In my opinion, disability can restrict an individual’s freedom or ability to engage in different activities. Aimee Mullins amazed me with the creative idea of prosthetic legs. From a female perspective who likes to follow the fashion, Aimee not only proved to me that technology is able to improve the quality of life but also that by her innovation she’s able to be as fashionable as any other model. While watching the video I also thought that it’s not fair that Aimee can choose her height by changing her prosthetic legs and I can’t. Aimee proved to me that by her innovation she’s able to be as fashionable as any other model. Furthermore, she is a pragmatic inspiration how to be and feel beautiful. I emphatically believe in the capabilities to conquer deficiency rather than seize ourselves under the mercy of disability. On the other hand, my argument is: Who can afford 12 pairs of legs? As a conclusion, Aimee’s idea is fabulous but just an innovative idea not a fact that can be utilized by a disabled person who is considered from the middle class in our society.
Wednesday, December 18, 2013
"Bully" 2011
It is important to raise awareness with respect to bullying as many students are or have been victimized or involved in bullying in some way. Increased awareness will lead to appropriate and necessary prevention and intervention techniques. Intervention methods already employed have been successful in reducing the prevalence of bullying by approximately 20 percent. Nonetheless, this reduction should not lead to reduced efforts. Bullying continues to affect a large number of students. In North America alone, bullying was reported by some five million students (Rigby & Smith, 2011). The documentary Bully (2011) was concerned with exactly this message. The message and content presented in this documentary will be evaluated in this paper.
Kelby Johnson, a young girl residing in Oklahoma, was bullied because of her sexual orientation. She tried to take her life three times. Kelby talks about her case saying: “They made it very clear that I wasn’t welcome at the school. When I opened my locker there was a note that said fagots aren’t welcome here. The teacher was calling all and he said: boys, girls and then paused and said Kelby.” She was not only bullied by her peers but also by her teachers. Teachers told her how they burn “fagots” in front of all students in the classroom. Her dad tried hard to help her by approaching the principal and he said: “…they all give me the same plastic smile.”
Tyler Long was another victim of bullying identified in this documentary. He committed suicide by hanging himself at the age of 17 years. His parents stated “unpunished bullying at the school led him to take his own life.” David Long, Tyler’s father, also tried to approach the principal thinking that he would be able to make a helpful change, but the answer always provided was that they can’t stop kids from saying bad words and bullying others. Pastor Jeff Johnson, from the local church, stated: “If bartenders are responsible for a drunk who goes out and kills an innocent person, how come the bullies are not responsible for the death of this precious child?”
Ty Field Smalley (1998-2010), a youth from Oklahoma, was yet another individual who was victimized. Ty’s story was not covered in detail in this documentary. Rather, the emphasis was placed on Ty’s friend. Ty’s friend indicated: “In the second grade I tried to fit in with so many people and that I was the biggest bully in the whole school. But once I got in the third grade, I started to realize what a jerk I was being to kids and what it could do. And in the fourth grade, I realized it will start to hurt someone so I started to be cool with everyone.” As such, Ty’s friend was impacted by the negative consequences associated with bullying. He learned that he could have potentially caused significant harm to other individuals if he would have continued to engage in bullying behaviour.
Although this documentary evoked strong emotions of sympathy from its viewers, the information presented did not present views of both the victims as well as the potential support systems of those victims. As mentioned previously, prevention and intervention techniques are implemented in school systems in order to target both bullies and victims (Rigby & Smith, 2011). The writers of this documentary did not appear to look in depth at school based interventions. The only view that I found was presented was that of parents who attempted to elicit support from school personnel, but who were unsuccessful in doing so. Furthermore, the documentary did not touch on community-based services which could be sought by the parents. For example, Alex Libby was an elementary student who was a victim of bullying. His peers bullied him due to his physical appearance. More specifically, his peers indicated that his face looked like that of a fish. Although he was aware that he was being bullied, he often made excuses for the bullies such as indicating that the bullies were only joking with him. Rather than assisting his son in solving his bullying problem by seeking support services, Alex’s father only pointed out the behaviors of his son’s peers were of a bullying nature. Acknowledgement of the behaviors does not necessarily support victims. Furthermore, it appears that the writers of this documentary were generalizing the lack of response from school personnel to all school.
