliberately set out to find one that I found offensive, thus, to the left is the one I chose (We'll get to why in a minute). This ad is from the October 2008 issue of Glamour Magazine.

The Text:
This is an ad for Trident Splash Strawberry with Lime flavoured gum. The photograph depicts an office setting; cubicles, three employees, a ceiling of fluorescent lighting. Over on the far left is a giant dough nut with pink icing and colourful candy sprinkles. Moving towards the right side of the photo, there is a woman sitting at a desk with an unimpressed look on her face. In the center of the photo, There is a woman, smartly dressed, holding a chair up in the air. Her pose is very strong. The back of the chair, in the woman's hands, has a smudge of icing on it, indicatingthat she must have just hit the dough nut with it. On the far right, there is a man holding a bundle of papers, some of which have been dropped. He has a look of horror/disgust on his face. In the bottom right hand corner, there is a miniature package of Trident Splash of the advertised flavour, beside which are the words "Survive a snack attack," all in uppercase letters. At the bottom of the advertisement, there are words as well. It says, "Fight back with Trident Splash®, the sugar-free gum with a juicy liquid center, and get the sweet without the snack."

The Subtext:
The purpose of this ad is to sell the product, Trident Splash, to the customers. The target audience for this ad are the readers of Glamour Magazine, specifically females between the ages of about 20-40. The ad targest especially those readers who work in an office setting, as an office is depicted in the photo. Essentially, the ad is trying to presendtthe product, Trident Splash, as an alternative to snacking on sweets such as dough nuts while working in an office setting. It almost presents the product as a 'healthy alternative' to sweets. The woman in the center is slender and fashionably dressed, which makes the product look like a success.

Why this Ad Works:
Glamour is an inclusive magazine. It depicts women of different ages, body-types, ethnicities and backgrounds. It includes acticles about fashion, politics, cosmetics, and a wide variety of issues faced by women. I chose this ad because it caught my attention. When I came across it, I stopped and looked at what the model was wearing, fully expecting this to be part a fashion editorial spread, "How To Dress For The Office," perhaps. I flipped the page and when I saw a toothpaste ad, I flipped back to the previous page and realized this to be an ad also! The product being sold is underplayed in the image (bottom right hand corner). There are no doubt many different forms of this Trident Splash advertisement, but this one fits in really well with the fashion section of this magazine. I tend to skip/skim over most ads I see in a magazine, but since this one played the part so well, I spent a lot of time looking at it.

Did This Ad Work On Me?
No. I've actually already tried a few flavours of Trident Splash gum, none of which I have particularly liked; too sweet.

24 Hours In Her Shoes [Pajamas?]

Tuesday September 30th, 2008

12:00 am - 11:30 am - Sleeping
11:30 am - Wake up via alarm clock. Turn it off, go back to bed.
12:30 pm - Wake up - for real. Turn on my laptop on my way to brush my teeth.
12:45 pm - At computer; Check e-mail. Still nothing from my audition.
1:00 pm - Check www.sethrudetsky.com for Daily Shout Out & Blog; watch his Norm Lewis Deconstruction, through YouTube.
1:28 pm - Watched linked video "Suddenly Seymour - Spring Awakening Cover" on YouTube.
1:35 pm - Put laptop to sleep. Head down to the kitchen for food; Eggs and Toast, yum.
2:12 pm - Return, wake up computer. Check www.titleofshow.com's Blog, watched "[tos]timonial #2: hazel" from their blog, through YouTube.
2:21 pm - Check on my petition: http://www.thepetitionsite.com/221/petition-to-get-title-of-show-on-ellen.
2717 signatures! Woohoo!
2:54 pm - Sign onto MSN Messenger, chat with my best friend Tiffany.
3:00 pm - Find episode of America's Next Top Model online (at www.surfthechannel.com), sign off MSN to watch it.
3:30 pm - House inhabitants get home from school, pause the show to go and chat with them.
3:45 pm - Return, resume watching America's Next Top Model.
4:05 pm - Episode is over, hop into the shower.
5:20 pm - Get dressed, head down to kitchen to eat a spot of dinner; Chicken & Rice, yum
6:20 pm - Run out the door to catch the bus to the University of Guelph.
6:50 pm - Arrive at ROZH 103 for "The Language of Media" lecture.
7:01 pm - Lecture Starts. Log onto Facebook.
7: 48 pm - Go onto www.twitter.com and post that I am in Media lecture.
9:40 pm - Lecture Ends, walk over to the UC loop and take the bus home.
10:20pm - Get home, throw on some warmer clothes.
10:28pm - Turn on computer, go online.
10:58 pm - Watch a few episodes of "What the Buck?!" on YouTube.
11:30 pm - Turn off computer, go to bed.
11:30 pm - 12:00 am - Sleeping

From the above log of my day's activities, many things have come to light:
A) Since I don't have class until 7 pm on Tuesdays, I should have spend the day doing homework or reading, but I am a procrastinator. And,
B) I seem to spend a lot of time on YouTube. You could definitely say that it is the media text I participate in most often.

By means of the Inter-Web, I am able to keep tabs on all of the things I am interested in. I can also keep in contact with my friends through Facebook and MSN Messenger. This semester, I have three night classes (Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday) which is when the best television shows play, so I've taken to watching them online when I have time.