Rethinking Popular Culture and Media

Use article The Library Target Built In your readings this week in Rethinking Popular Culture and Media you read about some educators concerns about the influence of corporations on public schooling and about numerous historical figures and groups whose history has been distorted. Choose one chapter that speaks to you and that has not been chosen by more than two colleagues* to discuss as an educator or future educator. Please use quotes (with page numbers) to ground your discussions in details. 1) What caught your interest about the chapter you chose? 2) How does what you now know (from these readings) compare to what you learned or have seen taught in k-12 schools? 3) Why does knowing this matter? 4) When you respond to a colleague please read beyond “your” chapters and reference the chapters of your colleagues (use quotes or paraphrase) in your responses to them. In to get full credit please make sure that you are specific in your responses in ways that evidence that you have carefully read the chapters your colleagues discuss. – Use these post to respond to. 1. Respond – Seventeen Self image and Stereotypes – AttachedI chose the article “Seventeen Self-Image and Stereotypes” By Bakari Chavanu.The article focuses on and discloses the role of popular media and corporations commercial advertising like Nike cars and cosmetic companies in conveying specific values messages and ideas that often perpetuate sexist racist gender and pro-capitalist point of view.Bakari Chavanu directed his concern about the illusion the media creates particularly in commercial advertising to teach the student a “Media Literacy Unit” that helped them gain critical insight and view on what they get exposed to. Then the article moved to be more particular focusing on how we analyze the image of women in advertising.The writer pictured his main concern saying “Many of my students are walking advertisements and consumer of media.” Then explaining that “The unit is covering topics from the images of women advertising to what the Center for Media Literacy calls the Myths of Image Culture ” Page 221-What caught your interest about the chapter you chose?The article caught my interest as an educator. It carries the courage to tell the truth and expose the false images and ideas the advertisements and media transfer to peoples’ minds creating distorted thinking in our society especially to the sensitive group of adolescents. Furthermore I admired how the article listed the 15 facts in “What’s Wrong with Advertising?” P. 25 starting with the plain clear fact “Ads lie…”.The article attracted my interest as an educator. It showed how to educate students and youth to challenge the inappropriate and unrealistic images that appear as facts in the media.Bakari Chavanu prepared an educational plan and began the Media Literacy Unit with a survey. Then used resources commercial presentations with reflection and critiqued discussions. He carefully picked practical yet effective activities to show how the advertisements use factors like colors alluring music and voice-over narration to convince the consumer to the product. “I replayed the ad again with sound only so students could notice the role the music and voice-narration play in advertising” P.23Then Chavanu tied the activities to a couple of essay-writing projects in which the students show their understanding in distinguishing between the commercial and noncommercial magazines. And the comparison here was between the two magazines “Seventeen” and “Vibe.” P.27The article opened my eyes to the truth of these advertisings. It helped me to have a critical wise eye when watching what the media provides.As a teacher I also learned a new plan and technique to apply in my educational field to help students gain the filtering look towards media and corporations’ advertisings. The article got my attention as a woman because It focuses on the images of women in advertising. It clarifies how moral or immoral the media can be. In this direction the article takes us to “the presentation of Jean Kilbourne’s classic work Killing Us Softly 4: Advertising’s Images of Women.” “Ads Kilbourne points out not only sell products but they also sell ideas about romance sex success beauty and power” P.23https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jWKXit_3rpQ (Links to an external site.)Bakari Chavanu did another activity using “Seventeen magazine” and let the students read “How Seventeen Undermines Young Women” by Kemberly Philips. P. 24 https://fair.org/extra/how-seventeen-undermines-young-women/ (Links to an external site.)At the end of the article the freelance writer educator and photographer Bakari Chavanu gained the fruits of his efforts when a student responded to his survey saying “Well I now realize that young girl magazine only focuses on looks and not on being smart or achieving your goals [They] never mention schooling or jobs-Just malls and cosmetics.” P. 26 2- How does what you now know (from these readings) compare to what you learned or have seen taught in K-12 schools?I learned when I was young; men ran most media so pictures of men and women are designed according to mens preferences. In other words men were creating media images of men and women as they would like to see them in reality. So they taught us the reason for the discriminatory images of women in the media. The fact that media products are created by men according to mens tastes and for men was not a great discovery for me. But now I learned how to get a more critical look understanding how the media creates that illusion analyze it and what the goals behind it and how to educate others and provide awareness with the critical understanding that saves many from falling into that