I didn't realize how much advertisment had on cultures; both ours and abroad. Now that I more critically at advertisement and the link between sponsors and governments I see were cultures are stereotyped, and marginalized. Honestly, last week was very eye opening to me. Of course I notice how stereotypes and gender roles are used in this country, but I didn't ever think about advertisment as a global issue.
Critical discours analysis should be used in schools if not as teaching tool then as a method by which we choose curriculums and supportig materials. Looking "critically" at some of the early childhood books and materials (dolls, puppets) in my classroom, I wonder what impressions or socializations about themselves, other cultures and their gender roles they are receiving. As we stated in class last week, I agree the benefit of teaching the students to think critically is having students who don't "accept" anything but challenge everything!
Wednesday, June 20, 2007
Wednesday, June 13, 2007
Final Projects
For my final project I'm going to examine how music effects culture and identity construction. I'd particulary focus on the language, culture and idenitities created by Hip Hop, Old School and Classic R&B. I hope this isn't to broad!!!!
Chapter 4
Maybe its my own prejudice towards the media, but I expected the reading to not only highlight the tactics used by the media, but to shed light on how the government benefited from the directly from advertisement. I was also surprised that the government run media allowed such an offensive Shell advertisement to air! I also wondered what kinds of methods were used on the smaller, more independent stations and newspapers. Did the local media have more control over it?
The section on Seventh Day Adventists and advertising immediately made me think of the effect of religion in the classroom, particularly the debate over sexual education. Because of separation between church and State, school districts cannot use religion as the sole basis for preventing sexual education, but the reasoning behind the protests is based on religious beliefs. The argument for healthy lifestyles and healthy habits so similarly mirrored that of preventing condoms in high schools; like teaching abstinence would instill a healthy habit! Their suggestions were so extreme, but would have been more effective if people were given the information necessary to make an informed decision, rather than "just say no".
The section on Seventh Day Adventists and advertising immediately made me think of the effect of religion in the classroom, particularly the debate over sexual education. Because of separation between church and State, school districts cannot use religion as the sole basis for preventing sexual education, but the reasoning behind the protests is based on religious beliefs. The argument for healthy lifestyles and healthy habits so similarly mirrored that of preventing condoms in high schools; like teaching abstinence would instill a healthy habit! Their suggestions were so extreme, but would have been more effective if people were given the information necessary to make an informed decision, rather than "just say no".
Monday, June 4, 2007
Sun Down Towns
James W. Loewen is great and I enjoyed his frankness as it regarded the history we supposedly "teach"! Here are my favorite quotes from his site:
1. "However, back then everything was presented as if it were the full picture," she continued, "so I never thought to doubt that it was."
2. Textbooks stifle meaning as they suppress causation. Therefore students exit them without developing the ability to think coherently about social life.
I appreciated his suggestion that we as readers become 'detectives' and challenge what is read and told to us by referring to primary sources, talking with old city leaders, or searching census records etc...Particularly interesting was the process of creating a text book. I had no idea that historians researched primary facts, and then editors watered down the historian's versions even further adding only the state's biases through vague and ambiguous words. Like Loewen said, its no wonder people are bored and stupid!
I did some detective work on my own to search for a sundown town using two of Loewen's methods. I used my own biases about where minorities might not live and came up with Iowa. After finding Iowa, I then googled "Iowa ordinance and race". BINGO! I stumbled across a housing discrimination suit as quoted below:
IN THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT FOR THE NORTHERN DISTRICT OF IOWA EASTERN DIVISION
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA,
Plaintiff,
v.
Case No.
THE CITY OF JANESVILLE, IOWA,
Defendant.
____________________________________
CONSENT DECREE
The United States initiated this action on November 5, 2004, to enforce the provisions of the Fair Housing Act, 42 U.S.C. §§ 3601, et seq. The United States alleges that the Defendant City of Janesville made housing unavailable on the basis of national origin, race and color in violation of Section 3604(a) of the Fair Housing Act when it decided in January, 2000 to deny the re-zoning request of private developers Cindy and Kennith Kuhr ("the Kuhrs") for the construction of "The Arbors," a 116-lot manufactured home development in Janesville.