One prominent underlying message in this documentary is the potential for severe psychological consequences to arise, which may in turn result in the reduction of the quality of life of the victims of bullying. Psychological distress can vary depending on the type of bullying experienced or the coping strategies employed by the victims. For example, Kelby, the young girl who was victimized due to her sexual orientation, did not commit suicide as a result of the bullying she endured, though severe. In contrast, Tyler, the young male whose parents attempted to elicit support from school personnel committed suicide by hanging himself. The factors contributing to whether an individual will or will not attempt suicide were not always made clear in this documentary. For instance, in Kelby’s case, the writers of this documentary suggested that Kelby had the support of her friends and that support assisted her in coping with her victimization. Conversely, no mention of coping or support systems was indicated with respect to Tyler’s case, other than his parents’ unsuccessful attempt to seek support from the school.
Additionally, the psychological distress experienced by the parents of the victims was a strong message. Such as the shocking image of the grief of Ty’s parents burying their eleven year old son. Furthermore, the image of Ty’s friend who was carrying Ty’s casket to graveyard was so powerful and strong impact on viewers.
The documentary described in this paper emphasized bullying as viewed by victims. Although the content and the message of this documentary are crucial in raising awareness with respect to the feelings and distress of victims, a thorough description of bullying was not presented. Research has suggested that prevention and intervention techniques have been successful in reducing the prevalence of bullying. This is not to say that continued research in this area is not warranted. However, school boards may be able to implement appropriate strategies to reduce bullying and provide more information to students who are victims of bullying so that they could locate appropriate supports to assist them in coping, once again assisting with the reduction and management of potential negative effects of bullying (Bradshaw, Sawyer, & O’Brennan, 2009; Carlyle & Steinman, 2007). My sister-in-law is a teacher for Hamilton-Wentworth Catholic District School Board (HWCDSB) and recently spoke to me about how cyber-bullying is taken quite seriously at the school she works for. In fact, she indicated that police were recently involved in a case with a female student in her grade six class. This girl was obliged to seek consultation and appropriate services through the school due to the fact that she indicated that she wished to committee suicide. As such, although I am quite sensitive to the bullying issue, I do not believe that efforts of school personnel should be ignored. School personnel may not always be effective, but to suggest that victims are unsupported is inaccurate in my personal opinion. A friend of mine whom is a behavioural therapist talked about different cases she experiences through her job at different agencies and the Wellington Catholic District School Board (WCDSB). She mentioned in her experience that psychological distress is linked to bullying and students who are victimized are more likely to get engaged in substance use, develop depressive symptoms, become suicidal, and cause self-harm. As well, students who are victims of bullying are less likely to remain attached to their schools or do well academically. Through my sister-in-law and friend’s experience I found that in contrast to the message conveyed in the documentary, professionals take the issue bullying quiet seriously.
Bully (I) Lee Hirsch, director. (2011) 98 mins - An exploration of victimization of bullying.
Carlyle, K.E., & Steinman, K.J. (2007). Demographic differences in the prevalence, co-occurrence, and correlates of adolescent bullying at school. The Journal of School Health, 77(9), 623-629. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com
Rigby, K., & Smith, P.K. (2011). Is school bullying really on the rise? Social Psychology of Education: An International Journal, 14(4), 441-455. doi: 10.1007/s11218-011-9158-y
Kelby Johnson, a young girl residing in Oklahoma, was bullied because of her sexual orientation. She tried to take her life three times. Kelby talks about her case saying: “They made it very clear that I wasn’t welcome at the school. When I opened my locker there was a note that said fagots aren’t welcome here. The teacher was calling all and he said: boys, girls and then paused and said Kelby.” She was not only bullied by her peers but also by her teachers. Teachers told her how they burn “fagots” in front of all students in the classroom. Her dad tried hard to help her by approaching the principal and he said: “…they all give me the same plastic smile.”
Tyler Long was another victim of bullying identified in this documentary. He committed suicide by hanging himself at the age of 17 years. His parents stated “unpunished bullying at the school led him to take his own life.” David Long, Tyler’s father, also tried to approach the principal thinking that he would be able to make a helpful change, but the answer always provided was that they can’t stop kids from saying bad words and bullying others. Pastor Jeff Johnson, from the local church, stated: “If bartenders are responsible for a drunk who goes out and kills an innocent person, how come the bullies are not responsible for the death of this precious child?”
