As a female in these modern times, I am constantly questioning my value and worth. The identity of women in our society is clear: women are sexual objects meant for the pleasure and appeal of men. Media makes this message very clear constantly. In movies, music, television, radio, magazines, newspaper, billboards, ect. women are exploited. Many people are aware of the feelings that are associated with these advertisements. Women may feel guilty, ugly, worthless, or uncomfortable. Men may judge the women around them more intensely and begin to pressure them. But most people say that they are unaffected or that the effects of the exploitation of women is minimal. This is not true...even in the least bit. According to "Killing Us Softly 4" only 8% of advertising messages are absorbed into our conscious. So that means 92% of the messages are absorbed in areas of our brain we are not even aware of!! We internalize these messages and these messages become our identities. While we may say we are unaffected and we may think we are blocking these messages out, we are not. According to "Killing Us Softly 4" we see about 3,000 advertising messages in one day! All of these messages are constantly being absorbed into our beings and our unconscious dialogues with ourselves. Even the most "beautiful" or "flawless" women are affected in detrimental ways. The models themselves that are shown in these advertisements do not even look as perfect as they are shown. The photos are retouched and manipulated to create a look that is not physically possible. It was humorous but also a slap in the face with truth when Cindy Crawford said of the years of retouching of her photos, "I wish I looked like Cindy Crawford."
What is the reason for destroying women? Most obviously it is to create better consumers. A consumer in need is a sale. Convincing women that they are flawed (and moreover convincing men of this too) creates a fertile ground for sales. As they say "sex sells," but really at what cost? At the cost of the mental well-being of our young and old women alike?
We are destroying a people: ourselves.
What they seem to be selling is a lifestyle not a product. They are selling the glamorous sexualized "natural" way women should be. It would seem by advertisements that this is really a choice that women make. It is empowering for us to be sexual objects and we do it well....Indeed its not. Sexuality becomes more of an obligation to feel accepted and worthy than a choice. And those women who are not "attractive" are left to feel worthless. According to "Killing Us Softly 4" only 5% of women can actually fit into the mold that advertisers call "attractive": its the rail thin, small bust, no hips and thighs look. Yet with the increase in the desire to have and promote even thinner models, this 5% may question themselves and are still capable of eating disorders and depression. Indeed, depression, eating disorders, and low self esteem are consequences of advertisements for everyone that run rampant in our culture.
There is also a dramatic amount of ageism seem in advertising. There typically is never anyone in an ad who is older than their mid 20's, unless the ad is for an aging product such as wrinkle cream or bone loss treatment. Our culture glorifies youth to the point that there is a huge lack of respect for the elderly. This is seen everywhere. Recently a song came out on the radio that stated, "We don't care about the old folks. talking about the young folks." This line was repeated several times in the chorus. The tune was rather catchy but the lyrics were very clear. Lyrics in other songs are no longer "suggestive" to sex but blatantly come out with it. Lyrics such as those saying, "I don't want to meet your daddy. Just want you in my caddy." More recently other lyrics I have heard say, "do you want to be my backseat whore?"
I am reminded of the movie "Stepford Wives." After watching this movie I had a very bad taste in my mouth. I think the movie ticked off some all too familiar feelings. Is our worth as women really as objects simply for male pleasure and appeal? While the women in this movie found a way out of Stepford and returned to their normal lives and gained their rights as successful women again with opinions and feelings. All of their husbands in the movie seemed to prefer the latter of them to the real them. In other words, the men brought their wives there so that they would be submissive, only concerned with their husband's happiness and keeping up with their beauty. The only reason that the men were forced to go back to their lives as it had been before is because the wives came out of their mechanical programming. The movie seemed to leave a subtle message that indeed men do just want women for sexual objects to make them happy. The last scene of the movie showed the men in the grocery store, on "punishment," all scrambling to shop for what the wife had asked. It seemed to imply that given the chance men would never choose a women with intellect, personality, and compassion.
