Comm Crit by Thealltimate

Is TV The Cause or A Scape-Goat for Violence

2005-04-17T17:51:00.000-07:00

Find an article that argues for media effects. Explain and analyze their arguments.

On average, children in the 23 countries surveyed watch television three hours each day, and spend 50 per cent more time watching the small screen than they spend on any other activity outside of school.

(Source: UNESCO, 1998)

In 2001, only a quarter of the most violent television shows, and two-fifths of the most violent movies, were rated R. The majority were rated PG or PG-13.

(Source: Center for Media and Public Affairs, 2001)

"Nightly news coverage has become another concern. In spite of falling crime rates across North America, disturbing images of violent crime continue to dominate news broadcasting. As news shows compete with other media for audiences, many news producers have come to rely on the maxim: "If it bleeds, it leads." Violence and death, they say, keep the viewer numbers up. Good news doesn't."

The battle over whether or not TV violence is the source of real live violence is one that still does not have a definite answer. Only theories have been proposed about the correlation between the two. The range of media that people (mostly children are studied) to receive these violent acts and messages has increased substantially. It is no longer movies that send violent messages but, video games, music videos, and the news, along with music.

The controversial rap artist Eminem has violent lyrics that promote hatred against women. For instance, his song Kim graphically depicts him murdering his wife; and Kill You describes how he plans to rape and murder his mother. In spite of (and argued that because of) his promotion of violence, Eminem continues to be a commercial success. His Marshall Mathers release was the year's best-selling album. And The Eminem Show topped charts for months in 2002, selling, at one point, approximately 18,000 copies a week.

Even video games which have been under the gun (no pun intended) in the past are being looked at currently more closely as a possible reason. Players are now being the bad guys, acting out criminal deviance and earning points for attacking and killing innocent bystanders. Although these games are rated M, for mature audiences, it's common knowledge that they are popular among pre-teens and teen. For example, players in Grand Theft Auto 3 (the best-selling game ever for PlayStation 2) earn points by carjacking, and stealing drugs from street people and pushers.

The answer to whether or not movies, television, and videogames are the cause for violence is still does not have an absolute answer. However the argument presented does make you think about your own view habits. Ask yourself if you would let your children watch what you do now, because things probably wont get any better any time soon.

Ride Safe
Taylor

Music On The Go

2005-04-10T18:41:00.000-07:00

Research and comment on a medium that is new to you.

For Christmas I like most of the United States that wasn't ahead of the game asked for an MP3 player. However while most went with the Apples IPOD I choose and different root, and went with the Dell Digital Jukebox (DJ). So far I am extremely happy with my choice because I take it everywhere and have begun to wonder what I did before I owned it. This medium is relatively new to me and is unexplored territory. The Dell DJ comes with software called Music Match which is also available with the purchase of a dell computer and since that's what I had that contributed to my decision.

What I didn't know at the time that there are so many options out there so you do not have to be stuck with an IPOD, you can avoid being "that guy/girl" and still have your music to go. Everyone is releasing a hard drive-based portable and most of them are very good. A few months there was the iPod and the less known Zen. Now you also have the iRiver iHP-xxx, Rio Karma, Dell DJ, Samsung Napster Yepp, and Gateway DMP-X20. While the competition is stiff, the Dell looks like it will hold up just fine.

Besides being able to listen to your music its important for the thing to look cool right? Well I don't think Dell disappoints. The DJ is mostly metal with soft corners and comfortable design. While it's not quite as streamlined as the iPod, the DJ was designed with a minimum of clutter on the faceplate.Under the LCD screen that lights up blue when you touch any of the buttons, are six controls: back, a scroll barrel, home, previous track/reverse scan, play/pause, and next track/forward scan. The scroll button can be depressed in order to make selections. This configuration allows for simple one-handed navigation and track control. Using the DJ is quite simple and it hasn't let me down yet.

If you are into any sort of extreme sports and you like to listen to music at the same time this is a great invention. Its small and compact and again easy to use. Dell provides the option to have a 1yr or 2yr warranty and I advise the 2yr if you snowboard like I do. The DJ costs enough that you don't need a little snow-water breaking it. The cost of those plan are relatively low when you think about the alternative. Dell is pricing the DJ very aggressively. At $249.00 (15GB) and $299.00 (20GB). Dell opted for a 15GB and a 20GB drive. 20GB has become the de facto standard for jukeboxes. Good for a little less than 10,000 songs,at an average of 4 minutes per song. 20GB is plenty of room for most people.