Ty Field Smalley (1998-2010), a youth from Oklahoma, was yet another individual who was victimized. Ty’s story was not covered in detail in this documentary. Rather, the emphasis was placed on Ty’s friend. Ty’s friend indicated: “In the second grade I tried to fit in with so many people and that I was the biggest bully in the whole school. But once I got in the third grade, I started to realize what a jerk I was being to kids and what it could do. And in the fourth grade, I realized it will start to hurt someone so I started to be cool with everyone.” As such, Ty’s friend was impacted by the negative consequences associated with bullying. He learned that he could have potentially caused significant harm to other individuals if he would have continued to engage in bullying behaviour.
Although this documentary evoked strong emotions of sympathy from its viewers, the information presented did not present views of both the victims as well as the potential support systems of those victims. As mentioned previously, prevention and intervention techniques are implemented in school systems in order to target both bullies and victims (Rigby & Smith, 2011). The writers of this documentary did not appear to look in depth at school based interventions. The only view that I found was presented was that of parents who attempted to elicit support from school personnel, but who were unsuccessful in doing so. Furthermore, the documentary did not touch on community-based services which could be sought by the parents. For example, Alex Libby was an elementary student who was a victim of bullying. His peers bullied him due to his physical appearance. More specifically, his peers indicated that his face looked like that of a fish. Although he was aware that he was being bullied, he often made excuses for the bullies such as indicating that the bullies were only joking with him. Rather than assisting his son in solving his bullying problem by seeking support services, Alex’s father only pointed out the behaviors of his son’s peers were of a bullying nature. Acknowledgement of the behaviors does not necessarily support victims. Furthermore, it appears that the writers of this documentary were generalizing the lack of response from school personnel to all school.
One prominent underlying message in this documentary is the potential for severe psychological consequences to arise, which may in turn result in the reduction of the quality of life of the victims of bullying. Psychological distress can vary depending on the type of bullying experienced or the coping strategies employed by the victims. For example, Kelby, the young girl who was victimized due to her sexual orientation, did not commit suicide as a result of the bullying she endured, though severe. In contrast, Tyler, the young male whose parents attempted to elicit support from school personnel committed suicide by hanging himself. The factors contributing to whether an individual will or will not attempt suicide were not always made clear in this documentary. For instance, in Kelby’s case, the writers of this documentary suggested that Kelby had the support of her friends and that support assisted her in coping with her victimization. Conversely, no mention of coping or support systems was indicated with respect to Tyler’s case, other than his parents’ unsuccessful attempt to seek support from the school.
Additionally, the psychological distress experienced by the parents of the victims was a strong message. Such as the shocking image of the grief of Ty’s parents burying their eleven year old son. Furthermore, the image of Ty’s friend who was carrying Ty’s casket to graveyard was so powerful and strong impact on viewers.
The documentary described in this paper emphasized bullying as viewed by victims. Although the content and the message of this documentary are crucial in raising awareness with respect to the feelings and distress of victims, a thorough description of bullying was not presented. Research has suggested that prevention and intervention techniques have been successful in reducing the prevalence of bullying. This is not to say that continued research in this area is not warranted. However, school boards may be able to implement appropriate strategies to reduce bullying and provide more information to students who are victims of bullying so that they could locate appropriate supports to assist them in coping, once again assisting with the reduction and management of potential negative effects of bullying (Bradshaw, Sawyer, & O’Brennan, 2009; Carlyle & Steinman, 2007). My sister-in-law is a teacher for Hamilton-Wentworth Catholic District School Board (HWCDSB) and recently spoke to me about how cyber-bullying is taken quite seriously at the school she works for. In fact, she indicated that police were recently involved in a case with a female student in her grade six class. This girl was obliged to seek consultation and appropriate services through the school due to the fact that she indicated that she wished to committee suicide. As such, although I am quite sensitive to the bullying issue, I do not believe that efforts of school personnel should be ignored. School personnel may not always be effective, but to suggest that victims are unsupported is inaccurate in my personal opinion. A friend of mine whom is a behavioural therapist talked about different cases she experiences through her job at different agencies and the Wellington Catholic District School Board (WCDSB). She mentioned in her experience that psychological distress is linked to bullying and students who are victimized are more likely to get engaged in substance use, develop depressive symptoms, become suicidal, and cause self-harm. As well, students who are victims of bullying are less likely to remain attached to their schools or do well academically. Through my sister-in-law and friend’s experience I found that in contrast to the message conveyed in the documentary, professionals take the issue bullying quiet seriously.
