F*CK SEXISM.

             

            Recently,  FCKH8.com released a video, “Potty-Mouthed Princesses Drop F-Bombs for Feminism,” of little girls between 6 and 13 years-old dressed up as pink princesses to say f*ck in the name of feminism. By doing so, FCKH8.com hopes to bring awareness of sexism. They ask for donations in support of “anti-sexism” organizations. Both newsbusters.org and foxinsider.com covered the topic but have used different language in order to prove the different views upon the video.

            On newsbusters.org, the author includes numerous quotes from various people in support of video and its intentions. The author uses these quotes as a form of ethos to establish its credibility. The author also uses words with positive connotations such as “pretty terrific” “passionate” “heart” and “brilliant idea” By doing so, the author is able to connect with the reader because most readers tend to agree with positivity. The author also chooses to include that FCKH8.com is a “company with an activist heart and a passionate social change mission: arming thousands of people with pro-LGBT equality, anti-racism and anti-sexism T-shirts that act as ‘mini-billboards’ for change.” Words such as “racism” and “sexism” stand out and usually have a negative vibe that people tend to stray away from. So the author chose to use this quote because of the word anti in front of those negative words. By doing so, the author would be arguing that they are against “racism” and “sexism” which is a positive thing. Because those words usually stand out, positivity would stand out.

            On foxinsider.com, the author argues against the video for anti-sexism and claims the video “shows young girls dressed as princesses, reciting obscenities to sell T-shirts for FCKH8.” The author chose to use words with negative connotations in order to persuade its readers to not support FCKH8.com. The author uses words and phrases such as “obscenities” “used as props for profit” “ashamed” “corrupted” and “poor parenting”. People tend to stay away from negativity. Because this negativity is associated with FCKH8.com, the author is trying to make people stray away from contributing to its organizations. The author also uses phrases such as “young girls” and “beautiful young girls” to emphasize the idea of innocence. This is used to support their argument that their innocence was easily used and manipulated for selfish reasons. The author writes, “Kimberly Guilfoyle, a mother herself, called it poor parenting. “The adults that made it should be ashamed of themselves, too,". By including a quote from a mother, the author is able to use pathos in order to create an emotional connection with its readers. 

Link to first article:http://newsbusters.org/blogs/katie-yoder/2014/10/22/little-girls-drop-f-bombs-empower-feminism

Link to second article: http://insider.foxnews.com/2014/10/22/props-profit-little-girls-curse-promote-feminism-sell-t-shirts

#BendTheRules

           I was watching a new episode of a new Korean drama called Pinocchio and a HP Laptop commercial caught my attention. What caught my attention was the woman's little instrumental segment at the beginning. At first, I thought it was a commercial for Vine because the commercial consisted of different 6 second videos with famous viners that I recognize. But as I continued watching I realized that it was an advertisement for Hp because all of them were using the same red HP laptop. Since the commercial was only 35 seconds long, I wanted to find out what other techniques the corporation used to sell the product. I found it interesting that each of the viners used the laptop in different locations. This method was used to show people that you could take the laptop where you go whether if it’s in the kitchen or out on the basketball court.                                                                                                                                                       I also found it interesting when the lady was able to fold her laptop whereas the other guy couldn't and ended up breaking his. The significance was that the guy was using another laptop brand. Corporations used this method in order to prove to consumers that the Hp laptop is better than other brands. It also significant that the man broke the laptop but the woman did not. This was used in order to appeal to females as a sign that they have more control than males who evidently destruct.

            The man who threw the frisbee into the basket was an example of an advertisement within an advertisement. In other words, big corporations team up with others in order to attract the biggest crowd of people. They contact famous people and "sponsor" them to advertise their product. As stated before, I thought it was a vine commercial because of the famous viners that I recognized. They specifically chose these people because they knew that their popularity would gain more supporters. And because they are famous, people are more likely to want what they use in order to feel like they are somehow connected to that famous person.

            I didn't realize it at first because it was only a second but as I watched that scene over, I realized that the Frisbee had a website labeled on it. It labeled "DiscStore.com". Again, another example of corporations teaming up with each other in order to attract a larger crowd.  

Link to the commercial: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B9Tx6olI3l8

My Relationship With The Media.

         My relationship with the media is comparable to a fat kid that loves cake. I will probably never get rid of it from my life. All throughout my life I have never noticed that I am a constant victim of corporations who managed to manipulate the way I value specific products; nonetheless me. After closely analyzing the media in Critical Thinking, I am ashamed to admit that I myself am a consumer and a product of corporations. Due to advertisements, I have grown to be drawn to things that claim to be more than what they are. I am unknowingly exposed to social norms and am given a choice to either accept it or deny it. But due to constant deceptive advertisements, it seems that there is no choice.
         I use various media sites such a Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram every day. I agree with the media in which it gives me an opportunity to meet new people, to connect with family and friends, and to check on the latest innovations. I personally use these sites to connect with family and friends. With sites such as Facebook and Instagram, I am able to connect with my family living in France. We are able to talk, webcam, and send pictures of our separate lives. With the help of the media, it is possible for us live separate lives yet feel as if we are right next to each other. 
      

         I agree that The Media allows us to connect but I do not agree with how much power we give corporations to control the way we live. When I am on Facebook, I notice a bunch of advertisements as I scroll down my screen. I see a bunch of shoes and makeup ads that claim their product to be "Better Than Sex". Without knowing, we are constantly exposed to "social norms" and we are constantly comparing ourselves to it. We tend to buy products that are more advance and claim to do more than what they actually do. We constantly check our phones to see the hottest trends. Advertisements like these enable us to become materialistic and never satisfied.

         But how exactly do manufacturers manage to persuade us so much? How and when did we allow advertisements to change the way we value something?  How did we allow advertisements to change the way we value ourselves? Perhaps its secret messages hidden behind them or perhaps its human nature to always want more. Or perhaps we are all just trying to fit in. I don't know. Hopefully analyzing media further would help me understand my attraction to certain things.