Revelations

Last blog. I'm not really sure what to talk about, it seems like we haven't been covering that much material in class lately. Or maybe its just that I don't care about LATA and all the other bullshit acronyms that we've been talking about. Anyway, since this is the last one, I figured I'd use it as an opportunity to reflect on the class in general and this assignment in particular.
While most of the class bitched up and down about the work load and writing the blogs, I have to say that I disagree. As someone who has been an undergrad since the end of the Clinton Administration (a lot of people go to college for seven years--yeah, they're called doctors), I can say from experience that it is not often that you'll take a class where you get to truly express your opinions. I mean, we got into some pretty heavy issues that fall under the umbrella of mass communications--the Holocaust, sexism, racism, war. And on each, we were each allowed to spout whatever insane opinion we wanted. Not many classes will give you the opportunity to do that. It was interesting to see where everyone stood on the controversial issues of the day. In a class where you get to honestly express what you think, it gives others a better understanding of who you are and where you're coming from, as well as exposing them to ideas that they may otherwise never considered.
As to the class in general, I thought it was a cake walk. Honestly, I don't know what y'all were complaining about all this time. I'll leave you with a piece of advice from someone who has breezed past the oft-attained rank of super-senior, to a level most of you will never know--the super duper senior x2. "It's college. Just do the work and shut the fuck up."

Does Anyone Even Care Anymore?

So only 3 weeks left, or whatever. I'm running out of things to complain about. I never thought I'd say that. Have you seen Waiting yet? If not, check it out, it hilarious. But watch out for the brain. I guess I should talk about mass communications or something, but I'm not really feelin it. I like those fake names like Phil Macrackin or I.P. Freely. My favorite is Heywood Jablome. I think I'm still drunk. Anyway. Down to business.
So I'm kinda salty at Lindsey for the discussion yesterday on racism in the media. Somehow, she shifted it back so that she was talking about women's issues again. I'm a dude. I dont' care about women's issues all that much. Yeah, the media makes chicks look like sluts or whatever. If girls didn't buy into it and dress and act like sluts, it wouldn't be a problem. The media would change their portrayals if the images they were using didn't sell their products. Racism is in the same vein. The image of blacks has been somewhat static for the last decade or so. Chicks are chickenheads, and dudes are thugs. Both are entirely hedonistic, concerned with instant gratification. Sex, drugs, violence. These are realms of blacks in the media. Look at music. In the early 90s, rap was in an afrocentric phase--black is beautiful and all that. The in 1992, The Chronic, Dr. Dre's first solo album, came out. Sex, drugs and violence. But suburban white kids ate it up. Record execs realized that they could make boatloads of cash by selling dramatized urban life to white kids in need of a danger fix. A decade later, nothing has changed. Is it because blacks haven't changed, or because the media won't let them change? How else can you explain a song where the chorus is, "wait till you see my dick"? But white kids love it. Go out this weekend. I guarantee you'll see some white kids jammin out to it. The worst part of it is, blacks have adopted the media image. They actually think that is how they're supposed to dress and act. So now, every black guy has some baggy jeans, a chain, a flatbrimmed ball cap cocked to the side. It's like, dude, you're from Centralia. You've never even seen a ghetto. But they have to look the part.

"Sit Right Back and Grab Some Tails..."

Another seminar rough draft due this week, so my heart's not really in this blog. If it sucks--oh well, sue me. Well, we've been talking about advertising and PR and all that in class recently. While admittedly that stuff is important in terms of companies getting the word out about their products, when did the defining chacteristic of America become consumption?
A friend of mine was in Mexico years ago when AlkaSeltzer had their "I can't believe I ate the whole thing" ad campaign. When they found out he was an American, they didn't ask him what it was like in America, or how to best sneak across the border. In bad English they exclaimed, "I can't believe I ate the whole thing!"(insert funny Mexican accent). America has come to be equted with our advertisements--with our conspicuous consumption.
TV is more ads than it is shows. And the worst part is, they show the same ad over and over and over and over. I was watching the NCAA tournament a few weeks ago, and Applebee's had an ad for their new shrimp dinners that uses the tune from the theme song to Gilligan's Island. "Sit right back and grab some tails, tails of some tasty shrimp..." Brutal. It ran every commercial break, and sometimes more than once. It's like, thanks yeah, I know you have shrimp you've already told me 50 FUCKING TIMES! And by the way, inby far the fattest country in the world, do people really need to be going to Applebee's to eat shrimp anyway? How about a salad you fat bastards.
OK, I'm tired of ranting, basically my point is, while advertising is a necessary evil, I hate it. Stop showing me all the things I can buy that I don't need and can't afford but will put on my credit card anyway and go deep in debt. But it's ok, cuz I just saw an ad for credit counseling.