References
Bradshaw, C.P., Sawyer, A.L., & O’Brennan, L.M. (2009). A social disorganization perspective on bullying-related attitudes and behaviors: The influence of school context. American Journal of Community Psychology 43(3-4), 204-220. doi: 10.1007/s10464-009-9240-1Bully (I) Lee Hirsch, director. (2011) 98 mins - An exploration of victimization of bullying.
Carlyle, K.E., & Steinman, K.J. (2007). Demographic differences in the prevalence, co-occurrence, and correlates of adolescent bullying at school. The Journal of School Health, 77(9), 623-629. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com
Rigby, K., & Smith, P.K. (2011). Is school bullying really on the rise? Social Psychology of Education: An International Journal, 14(4), 441-455. doi: 10.1007/s11218-011-9158-y
Canadian Red Cross
The Red Cross is a worldwide humanitarian movement which practices protecting the lives of vulnerable individuals, while maintaining respect for all people. International Red Cross includes many diverse organizations which have common aims, principles and objectives. More specifically, the Canadian Red Cross is a member of International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement, which includes the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), The International Committee of Red Cross (ICRC), and 187 National Red Cross and Red Cross Societies in almost each country around the world (Wikipedia. (2013). My Website analysis will cover one of my most preferred non-profit websites, which is the Canadian Red Cross, located at www.redcross.ca
Main Purpose
The Canadian Red Cross website is a non-profit site that makes locating information about its cause effortless. It is simple to figure out that the main purpose of the Canadian Red Cross website is to raise awareness in general and to provide information regarding possible contributions or donations. The main purpose revolves around spreading awareness in order to prevent potentially negative consequences which may be caused by disasters or obscurity. More specifically, the site raises awareness on how to react to emergencies and disasters such as, hurricanes which obstruct an entire area; disruptive fires, and many other disasters that lead to devastation within Canada and worldwide. Disseminating awareness and knowledge sharing is the main concept of the site by introducing online programs that help reduce and prevent violence, bullying, and abuse. Additionally, information on swimming lessons that may help individuals remain safe at the beach and information regarding how to react to potential drowning incidents, water injuries, and other catastrophes are identified. The outstanding tab “What We Do” takes users to the page that offers the website’s main purpose. (Canadian Red Cross. 2013).
Key Information addressed
The Canadian Red Cross recapitulates the key elements of its links distinctly at the heading tabs. The mission of awareness in the tab “What We Do”, volunteer, and fund raising are the key information addressed.
Important supporting information and Concept Used
Looking at the Canadian Red Cross website, I found that the “Donate” tab is clearly visible and always highlighted in red. It is a straight forward and simple process for individuals to donate money. The donation page is eminently attached to the home page and it is prominent in their navigation bar. Furthermore, the donation process requires no signing up and it is as easy as any online transaction. Keeping in mind, it is extremely important that donors pay close attention to the cause they intend to provide donations to. (Landsberger, J. (n.d.))
Influences or Conclusion (Design, images, etc)
Overall, the Canadian Red Cross website is readily guided and navigable, user friendly, and uses adequate design elements such as colors and fonts. The website is considered to display more than an exemplary corporate webpage. It is easy to find information about the organization across Canada. Conversely, the website does not include profiles of members on the board of directors and other key personnel. The site does, however, offer downloadable images so that journalists and bloggers can have quick access. The information on the website is delivered in a concise and language friendly manner which makes it easily understandable. With respect to the design, the Canadian Red Cross uses a design that is unsophisticated and represents the content of their function. In general, the content of the website is consistent. (Chapman, C. 2009)
Personal Opinion and Prior Assumption
My prior assumption regarding non-profit websites is that sites should be user friendly, making it easy for individuals to gain necessary information regarding the site’s cause, information on fund raising, and information on how to involve individuals in the community (Landsberger, J. (n.d.)). Moreover, the website should be attainable for journalists and other users to locate notions. In my opinion, the Canadian Red Cross website is privileged with the entire requirement of a non-profit website. In addition, the Canadian Red Cross makes its way to attract the potential donors and volunteers.
Personal Point of View
The website is donor friendly. Therefore, it is necessary for a non-profit site to have a donation section to promote donations periodically. In my opinion, the Canadian Red Cross is very concerned in getting the media’s attention because it can have massive impact on a non-profit organization. Getting attention from journalists and other audiences is fundamental in bringing more donations, gaining volunteers, and raising the profile of the organization. I would like to make it clear that my personal point of view is embedded in the group’s point of view and I agree with their standpoint.