Source: www.usdoj.gov/crt/housing/documents/janesvillesettle.htm
According to the 2000 census, the demographics of Janesville's population is as follows:
Total Population: 822
White: 822
Black: 0
Native American or Alaskan Native: 0
Asian: 3
Pacific Islander: 0
Other race:0
Two or More Races: 4
Latino:2
Is if this wasn't enough, I checked the city's ancestry records. Here is what I found:
German - 41%· Irish - 11%· English - 8%· Danish - 4%· Norwegian - 4%· French (except Basque) - 4%· Dutch - 3%· Greek - 2%· Scottish - 2%· Polish - 1%· Swedish - 1%· Welsh - 1%· Scotch-Irish - 1%· Swiss - 1%· Italian - 1%
source for population as well as ancestry: www.epodunk.com
Using Loewen's methods, I believe the town of Janesville actively excludes minorities and is a formidable sundown town. My guess is the town informally shuns minorities as its formal attempt to exclude them was knocked down in court. This is obviously a small town and doesn't much economic or educational opportunities, so it's feasible that people are not looking to settled down there, however its still hard for me to imagine out of a group of 800 or more people that none are black.
1. "However, back then everything was presented as if it were the full picture," she continued, "so I never thought to doubt that it was."
2. Textbooks stifle meaning as they suppress causation. Therefore students exit them without developing the ability to think coherently about social life.
I appreciated his suggestion that we as readers become 'detectives' and challenge what is read and told to us by referring to primary sources, talking with old city leaders, or searching census records etc...Particularly interesting was the process of creating a text book. I had no idea that historians researched primary facts, and then editors watered down the historian's versions even further adding only the state's biases through vague and ambiguous words. Like Loewen said, its no wonder people are bored and stupid!
I did some detective work on my own to search for a sundown town using two of Loewen's methods. I used my own biases about where minorities might not live and came up with Iowa. After finding Iowa, I then googled "Iowa ordinance and race". BINGO! I stumbled across a housing discrimination suit as quoted below:
IN THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT FOR THE NORTHERN DISTRICT OF IOWA EASTERN DIVISION
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA,
Plaintiff,
v.
Case No.
THE CITY OF JANESVILLE, IOWA,
Defendant.
____________________________________
CONSENT DECREE
The United States initiated this action on November 5, 2004, to enforce the provisions of the Fair Housing Act, 42 U.S.C. §§ 3601, et seq. The United States alleges that the Defendant City of Janesville made housing unavailable on the basis of national origin, race and color in violation of Section 3604(a) of the Fair Housing Act when it decided in January, 2000 to deny the re-zoning request of private developers Cindy and Kennith Kuhr ("the Kuhrs") for the construction of "The Arbors," a 116-lot manufactured home development in Janesville.
Source: www.usdoj.gov/crt/housing/documents/janesvillesettle.htm
According to the 2000 census, the demographics of Janesville's population is as follows:
Total Population: 822
White: 822
Black: 0
Native American or Alaskan Native: 0
Asian: 3
Pacific Islander: 0
Other race:0
Two or More Races: 4
Latino:2
Is if this wasn't enough, I checked the city's ancestry records. Here is what I found:
German - 41%· Irish - 11%· English - 8%· Danish - 4%· Norwegian - 4%· French (except Basque) - 4%· Dutch - 3%· Greek - 2%· Scottish - 2%· Polish - 1%· Swedish - 1%· Welsh - 1%· Scotch-Irish - 1%· Swiss - 1%· Italian - 1%
source for population as well as ancestry: www.epodunk.com
Using Loewen's methods, I believe the town of Janesville actively excludes minorities and is a formidable sundown town. My guess is the town informally shuns minorities as its formal attempt to exclude them was knocked down in court. This is obviously a small town and doesn't much economic or educational opportunities, so it's feasible that people are not looking to settled down there, however its still hard for me to imagine out of a group of 800 or more people that none are black.
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