The DJ is also awesome with battery life so you don't have to worry about scrambling around your house for batteries for your CD player. You can put down the family t.v. remote because the DJ has a Lithium Polymer for the battery. This source is more expensive than Lithium-Ion but yields longer play times. Dell quotes 16 hours on a full charge. The good news is that the battery can be charged through USB or AC. The better news is that charges take the same amount of time (1:45 for 80% and 3:30 for 100%) with either connection. This makes it extremely convenient for anyone who uses their portable at two locations, and isn't that the point for a portable device anyway?

If you really like music I suggest doing a little research, and hopefully this has helped you decide, to find what portable device to chose. This was a new medium for me but one I am glad I found.

Ride All Out, All The Time
T

Ethics or Government: should they be one in the same or is the church taking over the state?

2005-04-03T13:03:00.000-07:00

Find a hot weblog topic. What are people saying? What do you think?

While I went a wondering around the internet looking for a "hot" topic I decided it would be best to start with stories that are in the news. The one that has been on every front page for awhile now and even ending up in a South Park episode is the Terri Schiavo case. This might be considered an area of taboo but I thought it fit the category of hot blog topic. I went to and typed in "Blogs for Terri" what I got back was over 160000 responses matching that description.

For those of you who are not familiar with the case there is a women by the name of Terri Schiavo and she has been in a coma for a very long time. Her husband is at a conflict with her parents and ethics because he wants to pull the plug on her life support. He wants to move on with his life and feels that she will never wake up since it has been over ten years already. The issue that is brought up that has everyone in a buzz is, "Is this murder?"

What is the definition of life and the quality of life that we have. Would it be appropriate to continue to keep her alive or to let her die but starving her and dehydrating her. When it is put that way it sounds very inhuman but that is the decision that has been made by the government. There are many blogs in support of keeping Terri alive but I ask those people who are not her family, is that fair? Should we continue to essentially "waste" resources on someone who cannot enjoy the fact that she is alive. She shows no response to people talking to her and cannot move. So therefore what are we keeping her alive for other than because I believe a parent should never have to bury their child.

Take a moment and think about what you enjoy about life and the lives of those around you. Whatever it is you said unless it was lying in a bed unable to move or interact with anyone or anything, Terri cannot do. She is a "vegetable" so to speak and is consuming resources and man hours that could be devoted to patients who also need it and are on their way to recovery. Please do not think I am a mean person or a cold person because I am not. I am simply looking at this case through a realist eye. If I person has shown no signs of improvement over a ten year period that is in a coma when do you say enough is enough and they are never coming back? I believe that a decade is long enough and since she has been in a coma for over that I think it is appropriate to pull the plug.

If someone has it in their will to keep them alive until they die naturally that is one thing but if there is no documented wish of the person in question I think that a decade should be a generous standard. So go out, fix your will to your beliefs and do not criticize those whose shoes you have never been in.

Ride hard, Ride fast, Ride safe
T

Other Peoples Blogs

2005-03-28T05:30:00.001-08:00

Blogging, the wave of the future and online journal. I scoped out some other peoples blogs and found they were pretty good. Some had links, others had pictures, some even had both. I found though that while those made the blog interesting it was the sense of humor that people had in their writing that kept me reading. In Adrians blog he had an entry that talked about his day which was a personal and humorous story. I has a lot of things on his blog that related to his truck and just make the whole blog atmosphere more personalized.

Another part of Adrians Blog that I liked a lot is he had helpful hints to those of us (like me) that don't know what they are doing. He covers anything you would need to know which would help make your blog better in the long run. Definitely check out Adrians blog a good example of what to aspire to.

The other blog I checked out was Daves right off the bat with the title of his blog teabaggin', you know your in for something different. Dave picks a wide variety of topics that he discusses with humor where humor is allowed. It reminds me a lot of the onion.
which is a site that criticizes the news and since this is a media criticism class I think it works. So keep up the good work the both of you and until next time, stay classy San Diego.

Happy Riding
T

Other Peoples Blogs

2005-03-28T05:30:00.000-08:00

A review of the movie Kids

2005-03-20T17:40:00.000-08:00

Find a set of reviews for particular media content (i.e. a TV show, film, CD). Build off what the authors say. Do you agree or disagree? What can you add?

Although many of us do not consider ourselves to be kids any longer, in many ways we still are. In 1995 a movie by the name of "Kids"() was released at met with surprise, dislike, and question. Many adults with children themselves said, "That’s not my kid" and were quick to dismiss the movie. It forced many people to take a seriously at the youth of today.