Researching or working for Canadian Red Cross
Analysing the Canadian Red Cross website sparked my interest with respect to becoming a volunteer. I may not make a donation, but I am sentimental about how I can be helpful for myself and my community and family. In addition, the website is so rich with stories about emergencies and disasters in Canada and abroad. I would like to outlay my time civilizing myself by researching first aid and CPR, swimming and water safety, bullying and abuse prevention, and many other areas of interest from this website. I feel that by reading through this website, I can gain appropriate knowledge which may improve my skill for becoming a volunteer.
As a conclusion, the Canadian Red Cross has its aim to give the opportunity to people to share their stories in their society and keep others aware and connected. These sorts of intervention methods have been effective in reducing harm. Although these interventions have been effective, unawareness continues to affect the lives of a large number of people.
References
Canadian Red Cross. (2013). You can help when help is most needed: Give to the red cross. Retrieved from http://www.redcross.ca/
Chapman, C. (2009). Non-profit website design: Examples and best practices. Retrieved from http://www.smashingmagazine.com/2009/05/14/non-profit-website-design-examples-and-best-practices/
Landsberger, J. (n.d.). Study guides and strategies. Retrieved from http://www.studygs.net/evaluate.htm
Wikipedia. (2013). Canadian red cross. Retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canadian_Red_Cross
Monday, November 25, 2013
News, trust, and “truthiness”
We are definitely in a world where audiences
either consume the news they or get influenced by the news. It is obvious that the mass media, which are
driven by capitalism, deliver the information they want to the audiences and
may also construct the information.
An
example is Jon Stewart in “The Daily Show” who uses satirical news as an
alternative to the traditional news reportage. In my opinion, Jon Stewart tries
to distract viewers through his comedic style; he exercises the contradictory
input to inform people about the truth behind the traditional news. Jon
attracts viewers through the humorous side of his show to revel the deep-seated
part of the news. Some studies found that satirical news is equally substantive
to traditional broadcasting news. While other studies proved that it’s not
equally substantive but less since the behavior of the satirical programs is
directly affected and dependable on the major source of information which is
the traditional reportage. Traditional segments such as CNN and NBC convince us
that their news is objective and reliable. On the other hand, The Daily Show,
which is a satirical reportage, proposes the opposite by proving the flaws of
traditional news. In comparison between traditional and satirical news, the use
of irony contributes to a democratic population.
Satire news is not considered to be a new tool
but has been around for thousands of years. Since the beginning of the
twentieth century this kind of news has considerably changed through the
advancement of technology and innovations such as internet and TV but what
didn’t change is the aim of sarcastic news. A significant portion of young people follow
satire news as opposed to traditional news. A criticism of this is that the
satirist might be misapprehended by viewers who have insufficient knowledge of
the “real news”. Therefore, in the minds of the viewer, the satiric news would
appear to be a fully reliable source of world news. Another implication of
satirical news is that some satirists are not a credible source and may deliver
fake news to which the viewer does not realize. Therefore, the viewer is taking
this misinformation and believing it to be true.
After reading several of my classmate's blog
entries, I found the following quotes interesting. Sarah Trotman (http://st12tq.wordpress.com/) states: “When watching these reports I take the information with a
pinch of salt as I know that it is highly opinionated and not always the entire
truth.” Therefore, as I previously mentioned, the general impression is that
satirical news reportage is not as equally reliable as traditional news.
Kevin Shen (http://kevinshen94.wordpress.com/) also explains an implication that satirical news may face “The
downside of this is the amount of false information that can be provided
because satirical reporting can involve modifying some information to make it
comical. If people do not know about an event are only learning about it from a
satirical news source, then they will believe the satirical news to be true.”
Tori Gligic (http://torigligic.wordpress.com/) illustrates the effect of humor and irony when mixed with
traditional news and how people react to humorous news: “Viewer’s respond more
positively if they are provided with jokes that they can relate to”
As a conclusion, Satire news, which is a form
of mainstream culture jamming, has had an influence on the public sphere,
discourse and even the traditional news. It has improved throughout the years
to reach an elevated stage nowadays, thus it is extremely substantial that
viewers understand satire and the way it impacts the public sphere.
Sunday, November 17, 2013
The Fake News The Real News?