Stepford Wives trailor
http://youtu.be/zst_sAGnu1Q
As I watched the movie "Killing Us Softly 4" there was a few resonating thoughts in my mind. I am reminded that the people of a culture can be no more than the culture they are developed in. We are products of our environment. I am also reminded that we are all connected. From the worst of us to best of us, there is some of everyone in each of us. So what this means is that we cannot look away and hope it will get better. We can not simply think that we are unaffected...We must commit to take action against it and continue to do so until....forever, really. We have spent years defiling the body of women. We have spent years destructing the value of ourselves then. It makes no difference if we are a man or woman, our survival and health of our society depends on each one of us.What is affecting our least and our best is affecting us.
Mi familia bonita
Wednesday, September 28, 2011
Monday, September 26, 2011
Consequences of Capitalism
America is a capitalistic economy that has systematically created ways to marginalize minorities in effort to keep the rich richer and the poor poorer. From the beginning of this country, the economic system has been working to suppress certain groups of people and keep other groups elevated. Capitalism has allowed this system to continue. This is a combination of racism and classism that is so prevalent in Capitalistic America.
"Capitalism is an economic system in which the means of production are privately owned and operated for profit, usually in competitive markets. Income in a capitalist system takes at least two forms, profit on the one hand and wages on the other. There is also a tradition that treats rent, income from the control of natural resources, as a third phenomenon distinct from either of those. In any case, profit is what is received, by virtue of control of the tools of production, by those who provide the capital and utilize it so successfully that revenue from resulting products exceeds the costs of production. Often profits are used to expand an enterprise, thus creating more jobs and wealth. Wages are received by those who provide a service to the enterprise, also known as workers, but do not have an ownership stake in it, and are therefore compensated irrespective of whether the enterprise makes a profit or a loss. In the case of profitable enterprise, profits are therefore not translated to workers except at the discretion of the owners, who may or may not receive increased compensation, whereas losses are not translated to workers except at similar discretion manifested by decreased compensation.
There is no consensus on the precise definition of capitalism."
quote from: Wikipedia
Capitalism is made possible from the working and middle class. These two classes support the upper class and their businesses. Without a strong support of workers any business could not be successful. In essence what is happening is that a group of elite people are dictating what will happen and everyone else is doing the work to keep everything running in order. Capitalism preaches a free market but is it really and truly free? "Free" implies that the market is within reach to anyone who wants it. It is not free though and comes at a cost; typically that cost is working hands being manipulated into a system that hurts them and benefits a small group of rich. Regulations on the market have become more lax since the 1970's. While regulations once supported small business (or working/middle class attempting to get a hand at upper class), regulations have now allowed large corporations like Viacom to monopolize certain markets. Smaller companies are forced to sell out or shut down because they can't compete with large corporations that consume the majority of the market.
All this is made possible from ideology that has been instilled in the culture of the nation. The ideology that I am talking about supports the oppression of certain groups and the elevation of other groups. Ideology is placed in schools, religion, government facilities, media, and other public institutions. This is known as Hegemony: a theory by Antonio Gramsci. Hegemony basically states that ideas are put in place through many avenues, such as media, schools, government organizations, ect., that support oppression of minority groups and the success of other groups for the benefit of the economy or social control. All the while the ideas are made to seem "natural" and "normal." They most indeed are not though. The ideology most often supports one group and demeans another in an attempt to create economic wealth for one side.
Examples of this are everywhere in the United States: most predominantly in media. It would seem that in order for capitalism to function there needs to be a "problem people" or a group of people that are dehumanized in order to justify their treatment. This can be seen from the beginning of history. It began with the blacks and slavery. At that time the success of the south was built on the backs of the black labor force. This was the start of a class system in the U.S. Blacks would have been the "working class" and whites would have been the upper class. Middle class was more of the factory workers who weren't black. This struggle would continue up until modern day with races such as the Irish, who were dehumanized during the Industrial Age. Fast forward to modern day with Mexicans who were seen as a scape goat for the fall of the economy back in 2008. Regulations and lots of publicity created hostility towards Mexicans for "stealing jobs": jobs that no upper or even "middle class" person would take on. Now, our very current situation shows that Arabs "are the new black." They have been marginalized after 9-11 to all be violent and dangerous. They are inhuman and should not be respected...So the media dictates to us.