"Larry Clark's "Kids,” is a movie about their world. It follows a group of teenage boys and girls through one day and night during which they travel Manhattan on skateboards and subway trains, have sex, drink, use drugs, talk, party, and crash in a familiar stupor, before starting all over again the next day. The movie sees this culture in such flat, unblinking detail that it feels like a documentary; it knows what it's talking about. Most kids are not like those in "Kids," and never will be, I hope. But some are, and they represent a failure of home, school, church and society." -Roger Ebert

"A glimpse is all we get of parents in Kids. Their absence is one of the darts tossed at parental neglect." Rollingstone

"A stark world of skateboard-soaring, morally impaired teenagers in New York City whose parents are practically nonexistent, whose sexual activities are devoid of human concern, and whose thoughts of the future reach no further than to the night ahead. " -Washington Post

I myself own this film and was well aware of the controversy that surrounded it before I purchased it. The movie is very raw but I think takes a much needed look at a part of society. I emphasize the statement of part of society because obviously this does not encompass everyone from every area. We as a society use film as an outlet for public criticism. This is a part of society that the rest of society likes to pretend does not exist. It is the dirt we sweep under the carpet. We glamorize so many aspects of life that are undesirable and that we also pretend do not happen such as drugs (Traffic), gambling (Casino), grand theft auto (Gone In 60 Seconds), and plenty of other examples this film portrays the problems in an unflattering light. If after watching this movie you feel like you just saw something very wrong then you are correct. The problem is the lack of responsibility from the kids and the parents alike.

In class we said in a couple of our discussions that parents are also responsible for their children’s behavior. This movie shows just how badly things can get. The lack of parental awareness is apparent from the get go. I know myself have had moments of which I will not include details where while I took advantage of no parents home. (Risky Business) So I suggest to you that you take a look at this film with an open mind and a critical eye. In its own right, I think this movie is very good. Just do not expect anything you have seen before. Another film to check out is Thirteen

Happy living,
T

Media Fast

2005-02-07T20:23:00.000-08:00

Hello again,
Our task was to take a media fast for one day. We were not allowed to be exposed to newspapers, television, music, either directly or peripherally. Even over hearing the television that our roommates were watching that would spoil the fast. It was a strict task to find out if it is possible. Can a person go an entire day with out encountering any form of media?

My research told me no. In this day in age to fast from the media is impossible, especially if you are a college student. Simply by walking down stairs and out your dorm you pass the newspaper stand and you happen to see the days headlines. That right there would count as breaking the fast. If your roommate turns on the television and you over hear or even see what they’re watching that would break the fast. If you go to the gym and hear the radio on that would also count. Surfing the web that would count as breaking the fast. The Internet is full of advertisements for a variety of products. Also if you decided to take a drive to get away from all of the media you may pass road signs, which are a form of media. If you go to class and your professor uses a book, a newspaper, or the computer to illustrate a point this would also break the fast.

With technology being what it is in our society it is impossible to escape media in all its forms for a day. We rely on it too heavily in our everyday lives to educate us in what’s going on in the world. We also turn to the media to escape reality but watching sitcoms or movies. We even have Internet based colleges, which have certified diplomas upon completion. With technology continuing to grow and the public becoming more and more dependant on it we cannot escape the media. We would have to lock ourselves in our rooms and sleep all day in order to avoid contact with the media. The media is too large and to intergraded with society to escape it for an entire day.

Peace,
Taylor

Blogging Music

2005-01-30T20:11:00.000-08:00

Hey everyone,
So for my first post I decided to talk about the fact that I was surprised to find bloggs on music websited such as the bands like The Used. I had no idea what blogging was until I got to this class. Now while surfing the net it seems I have seen blogs everywhere. I was most surprised to find it on bands websites although when I think about it, it makes sense. They want to be able to post tour dates and different tour experiences with their fans.

The blog I focused on was the one on The Used website. This blog was not like the one we are creating at this present time. Instead they have two options they have a photo blog and an audio blog. This demenstrates that there are many types of blogs and that they are not limited to text or even a combination of text and pictures. While the audio blog section is underconstructing I found the photo blog to be very intresting and pretty much what I expected. Pics of the band on tour with different fans and different bands.

I dont really know what else to write for this first entry. I guess just keep on looking around the net to find different things your intrested in because chances are that somewhere there is a blog about it. and if you want to check out The Used's web site, its theused.net Just look under the blog section to check out their different blogs. Peace out and happy blogging.