Culture
jamming is an approach that is used by some individuals to obstruct the media
in order to alter the original message and make society think twice about that
product or service. It is an offshoot of advertising that seeks to spread suspicion
among consumers whether it’s about a product or even related to a political
purpose. Smartly, culture jammers use some tactics such as changing logos or an
image that goes against the flow and challenges the primary notion. As
mentioned in the text book culture jammers are mainly anti-consumerist social movements who are
not considered to be a part of the media industry “…culture jamming is a form
of communication that can come only from outside commercial culture, not from
inside the media industry.” (O’Shaughnessy & Stadler, 2012, p. 214)
Alternative
media can be any form of media such as television, radio, internet, magazines
or newspapers. The alternative media intends to sarcastically transform the
mainstream media and hook us by getting us to question the masses. For example,
Nike is a highly reputable brand known mostly for their running shoes. The ad
that shows the running shoe with graffiti writing on it about the cost of the
shoe for the public and the cost of the shoe coming out of the sweatshop, is
intended to make people question whether or not they should buy Nike running
shoes. This may sometimes backfire and instead these ads make the consumer
remember the brand name as a popular one to buy. Therefore, alternative media
is biased towards its own ideology and standpoint and want to make their
viewpoints known as well.
Adbusting
is defined as destructing ad images to deliver a message and intentionally ruin
the reputation of a certain brand. Some examples are: Absolute Vodka “Absolute
Hangover” and the Marlboro ad “Moneywaster”. Culture jamming and alternative
media play this adbusting game to deliver a negative picture about a certain
brand or political viewpoint. Consequently, this negative game may lead to a
positive outcome for the sake of the original brand since it helps consumers recall
the brand and make it more attractive and in demand. “…the more clever the
graffiti, the more negative publicity that it generates, the more likely people
are to remember the brand in question when they walk into a shop.”
(O’Shaughnessy & Stadler, 2012, p. 224). On the flip side, there will be
some critical entanglement and make culture jammers held liable for their own
actions “Culture jammers can be sued for brand tarnishment, brand infringement,
copyright violation, and even defamation.”
(O’Shaughnessy & Stadler, 2012, p. 224)
Sometimes
culture jamming requires changing the media ironically to positively criticise
themselves and bring activists together while others focus on devastating a
political message. This sort of subversion may lead to some kind of legal
implications and revert back on the jammers.
O’Shaughnessy, M.,
& Stadler, J. (2012). Media and Society, (5th ed.). Australia New Zealand Oxford University
http://urbanlegends.about.com/library/blnike.htm (Jonah Peretti and Nike
customer service representatives)
https://www.adbusters.org/content/nike-shoe-sweatshop (Nike - sweatshop image)
Monday, November 11, 2013
Demonstrable Demographics
Advertisement
is basically a game that companies play, to their advantage, on their targeted
customers. We, as customers, first look for ourselves in an ad whether it’s a
photograph or a commercial. In the eyes of the companies it is very important
to look at how people are depicted in terms of culture, ethnicity, and how stereotypes
affect the implied message. Marketing strategies also consider body language,
setting, appearance, and socioeconomic factor.
The
fundamental purpose of visual commercials is to sell a service, product or to
spread awareness of a topic. Tori Gligic (http://torigligic.wordpress.com/2013/11/08/1f25-blog-post-3-what-the-hail) passionately argues in her recent blog, “Don’t Drink and Drive.”
That message is one that is valuable in today’s society and would get numerous
comments. Tori summed up her blog with a
very effective statement that she believes the ad is about. She states that the ad will “leave the
audience thinking whether it really is worth it in the end.” Even though I
fully enjoyed Tori’s blog, I didn’t find that the photograph used in the ad
reflects the idea intended behind drinking and driving. I found it hard to
figure out what the picture was portraying. She also states that although the
character in the ad is a female, the targeted audience is not limited to
females but extends to males as well. She continues saying “Although it has
been proven that males can drink more and handle their alcohol better than
females, it is still possible for regrets to happen to boys”. I didn’t fully
agree with her adding this statement in. If the statistics show that males can
drink more and control their alcohol better, it doesn’t mean they don’t get
drunk or drink enough to make undesirable choices. I felt that this quote made
it seem that usually it is females who make poor choices after a night of
drinking and I don’t think that is the case.