Myth.3) Why does knowing this matter?Media and commercial advertisements give false information and influence real-life gender roles. The female characters portrayed in the media and commercials are greatly influenced by the beauty myth. It contains flawless skin a slender look and a beautiful body that embodies all beauty components as seen by society which leads to a loss of self-confidence for many women and teenage girls. The viewers must understand what is behind this image presented by the media of idealistic women. It is impossible to achieve beauty standards as depicted in the media as the models in these images were transformed through several technical means. It should be noted that the images of women are distorted and unrealistic in these TV ads. Even though the media today increasingly associates femininity with independent and strong women the qualities learned by the media and commercial advertisements still play a dominant role in shaping the concept of femininity in the receiving society of these commercials. The partial display of the female body in advertisements encourages the promotion of womens bodies as an object. Moreover when a magazine TV screen or commercial only promotes a womans body it is not easy to fully perceive the whole character.Dealing with media needs a high level of intelligence to filter what authentic from what is not. Grateful to those who sincerely teach us to be critical protecting us from the danger of media myths. 2. Resond – Sweatshop Accounting – Attached The chapter I chose was Sweatshop Accounting1) What caught your interest about the chapter you chose?The first piece in this chapter that caught my attention was when the teacher was having children look for tags on their personal items they had in the classroom and putting a sticky note on a map to show where are items we purchase came from(Marshall & Sensoyn.d p. 40). I personally like pulling down the map as an educator to give children a perspective of where anything comes from in teaching young children in preschool I have done this in different ways: when we are reading a story and we have animals we investigate where the animal comes from when you go to a theme park like Busch Gardens you see Zebras but they are not pets they did not come from Florida so lets find out where they come from. Another piece that caught my attention was the comparison between Mom and Pop vs. the Big-Box Store during the pandemic we have seen numerous Mom and Pop businesses closed on an account that they are not making any money while the Big-Box stores can afford to take a cut in revenue because they are so widely populated. Growing up my grandparents owned a small market in a small town in Michigan that still exists to this day you get to know your customers you build a personal relationship with everyone in your small town when I go to Walmart the manager doesnt know my name or my children I personally like the small business approach and would rather pay a little more for great service and product than to just be another person amongst millions. As educators we have to introduce children to a variety of options and show them how to make a choice that is good for them. In the chapter children acted out plans for building a new Walmart and the effects if would have a near by businesses and how it would put the smaller businesses out of business (Marshall & Sensoy n.d p 44). 2) How does what you now know (from these readings) compare to what you learned or have seen taught in k-12 schools?From the readings I guess I have learned how to put words to how I live and teach my children. We can go to Subway any day at anytime and get a perfectly okay sandwich in the small town we live in their is an awesome sandwich shop that we like to go to that is family ran but the hours are not always conducive to our way of life and schedules they are open from nine to three Tuesday thru Saturday so when we want to go we have to remember when they are open which is not always an option. I am not sure what is being taught in the area I live in to the children I just know what I teach my children at home. We local I still can my own fruits and vegetables and I try to instill in my children hard work. 3) Why does knowing this matter?Lastly after talking with my son who just finished 7th grade he has told me he has never been introduced to looking at the cost of products or where they come from. I feel looking into this could help our children make informed decision about how they will choose to live their lives. I also liked the part of this chapter called Full-Cost Accounting where the children had to figure out what a product actually cost how much it costs to ship and where products come from big stores like Walmart can keep cost down by ing a large amount of product the teacher showed this by having the children do a taste testing of apples and how they are different and they costs are figured out (Marshall & Sensoy n.d p. 45-46). We as parents need to be an active role in the education our children are receiving we should be making sure they are learning things that will become life skills not just crunching numbers and not know why my son did share that his teacher taught him the proper way to tip a waitress at a restaurant I am grateful for that I do think this is a life lesson everyone should no. A take away I have from this chapter is my daughter who is going into her senior year of high school is looking at going to college to be an accountant I do not want to sway her opinion in any way it is a great career however after reading this I think she would be able to make a more informed decision of the type of place she would want to seek employment in the future. Marshall E. & Sensoy O. Rethinking popular culture and media.