Movies like Borat poke fun at non-white groups: making these people appear dumb and weird. Throughout the movie, Borat is a character that appears stupid and always disrespectful. This movie is difficult to analyze though because it could be argued that it attempted to fouly bring light to the ridiculous stereotypes and ideology set in place with media.
In any case I have included a clip from Borat....
In the clip Borat is in the "hood." Blacks are depicted stereotypically. There is no scene in this movie that counteracts this scene. Meaning there is not a black character in this movie that appears "educated" or "well to do." This is just one tiny example of how class and race are put together and a message is sent to the audience about a black person's identity or what is expected and "normal."
http://youtu.be/cNtkyA1C4jg
It is difficult to sum up this blog....
This topic is one that touches at everyone and at everything around us. Only when we are observant and begin to question everything can we even begin to shed some insight on this.
There is no consensus on the precise definition of capitalism."
quote from: Wikipedia
Capitalism is made possible from the working and middle class. These two classes support the upper class and their businesses. Without a strong support of workers any business could not be successful. In essence what is happening is that a group of elite people are dictating what will happen and everyone else is doing the work to keep everything running in order. Capitalism preaches a free market but is it really and truly free? "Free" implies that the market is within reach to anyone who wants it. It is not free though and comes at a cost; typically that cost is working hands being manipulated into a system that hurts them and benefits a small group of rich. Regulations on the market have become more lax since the 1970's. While regulations once supported small business (or working/middle class attempting to get a hand at upper class), regulations have now allowed large corporations like Viacom to monopolize certain markets. Smaller companies are forced to sell out or shut down because they can't compete with large corporations that consume the majority of the market.
All this is made possible from ideology that has been instilled in the culture of the nation. The ideology that I am talking about supports the oppression of certain groups and the elevation of other groups. Ideology is placed in schools, religion, government facilities, media, and other public institutions. This is known as Hegemony: a theory by Antonio Gramsci. Hegemony basically states that ideas are put in place through many avenues, such as media, schools, government organizations, ect., that support oppression of minority groups and the success of other groups for the benefit of the economy or social control. All the while the ideas are made to seem "natural" and "normal." They most indeed are not though. The ideology most often supports one group and demeans another in an attempt to create economic wealth for one side.
Examples of this are everywhere in the United States: most predominantly in media. It would seem that in order for capitalism to function there needs to be a "problem people" or a group of people that are dehumanized in order to justify their treatment. This can be seen from the beginning of history. It began with the blacks and slavery. At that time the success of the south was built on the backs of the black labor force. This was the start of a class system in the U.S. Blacks would have been the "working class" and whites would have been the upper class. Middle class was more of the factory workers who weren't black. This struggle would continue up until modern day with races such as the Irish, who were dehumanized during the Industrial Age. Fast forward to modern day with Mexicans who were seen as a scape goat for the fall of the economy back in 2008. Regulations and lots of publicity created hostility towards Mexicans for "stealing jobs": jobs that no upper or even "middle class" person would take on. Now, our very current situation shows that Arabs "are the new black." They have been marginalized after 9-11 to all be violent and dangerous. They are inhuman and should not be respected...So the media dictates to us.
Movies like Borat poke fun at non-white groups: making these people appear dumb and weird. Throughout the movie, Borat is a character that appears stupid and always disrespectful. This movie is difficult to analyze though because it could be argued that it attempted to fouly bring light to the ridiculous stereotypes and ideology set in place with media.
In any case I have included a clip from Borat....
In the clip Borat is in the "hood." Blacks are depicted stereotypically. There is no scene in this movie that counteracts this scene. Meaning there is not a black character in this movie that appears "educated" or "well to do." This is just one tiny example of how class and race are put together and a message is sent to the audience about a black person's identity or what is expected and "normal."
http://youtu.be/cNtkyA1C4jg
It is difficult to sum up this blog....
This topic is one that touches at everyone and at everything around us. Only when we are observant and begin to question everything can we even begin to shed some insight on this.
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