Allison
Sparham caught my attention by the way she describes Taco Bell’s commercial
during last year’s Superbowl. Even though the characters used in this
commercial are a group of old people, as she mentioned, the targeted audience
are teenagers who are considered to be reckless. Therefore the humorous
correlation between demographics is an intelligent way to attract a certain age
“This ad was interpreted as comedic because of the mode of address.” (http://allisonsparham.wordpress.com/2013/11/08/what-the-hail/) I agree that it was comedic and would catch the attention of the
younger demographic.
Christine
Merrill (http://christinemerrill2.wordpress.com/2013/11/08/what-in-the-hail), a reflection of my ideas, chose Revlon’s “Beyond Natural”
advertisement. She argues how girls can be driven to constantly buy cosmetics
in order to get the “natural” skin which is considered to be hopeless. It is a
marketer’s strategy to use celebrities in their commercials to magnetize consumers.
By using Jessica Alba in the ad, girls are hoping to have a smooth skin like
Jessica’s face and will keep buying the advertised product line. I totally
agree with Christine when she said “If the make-up doesn’t do what they
advertise in the picture, why exactly do they advertise it that way?”
The only aim of marketers is to embolden the potential buyer to
purchase their product either by a tremendous headline or by making an offer
for what the customer wants or several other creative thoughts. By reading
numerous blogs of my colleges, I found a diversity of opinions where I either
agreed or disagreed.
Wednesday, November 6, 2013
What the Hail?
Volkswagen
Game Day 2013 Commercial “Get In. Get Happy” (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9H0xPWAtaa8)
is a creative and humorous commercial. This Volkswagen commercial
starts in an office setting and due to the plain beige colour that is
everywhere, it gives off the image of dull and boring. However, Dave is a
cheerful employee from Minnesota who speaks in a Jamaican accent and is the
only happy and optimistic one in the office. During a meeting Dave breaks the
negative and boring atmosphere by saying, “You know what this room needs? A
smile! Who want to come with I?” His boss and colleague leap into Dave’s bright
red Volkswagen Beetle and they’re all cheerful now.
As
a Volkswagen driver, the title of the commercial “Get In. Get Happy,” makes me
believe that I’m the one being addressed and hailed. The location and
atmosphere of this commercial is in an office but I still felt I could be related
because I was picturing myself in the school environment. I felt that the
boring and dull environment was something that any gender, race, nationality,
or occupation could relate to. Therefore, this commercial was able to hail and
interpellate a wide range of people, not just Volkswagen drivers.
“This
‘hailing’ has the effect of putting us in our place or positioning the
addressee in relation to the addresser.” (O’Shaughnessy & Stadler, 2012, p.
185). In the Volkswagen commercial, hailing was embedded in the nature of
Dave’s character and by the very first line of the commercial. “I hate
Mondays!” is a line we all relate to and therefore grabs the viewer’s attention
immediately. Therefore, the impact of hailing positioned me as ‘addressee’ and
Dave as the ‘addresser’.
The optimism and cheerfulness in Dave that
lightens up the day at work and his cheerfulness rubs off on the others in the
commercial. This intrigues and hails me to watch the full commercial. There are
numerous reasons why I was attracted to this ad after watching over nine
commercials of different brands. It captured me through humour but also because
I did not have to decode any messages.
It sparks my inquisitiveness till the very last second because I wanted
to see what happened next in each scenario. Usually an ad has couple seconds to
gain the viewer’s attention, but the catchy scenes and humorous techniques in
the commercial got me to stay engaged for the full commercial. Once the
Volkswagen commercial was over, I found myself smiling and reflecting on it. A
Minnesotan white guy, Dave, who bursts with a Jamaican dialect not only
innervate the spirit of his office colleagues but also kept me engaged and got
me to research the new Volkswagen Beetle.
Interpellation
is a process that affects us from the day we are born and involves us into
certain roles in our society. Louis Althusser (1918-1990) explains that
interpellation is a method as giving a name to a person. Moreover, ideology
addresses us and proposes a specific identity according to our beliefs and
thinking as stated “So, in our identity we internalise particular ways of
thinking, feeling, and believing” (O’Shaughnessy & Stadler, 2012, p. 184). This commercial hints to the viewer that
although life may be boring and unhappy at times, if you drove a Volkswagen
Beetle, you would be happy. Your cheerfulness and optimistic attitude will rub
off on the people around. I believe that
this ad was successful because at the end, I wanted to see more about the car
and as a Volkswagen owner I automatically felt happy.
O’Shaughnessy, M.,
& Stadler, J. (2012). Media and Society, (5th ed.). Australia
& New Zealand : Oxford University
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